Nobita's Time Heist

Chapter 214: Wang Mang's Astounding Wisdom!

Shizuka instinctively sensed that something was wrong, but for the moment, she couldn't quite pinpoint the problem.

After parting ways with the unfortunate man, Da Xiong and his companions, relying on the official seal given to them by Wang Mang, were able to leave the city openly and legitimately. Thanks to this, the city guards didn't check if they were carrying a bunch of other contraband.

It's worth mentioning that as they exited the city gate, they happened to see a line of prison wagons, carrying people in batches. Each wagon was crammed with at least five people, all disheveled, with blank stares and expressions of panic. This horrific sight reminded Da Xiong of the pigs that were forcibly crammed into cargo boxes because there wasn't enough space, almost suffocating from overcrowding.

This is probably one of the few places in Chang'an City where you can still see living people.

The people of Chang'an, having learned their lesson, stayed home, but the quotas set by the emperor himself had not yet been met. Thus, in an instant, an absurd nationwide manhunt began. Anyone caught in a street raid without new currency was arrested on the spot, and their entire family was sent to Chang'an as potential rebels seeking to restore the old Han dynasty.

Ordinary people from other places couldn't understand the intricacies of the situation, and they were detained and their homes ransacked without any explanation. Countless people died on the way. Even so, the prisons in the capital were almost full of them.

"This is outrageous..." Shizuka's tone was now tinged with anger. "Even if it were introduced into the market, it couldn't possibly spread nationwide so quickly, could it? Besides, the market is frozen right now, and nobody's doing business. How will the currency circulate? Doesn't he consider any of these things at all?!"

“That’s how emperors are,” Asur shrugged. “People in high positions are used to giving orders to others and easily overlook some common sense issues. In their view, it’s only natural for things to go according to their own ideas.”

Even now, things have gone completely against his original wishes.

Huang Amao stared blankly at the people on the prison carts, crammed into the small wooden fence like animals waiting to be slaughtered, and suddenly felt a chill.

If he hadn't come to Chang'an with Da Xiong and the others, would he... at this moment, like these guys in the car, have his life savings, painstakingly accumulated over a lifetime, confiscated, and be sitting in a prison van, waiting for trial with a look of fear on his face?

Is this also part of the ideal state?

……

If it's like this inside the city, it's even more suffocating outside.

In the small villages outside Chang'an City, bandits had already ravaged the area several times, leaving the people destitute. This was truly "under the emperor's nose," the closest place to official power, yet bandits had infiltrated it. What was even more critical was that the imperial city couldn't even spare the troops to quell this chaos; all manpower had been used by Wang Mang to suppress those rebels who, nominally, didn't use his new supplies.

Those who could be relocated had already left without looking back, leaving the remaining people to face exploitation from both bandits and officials. Like a few small yellow croakers stewing in a large pot, every bit of their essence was used to make soup.

Nobita left them with the absolutely reliable [Toy Soldiers] and [Guardian Rabbits], which could at least temporarily repel the bandits if they came again. However, in such a chaotic environment, Nobita was quite skeptical about their effectiveness.

The pool of water is all murky; at times like this, no amount of effort will help.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Perhaps sensing the deathly atmosphere pervading society, or perhaps because the capital's prisons were already overflowing, this most complex monetary system in history collapsed completely after just over half a month in operation. The money that was issued went unused; rather, all money flows in society seemed to have come to a standstill. Every social class was taut like a bowstring, and beneath the silence, a terrible storm was brewing.

The chill came so thoroughly that even Wang Mang, sitting high on the throne, felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

The power of silence is immense, even more effective than head-on resistance. Faced with the silence of the world, this time, he was no longer angry, but instead yielded.

An imperial edict was issued from the palace, restoring the two types of currency, large and small coins, which can be considered a return to the period of the second currency reform.

Tortoise shells, seashells, and all sorts of other coins only made a brief appearance in history before disappearing from the scene, leaving only two types of coins: "Huoquan" and "Huobu." One Huoquan coin weighed five zhu, and one Huobu coin was equivalent to 25 Huoquan coins, finally making it simple, easy to calculate, and not brain-taxing.

