Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Chapter 11: A Look at the Changing World

Witnessing the birth of the new dynasty, Ye Xuan suddenly realized that later generations had a complex opinion of Wang Mang.

Opinions are polarized: historians consider him a treacherous usurper who seized power by feigning morality; while some scholars jokingly refer to Wang Mang as a reformer.

Wang Mang was an idealist detached from reality. This is how later generations, including Ye Xuan, viewed him from a post-modern perspective.

However, it is undeniable that he witnessed a powerful minister who had been lying low in the court for many years ascend the throne at the age of 69.

Having escaped the world of the Western Han Dynasty, Ye Xuan took a break and spent some time catching up on the history of that era online.

When his senses once again delved into the world of history, he made a new discovery.

My consciousness had only been detached from this world for half an hour, but when I looked at the Western Han Dynasty again, it was already the beginning of spring the following year, that is, the year 9 AD.

In the first year of the founding of the dynasty, the new emperor Wang Mang issued a series of reform edicts, all of which revolved around his adherence to the principle of "reforming the system by invoking the past".

In the ancient capital of Chang'an, where there was no communication technology, any major changes in the dynasty would always first affect this city.

In the early morning, the air in the western market was filled with the aroma of flatbread and the pungent smell of various livestock.

An old woman selling cloth squatted in front of her table, her fingers stroking the coins issued by the new dynasty and the Wuzhu coins from the old Western Han dynasty.

With a furrowed brow, she anxiously fumbled in her pockets as she faced a group of customers asking for change.

The old woman muttered a curse under her breath, "This world, they don't even recognize money anymore..."

Ye Xuan shifted his gaze to the alleyway, where a group of people had gathered.

"These twenty acres of land of mine were passed down from my ancestors, how can they not be mine?"

An old farmer anxiously pointed to the land deed in his hand, arguing with the buyer who had agreed to the terms a few days ago but had suddenly changed his mind.

"Oh, old man, this field is naturally yours, but nowadays all fields in the world are called royal fields."

"The imperial court has a new law that prohibits the buying and selling of royal land. I dare not accept it anymore; you will have to find another seller."

The buyer used a trivial matter as an excuse to escape the scene, which violated the law and could result in exile. He was young and didn't want to be banished to Lingnan.

At noon, in the post station near Weiyang Palace, the newly appointed Commandant of the Capital Region was reviewing official documents.

He rubbed his temples from time to time, looking at the pile of documents on his desk with a worried expression.

He couldn't help but sigh to his subordinates, "As soon as this reform edict was issued, Chang'an City alone was thrown into chaos!"

Land, currency... even official titles have been changed, how come the people are unhappy, and the officials are unhappy too?

……

"Too hasty," was Ye Xuan's assessment of Wang Mang's reforms.

It is clearly too hasty for a new dynasty to undertake sweeping reforms before the people have adapted and before productivity has developed.

This is understandable, given that Wang Mang was too ambitious and was already in his twilight years. Had he been a ruler or minister in any other dynasty, he probably wouldn't have fared much better.

Ye Xuan returned to reality. It was midnight, and the barbecue stall he usually ate at would close in an hour.

He hurried downstairs. Even though it was almost closing time, the barbecue stall was still packed with customers, and the staff were still extremely busy.

As usual, Ye Xuan packed up the chestnut and chives, ate them quickly, washed his feet, and went to bed.

When he woke up, the Western Han Dynasty had already reached the end of its first year. He roughly calculated that the time in the real world was equivalent to one year in history.

During this period of the new dynasty, small-scale uprisings broke out across the country, caused by popular discontent with the reforms.

Although they were all easily quelled by the imperial court, the course of history is clear: those who lose the hearts of the people are destined to have a short lifespan.

Ye Xuan seemed to be able to foresee the demise of Wang Mang's newly established Xin Dynasty more than a decade later.

He shifted his focus back to reality, cultivating himself while keeping abreast of the changes in the new dynasty.

Viewing the world from a cosmic perspective...

Time flies, and more than ten days have passed. Ye Xuan vaguely felt that his spiritual power cultivation had reached a bottleneck.

As for what the bottleneck is, he couldn't say.

There are limitations to the ability to travel between worlds using perception. Currently, only the martial arts world and the historical world are relatively easy and stable.

With his current cultivation level, if he wanted to travel to other worlds, he would fall into a state of mental disorder at the transit station and eventually lose sight of his goal.

Ye Xuan probed the new dynasty with his senses, and the time came to the second or third year of the AD.

That year, Liu, the head of the Liu clan, personally led an uprising in Chunling last year, capturing many cities and making the anti-Wang Mang movement increasingly powerful.

In early summer of May, on the vast Central Plains, stands the city of Kunyang.

In an effort to quell the rebellion of the Liu family, Wang Mang claimed to have assembled an army of 420,000 and was about to attack Kunyang City, where Liu Xiu was stationed.

In reality, it was more than 100,000 troops of the Xin Dynasty against 20,000 Green Forest Han troops under Liu Xiu's command.

Liu Xiu, dressed in crimson armor, stood atop the city wall of Kunyang, gazing at the approaching Xin Mang army.

The overwhelming force of over 100,000 troops pressed in, their sheer momentum causing the earth beneath their feet to tremble. The defenders of Kunyang City were intimidated even before the battle began.

Seeing the army's defeat, Liu Xiu drew his sword from his waist and raised his arms high on the city wall, shouting:

"Kunyang City is the hub of our army. If we abandon it, the main force of Wancheng will be attacked from both sides."

Therefore, today, we can only die in battle!

Liu Xiu's pre-battle mobilization strengthened the Han army's resolve, and he immediately worked with his generals to formulate a battle plan.

Ultimately, he decided to capture the leader first, so he personally led three thousand elite cavalrymen, bypassing the main force of the new army, and went straight to the enemy's command center.

Before long, more than 100,000 new troops had arrived outside Kunyang City and set up camp on the south bank of the Zhi River, north of Kunyang City. Everything was completed before evening.

The pitch-black night instantly enveloped the entire Central Plains.

In the new military camp, scattered sparks stretched outwards like a dragon stretching for hundreds of miles, the army seemingly endless, a somber atmosphere permeating the air.

The commander of the new army on this expedition was Wang Xun, the Grand Minister of Works, and Wang Yi, a minister of the court, accompanied the army to provide strategies.

The two men were sitting facing each other in the central command tent, brimming with confidence.

"Lord Zhichun, Liu Xiu went to Dingling County and Yan County to gather reinforcements, but he only managed to assemble a little over 20,000 rebels. Yet he insists on defending Kunyang City to the death. Isn't that laughable?"

Wang Yi spoke, though he had heard of Liu Xiu's undefeated record of conquering cities and territories, he was still surprised by the current situation—

Our army has more than 100,000 troops against the enemy's 20,000. We have the advantage and only regard him as a target for betrayal.

Wang Xun, feigning seriousness, also spoke:

"Yes, Zhongqing is right."

Even if Liu Xiu is incredibly capable, our army has a million elite soldiers, and our banners and supplies stretch for thousands of miles!

"We should regard the rebels as a rabble, as a rabble..."

The two walked together to the tent flap, lifted a corner, pointed to the faint firelight on the Kunyang city wall in the distance, and smiled at each other.

"A million-strong army, wherever it passes, shall be annihilated. Now, slaughter this city, advance with blood on our feet, singing and dancing before and after—how delightful!"

In their view, Liu Xiu, Kunyang City, and all Han rebels were all within easy reach.