Chapter 1016: Drifting Further Away

"This grand path we're on... if it's just us alone, we're bound to struggle. They [Cao Cao and Sun Ce’s forces] are truly our greatest support, after all, they’ve fought against us before," Lu Su said with a nod, agreeing with Jia Xu's proposal.

Lu Su’s point was clear: regardless of how they opposed them in Zhongyuan, the capabilities of these people weren’t inferior. They were, just like Liu Bei’s forces, trapped by the limitations of Zhongyuan and unable to see the broader world. Whether you acknowledged it or not, these were formidable individuals.

Moreover, based on Jia Xu and others' assessments, if those forces knew that a great enemy was in chaos, they would surely seize the opportunity. The only reason they hadn't yet intervened was that they likely hadn’t received the news.

From Lu Su’s perspective, with his understanding of the global economy and logistics, if they were in the position of Han Wu (Emperor Wu of Han), when he launched the campaign against Dawan, there wouldn’t have been such heavy losses. Considering this, Lu Su believed that if he were in their shoes, he would definitely act.

As for logistical difficulties, moving grain from Youzhou to Yizhou would be as challenging, but not impossible. Lu Su estimated that if he had to transport supplies, it wouldn't be too difficult. By the same logic, it wouldn't be implausible for Parthia to launch an attack if they received the news.

Entrusting the hope of one nation to the mercy of another? No one here would be so foolish. As long as the benefits are large enough, countries will stop at nothing.

"Indeed, we need to preserve those individuals. Each one represents an opportunity for victory in an imperial conflict," Liu Ye nodded, his previous concerns about instability now replaced by agreement with Jia Xu's proposal.

"So I say, let’s unify Zhongyuan within two years. At the very least, by the time Parthia and Kushan realize what's happening, we’ll already be a unified empire," Guo Jia said sternly as he tapped the table. "Though there will be losses, they will be far less than falling into an imperial war unprepared!"

"I second that," Li You immediately agreed. "Even if rapid unification leaves many hidden dangers, it’s a lesser evil compared to the devastation of an imperial-level war!"

"I think we should proceed as well," Lu Su added with a serious expression.

"Relax. Within the next decade, neither Parthia nor Kushan will have the energy to deal with us, so you don’t have to worry," Chen Xi said, observing how everyone once again reached a consensus. He then revealed another key fact to prevent the conversation from drifting too far off course.

This time, Chen Xi clearly saw everyone sigh in relief, and when they realized they all did the same, they burst out laughing.

"Oh, Chen Zichuan, you sly fox! Why didn’t you say that earlier?" The usually carefree Guo Jia stood up, laughing and scolding him.

"I just wanted to see your reactions. Think about it: if they weren’t dealing with their own problems, wouldn't they have come here to take advantage of us by now? They’ve been going through upheavals just like us," Chen Xi explained with a chuckle, and his reasoning was sound.

"We were so caught up in your pace earlier that we forgot this fact. After all, they are empires. They even trade with our country. If they had wanted to act, they would’ve done so already," Jia Xu admitted with a bitter smile. The information Chen Xi had shared earlier was so overwhelming that he hadn’t had time to verify its truth.

"However, everything else I said is true. Parthia is indeed the weakest among the first-tier empires, and Kushan ranks somewhere in the lower middle. Overall, the situation isn't too bad," Chen Xi said with a smile. "Once we unify, we’ll be considerably stronger than them, so you can rest easy."

"Kushan is lower middle-tier?" Li You frowned and asked, "What kind of strength are we talking about for a lower middle-tier Kushan?"

"Their overall national strength is more than twice that of Parthia," Chen Xi estimated. He knew that Kushan had about 1.5 times the population of Parthia, but with so many of them being Indians, their combat effectiveness was likely inferior. So, he downplayed their overall strength somewhat.

Everyone's expressions shifted slightly, and as they began to calculate the implications, their faces grew more serious.

"Slightly weaker than us after unification," they concluded after exaggerating both Parthia’s military strength and Kushan’s overall capabilities.

"Yes, that's about right. Over the last few years, they’ve been growing stronger, but they haven’t experienced major chaos like us, so their national strength hasn’t dropped like ours," Chen Xi said, offering a reasonable explanation.

"In fact, two hundred years ago, they experienced a situation similar to ours. The difference is that those two nations managed to avoid internal strife by choosing a different path," Chen Xi explained, shaking his head.

"What method?" Li You and Liu Ye asked in unison, their curiosity piqued, and everyone else turned to look at Chen Xi, eager to learn about a method that could prevent a change in dynasties.

"Kushan and Parthia chose to attack neighboring small nations, plundering their lands and resources. They shifted all their internal conflicts outward. To be called an empire, we know from our own strength that smaller nations cannot stand against one," Chen Xi said, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. He paused briefly to build anticipation before continuing.

"Only an empire can stand against another empire. For everyone else, it's a death sentence. It’s simple and easy. Like Wenru [Li You] said earlier, when we cast aside our moral facade, exterminating a nation is something we can do with ease," Chen Xi said calmly. "Unfortunately…"

Everyone knew exactly what Chen Xi was lamenting. The Han Dynasty indeed possessed the power to annihilate nations, but they were restrained by moral concerns. Standing at the top for so long, they had deluded themselves into thinking they were invincible, and thus sought to present a benevolent image to other nations.

The first emperor to recognize this hypocrisy understood it all too well, just as Emperor Wu knew that the promotion of Confucianism was merely a façade. But over time, later emperors misunderstood this, and the greatest flaw of hereditary rule emerged: there was no guarantee of continuous wise leadership.

"They succeeded..." Liu Ye said with a bitter smile.

"Yes, they succeeded. If they didn’t have enough land, they went and took it. As long as the motherland is strong enough and they seize enough territory, there will be plenty to divide," Chen Xi said with a strange expression. He was unsure whether he should share these ideas with the group. Some frowned, while others’ eyes gleamed with excitement.

Chen Xi didn’t tell them that Parthia and Kushan both thrived and failed by following this strategy. He was merely offering an alternative path. Whether it was right or wrong would be something they’d have to verify themselves.

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