After being repeatedly slapped in the face by the invisible mouth of the market, even the emperor had to admit that a hundred-year-old habit could not be changed on a whim. The common people were already used to the weight and conversion of the Wuzhu coin, so they simply created a currency with the same weight as the Wuzhu coin, making some changes to its appearance.

This is a really good plan; it would have been even better if we had thought of it sooner.

Despite bowing his head to the people of the whole country and indirectly admitting his defeat, Wang Mang stubbornly refused to revert to the Wuzhu coin, instead creating a completely equivalent one. However, even more critically, the markets across the country did not prosper as a result. This wasn't a simple matter of adding water to excess flour or flour to excess water.

Since Emperor Wu of Han opened up the Western Regions and established the Silk Road, the ancient Han Empire, like a machine he had assembled, operated day and night. The operating mechanism of this machine was advanced enough for its time; even if descendants were slightly wasteful, becoming stereotypical rich kids who spent their days drinking, hunting, and womanizing, they could still manage to get by. Although they would be exploited by the "Han enterprise," at least they would have a way to survive.

However, after Wang Mang came to power, he vigorously dismantled this machine and replaced it with his own interpretation. The sacred principles of Confucianism had indeed helped him win over the people and build his reputation, serving as his guiding ideology for over forty years before seizing the throne. Therefore, he naturally assumed that this theory would continue to help him overcome all difficulties after becoming emperor; the words of the sages were never wrong.

As it turns out, if a machine is still running, it's best not to touch it. Touching it will cause serious problems. In such a short time, Old Master Wang went from a moral exemplar who moved the world to a universally condemned thief.

Those Confucian scholars who previously clamored that "the mandate of heaven has changed, and the divine instrument will be replaced" are probably few in number still alive, and have naturally fallen silent. Such a plunge in public opinion is not only unprecedented but also likely to be the last. In particular, these repeated currency reforms, which have plundered the wealth of the people, have utterly destroyed the reputation of the new dynasty's royal family—which is why, although the new currency looks acceptable, it still cannot be successfully implemented.

This is the Tacitus Trap: lost public trust is very difficult to regain in a short time. The wealth that is plundered from the people is all earned through their hard work day after day. You've reformed now, but who knows when you might make a blunder again? You arrest people even when you don't need their money, and you're quick to confiscate their property and execute them. Only a fool would continue to play by your rules.

In this situation, Wang Mang once again demonstrated his extraordinary wisdom.

With a flourish of his pen, he signaled the start of war!

Chapter 215: My precious~~mine!!

"you……"

Are you sure you're still conscious?

Finally, after several days, Nobita saw his "old friend" again in the wooden house. Although it had only been a few days, it felt like years had passed. When he saw him again, Nobita sensed that something had changed permanently.

Prior to this, this wooden house had always been Wang Mang's hideout from the outside world. The fact that it was deliberately built in a field unknown to anyone must have been part of that consideration.

The furnishings and decorations inside the house are quite old, bearing the marks of time, and were definitely not built on a whim or a sudden impulse. Perhaps, he already had this secluded wooden house back when he was still in officialdom.

The room was filled with Confucian classics, while outside lay his ideal of the "well-field system"—a tangible embodiment of his spiritual world. Only here could Wang Mang temporarily shed all power and fame, and once again spend some time leisurely as a "human being." At least, on the first few visits, although he appeared particularly颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being decadent, dispirited, and disfigured), his clothes were disheveled, and his beard was unkempt, the interior of the wooden house was still relatively orderly, showing that it had been carefully arranged.

However, at this very moment, this once warm and welcoming spiritual home is now in complete chaos.

The books he had perused were not put back in their original places. Since paper had not yet been invented in this era, writing had to be done on bamboo slips, greatly increasing storage space. The bamboo slips were scattered haphazardly on the floor, almost covering the entire area, leaving no room to even step. A cup had been overturned sometime earlier, and the hot tea had wiped away the writing on the bamboo slips, turning them into a glaring black stain, but he remained completely oblivious, showing no intention of regarding these bamboo slips as sacred teachings.

