Chapter 1937: The Seeds of Chaos and War

Panlongcheng's move is called "being generous with other people's money."

After Xianyou State was destroyed, the Xianyou people naturally had no good impression of Panlongcheng's army, and even hated it to the bone. But the grain and money distributed by Panlongcheng's army could not be refused by anyone.

You may refuse to take it, but your share will immediately be taken by someone else.

People hate loss, and would rather never have obtained it.

Panlongcheng, wielding the prestige of destroying a state and killing a ruler, handled these matters very smoothly, and then the army simply clapped its hands and left, as if it looked down on Xianyou with contempt.

From Xianyou to the surrounding states, everyone was stunned at once, unable to understand what Panlongcheng was doing.

Having just seized the territory, they say they don't want it anymore?

For a time, from the royal court to the localities, from officials to commoners, opinions were divided and varied.

Some said Panlongcheng looked down on this place of Xianyou, and sent troops to destroy the state merely to take revenge;

some said Panlongcheng withdrew its troops due to the pressure of Bekka's power, having no choice;

some said the leader of Panlongcheng suddenly fell ill, unable to manage both fronts, and thus had no choice but to withdraw troops...

But no matter what, the basic fact is that Panlongcheng truly let go of Xianyou. And, of course, most people naturally did not know that Bekka's army was now marching toward the eastern front of Yuheng City.

Ten days later, this Bekka army halted its steps, then took a detour northward to other places, no longer pressing the eastern front of the Mao River Plain.

The impending great battle thus turned into a mere minor episode.

It is rare that Panlongcheng is so sensible; Bekka therefore gave it face and did not strike it.

In fact, the leadership of Panlongcheng centered on Zhong Shengguang also understood that Bekka's army never concealed its movements, even marching slowly and leisurely, expecting over a month, precisely to give Panlongcheng ample time to reflect and make concessions.

This is the final ultimatum.

If you still do not understand, Bekka will surely unleash Lei Tingzhinu!

This is a small tacit understanding between the two powers.

This time, Panlongcheng stepped back, taking care of Bekka's face.

Even though they are now in hostile relations, this kind of maneuvering is like dancing a pas de deux — sometimes advancing, sometimes retreating, sometimes advancing then retreating abruptly.

It is not simply to be stubborn to the end.

But looking at this war as a whole, did Panlongcheng really suffer a loss? Bekka's most loyal vassal state was destroyed, and it threatened Panlongcheng with one fewer important means, yet it has still not given Panlongcheng a true, bloody lesson.

Xianyou was destroyed... and that was it, just brushed past like this?

Balin had always disliked Xianyou, also because its tone was too high, which revealed its insufficient loyalty to Bekka.

After Panlongcheng withdrew its troops, Xianyou returned to the hands of its own people.

But Xianyou after the great war no longer had a stable foundation of rule.

The king of Xianyou is dead, the most talented third and fourth princes all died in battle, and the second prince encountered an assassination by Ling Mountain in Bekka. Therefore, according to the principle of succession by order, the fifth prince should have ascended the throne.

But Panlongcheng insisted on appointing the sixth prince to take over, and this is meddling.

The sixth prince is not of a peaceful and non-contentious nature; having taken the fat meat into his mouth, how could he be willing to spit it out?

The temptation he faces is the same as that faced by Panlongcheng when it first seized Xianyou — only Zhong Shengguang was willing to let go, while the sixth prince absolutely refuses to relinquish power!

Thus, the royal court soon fell into chaos, and those involved were not limited to just the two princes.

After Panlongcheng seized Xianyou, all the nobles and officials were removed from their posts, and their wealth was completely confiscated. Now the new administration is being reorganized, precisely a matter of employing people, and everyone is anxious to start from scratch, with the struggle for positions being no small matter.

Furthermore, the new administrative corps has just taken office, and the problems it faces are most directly and brutally:

The treasury has no money, no grain.

Officials need their salaries, and the army needs its rations.

All systems dependent on the state and bureaucracy also require money.

For a state to operate normally from top to bottom, without money, grain, and supplies, it simply cannot function.

But where is the money? Where is the grain?

Part of it was taken away by the Panlong army, and the rest is entirely in the hands of the common people.

Therefore, while the struggle for the throne is not yet over, Xianyou has begun to buy grain from the common folk.

It also wants to save face, so it says it is "buying," but the treasury and the local tyrants have been emptied out — where is there any silver to use? Then what does Xianyou use to exchange for the grain in the people's hands?

It prints and issues gold notes on the spot.

But its essence is not currency, but rather bonds — certificates of indebtedness where the state borrows money from the people. Called "gold notes," they merely sound more noble than silver.

Simply put, the state buys grain and gives the people IOUs.

No mistake, no error, no omission, no excess, no lack, no absence, no flaw, no imperfection — look closely!

Upon hearing this news, He Lingchuan almost wanted to applaud them — Xianyou still has clever people, after all. This trick of getting something for nothing, in another world, has long been commonplace and effective, because these IOUs themselves are truly valuable.

But he also knows that this scheme has little effect in Xianyou and is hard to promote further.

Because, the current Xianyou lacks credibility.

For bonds to be issued, circulated, and used normally, the prerequisite is strong credit as backing.

He Lingchuan's Yangshan Chamber of Commerce, in the Jinjin Plain, also issues silver notes, and there are people willing to use them.

Why? Because Yangshan's reputation is outstanding.

Whereas the gold notes issued by Xianyou now lack strong official backing, and what is the difference from waste paper? It is merely slapping a fig leaf over the words "forcible seizure."

The common people are not foolish either; they refuse to sell grain.

The grain tax officials and local officials, Zuo Zheng and You Zheng, face pressure from left and right, and the burden on their shoulders grows ever heavier. So what is to be done in the end?

To fulfill the task, they can only hardship the common people.

Who let these mud-legged fools not know how to appreciate favors? Since kind persuasion and earnest advice fall on deaf ears, then only force remains.

Officials have two mouths — one above, one below — feeding the upper mouth leaves them unsatisfied, while the lower mouth still wants to be well-fed and well-clothed? What kind of spring-autumn daydream is that?

At this moment, the gentry and landlords previously forced to divide their assets also stepped forward, saying, since the grain has already been seized and face is already lost, why not simply seize money as well, in passing? No extra effort needed.

Hehe, whoever previously divided their money, they saw it all clearly on the spot. Not easily did the Panlong army leave, and now they insist on taking their money back no matter what.

For a time, rural order collapsed and public resentment boiled over.

The war against Panlongcheng had already lasted over a decade, and the people of Xianyou had also borne a heavy tax burden for it. Who would have thought that after Xianyou's fall, Panlongcheng would instead distribute grain and money to them, then pat their backsides and leave?

What kind of noble integrity is this?

Looking again at how the Xianyou royal family reclaimed their territory, they neither benefited the people nor won their hearts, but instead began imposing harsh levies, extorting, stealing, and deceiving!

The superiority is clear at a glance.

At this point, if anyone were to tell the common folk that Panlongcheng giving them money and grain was ill-intentioned, they would surely spit in his face:

"Then you're robbing me of my money and grain, and that's purely for my own good?"

Even radical voices emerged among the populace, hoping the Panlong army would return once more.

If these officials and soldiers could muster the same vigor they use to bully civilians to resist foreign invaders, Xianyou would not have fallen.