Chapter 1211: The Barrier of the Mind

"Are you really this worried?" Liu Bei asked, looking at everyone with a smile. "Even barbarians do not fear the vastness of the world and are striving to conquer it. So why should we, the heroes of the Central Plains, be afraid?"

"Barbarians?" The typically reserved and serious Yu Jin furrowed his brows. That map truly had the power to shatter a person’s sense of strength. The world was vast, and the Central Plains were but a mere foot in size!

"Yes, barbarians. There is a nation here called the Roman Empire, powerful and with a territory even larger than our Han," Liu Bei said slowly, pointing to the Mediterranean region on the western part of the map.

"They are conquering the world. They started from here and have already reached our borders," Liu Bei continued, pointing to a location near Central Asia, his face filled with emotion. "Even barbarians possess the ambition to conquer the world. Are you all so afraid?"

"People live there?" Chen Dao asked in disbelief. "Isn’t the northwest supposed to be all desert? How could there be barbarians, and how could anyone possibly traverse a thousand-mile distance as shown on this map, ignoring all logistical difficulties?"

"Shuzhi, the Roman Empire has indeed clashed with our forces, otherwise, the lord wouldn’t be speaking of it here," Hua Xiong said after a brief moment of silence, stepping forward. "At least from what we know now, none of us here could defeat them in battle."

When Hua Xiong said "none of us," he meant everyone aside from Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun. Though Hua Xiong had kept a low profile, one couldn’t deny that he was one of the founding veterans, a hero from the early days of the Han’s military successes.

The entire assembly of generals looked at Hua Xiong in disbelief. Zhao Yun stepped forward calmly and asked, "Zijian, do you know something more?"

"The Roman archers can unleash ten volleys of arrows in a single battle. Any who face them die without fail!" Hua Xiong said coldly. "So you need not doubt their identity. As for how they managed to cross such distances..." Hua Xiong glanced at the others. "Does it really matter?"

"What does the size of the world have to do with us? We have only one task: crush all our enemies! When every enemy is ground to dust, the world will naturally belong to us who stand victorious!" Hua Xiong’s words were brutal, and with his ferocious expression, the others felt a chill down their spines. This line was something Li You had taught him, and paired with his terrifying demeanor, it instilled fear in everyone.

"Who cares how they got here, who they are, or what they are? If they dare to come, we, the Han Empire, will give them a grave! So what if the Central Plains are small? If the world isn’t big enough, how else can we establish our legacies and conquer new lands?" Hua Xiong sneered.

"Those who want to surrender, step aside! If you don’t have enough ambition to expand, where will you conquer? The north of the desert, Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and the Western Regions—those are just reclaiming lost lands!" Hua Xiong taunted.

Li You had anticipated that most of the generals would lose heart after seeing the map, so he had prepared this speech for Hua Xiong in advance. As for Hua Xiong himself, there were people in the world whose confidence didn’t come from their own abilities. Hua Xiong was one of them.

Hua Xiong’s confidence came from Li You. If Li You told Hua Xiong that he could defeat Lü Bu, Hua Xiong would believe it. His confidence was entirely dependent on the ever-present, calculating Li You. In fact, many of the leaders in the Western Liang forces derived their self-assurance from Li You.

This was similar to how Liu Bei’s confidence was rooted in Chen Xi. Both relied on others for confidence when faced with extraordinary situations. When the unexpected arose, they turned to the person they trusted most.

Hua Xiong’s remarks struck a nerve with all the gathered generals. They had been deflated by the overwhelming size of the map, but now their fighting spirit was rekindled. Why should Hua Xiong of all people have the right to lecture them? If barbarians could be beaten, then one barbarian or a horde of them made no difference. If needed, they could even conquer an entire empire. Who was afraid?

"Lord, I request to join the battle!" Huang Zhong stepped forward, his face stern as he glanced coldly at Hua Xiong. After so many years, this was the first time someone had dared to challenge him.

"Lord, I, Yan, request to join the battle!" "I, Ning, request to join!" "I, Ci, request to join!" "I, Dao, request to join!" "I, Ba, request to join!" A wave of generals surged forward, each clamoring for battle.

"Ahem, ahem. It’s a bit far for that right now. Zilong, read this letter to everyone," Liu Bei said, feeling gratified.

It was obvious that someone had coached Hua Xiong, but Liu Bei didn’t mind. Whoever had done it had successfully resolved the crisis at hand.

Zhao Yun took the letter from Li Jue and read it aloud. The contents had been edited by Li You, leaving no trace that it had originally been addressed to him. Only a few words had been changed or omitted, but the message had been completely transformed.

Even though the civil officials knew exactly who the letter had been meant for, appearances still mattered. So, when the letter was read to everyone, Li You had already carefully transcribed and adjusted it.

After Zhao Yun finished reading, the room fell silent. Although they didn’t think much of Li Jue as a person, his fighting strength, especially combined with the Western Liang cavalry, was undeniable. If any of them were to face him head-on, they would hesitate—that wasn’t an easy force to contend with.

"Has Li Jue broken through to the 'Inner Qi Leaving the Body' realm?" Yu Jin muttered. The power of a military formation ability… when would he be able to attain that?

"No, Ziran is still at the 'Qi Refining into Steel' level, but he broke through the requirement for military formation abilities," Hua Xiong replied softly. "He was always the strongest among us, and perhaps he still is."

"Is that so..." Yu Jin murmured. "So, military formation abilities don’t require 'Inner Qi Leaving the Body'?"

As he spoke, a glow began to rise from Yu Jin’s hand. Slowly, he knelt to the ground, realizing that the door to that power had never been locked—it was just that he had never dared to push it open.

Military formation abilities were fueled by the recognition of countless soldiers, gathering around a leader and waiting for their will to manifest. However, Yu Jin had never dared to push through due to fear and reverence.

"What is this!?" The entire assembly of generals stared in shock at Yu Jin.

"My military formation ability... Ah," Yu Jin said bitterly. If only he had been the first to open this door, it wouldn’t have felt so sour. Li Jue was indeed stronger than many of them.

The first person to shatter this mental barrier would have absolute confidence, and in that moment of achieving a military formation ability, it wasn’t just their own will being carried out, but that of the entire army that recognized them.

When an entire army was in a state of absolute confidence, their morale, their fighting spirit, and the power they unleashed would far exceed that of a normal force.

This only happened once, and only the first to break through that barrier of despair would experience it. It was a blessing for the first in the world to do so.

"Li Ziran is stronger than me..." Yu Jin said bitterly. "Military formation abilities were never exclusive to those at the 'Inner Qi Leaving the Body' stage. It’s just that no one before Li Ziran had been able to do it. He shattered the barrier that existed in our minds..."

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