Wang Mang, who usually changed into casual clothes in this space, was now dressed in a dragon robe, impeccably groomed. Although he was merely sitting in an ordinary chair, he exuded an imposing aura as if he were sitting on a throne, creating a stark contrast with the chaotic room.

Of course, this sense of incongruity is insignificant compared to the idea he came up with.

"War with foreigners? Now?!"

“They are not ‘foreigners,’ but Xiongnu people,” Wang Mang said with a sneer. “They have been subjugated by the old Han dynasty for a hundred years. However, at the beginning of the new dynasty, these barbarians have forgotten the lessons of the past and have frequently provoked us. They really do not take our new dynasty seriously. Such barbarians will only become lawless if we do not fight them with weapons.”

"Wait a minute, let's not talk about that..." Da Xiong felt like he was talking to a brick wall. For some reason, communicating with the current Wang Mang was extremely difficult. He couldn't help but wonder if the other person's brain had been eaten by zombies. What kind of thought process could lead to such a conclusion?

"The current dynasty can be described as beset by internal and external troubles, right? The well-field system and the abolition of slavery had no place in the hearts of the people to begin with, and several currency reforms have further weakened it and alienated the people. Putting aside whether it can defeat those so-called Xiongnu, are you sure you can sustain a war against foreign powers under these circumstances?"

"..."

Outside, rumbling thunder echoed frequently. Although it was still afternoon, the sky had become terribly gloomy since earlier. Dark clouds loomed down, and a sudden gust of wind blew, rustling the rice paddies outside, as if the whispers of countless wronged souls were echoing in one's ears.

The smile on Wang Mang's face vanished quickly, and lightning illuminated half of his profile. His expressionless face was replaced by a chillingly cold gaze; the gentle, agreeable smile he had displayed upon their first meeting was now lost in the deep color of his eyes.

"As expected of people from the Western Regions, they have absolutely no manners and keep saying things I don't want to hear," he said sinisterly. "If it were any other emperor, those words would have been enough to have you beheaded."

Nobita was never one to be intimidated. Instead, he stood up, stared at him without fear, and asked, word by word, "Did you call me here because you wanted me to flatter you?"

After a moment of eye contact, Wang Mang chuckled softly, as if someone had caught him by a sore spot, and looked up helplessly.

“You don’t understand, Da Xiong, this is the way of a king.” After a sigh, Wang Mang still explained earnestly, “If we delay and allow rebellious intentions to gather among the people, that would truly ruin everything. The Xin Dynasty was established by relying on the classics of sages and taking power without bloodshed. This will give many people the illusion that our Xin Dynasty has no soldiers to use and no generals to command. We must use bloody military achievements to suppress the rebellious hearts of all the villains. Only after this battle can the internal and external predicament be resolved, and only then can the Xin Dynasty truly stand firm.”

"Besides, it was the Xiongnu who refused my bestowal of a name, and they were guilty from the start..."

His tone was indifferent and cold, as if he were a completely different person from the moral exemplar who wanted to abolish slavery and advocated equality for all.

"We need to keep these hot-blooded, easily provoked, but idle middle-aged men somewhat useful."

From the emperor's perspective, this reason is barely tenable. Having risen to power through "public opinion," Wang Mang's sensitivity to public sentiment far surpassed that of any other emperor. When he sensed a storm brewing, he immediately became vigilant—if "opposing the Xin and restoring the Han" became the new public sentiment, he, as emperor, could be deposed at any moment. Then, only utter ruin awaited him.

He knew all too well what the powerful clans were like; they were all a bunch of complete opportunists. Because of the previous well-field system, Wang Mang had already broken ties with the powerful clans. Once they realized there was an opportunity, they would definitely launch a coup without hesitation.

In short, he needed achievements, achievements earned through real battles, through blood and sweat, achievements that could intimidate everyone. These achievements would be enough to offset all previous mistakes and to subdue the restless powerful clans across the land, completely extinguishing their ambitions.

After much thought, war seemed to be the only option.

The accumulated contradictions, like a suppressed spring, needed an outlet. Therefore, he needed to create an enemy who could unite the people but wasn't too powerful. The Xiongnu, who had been decimated by Emperor Wu of Han's top-tier military force a century earlier, were an excellent choice.

but……

All of the above are just the little schemes that the emperor should have made.

