Chapter 1937: The Seeds of Chaos

This move by Panlong City was a classic example of generosity at others' expense.

With Xianyou Kingdom destroyed, the Xianyou people naturally had no good impression of Panlong City's army; in fact, they hated them to the bone. However, no one could refuse the grain and money distributed by Panlong City's army.

You could choose not to take it, but your rightful share would instantly be claimed by someone else.

People generally despise loss, often preferring never to have gained something than to lose it.

Panlong City, wielding the power of destroying a nation and slaying its ruler, handled these matters smoothly. The army then simply departed, as if holding Xianyou in contempt.

From Xianyou to the surrounding kingdoms, everyone was bewildered, unable to understand Panlong City's strategy.

They just abandoned territory they had fought so hard to conquer?

For a time, opinions varied widely across all nations, from their royal courts to local areas, and from officials to common citizens.

Some said Panlong City did not value Xianyou's territory and had only sent troops to destroy the kingdom for revenge.

Others claimed Panlong City's withdrawal was forced by Beijia's might.

Still others suggested Panlong City's leader had suddenly fallen ill, unable to manage, forcing Panlong City to retreat.

Regardless, the fundamental truth was that Panlong City had indeed relinquished control of Xianyou. Moreover, most people, of course, were unaware that Beijia's army was advancing towards the eastern front of Yuheng City.

Ten days later, this large Beijia army halted, then detoured north to other areas, no longer pressing towards the eastern front of Maohe Plain.

A massive war transformed into a minor interlude.

Given Panlong City's rare display of discretion, Beijia decided to spare it from further confrontation.

In fact, the leaders of Panlong City, with Zhong Shengguang at the center, understood that Beijia's large army never concealed its movements. Its march was even deliberately slow, expected to take over a month, precisely to give Panlong City ample time to consider and make concessions.

This was an ultimatum.

If they continued to be uncooperative, Beijia would undoubtedly unleash its fury!

This was a subtle understanding between the two powers.

This time, Panlong City conceded, thereby saving Beijia's face.

Even in an adversarial relationship, this kind of struggle was like a duet dance: sometimes advancing, sometimes retreating, and sometimes feigning an advance only to pull back.

It was not about being relentlessly rigid.

However, looking at the entire war, did Panlong City truly suffer a loss? Beijia's most loyal vassal state was destroyed, depriving it of a crucial means to threaten Panlong City, yet Beijia had still not given Panlong City a true, bloody lesson.

Xianyou was destroyed... and that was simply the end of it? Just like that, it was over?

Baling had always resented Xianyou, partly because its overly ambitious stance made it seem less than fully loyal to Beijia.

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

However, after the great war, Xianyou no longer had a stable foundation for governance.

The King of Xianyou was dead, the most capable Third and Fourth Princes had both died in battle, and the Second Prince had been assassinated by Lingshan in Beijia. Thus, according to the principle of succession, the Fifth Prince should have ascended to the throne.

However, Panlong City deliberately designated the Sixth Prince to take control, which was a clear act of provocation.

The Sixth Prince was not known for a peaceful or unassuming disposition; he would never willingly give up the lucrative opportunity he had been handed.

The temptation he faced was the same as that of Panlong City after conquering Xianyou, but while Zhong Shengguang was willing to give it up, the Sixth Prince absolutely refused to relinquish power!

Consequently, the royal court quickly descended into chaos, with more than just two princes becoming embroiled.

After Panlong City conquered Xianyou, all nobles were immediately dismissed, and their assets confiscated. Now, with the new administration being reorganized, it was a time for appointing people, and everyone was eager to build their fortunes from scratch, reveling in the struggle for position.

Moreover, the new administrative team, just getting started, faced the most direct and brutal problems: no money and no grain in the treasury.

Officials needed their salaries, and the army needed provisions.

Everything dependent on the state and its bureaucracy also required funding.

For a country to function normally from top to bottom, it simply could not operate without money, grain, and resources.

But where was the money, and where was the grain?

A portion had been taken by the Panlong army, and the rest was all in the civilian sector, in the hands of the common people.

Therefore, even before the struggle for the throne had ended, Xianyou began to buy grain from its citizens.

It also wanted to save face, so it called it "buying," but the national treasury and the wealthy landowners had been emptied. Where would the silver come from? So, what did Xianyou use to exchange for the grain in the hands of the common people?

Newly minted and issued gold notes.

However, it was not essentially currency but rather a bond, a promissory note from the state borrowing money from its citizens. Called "gold notes," it sounded a bit more prestigious than silver.

In simple terms, the state bought grain and gave the people IOUs.

Upon first hearing this news, He Lingchuan almost wanted to applaud, thinking that Xianyou still had intelligent people. This "empty-handed" maneuver was commonplace and effective in another world, precisely because such promissory notes there were genuinely valuable.

However, he also knew that this method would have little effect in Xianyou and would be difficult to implement widely.

Because, current Xianyou had no credit.

For bonds to be properly issued, circulated, and used, the prerequisite was strong credit as endorsement.

He Lingchuan's Yangshan Chamber of Commerce also issued silver notes in Shanjing Plain, and plenty of people were willing to use them.

Why? Yangshan's reputation was outstanding.

However, the gold notes currently issued by Xianyou lacked strong official endorsement; what difference did they have from waste paper? It was merely a thin veil over the act of "forced seizure."

The common people were not foolish; they refused to sell their grain.

Grain tax officials and local officials struggled to collect, with pressure mounting. So, what was the final recourse?

To fulfill their quotas, they had no choice but to impose hardships on the populace.

These commoners were simply uncooperative; since polite requests to sell were ignored, force became the only option.

An official served two masters – if the demands from above weren't met, how could those below expect prosperity? What a pipe dream!

At this juncture, the local gentry and wealthy landowners, whose assets had previously been forcibly distributed, also stepped forward. They argued that since grain was already being seized and all decorum abandoned, they might as well seize the money too; it would be convenient and save them a second effort.

They had clearly seen who had taken their money on the spot. Now that the Panlong army was finally gone, they absolutely had to get their money back.

Suddenly, rural order collapsed, and public discontent boiled over.

The war against Panlong City had lasted over a decade, and the people of Xianyou had borne heavy taxes for it. Unexpectedly, after Xianyou's destruction, Panlong City instead distributed money and grain to them, then simply left.

What kind of noble conduct was this?

In stark contrast, after the Xianyou royal family regained their territory, they neither benefited the populace nor won their allegiance. Instead, they began to levy exorbitant taxes, steal, and resort to various forms of deception!

The superiority and inferiority were immediately apparent.

At this point, if anyone were to tell the common people that Panlong City's distribution of money and grain was done with malicious intent, they would surely spit in that person's face:

"So, you stealing my money and grain is purely for my own good, is it?"

Radical sentiments even emerged among the populace, hoping for the Panlong army to return.

If these officials and soldiers had applied the same zeal they used to bully civilians towards resisting foreign enemies, Xianyou would not have been destroyed.