"The final battle between Liu Xiu and Wang Mang."
"On the night before the battle, a meteor fell into Wang Mang's camp, descending directly above it and dispersing less than a foot from the ground."
"That is indeed recorded in the 'Annals of Emperor Guangwu' in the Book of Later Han."
A faint smile rested at the corner of Liu Di's lips as he gazed steadily at Wang Mang. "And the book also says that after the meteorite, lightning struck as well. Thunder crashed with overwhelming force, slaughtering Wang Mang's army once more!"
At those words, Wang Mang's pupils constricted violently. He shrieked hysterically, "Nonsense! Impossible! I, Wang Mang, will not meet such an end!"
"An end?"
Liu Di chuckled. "Any so-called end is brought about by your own actions. Wang Mang, don't you think the policies you are enforcing now go against the will of the people?"
Wang Mang froze.
Liu Di reached into his robes.
The surrounding soldiers tensed, and the long blades in their hands immediately pressed closer to Liu Di's neck.
But Wang Mang's eyes widened as he swept his sleeve. "Let him speak!"
Liu Di smiled calmly.
He took out two copper coins.
He said, "The old dynasty's Wuzhu Coin weighed four grams, while your Da Quan Fifty weighs eight grams. It seems you used twice as much copper, but after unifying the currency, the face value of this new coin has effectively shrunk twenty-fivefold!"
Wang Mang frowned. "What is the problem with that?"
Liu Di laughed. "You could see history and brought back the concept of unified currency. At the same time, you brought back inflation!"
After saying that, Liu Di stared intently at Wang Mang. Wang Mang said nothing. "As expected, you understand what inflation means."
Wang Mang's brow furrowed even more deeply.