Chapter 1196: A Mutual Understanding

Hua Xiong stood there with a bewildered expression. He had no idea what Li You and Jia Xu were talking about, and as for the map hanging on the opposite wall, Hua Xiong recognized it as a map, but he had no clue where it represented. The only familiar feature was one of the rivers that resembled the Yellow River.

The main reason Hua Xiong was familiar with the Yellow River was because of its characteristic "S" shape. But even then, Hua Xiong didn’t think it was the Yellow River; if it were, this map would be too far-fetched.

"Jia Xu, what do you think of Zhiran's letter?" After expressing some thoughts, Li You tried to calm himself and looked at Jia Xu, seeking his opinion.

"They were lucky to win," Jia Xu sighed. "It was a fortunate victory. If the Xiliang Cavalry hadn’t been able to counter Daqin’s archers so effectively, and if Li Jue hadn’t awakened his Legion Talent in the heat of battle, they would have lost. But a win is still a win."

"The fact that Legion Talents are not exclusive to warriors of the Internal Qi Detached realm is good news for us. As Zichuan said, every additional person who possesses such talent is of great importance to the empire," Li You said solemnly, looking at Jia Xu.

"Other nations also have their elites. Did they manage to send back the eagle standard he mentioned?" Jia Xu asked, looking at Li You.

"I don’t have it here. If an inanimate object like that can have such an effect, then it’s worth investigating what the true essence of a Legion Talent really is," Li You shook his head slightly, tapping his fingers on the desk in thought.

"It seems that the elite talents across different armies might be more common than we thought. It’s likely that they stem from a deeply ingrained, bone-deep training, as we’ve suspected," Jia Xu said, opening his black fan.

"That can be set aside for now. What’s more pressing is what we should do next," Li You stared directly at Jia Xu, his tone serious.

"You already have a plan in mind, don’t you? Even just from observing Daqin’s combat abilities in a limited capacity, we’ve seen enough to get a sense of their strength," Jia Xu replied, meeting Li You’s gaze without flinching.

"Moreover, unless our lord agrees to mobilize troops, we won’t have the authority to act. I think your thoughts and mine aren’t too far apart. Regardless of anything else, this is not the time for Anxi to fall," Jia Xu continued, unabashed.

By this point, even Hua Xiong, despite his occasional slowness, had begun to pick up on some of the implications. It seemed they had gotten into a conflict with certain foreign nations.

"So, should we consider whether it's time to present this map to our lord?" Li You mused, his hand brushing over the map as he spoke. "Without showing him this map, it would be strange if he agreed to lend troops."

Jia Xu fell silent. They all understood why Chen Xi hadn’t presented the map to Liu Bei directly. When a frog leaps out of its well and sees the vast world beyond, there are only two possible reactions: either it is inspired to strive for more, or it turns back, unwilling to face the challenge.

"This isn’t a decision for just the two of us. We’ll need everyone to weigh in on this," Jia Xu eventually concluded, choosing a more cautious approach.

"We’ll definitely need to lend at least 3,000 elite troops, and with 6,000 Xiliang Cavalry supporting them, Anxi may be in decline, but a weakened empire is still stronger than most. On the other hand, we’ll need to increase our investments in the northwest," Li You contemplated for a moment, then agreed with Jia Xu’s suggestion.

As for how this letter arrived or why Li Jue dared to ask for reinforcements, neither Li You nor Jia Xu bothered to explain. The civil ministers under Liu Bei weren’t fools. Even if they hadn’t yet confirmed Li You’s true identity, they likely had their suspicions.

Hua Xiong was sent off to gather all the senior civil ministers responsible for military and political matters. However, most of them were still in a relaxed state from the New Year celebrations, so it took some time for everyone to arrive.

After about half an hour, Guo Jia, Liu Ye, Man Chong, Fa Zheng, Chen Xi, and Lu Su had all gathered. These were the true veteran civil ministers under Liu Bei’s command.

"Li You, why have you gathered us all here? Is something urgent?" Guo Jia asked, noticing that after Li You entered the room, he closed the door and had the curtains drawn to darken the chamber. His tone was playful, but he could sense the gravity of the situation.

"It’s something serious, and I cannot afford to be careless," Li You replied with a solemn expression. Instantly, the mood in the room shifted. Everyone focused inward, mentally preparing themselves to address whatever major issue had arisen.

Liu Ye glanced around at the gathered ministers and immediately felt a sense of unease. There was no sign of Zhuge Liang, Xun Yue, or Xu Shu—only the most senior members were present. Did that mean this was something only they were allowed to know?

"Zichuan, you take a look first," Li You said, lighting a lamp himself before handing the silk scroll to Chen Xi. With a puzzled expression, Chen Xi accepted the letter. As he read through it, his expression grew more and more serious until he finally looked up sharply at Li You, who remained calm.

Rubbing his temples, Chen Xi passed the letter to Guo Jia and Lu Su. He hadn’t expected that the Han Dynasty would have already engaged in a conflict with Rome.

Although the battle hadn’t occurred within their own borders and neither side had committed large forces, both the Xiliang Cavalry and the Roman legions had demonstrated remarkable combat prowess. Neither Rome nor the Han had yet shown any signs of decline.

Guo Jia, too, furrowed his brows as he read. If the contents of this letter were true, Rome was far more formidable than Chen Xi had previously predicted during his earlier assessments.

What weighed on Guo Jia even more was the realization that Li You was, indeed, Li Ru. While it was theoretically possible for someone to accumulate theoretical knowledge in some hidden corner and then emerge to shake the world, experience was another matter entirely. Experience could only be gained through practice, and Li You’s level of expertise in certain areas simply wasn’t feasible without prior direct involvement.

Guo Jia silently handed the letter to Fa Zheng, who also displayed a similar expression after reading it, passing it to Liu Ye without a word.

"So, it really is Li Ru. Still, considering he can manifest the virtuous aura of a sage, perhaps there were hidden circumstances behind his actions when assisting Dong Zhuo," Liu Ye thought to himself as he passed the letter to Man Chong without batting an eye.

Man Chong, with his usual stern expression, read the letter and then handed it back to Li You, his face showing no change at all.

Li You’s face remained impassive as he collected the letter. While none of the ministers had shown much reaction, he knew they had all realized the truth—likely, they had suspected for some time, and this only confirmed it.

But that didn’t matter. Whether or not he was Li Ru was irrelevant. What truly mattered was the content of the letter. It would determine the future allocation of resources and manpower. Anxi was a fertile land, and it could not be allowed to fall into the hands of Daqin.

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