CHAPTER 1451: CHAPTER 1399: THE OMEN OF THE SHATTERED MYTH

When Chen Xi arrived in Yingchuan, he had already received quite a bit of important intelligence, though on the whole, none of it was good news.

The situation in Youzhou in the north was steadily sliding towards a worse direction, with nearly seventy to eighty thousand Xianbei People crossing Jundu Mountain into Youzhou. Based on the current information Jia Xu had, Sheni Pei was completely unable to suppress such a large Xianbei force.

Although the idea that one Han could equal five barbarians was widely accepted, if the Han Dynasty were to lose, it would be an unimaginable boost to the morale of the Hu People.

From the current circumstances, Sheni Pei had basically run out of options. If Yann Liang and Wen Chou, Zhang He and Gao Lan, Juo Yi, and others were still alive, the seven thousand troops might still have a chance to take down tens of thousands of Xianbei archers.

However, Sheni Pei might have overestimated himself, as the several thousand remnants are now trapped in Changping, which is only a hundred miles from the administrative seat of Youzhou, Jicheng, now known as Beijing. The fall of Youzhou seemed imminent.

By this time, those in Liaodong like Zhuge Liang and those in Jizhou like Jia Xu could no longer bear to watch. Sheni Pei’s tactics were atrocious.

Now, trapped in Changping, Sheni Pei was essentially beyond salvation. For the Xianbei, Jicheng appeared as if its gates were wide open. The reason the Xianbei had not yet taken action was that they wanted to capture Changping, gather their strength, and then swiftly take over most of Youzhou.

Of course, part of the reason was also that the Xianbei lacked sufficient provisions. Changping, where Sheni Pei had intended as a second line of defense, had stockpiled enough food to feed half the Xianbei tribes, whereas Jicheng had little in terms of supplies.

It was fortunate that the Xianbei were not adept at siege warfare. After Sheni Pei retreated to Changping, he barely managed to hold off the Xianbei assaults with the city’s defenses.

However, this time was bound to be short. The seven thousand troops Sheni Pei took from Yuan Tan were almost all that Yuan Tan could muster, meaning Sheni Pei would have no reinforcements.

Trapped within a solitary city, surrounded by an army ten times its size, and with the enemy forces continually increasing while their own had no outside aid, the amount of time Sheni Pei could endure was limited.

When Jia Xu received this news, he initially thought it was a strategic ploy. To Jia Xu, Sheni Pei was very capable but often did not fully utilize his abilities due to others. Yet, here he was, defeated so miserably.

The initial allowance of Xianbei ingress at the foot of Jundu Mountain was already unexpected, pushing the limits of what Central Plains strategists could endure. This defeat only served to further reshape their perception of Sheni Pei.

As a strategist, one must at least know the limits of their own control. If one doesn’t know this, how can they plan the life and death of others? How can someone who doesn’t grasp their own abilities be called a strategist?

Of course, part of Sheni Pei’s failure was his own doing. Yet, the Xianbei’s surprising display was another factor. It was unheard of for an unknown individual among the Xianbei to awaken a legion talent, something deemed highly unscientific by sages across the land.

Chen Xi was also shocked upon receiving this intelligence. By now, the sages had their understanding of legion talent. Regardless of its variations, one immutable aspect was its alignment with one’s will.

Still, none of the Outer Barbarians surrounding the Han Dynasty could surpass this point. Even with Inner Qi Separation strength, if they couldn’t erase their fear of the Han Empire, their will wouldn’t be pure enough to give birth to legion talent.

This was the distinction between an empire and an ant. If even the generals couldn’t erase the reverence in their hearts, how could the soldiers respond to the generals’ will? When even the generals know victory is unattainable, how could the soldiers not be fearful?

This means the Xianbei fundamentally lacked the soil to birth legion talent. Even they admitted their inferiority to the Han Empire, so how could they showcase their spirit and will beside the Han Empire?

Yet, this time the opponent burst forth with legion talent, signifying that to the Xianbei, the Han Empire was no longer worthy of reverence. They could now view each other as equals.

This was a terrifying fact. The Han Empire’s disdain for surrounding barbarians primarily stemmed from the belief of those barbarians themselves that they were inferior to the Han populace. Such barbarians could only be likened to minor ailments, not a major threat.

However, the Xianbei performance illustrated that the Outer Barbarians’ fear of the Han Empire had begun to dissipate. Whether due to past defeats or other reasons, it indicated that the Han Empire’s psychological dominance was starting to lift.

Upon receiving this message, strategists across the land wished to tear Sheni Pei apart. They understood clearly that when the first person pushed open that ajar door, countless others would follow.

The era where the Han Empire’s sword pointed in all directions, reigning supreme, subduing all under heaven, was destined to crumble the moment the Xianbei awakened legion talent.

"Sheni Pei, you fool!" Liu Yu swept everything off the table with his sleeve. "The Gongsun Bogui’s White Horse once caused the Outer Barbarians to flee, the plains of Youzhou were all the Han Kingdom’s territory, and yet you, a fool, have lost it all!"

No one knew better than Liu Yu about the Xianbei and Wuhuan. He had sought to civilize them, to fully integrate them as Han dependents and eradicate their tribes. Never had he raised a master among the barbarians.

While Gongsun Bogui’s approach was effective, Liu Yu knew that extermination wasn’t possible. The best way to eradicate a people was to erode their valor bit by bit and make them submit. The danger of slaughter was it might ignite their spirit.

Of course, what Gongsun Zan did couldn’t achieve spiritual destruction, so he opted for physical obliteration instead. Kill enough, and there would be no more.

In Liu Yu’s view, Sheni Pei was a useless man who lacked Gongsun Zan’s capability yet tried to emulate him, only to provoke the Xianbei spirit.

The Hu People and Han People both had two hands and one head, no three-headed six-armed beings. In an era when weapon differences were negligible, the Han could maintain a five-to-one superiority due to the Hu People’s inherent fear, and now, to Liu Yu, this fear was shattered by Sheni Pei, the fool.

This was a myth forged over centuries of the Han’s majestic might, so casually shattered. Even if Sheni Pei wasn’t the root cause, merely the trigger, to Liu Yu, death would be fitting.

At this moment, Chen Xi frowned at the intelligence. There were significant issues here. Just after Lyu Bu obliterated the Xianbei Royal Court, Shatter Void, and Ascended, someone among the Xianbei had broken their awe of the Han Empire. Impossible...