Chapter 2445: Our Inescapable Duty

“Naturally, we must have a drink with the Han Envoy,” Pipunannus said with a smile.

“Yes, today is New Year’s Eve, a significant festival symbolizing the farewell to the old year and the welcoming of the new, a fresh start and rejuvenation of all things. Let’s toast to the prosperity of our two nations,” Jian Yong said calmly, looking at the other, who also saw the clarity in Jian Yong’s eyes, understanding his meaning.

“Very well,” Pipunannus didn’t question further, as Jian Yong’s words were in Roman language, so he understood the importance of this festival.

“Tomorrow is New Year’s Day according to our calendar. If you come, we will have a gift for you,” Jian Yong suddenly said with a smile.

“Ah, New Year’s Eve and New Year, is it?” Pipunannus looked at the cheerful Jian Yong and understood what festival it was.

Jian Yong explained the meaning of New Year’s Eve clearly, and the Romans also celebrated the New Year, although the timing differed from place to place, this festival was very important and concerned everyone’s plans for the coming year.

Impressionably, the Kaouki People attacked the Romans during the New Year and then were wiped out, indeed, wiped out.

Therefore, generally speaking, if the enmity is not great, it’s best not to provoke others during their festivals, attacking during a major festival usually leads to disaster.

After drinking a few cups with Jian Yong, Pipunannus took this news back to Severus, who, upon learning of it, canceled the previous plan. There was no need to ruin their New Year, as they didn’t hold a death feud like with Parthia, giving the Han Dynasty some respect.

“Tomorrow morning, send a complete set of tableware to the Han Dynasty,” Severus thought for a moment and ordered a gift prepared for the Han Dynasty.

Fabio, Novelli, and others breathed a sigh of relief, realizing there was no reason to court disaster by acting recklessly as previously planned. With a few days of buffer, they would surely resolve the situation.

That night, shouts of joy intermittently erupted from the Han Camp, conclusively illustrating to the Romans the significance of this festival to the Han Dynasty.

In the Two Rivers region, Zhuge Liang felt more at ease after receiving the Roman State Document. Rome expressed willingness to cease hostilities for six days, allowing Zhuge Liang to let his soldiers enjoy a good New Year, first by opening the storerooms and having a good meal—there’s practically no problem a good meal can’t solve, and if there is, keep eating!

“General Gao, are you still contemplating?” Pan Zhang asked slowly as he looked at Gao Lan sitting on the ground, conveying that the Sunx Family had a form of recognition for the Yuan Family, thus creating a natural goodwill among their ministers, making these two sides more harmonious compared to others.

“Yes, the more I understand, the more I feel the gap,” Gao Lan said, opening his eyes with a sense of loss. “However, it’s okay, as I continue to train, my understanding of different troop types deepens, and there’s still hope.”

“Actually, you still have a unit of super elite with dual talent, but not all of them came here, right?” Pan Zhang asked after a pause.

Gao Lan paused for a moment and nodded. The Vanguard’s reserve force is the Heavy Crossbowmen, but during the Yuan Liu battle, there weren’t many. Otherwise, they would have definitely coordinated with the Vanguard Death Squad for combat. Of course, there aren’t many even now.

“The deeper I engage in this Western Asian battle, the less confident I become. The waters here are too deep,” Pan Zhang said with a wry smile. “I’m unlike Lyu Ziming; I used to think poorly of him, assuming he only caught our lord’s eye due to his brother-in-law.”

Gao Lan remained silent for a while and, since being assigned to this Western Asian battlefield, the only person whose progress can remotely catch up with Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi is Lyu Meng. Although others are also improving, compared to these three, they all seem to be relying on past laurels.

“His talent is very strong and he is very diligent,” Gao Lan said slowly. “When he first came, he was nearly at the bottom among the group, but now, not mentioning other things, just in terms of legion command, he is more excellent than me. Talent is indeed something worth paying attention to.”

“Indeed,” Pan Zhang nodded slowly, agreeing.

“Talent, huh?” Zhang Liao suddenly appeared behind the two, chiming in, “Mind if I eavesdrop a bit on my way past?”

“No, we don’t mind,” Pan Zhang shook his head, acknowledging Zhang Liao’s commanding ability, which was top-notch among their circle of generals.

“Wen Gui, are you somewhat disappointed?” Zhang Liao sat down and gently spoke.

Initially, Sunx Quan led their grand army with him as a mascot and Pan Zhang, with his Inner Qi Manifestation, controlled the army in battle. But now, Lyu Meng has taken over the army, relegating Pan Zhang to a role of a valiant general breaking through and seizing opportunities.

Even though Pan Zhang felt quite discontented, he could not deny that Lyu Meng had outranked him significantly in commanding the army. At the very least, he couldn’t manage to direct troops like Lyu Meng did, finding and exploiting flaws within the enemy’s military might with a small force, striving to achieve major results while minimizing losses.

