Chapter 1213: The Empire’s Ultimate Limit

When Chen Xi pointed to the map and began explaining to Liu Bei's senior ministers about the vastness of the world, those seeing it for the first time were utterly shocked.

Even Zhuge Liang, known for his composure and wisdom, couldn't maintain his usual calm expression. The sheer breadth of the world far exceeded their expectations.

"This is the world, the complete world," Chen Xi said calmly. "It’s the world I’ve been telling you all about, the one we must unify. The state of Daqin has already arrived, and we are yet to unify ourselves. We need a defensive line to hold back Daqin from crossing into our borders."

"Daqin has traveled thousands of miles to reach us. Even if they do arrive, their combat strength will likely be diminished by then," Zhuge Liang, now composed, focused on the map and silently committed it to memory.

"That’s not quite the case. The only reason we know about Daqin is that some of our own people also journeyed thousands of miles and encountered them in the Parthian Empire," Li You explained, given his high regard for Zhuge Liang.

"Please, Wenru, recount the events," Chen Xi said, gesturing to Li You.

Li You obliged, recounting the events in the Parthian Empire, interspersed with information he had gathered.

"So, the Parthian Empire has declined, while Daqin is at its peak," Xun Yue remarked with a frown. "Even so, there’s little value for Daqin in engaging with us. The distance is simply too far. An emperor who embarks on a conquest thousands of miles away is no wise ruler."

"Daqin probably shares a similar sentiment to ours: the heavens cannot have two suns, and the land cannot have two rulers. And a distance of a thousand miles is not insurmountable," Fazheng said slowly. "If all roads were built as Gongyou has been laying them, cavalry could cover that thousand miles in just forty days."

Horses of this era were vastly different from those of a world devoid of heaven and earth’s vital energy. Even wild horses, though not possessing internal energy, were far superior to the finest horses of history. These were steeds capable of traveling hundreds of miles in a day.

"The vast distance greatly limits how many troops either side can deploy," Xun Yue, no fool and well-versed in military strategy, continued. "Not to mention the issue of supplies, even the changes in climate across a thousand miles would be enough to make even a brilliant general lose men."

"Pah, nonsense. If the climate alone could take down Old Man Hua, that would be a miracle," Qu Qi retorted, clearly dissatisfied. Though he feared Hua Tuo, he held immense respect for his medical skills. Both Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing could solve issues of illness caused by foreign climates.

"Alright, we are an empire, and so is Daqin. They have what we have. If climate changes don’t matter, what about troop deployment? Even ignoring supplies and foraging locally, how many soldiers can we send over? Can we deploy 100,000? And what good are 100,000 troops entering another unified empire..." Xun Yue glanced around the room. He didn’t need to say more, the implication was clear.

"Xun Zhizhong raises a valid point," Liu Ye said with a smile, taking over the conversation. "For an empire, 100,000 troops is no threat. But are we just going to sit idly by while they act, doing nothing ourselves?"

"That’s not my point," Xun Yue shook his head, tugging at his beard as he spoke slowly. "I just think it’s overly cautious to mobilize so much for a distant, uncertain enemy. We once occupied the Western Regions, but in the end, we had to abandon them because the distance was too great."

Before Liu Ye could respond, Xun Yue cut him off. "Yes, our marching speed has increased significantly compared to two hundred years ago, but is it truly worth investing so much there? Can 100,000 cavalry stabilize a region that produces so little?"

Xun Yue's question left many speechless. Only Chen Xi looked at him with admiration. He hadn’t realized how sharp Xun Yue was before; his perspective on problems was remarkably unique.

"That region can foster an empire," Chen Xi replied with a smile.

"But that empire is thousands of miles away from us," Xun Yue shook his head.

"We can spend ten to twenty years building a road, solving the problem once and for all," Chen Xi replied with a mischievous grin. That road had to be built. Without it, the Western Regions would continue to rebel, surrender, rebel again—a cycle repeated hundreds of times.

"Is it really worth such an investment?" Xun Yue frowned slightly. "What’s the point of putting so much into this?"

"Once the road is built, villages will naturally spring up along its sides, forming market towns, and eventually cities," Chen Xi said, laughing. "Besides, even without Daqin, I wouldn’t tolerate the constant rebellions of minor states like Wusun and Jushi."

"As for the distance problem, an empire’s maximum range of control is determined by how far its army can march in a hundred days. Of course, if you’re powerful enough to make the surrounding nations despair, the difference between a hundred and two hundred days doesn’t really matter..." Chen Xi continued.

If an army couldn’t arrive within a hundred days, the empire would have reached its natural limit. Expanding beyond that would result in a situation where, as soon as the army withdrew, rebellion would break out.

Of course, some historical dynasties managed to break past this limit, but that usually happened only when the conquered people had given up all hope of resistance.

Once the conquered people gave up, it no longer mattered whether the army took a hundred days or two hundred days to arrive. For dynasties that broke through this limit, any neighboring nations were nothing but insignificant obstacles.

Such empires could crush their enemies in a matter of minutes. Once the conquered peoples had been crushed enough times, rebellion ceased entirely, allowing the empire to push past its natural limits. However, for a feudal empire, achieving this was no easy task.

Xun Yue fell silent for a moment. He fully understood what Chen Xi was saying. A nation's control could only extend as far as its army could reach within a certain time, and Sun Qian’s continuous road-building efforts now seemed like a monumental achievement. Sun Qian was gradually pushing the empire’s limits of control outward.

"If we don’t build that road, the furthest we can govern is the extent reached by Emperor Xuan of the Former Han. But if we build it, we will become neighbors with Daqin," Chen Xi said calmly.

"Why should we allow them to occupy land that we will eventually claim? The stronger they grow, the weaker we will become," Chen Xi said, looking at Xun Yue. "Unification has never been my goal, nor has it ever been Lord Xuande's."

Xun Yue stared at the vast expanse of the world depicted on the map and finally fell silent. It was clear that Chen Xi intended to create an everlasting legacy, and he had the ability to do so!

If the roads were truly built across the Western Regions, extending to the farthest west, then the Han Empire would be able to deploy tens of thousands of troops deep into another empire within a hundred days, as long as they had enough horses.

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