Chapter 1195: Sparrows Unaware of the Vastness of the Heavens

"Thank you, thank you," Hua Xiong said, overjoyed that Man Chong had given him some face.

"Withdraw your men and intensify their training," Man Chong ordered as he glanced at Li Liang and the others. These veterans had taken down three squads of city patrols without sustaining any injuries.

The city patrol veterans were silent. Although they had always known the Xiliang soldiers were formidable, it wasn’t until they actually clashed that they realized just how capable they were.

After seeing off Man Chong and the city patrols, Hua Xiong's intelligence seemed to shoot up a notch. "All of you, follow orders and return to camp for additional training!"

He then mounted a horse and led Li Liang and his group toward the military camp outside the city. By hiding them within the Xiliang army camp, even a deity wouldn’t be able to find out what was going on.

Although Li Liang and the others didn’t understand why Hua Xiong hadn’t questioned them and instead led them out of the city, they trusted Hua Xiong enough not to ask any questions and simply followed him.

"Why did Zhiran and A'duo send you here?" After walking a hundred paces, Hua Xiong grabbed Li Liang and asked, "Did something major happen in the Western Regions?"

"General sent me here to deliver a letter. There’s no major event, really. We just wiped out a small kingdom in the Western Regions and then helped Anxi and Daqin fight a battle. After the fight, we withdrew," Li Liang said honestly, as there was no need to hide anything from Hua Xiong—he was family.

"Wiped out a small kingdom?" Hua Xiong asked in a low voice, "Did we suffer any major losses?"

"Not much loss in destroying the small kingdom, but when we fought Daqin, the casualties were significant. General Li sent me to recruit more troops," Li Liang scratched his head and explained, "We’re a bit short on manpower. We can handle ordinary battles, but General also has a letter for the strategist or the chief clerk."

"Give me the letter. I’ll deliver it to the strategist. You stay at the military camp for now. The brothers are all there. Let Duan Wei help you sort out your ranks," Hua Xiong immediately demanded the letter, and Li Liang handed it over without hesitation.

Hua Xiong stashed Li Liang and his men in the Xiliang camp without raising too much attention. After settling them in, Li Liang quickly realized the stark difference in provisions—endless mantou, meat, and alcohol, especially during the New Year.

After securing Li Jue’s personal guards within his camp, Hua Xiong pocketed the letter and hurried to find Li You.

With a loud bang, Hua Xiong burst through the door, straightened his clothes at the entrance of Li You's study, and walked in.

"Strategist, there's a letter from the northwest," Hua Xiong said, handing over a long wooden tube to Li You. Li You pulled out the silk scroll from within and slowly unrolled it.

"Zijian, go fetch Jia Wenhe," Li You said, his previously indifferent and cold expression now showing a hint of surprise. The news was of great importance.

"Understood!" Hua Xiong immediately saluted and swiftly exited.

"Zhiran has awakened his Legion Talent—an incredibly powerful one," Li You remarked with a smile, causing Hua Xiong to be astonished. Although Li Jue was not weak, his abilities had never seemed to reach the pinnacle of a martial artist.

"Just as Jia Wenhe predicted, awakening a Legion Talent doesn’t necessarily require the strength of an Internal Qi Detached realm warrior. It's just that having that power makes it easier to awaken," Li You sighed. "The first person to achieve this without such strength is truly terrifying."

"Zhiran, as expected, is the leader among us," Hua Xiong said after a long pause, feeling a mixture of admiration and awe.

"Go and call Jia Wenhe here," Li You gestured for Hua Xiong to hurry up and notify Jia Xu, as there were matters that needed to be discussed.

When Hua Xiong knocked on the door of Jia Xu's residence, Jia Xu was already standing on the other side.

"Mr. Jia, the strategist requests your presence," Hua Xiong said respectfully.

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew exactly who Hua Xiong referred to as the strategist, and anything that would prompt Li You to send Hua Xiong to fetch him was certainly no small matter.

"Let’s go together," Jia Xu said, immediately setting off for Li You's residence. Since Li You had sent Hua Xiong, there would be no secrets kept from him in the forthcoming discussion.

When Jia Xu and Hua Xiong arrived at Li You’s study, they saw a large map hanging on the side wall. After just one glance, Jia Xu recognized that it was identical to the world map that Chen Xi had shown them before.

This was one of Chen Xi’s oversights. When he had displayed the map earlier, everyone had studied it closely. With their exceptional memories, it was impossible for them not to have remembered it. Given its importance, they had all drawn their own copies afterward.

"Why have you put that map up?" Jia Xu frowned.

While Jia Xu often took out the map to study it and motivate himself, he would never blatantly display it like this.

"Read this first," Li You handed the silk scroll to Jia Xu. Jia Xu glanced at it, then as he continued reading, his expression grew more and more serious, eventually falling into deep thought.

"I never expected Zhiran to have such an extraordinary encounter—Daqin, huh?" Jia Xu murmured. A flash of brilliance appeared in his eyes as he looked at the portion of the world map representing Anxi. "We need to convince our lord to lend them troops."

"Daqin’s ambitions are too great, and they are far too powerful. Even a mere border governor dares to decide the rise and fall of nations with a single word," Li You nodded in agreement.

"I must admit I admire such boldness. At the same time, Zhiran’s actions have impressed even me—it’s truly rare," Jia Xu said with a smile, but the shadow in his eyes deepened, becoming more severe.

"It’s just as Zichuan said: Until we leap out of the well, we’ll never know how vast the world truly is. Zhiran's response surprised me as well. Perhaps only by venturing out ourselves will we understand," Li You remarked. He now understood the mocking smile Chen Xi had given them before.

"A sparrow cannot know the height of the heavens, nor can a frog in a well comprehend the vastness of the sea," Jia Xu sighed softly. Without stepping out of the Central Plains, how could one see the full picture? Without opening one’s eyes to the world, how could one grasp the vastness of it?

"It’s not a matter of intelligence but rather the fact that, for thousands of years, our vision and thinking have been confined to the Central Plains. This land that can sustain an empire has its own splendor," Li You said, his eyes locked on Jia Xu, revealing the ambition swelling within him.

"Compared to our predecessors, the sages of the Warring States and the heroes of the Han dynasty, we have already taken a significant step forward. The Central Plains is not the entire world. Be it Anxi or Daqin, what do we, men of Huaxia, have to fear in a fight?" Li You stood tall, making his declaration with renewed vigor.

At that moment, the spirit of Li Ru, who had once sworn loyalty to Dong Zhuo and aimed to conquer the world, returned, but now with an even grander ambition. He had returned once more, full of determination.

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