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Chapter 1210: Finally Realizing the Vastness of the World
🕑 Added 2024-12-15 13:54:52 +0000 UTCSometimes, getting stuck in a narrow way of thinking or breaking free from it is quite simple. After Liu Bei's initial burst of hot-blooded enthusiasm subsided, he cooled down and reflected on the descriptions of the mighty Roman Empire, leaving him feeling cold with fear. Yet, a simple remark from Lady Zhang allowed Liu Bei to easily escape that mental trap.
Yes, indeed, Chen Xi had always solved problems before they even arose. If he dared to present such a formidable opponent, then naturally, he had the means to deal with them.
Since that was the case, there was nothing left to worry about. The opponent was certainly strong, but the outcome had already been determined—we would win. So why worry? Even though the process would be tough, the final result would remain unchanged.
This was the image Chen Xi had built up over the years. Every issue that reached Chen Xi was no longer a problem. In short, as long as Chen Xi stood firm, Liu Bei had the courage to confront any enemy. Chen Xi was the foundation of Liu Bei's confidence, the source of his unwavering belief in victory.
Lady Zhang came out, holding the rolled-up map. She noticed the bright red handprint on it, clearly Liu Bei's. As for where the map was from, she hadn't paid much attention, nor did she care to—she was focused on her own responsibilities.
At this time, the servants had already set up a table. Liu Bei unrolled the map, revealing the vast expanse of land, and the small square representing the Central Plains. He suddenly felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
"Xuande Gong, let me tell you a story. Once, an emperor asked his son, 'Son, what do you see outside the window?' The son leaned over and looked out for a long time..." Liu Bei smiled faintly as he recalled the story.
"Xuande Gong, what do you think the son would have said?" Chen Xi had once asked him.
"Of course, he would say the scenery is beautiful," Liu Bei had responded, even turning to glance out of his own window at that moment.
"Yes, the prince said the same thing. But do you know what the emperor replied?" Liu Bei remembered Chen Xi's smiling expression as he told the story.
"The emperor probably thought his son wasn’t observant enough." Liu Bei recalled how naive he had been at the time.
"Not exactly. The emperor calmly said, 'That is my endless empire!'” Chen Xi had used the term “my” without hesitation, without any concern, but Liu Bei had been deeply moved by it.
The difference between an emperor and a prince became immediately apparent. It was at that moment that Liu Bei realized his own perspective had yet to reach that of a true ruler.
Of course, that was just Chen Xi passing time with some idle chatter, casually teasing Liu Bei. But for Liu Bei, it carried a deeper meaning. Chen Xi’s words had a way of being thought-provoking, especially for Liu Bei, who realized that the mindset of a true emperor should be like this.
At least, that’s what Liu Bei thought. If Chen Xi knew, he would probably regret planting such ideas so carelessly.
"This is a map of the world. Zichuan told me about it," Liu Bei said as he spread the map open and pointed to the Central Plains, explaining it to Lady Zhang.
"Hmm," Lady Zhang nodded, looking down at the map, though she didn’t really understand it at all.
"This here is the Central Plains, this is the Yellow River, and this is the Yangtze River. This small area here is Jizhou, where we are," Liu Bei said, pointing to a tiny patch of land on the map.
"Ah!" Lady Zhang gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief as she looked at Liu Bei.
"This is Jizhou. Our Central Plains is this small. Despite three thousand years of effort, our ancestors could only claim this much land," Liu Bei said nostalgically, running his hand over the map.
"And what are these places?" Lady Zhang asked after regaining her composure, pointing to areas outside the Central Plains.
"These are other countries, some as powerful as the Han dynasty, others as weak as our vassals," Liu Bei sighed. "Only now do I truly understand how vast the world is. That old saying, 'All under heaven is royal land,' probably wasn’t fully understood by those who said it."
"They mocked the arrogance of Ye Lang, yet they didn’t realize that we too were just as arrogant," Liu Bei said wistfully. "But one day, I will point to this map and tell my son, 'This is the land your father has left for you!'"
Because of his trust in Chen Xi, Liu Bei never considered that even Chen Xi might not be able to handle the distant empire of Rome. He genuinely believed that if Chen Xi encouraged him to proclaim such a goal, then Chen Xi could certainly defeat that empire.
Before long, all of Liu Bei’s generals arrived, one after another. Aside from a few who had already left, most were present. At this moment, the map with Liu Bei’s red handprint was prominently displayed on the wall of the main hall.
"Master, what’s the reason for summoning us here?" Gan Ning, always direct, asked after scanning the room and noticing that only the top military commanders were present—there wasn’t a single lesser general, nor were there any civil officials. Curious, he inquired.
"Let’s wait until everyone is here, and then I’ll explain," Liu Bei replied with a smile.
Soon enough, all the commanding generals in Ye City had arrived. Liu Bei picked up a bamboo stick and pointed to the map hanging on the wall. "I have summoned you all here to inform you of something. This is a map of the entire world. While there may be some discrepancies, the general layout is correct."
"The whole world?" The gathered generals looked puzzled. They had been summoned just to look at a map? What was this about?
"Is this the Yangtze River?" Gan Ning suddenly asked in shock, staring at Liu Bei. He wondered if he had seen wrong, but he was all too familiar with the Yangtze River. He had sailed its waters countless times, and he knew every bend and curve.
So, when he saw the river, about a foot long on the map, he could hardly believe it. Though he spoke with a tone of disbelief, he was almost certain it was true.
"Yes, this is the Yangtze River. And this small square of land, about a foot across, is the Central Plains where we stand," Liu Bei said slowly. In an instant, all the generals shot up from their seats, as if springs had been placed beneath them. Whether from disbelief, shock, or excitement, none of them remained calm.
"Big brother, are you sure this is a map of the entire world?" Zhang Fei asked in amazement after leaping to his feet.
"I’m certain of it. I happened to catch a glimpse of this map at Zichuan’s place once," Gan Ning said cautiously. Seeing that all the generals were looking at him, he coughed awkwardly. "At the time, I didn’t pay much attention, but Zichuan had this map lying on his desk…"
"So, the world is this vast. How long will it take for us to unify it?" Zang Ba groaned, slumping over the table. They had always talked about unifying the world, but today, they realized just how big the world really was.
The room fell silent. They had just now realized how foolish their ambitions had been. The world was this vast, and the idea of unifying it—how many years would that take? Their ancestors had been working at it for three thousand years and still hadn’t finished the job. Could they really complete it in a single generation?
Seeing the looks of disappointment on the faces of his generals, Liu Bei understood their feelings. After all, the goal seemed too enormous, so enormous that they couldn’t even see its boundaries. It was only natural to feel disheartened.
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