Despite possessing immense power, Nobita never considered himself a superior, not even once. When he heard these things, his immediate emotion was anger.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"There's absolutely no need to do such a thing! If you want the people to listen to you, just honestly admit your mistakes, return the looted property to them, release those who were wrongly arrested back to their hometowns, and give them appropriate and reasonable compensation!" He stared intently into Wang Mang's eyes, unusually lowering his voice, and said angrily, "You actually went to war just to divert attention from the conflict and put on a show... War means death! Every person who dies on the battlefield is a living, breathing human being! Don't you think you've already wronged the people enough?!"

……

Wang Mang's gaze became utterly empty in that instant. His shadow, projected onto the wall, was quite long and thin, like a slowly swaying python.

“These… are all mine… You don’t understand, Nobita. These are what I’ve worked my whole life to climb up to, and it was only with great difficulty that I finally got them.”

His voice was like a snake flicking its tongue, with a hissing, dark echo.

"They won't take a single penny from me!"

Chapter 216: After the Dust Settles Down

Shock. Anger. Disappointment.

If it were Suneo here, he might continue to smile, exchange a few words, express his agreement, and prioritize his own safe departure before considering a plan. However, Nobita has never been good at hiding his emotions; his joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are all directly displayed on his face. In a sense, his personality is closer to Gian's, which can be seen from his tendency to cause trouble as soon as he gets his hands on a gadget.

Such an unreserved expression could not possibly escape Wang Mang's notice.

"Even now... are you going to betray me too?"

“I have never been your subject,” Nobita said bluntly. “It was your promise to create a better world that kept me here. I want to see for myself what that world, where everyone is equal, will be like.”

"My promise remains valid." Wang Mang emphasized, his tone seemingly calm, but upon closer listening, it seemed he was already making a desperate gamble, risking everything. "As long as we return victorious, those powerful clans hiding in the shadows will surely put aside their petty schemes. Without them leading the way, the common people alone cannot cause any real upheaval."

He took a step forward, looked out at the gloomy sky, his heart filled with ambition, and said in a deep voice, "I have issued an edict to conscript prisoners and able-bodied men from all over the country to join the new army. There will be about 300,000 men. We will divide them into six armies and march from Zhangye, Xihe, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, Daijun, and Yuyang along the northern border of the new dynasty. Once the six armies are assembled, we will launch a major northern expedition to drive the Xiongnu people to the barren lands further north, so that these surrendered slaves will fully recognize their status and submit to my new dynasty."

"Just you wait and see, Da Xiong. I will accomplish what even the Martial Emperor couldn't. When that happens, all problems will naturally be solved!"

……

During this period, Da Xiong had witnessed similar scenarios far too many times. Each time, he would enthusiastically declare, "We will win," only to be slapped in the face. The key point is that Wang Mang never learned his lesson; he genuinely believed that being an emperor meant being omnipotent and that he could forcibly impose his will on objective laws.

Just like the Xin Dynasty, which fell into Tacitus's trap, Wang Mang's words had lost all credibility in Da Xiong's eyes, except for their ability to cause trouble.

The story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" has been repeated several times, so it's time to lose interest.

"What, you don't believe me?" Wang Mang's eyes seemed to gleam with a green light, as if he wanted to tear apart everything in his way and use it to enrich his new dynasty. "Three hundred thousand troops march north, unstoppable. The Xiongnu have no soldiers, no fortresses, and no weapons. Victory in this war is already in my pocket!"

"This time, there will be absolutely no failure... no, it should be said that there will be absolutely no room for failure!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

“You’ve really let him drive you crazy.” Back home, Asur complained irritably, “He seemed generous before because he was just a ‘subject’ at best, and the world still belonged to the Liu family emperor. He was undermining others and sharing the Liu family emperor’s interests with powerful clans and common people, so of course he was generous.”

"Now the roles have reversed, he's the emperor now, and the whole country is his private property. Getting him to give up his interests won't be so easy."

