Chapter 1163: The Heart of an Empire

Chen Xi was unaware that the grand vision he had painted for Li You and others had already been confirmed by Li Jue’s actions. Meanwhile, the chaos that was about to erupt in Rome had been forcibly halted due to the existence of a powerful rival under the heavens.

Unlike the Parthians, who, after understanding the gap in strength, continued to make fatal mistakes by harming their own people, the Romans approached their opponents with the utmost seriousness.

Rome’s entry into its third-century crisis was largely due to the absence of any real opponents. Just like the Han Empire, which had once pointed its sword across the land and remained undefeated, Rome found itself invincible after defeating Parthia. There were no more worthy adversaries in the world.

In such an era of internal strength with no external enemies, no empire—whether in the East or the West—could resist the urge to self-destruct.

In the previous timeline, Rome never received news of another powerful empire. However, in this life, after the battle between Gannasius and Li Jue in Central Asia, the Romans—whether they won or lost—understood that they were not alone in the world. Far to the east lay another powerful empire, just like them, that sought dominion over the world.

The vast distance between the two couldn’t dampen Rome’s ambition, and neither did the Romans believe that the endless desert sands could stop another empire's resolve to conquer.

An empire, by nature, would never abandon its ambitions because of distance, nor would it perish because of a powerful opponent. An empire does not fear expeditions or failure. It stands proud and solitary, always ready to conquer its adversaries.

The saying "A warlike nation will surely perish" never applied to empires. For an empire, peace only brings about complacency. It is only through blood and iron on the battlefield that an immortal empire can be forged. The moment external wars cease and an empire’s conquest halts, it enters its twilight.

A vigorous dynasty is always determined to expand its borders, unafraid of others, and it carries with it an unshakable belief in its own invincibility. When conquest stalls and enemies submit, the empire loses the power it once held. Internal strife and the clashes of vested interests soon turn the empire into mere history.

The Han Empire of the past and today’s Rome were both on the verge of surpassing their imperial zenith. Like the saying goes, "What goes up must come down." The difference was that Rome still had an old foe named Parthia, with whom they had fought for centuries, while the Han Empire no longer had any real enemies.

The collapse of the Parthian Empire also signaled the beginning of Rome’s decline. The cessation of conquest in Central Asia marked the onset of internal divisions. Without external wars to vent the empire’s iron and fire, they were destined to turn inward.

Neither the glorious Rome nor the powerful Han Empire fell at the hands of external enemies. In the end, both collapsed shamefully by their own people, leaving behind only memories of their former splendor.

However, when Li Jue appeared in Central Asia and shared Parthia with the Romans, it became certain that this scenario would not repeat itself.

The Romans didn’t have the notion of "the sky cannot have two suns," nor the concept of "the land cannot have two rulers." But that didn’t mean the Romans would allow a powerful empire—one strong enough to push them into the abyss—to exist alongside them.

Likewise, after clearing the grasslands and subduing the North and South, the Han Empire, when looking back at Central Asia, wouldn’t feel any joy in seeing the mighty Roman Empire.

Even though the two empires were separated by thousands of miles, and even though they shared a land to divide, that distance could not stop the will of an empire. A powerful enemy was not a threat to an empire; on the contrary, it was a form of motivation!

Because of strength, fear, confidence, and caution, for countless reasons, no matter how vast the distance, the heart of an empire’s conquest would never cease.

Just like when the Roman Senate, upon receiving news from their frontier dukes, immediately suppressed internal unrest and began shifting conflicts outward, Li You and others, upon receiving the information sent by Li Jue, had a similar reaction: to unify quickly and measure themselves against this other power.

However, unlike the Romans, Li You and his companions had already been tested by Chen Xi’s previous forecasts and were mentally prepared. This was in stark contrast to Rome, where many officials banged their tables in disbelief.

Nevertheless, Rome, as a unified country, held significant advantages in many aspects. At the very least, they were quicker in fully mobilizing their internal situation and rearming their vassal states compared to the Han Empire.

In short, once the top strategists on both sides saw the emergence of another grand empire on the continent, their eyes turned red with intensity. Both sides understood very well what the existence of an ancient empire meant, and they also knew the immense power a strong empire’s threat could bring.

The battle between two empires was already fated when Li Jue met Gannasius. Confident and proud empires, with equally confident and proud Romans and Han people, ensured that peace between them would never be possible.

Even with thousands of miles between them making a direct clash unlikely, the mere existence of two empires meant they could never truly submit. The battleground for their confrontation had already been set during the conversation between Gannasius and Li Jue.

Just as the Romans ignored Parthia, the Han Empire, once it truly entered the arena of competition, would also disregard the interests of the Parthian Empire. An empire that steps beyond its borders is a true beast. Within the confines of its own land, it could never fully display its imperial might.

Li Jue, by stepping outside the borders and positioning himself across from Gannasius, had clarified his place in the world. An empire’s strength is never established by flexing within its own walls; it is built by stepping out and conquering. Conquering foreign nations and defeating adversaries with one’s own bravery is what establishes an empire’s true stature!

Just as dragons do not dwell with snakes, tigers never consider mad dogs as opponents. The friends and enemies of an empire are only other empires. An empire’s collapse never comes from the efforts of small nations—it usually results from its own self-destruction.

What is an empire, really? Even Chen Xi couldn’t fully articulate it. But now, Li Jue could. An empire is a will, a demeanor, a spirit, and a mindset that allows one to traverse the world without fear.

The vast lands of China—how many people, even at the end of the Han Dynasty, truly understood what Ban Chao’s few dozen men achieving dominance over the Western Regions meant? Even now, few could grasp the mindset of Wang Xuance, who wiped out an entire nation in the Tang era.

The empire stands behind me; I have no fear. If I die, my homeland will ensure your entire nation pays the price.

Compared to the glory of an empire, what value does my life hold? The moment I step outside the empire’s borders, my life is nothing compared to the honor of defending the empire. The strength of the Han and Tang dynasties was not just in their military might, but in the imperial spirit deeply rooted in their people.

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