Chapter 1193: Defend from External Threats, Stabilize Internal Affairs

By the time Chen Xi had finished watching a large-scale battle, it was already late afternoon. Liu Bei hadn’t shown up, so Li You decided to reward the Xiliang soldiers with a feast of wine, meat, and steamed buns, all in Liu Bei’s name. Honestly, it didn’t look much like a military inspection at all.

“You mentioned those Xiliang soldiers who only know how to kill and nothing else. From what I saw, they mainly come from the units under Ah Duo, Ziran, and Zijian,” Li You remarked as he sat with Chen Xi, casually eating the same meal as the soldiers.

Eating from a communal pot, especially with a chaotic mix of food, isn’t always ideal, but if the spices are right, it can taste quite good. And Chen Xi, not being particularly picky, didn’t mind it much either.

“I thought you wouldn’t touch this kind of food,” Li You said, surprised, watching Chen Xi add more meat to his bowl. “And I didn’t expect you to accept eating like this.”

“It’s no big deal. I’m not that particular,” Chen Xi replied, shaking his head. “I don’t mind sharing a dish. Besides, in later times, it’s common to eat like this.”

“As for the taste, it’s alright. Sure, I’m a bit picky, but it’s much better than what I ate when I first came to Taishan. I always wondered how you managed to endure such terrible food for so many years,” Chen Xi chuckled.

“The real issue is that you’re too particular,” Li You smiled faintly. “Back then, having meat was already a luxury, even if it was bland. Unlike you, who needs all kinds of spices and seasonings. You’re the epitome of ‘never tired of fine food or meticulous preparation,’ aren’t you?”

“Well, that’s just part of human nature. How about you eat plain meat starting tomorrow?” Chen Xi rolled his eyes. Since he hadn’t placed strict controls on kitchen practices, stir-frying and more sophisticated cooking methods had already started to spread across the land.

“Recently, Wen He (Jia Xu) has been identifying neighboring nations, and we’ve gathered a group of people proficient in the languages of Anxi (Parthia) and Wusun,” Li You said, changing the topic, acknowledging that Chen Xi’s demands for good food were indeed a natural human desire.

“You found such talents so quickly?” Chen Xi asked in disbelief.

“If they’re recorded in Records of the Grand Historian, it means there was some prior contact. Since the days of Marquis Bo (Zhang Qian), we’ve had connections. And it’s only been less than a hundred years since the passing of the Marquis of Dingyuan (Ban Chao). With the strength of the Han Dynasty behind me, how could I fail to find what I need?” Li You answered casually. In this era, if other countries could achieve something, there was no reason the Han couldn’t as well.

“So, which countries have you gathered information on?” Chen Xi asked, furrowing his brow. He was worried that they might get exposed. He hadn’t expected Jia Xu and Li You to act so swiftly.

“Anxi (Parthia), Daxia (Bactria), Tiaozhi, and Daqin (Rome),” Li You replied, casting a glance at Chen Xi. “Although the information is not very detailed, as you mentioned, Anxi and Daqin are indeed empires. From what I’ve gathered, Daqin seems to harbor ambitions to conquer the world.”

As Li You spoke, Chen Xi could sense his deep unease, making him curious about what kind of information Li You had found that caused him such concern.

“The merchant guild is overseen by Zizhong (Mi Zhu). The Wu and Li families have business ventures beyond the Yumen Pass, so we’ve had some indirect connections. When we were gathering intelligence on Wusun, the Li family’s jade merchants happened to return from Shanshan,” Li You said with a smile.

“Where did the Wu family’s caravan go?” Chen Xi asked, suddenly thinking of the influential Wu family in Yizhou. If the Li family could travel so far, it was unlikely that the Wu family’s reach would be any shorter.

“They went to Yancai, a country near Anxi,” Li You explained. “According to the Wu family’s merchants, Yancai holds the strength of a regional warlord.”

“Wait, what?” Chen Xi was puzzled, unable to recall such a nation from his knowledge.

“In any case, just as you said, the situation around us is quite chaotic. Fortunately, the northwestern desert and the southwestern mountains act as natural barriers,” Li You said with a sigh. “As for the Kushan and Daqin you mentioned, it seems they’re too far away for now.”

“Well, that’s typical for empires. Like us, they cover vast territories. Our own farthest border is thousands of miles away,” Chen Xi laughed, relieved that they hadn’t uncovered anything too dangerous.

“Daqin might be larger and stronger than us,” Li You said after a moment of silence. “The Wu family’s merchants brought back some Wusun traders. One of them, in his youth, traveled across Daqin, taking a ship from the eastern side of Daqin to the western side. It took him about six months.”

“...” Chen Xi didn’t know what to say in response.

The Mediterranean being referred to as Rome’s inner sea was quite the compliment, but the idea of taking six months to travel across it by ship was rather shocking. Then again, considering the shipbuilding technology of the time, with the use of oars instead of sails, a journey of that length was plausible.

“What’s the situation with Anxi?” Chen Xi asked, shifting the focus to something closer. Compared to distant Rome, Anxi was his real target. The land of Central Asia was rich and fertile, and it was within the Han Dynasty’s potential reach.

“They’ve been at war with Daqin for over a hundred years. The fighting has hardly stopped, and it’s been brutal. It looks like Daqin is on the verge of winning. Honestly, I think you might have underestimated Anxi,” Li You sighed. “I don’t think we could hold out for a hundred years at the peak of the Han Dynasty.”

Chen Xi rolled his eyes but chose not to argue. He was confident they could manage.

“We might be fine in our generation, and we could even push back. But a hundred years means five or six generations. Winning against a stronger force isn’t easy,” Li You shook his head. “I’ve learned everything that Wusun trader knew about the Anxi-Daqin conflict.”

“Anxi lost because their national strength is inferior to Daqin. Early on, they were strong enough to counterattack, but over time, that’s no longer the case. Though internal problems exist, no nation can ever be fully united,” Chen Xi nodded in agreement.

He could personally relate to that. Ever since he began building Taishan, he had carefully managed the relationships within Liu Bei’s faction, binding them with shared interests, honor, ideals, and moral obligations. Yet despite his best efforts, internal resistance had cropped up twice.

It was frustrating. Even when doing the right thing, he had faced opposition twice. It made him realize that politics ultimately depends on the ground one stands on, or that perhaps politicians and statesmen were two different creatures. The former has unwavering ideals, while the latter has unwavering self-interest.

“I thought you might not have realized that. It’s good to see you understand,” Li You said, not questioning how Chen Xi had obtained this knowledge. After all, it hadn’t taken him long to gather the intelligence, so it was normal for Chen Xi to be informed.

“Managing external threats and stabilizing internal affairs—every nation has internal issues. Even within a single family, there are factions. Unity is often just an illusion. If people aren’t working against you, and everyone can pull their weight, that’s already quite an achievement,” Chen Xi said with a sigh.

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