This capability made Pan Zhang realize the gap between himself and Lyu Meng, showcasing Lyu Meng’s progress, as if retrieving something once forgotten.

“Yes, seeing someone I once underestimated surpass me so quickly, saying I’m not disappointed would be a lie,” Pan Zhang sighed, “That kind of talent feels like cheating!”

“Ziming’s current talent allows him to perceive flaws in military formations more easily, to dispatch the army effectively, to significantly enhance some soldiers as breakthrough points, and to suddenly open up the situation when necessary. By now, I am far inferior to him,” Pan Zhang remarked somewhat helplessly.

“You should awaken your Legion Talent before you say such things,” Zhang Liao said slowly, “Talent is something you only have the right to discuss once you’ve reached a certain level of effort; without sufficient effort, there’s no meaning in talking about talent.”

Actually, Zhang Liao would have preferred to say, “Your efforts don’t even qualify you to talk about talent,” reaching an Inner Qi Manifestation status at just over twenty, it wouldn’t be inappropriate to call you exceptionally gifted, so what’s the point of lamenting? First unlock your Legion Talent before discussing anything else.

Even without the Legion Talent, how can you claim you’ve tried hard? You reached Inner Qi Manifestation in your early twenties; what more could you be dissatisfied with?

Pan Zhang was taken aback, nodding after a while. He was indeed anxious, but the pressure from Lyu Meng was immense. Because he entered Inner Qi Manifestation in his twenties, he considered himself extraordinarily talented, but on the Western Asian battlefield, the younger generation was full of prodigies, and even Cao Zhen by now had mastered the solidification of the Cloud Qi Army Formation.

This situation, where everyone seemed to progress while he felt like he was treading water, left Pan Zhang inwardly ashamed and angry.

“Come on, let’s go have a hearty meal first, toss all these thoughts behind this year, and next year, exert every effort to match your talent,” Zhang Liao said, patting Pan Zhang’s shoulder. Pan Zhang nodded, saluted both, and left first. He knew Zhang Liao must have something to inform Gao Lan about.

“Gongtai, let me ask you something,” After Pan Zhang left, Zhang Liao slowly started, “There are two points, one concerning the army you’re leading, and the other, whether the Yuan Clan can still send troops, because the upcoming situation doesn’t appear favorable.”

“The army I lead won’t grow stronger in a short time unless they suddenly achieve Dual Talent,” Gao Lan shook his head, “Moreover, our forces here are insufficient, and no more troops can be deployed.”

“In that case, so be it,” Zhang Liao nodded silently, understanding the difficulties faced by the Yuan Clan. However, because Chen Gong believed that the Romans would fully commit to the next war, Parthia might struggle to hold out for half a year, in which case, their Han must carefully ponder.

“Hey, Wen Yuan,” Gao Lan suddenly called out as Zhang Liao was getting up.

“What is it?” Zhang Liao asked suddenly.

“Have you ever thought about the future?” Gao Lan, after hesitating for a while, finally gritted his teeth and asked.

“Why bother thinking so far ahead? A general’s end should be dying on the battlefield, wrapped in one’s horse hide; it’s preferable, and my son will choose the same path,” Zhang Liao said naturally, and Gao Lan fell silent.

“I trust that the people behind us will not let down the soldiers who once bled for this country. We’re not fighting for power or to be ennobled but for what we committed to this country, for the survival of this nation, and because we did these things, only then do we have those later concerns—not the other way around,” Zhang Liao said proudly, with a faint smile.

“Compared to civil wars conquering all under the heavens, at least here I fight for the nation and Huaxia behind me, and it gives me a sense of reassurance,” Zhang Liao chuckled, “When I discerned my fundamental inner desire, I became stronger, yes, stronger than before.”

The bluish-green radiance in Zhang Liao’s hand became even purer, and he looked toward Gao Lan, “My intuition tells me that when these two kinds of radiance are purely fused together, I will achieve a Qi Burst Boundary. As a general, it isn’t about considering future living, but how I should use my power now to safeguard Huaxia’s future behind us.”

“You’ve reached this point?” Gao Lan looked at Zhang Liao in astonishment, never having thought of Zhang Liao as particularly strong, but this time he was genuinely impressed.

“Beginning to transform, perhaps. The war with the Huns made me realize my pursuit; crossing our borders taught me my worth, and fighting against a colossus like Rome made me aware of my historical significance,” Zhang Liao said calmly, smiling.

“We were never the only ones; there are enemies on this vast continent capable of threatening the Huaxia descendants. We possess power, and thus need to confront them,” Zhang Liao’s eyes held a resolute battle spirit, “For the sake of the descendants of Zhuxia, just like our predecessors built our survival soil, it’s our turn to step forward. For Zhuxia, we have an unshirkable duty!”