News of war, no matter how euphemistically it is presented, can only bring unease. Such a large-scale mobilization could not possibly be kept secret from anyone; from the powerful elites to ordinary people, everyone could smell the bloody scent of impending war. The already precarious Xinchao was plunged into yet another wave of panic.

Huang Amao's face turned ashen. As an indigenous person born and raised in this place, he understood better what war was like in this era.

It is no exaggeration to say that every page of military achievements of kings and generals is built upon the blood, flesh, and bones of ordinary people. Once on the battlefield, chaos reigns, and the life or death of a nobody like him is completely ignored. He might just be trampled to death by someone's horse on the edge of the battlefield.

"Leaving aside whether such low-quality recruits are reliable or not, the unrealistic number of 300,000... must have been decided on a whim, right?"

Like watching a teammate repeatedly make disastrous plays, Asur didn't even have the energy to criticize him anymore. He just analyzed with some helplessness, "This is an era without railways and airplanes, and we're fighting outside the borders. This means that supplies will have to be transported from the country to the front lines by horse-drawn carts, right?"

In such a vast country as China, from south to north, passing through mountains and rivers, one can only travel on foot, which is by no means easy.

"But the transport team are also people. They can't run on mountain roads without eating or drinking. They will only consume more rations on the road. Feeding people and horses, maintaining weapons, all of these require money. As the saying goes, 'When the cannons roar, gold flows like water.'"

"War is very expensive"—this is the heartfelt lament of Xiao Ji's cousin, who lost the cost of the ship and model after being sunk by Doraemon's nuclear submarine.

At this moment, Nobita finally understood the profound meaning behind those words.

"Does the new dynasty still have money?"

"Private assets have been almost completely wiped out in the several chaotic currency reforms, leaving every household impoverished," Asur said, quickly flipping through the intelligence gathered by the spy robot over the past few days. "Not to mention, the turmoil of currency reform hasn't subsided yet. In some remote areas, exchange rates remain chaotic. Under these circumstances, the only way to raise military supplies is basically to rob."

A sudden, whimsical idea from above becomes as heavy as a mountain when it reaches the bottom.

Not to mention, it was a war of such immense scale.

“Even with money, the result will be the same.” Asur spread his hands and slammed all the intelligence on the table, saying irritably, “This guy really doesn’t know his own worth or that of his men… He clearly seized power through a coup, and before that, he had never even commanded a decent battle, yet he immediately mobilized 300,000 men, divided into six groups?! In an era without telephones or telegraphs, by the time those six groups arrived in the north in different directions, it would be too late.”

"Since Emperor Wu of Han crippled the Xiongnu once and for all a hundred years ago, the Han Empire has hardly experienced any major wars. The generals under his command are mostly theoretical figures with no real substance. In addition, the quality of the troops is poor, and they have not even been integrated or trained. The logistics and supplies are also inadequate. If a real war were to break out, who knows what would happen?"

"The current Xin Dynasty is nothing more than a giant embroidered pillow. If we don't fight, we can manage on the surface, but if we do fight and ultimately lose, it could become the straw that breaks the camel's back..."

As they talked, Asur noticed that Nobita and Shizuka looked a little strange, and asked suspiciously, "What's wrong? Is something off?"

“No, we just think… Asur-chan knows so much.” Shizuka clasped her hands together, praising with surprise, “Just like Kosuke.”

"Were you really a scavenger before?" Nobita was even more curious about her background. "Generally speaking, people wouldn't know so much about things from ancient times, would they?"

……

Asur sighed almost imperceptibly.

From the moment she stopped hiding herself and began actively analyzing the situation, she had already prepared herself mentally. Now that things had come to this, she no longer intended to wear this tattered facade.

"What scavenger? That's a lie. I've never been one."

Her tone was complicated. After hesitating for a while, she shook her head. "You are all good people...you shouldn't be dragged into my mess."

"After everything has settled down, I will tell you all about it as a story."

Chapter 217: A Gentle Ending

Time and again, Da Xiong was wary of the effects of "correct history," fearing that his intervention would disrupt the normal course of history. But this time, he really didn't intend to endure it any longer. Seeing Wang Mang's rotten plan to cover the entire country, once the war really broke out, the flames of war would burn across the entire Central Plains, and countless innocent people would die.