Chapter 1208: Provocation

As usual, Chen Xi entered Liu Bei's residence without any formal announcement, walking through the halls until he encountered Xu Chu. Seeing Xu Chu's awkward expression, Chen Xi immediately knew who was inside.

"Alright, I’ll wait," Chen Xi said, not wanting to intrude. He slipped into the front hall, where Liu Bei’s maids prepared tea and snacks for him as he waited.

However, Chen Xi didn’t have to wait long. Liu Bei was not one to indulge in excess during the day, which is why Chen Xi had chosen to wait in the front hall.

"Ahem, sorry for the delay, Zichuan," Liu Bei said, tugging at the corner of his mouth in mild embarrassment.

"It’s no issue, the fault is mine," Chen Xi waved his hand dismissively, then casually tossed a large rolled-up map onto the table in front of Liu Bei.

"What is this?" Liu Bei asked, catching the map and unrolling it, though he struggled to make sense of it. He could tell it was a map, but beyond that, it was unclear.

"This pertains to your ambitions, Xuande Gong. I’ve thought long and hard about it, and I believe it’s possible to achieve," Chen Xi said as he took a sip of tea, setting the cup down and shifting into a more serious demeanor.

"Oh?" Liu Bei’s face lit up as he set the confusing map aside, looking eagerly at Chen Xi, whose expression had turned solemn.

"Your ultimate goal, Xuande Gong, is essentially to surpass all the virtuous and wise rulers of history," Chen Xi stated, maintaining an even tone.

"Yes, that’s exactly it," Liu Bei nodded. In truth, when he first set this goal, he hadn’t fully thought it through—the odds of success had seemed almost zero.

"In that case, I suggest you spread that map open again," Chen Xi said, glancing at the map Liu Bei had carelessly tossed aside.

Liu Bei obediently unfurled the map again, but accidentally laid it out upside down, showing that he truly didn’t understand what it depicted.

"This map will guide you on your path to surpass your ancestors. But to do so, you need to remember one thing: you haven’t even reached the starting line yet," Chen Xi said slowly. "Right now, you can choose whether or not to follow this path."

"I haven’t even reached the starting line?" Liu Bei said incredulously.

"To surpass your ancestors, you at least need to first unite the Han dynasty," Chen Xi said, his face full of disdain. "Do you think you can claim to have achieved anything meaningful without even that as a starting point?"

Liu Bei suddenly felt immense pressure. He had always thought he was doing quite well, but in comparison to his lofty ambitions, he hadn’t even taken the first step. It felt like the final boss in a game hadn’t even appeared yet, and he was still stuck in the beginner's village.

"So, as they say, how can a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan? Your aspirations are truly grand. I’ve spent years contemplating them and have finally determined that they are achievable," Chen Xi said smugly.

"That is excellent news," Liu Bei said, the defeatist feelings in his chest dissipating. So what if the challenge was enormous? After all, there was nothing Chen Zichuan couldn’t handle!

"Do you know what this is?" Chen Xi asked, stepping forward and tracing his finger over a section of the map near the Yellow River. His tone was gentle as he looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei shook his head. If he knew, he wouldn’t have been so lost earlier.

"This is the Yellow River, and here is the Hetao Plain," Chen Xi said, his calm eyes fixed on Liu Bei, whose worldview was beginning to crumble.

"This map represents the world. The world isn’t just the Central Plains. Here, here, and here," Chen Xi pointed to various parts of the Eurasian continent, his eyes flashing coldly, "all have powers similar to ours. Even if they can’t attack us now due to the distance, they are potential enemies."

Liu Bei’s mouth hung wide open, unable to close as he stared at Chen Xi with wide, almost comically bulging eyes.

"So, to surpass your ancestors, you must make the entire world your dominion—all under heaven is royal land, and all within the seas are royal subjects!" Chen Xi said passionately, staring at Liu Bei. "Come on, put your handprint here. Once we commit to this, everything under the sky will be our territory!"

Liu Bei was dumbfounded. It wasn’t until Chen Xi grabbed his hand and started guiding it toward the ink that Liu Bei snapped back to reality. He yanked his hand away, horrified, refusing to stamp the map. If he put his handprint on that map, his life would be over!

Chen Xi clearly wasn’t joking about this grand plan. With the Yellow River and Yangtze River being less than an inch long on the map, the sheer size of the world was overwhelming. One handprint, and it wouldn’t be just one lifetime he’d need to finish this task—ten lifetimes might not be enough.

In the ensuing struggle, Liu Bei, too cautious to use his internal energy for fear of injuring Chen Xi, ended up getting tricked. His handprint landed smack in the middle of Central Asia.

Furious, Liu Bei snapped, "Zichuan, what exactly are you trying to do? Even if I slap my hand down on this map, I still can’t accomplish it!"

At this point, Liu Bei was less shocked by the revelation and more exasperated by Chen Xi’s antics. He stared at the red handprint on the map in disbelief.

"That’s the goal. After all, there are others out there with similar ambitions, and they’re already making moves. We can’t let them have a better slogan than us," Chen Xi said, pointing to the Mediterranean region on the map. "We don’t expect you to have the same guts as them, but at least we shouldn’t lose face."

Liu Bei suddenly felt like he’d been slapped in the face. "What? Even these barbarians are trying to conquer the world? Where does that leave me, Liu Xuande!" he shouted angrily.

"Fine, I’ll crush them!" Liu Bei roared, jabbing his finger at the map’s depiction of the Roman Empire. "Tell me how they’re doing it, and I’ll show them the Han dynasty isn’t afraid of anyone!"

Chen Xi calmly outlined the current state of the Roman Empire’s expansion, detailing their conquest efforts and their clashes with Li Jue’s Xiliang cavalry. "That’s how it is. They’ve expanded from a small nation to this size, and now they’re nearing our borders."

Of course, Chen Xi conveniently left out the fact that Rome had taken centuries to build its empire. Liu Bei, under the impression that it had taken less than a hundred years, grew increasingly serious as he listened.

"Look at their slogan, then look at ours. We don’t need to aim for world conquest, but at least our slogan shouldn’t be any less ambitious!" Chen Xi spread his hands in a helpless gesture, barely concealing the implication: Xuande Gong, we know you can’t measure up to them, but at least pretend to.

"These mere barbarians dare to think so boldly! How can we Han heroes fall behind!" Liu Bei shouted, enraged.

"Oh, by the way, I just received word that the Duke of Rome has led an army to the Western Regions and fought a large battle with Li Jue’s Xiliang cavalry. Although they didn’t win decisively, they’ve retreated to the Mesopotamian region and sent us a formal challenge—they’ll return in a year to fight again," Chen Xi said, handing a letter from Li Jue to Liu Bei. Of course, Liu Bei had no idea where Parthia was.

The more Liu Bei read, the more alarmed he became. He knew how formidable the Xiliang cavalry was, and for Li Jue to have opened his army’s special abilities and still not achieve total victory against Rome—it only reaffirmed how fearsome they were.

"Grant them reinforcements! Tell Li Jue to hold off Rome for five years, and once I’m ready, I’ll personally go settle the score! As for past grievances, they’re all forgiven!" Liu Bei declared, raising his head slowly, his eyes filled with resolute determination. Even barbarians can aim this high—how can I not surpass them?

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