Hillel, the foremost authority on the oral…

Wang, seeking to control fluctuations in the prices of food and textiles by purchasing excess goods and then selling them when prices rise, establishes a state economic adjustment agency in 10.

The same agency also becomes responsible for loaning money to entrepreneurs, at the rate of three percent per month.

Six offices are set up: in Luoyang, …

…Handan, …

…Linzi (modern Zibo, Shandong), …

…Wancheng (modern Nanyang, Henan), …

…Chengdu, and …

…Chang'an.

In the same year, Wang Mang institutes a "sloth tax": if landowners leave land uncultivated, city dwellers leave their houses without trees, or citizens refuse to work, there will be penalties to be paid, with textile tributes.

For those unable to pay those penalties, they will be required to labor for the state.

In addition, in 10, Wang also institutes an unprecedented tax—the income tax—at the rate of ten percent of profits, for professionals and skilled labor.

(Previously, all Chinese taxes were either head tax or property tax.)

He also institutes a state monopoly on liquor and weapons.

The usurper Wang Mang sends his ambassadors to the Xiongnu in 10 to inform Chanyu Zhi that he has become emperor and that Xin has replaced Han, and requests that the great seal of the chanyu, which the Han had issued, be exchanged for a new seal issued by Xin.

The old seal reads, "the Great Seal of the Chanyu of Xiongnu", while the new seal reads, "the Seal of the Shanyu of Gongnu of Xin", changing the meanings "ferocious vassal" to "respectful vassal", "Chanyu" to "Shanyu", and "seal" to "badge", implying that the Xiongnu polity, which the Han had treated with some ambiguity about whether it was a vassal, is clearly a vassal of Xin.

Without examining the new seal, Chanyu Zhi agrees to the exchange.

The ambassadors, apprehensive that the Chanyu, once he realizes what had happened, would demand the old seal back, destroy the old seal.

Indeed, the next day, the Chanyu realizes that the seal text had changed, and requests that the old seal be returned, but upon being informed that the old seal had been destroyed (which the ambassadors claimed falsely to be an act of the gods), acquiesces.

Chanyu Zhi, however, begins to prepare for confrontation with the Xin dynasty.

He builds defensive bulwarks some distance from the Xin outpost of Shuofang (roughly modern Ordos, Inner Mongolia).

He also begins to accept the Xiyu ("Western Yu", in modern Xinjiang and former Soviet central Asia) kingdoms' pledges of allegiance, which were banned previously by Wang.

The Western Regions, or Xiyu, is a historical name specified in the Chinese chronicles between the third century BCE to eighth century CE that refers to the regions west of the Jade Gate (Yumen Pass), most often Central Asia or sometimes more specifically the easternmost portion of it (e.g., the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang).

Because of its strategic location astride the Silk Road, the Western Regions have been historically significant since at least the third century BCE.

The area until CE 89 is the scene of conflict between the Xiongnu and the Early and Later Han Dynasties.

The Xin dynasty’s troubles with the Xiyu kingdoms had begun in CE 10, when, Xuzhili, the King of Rear Cheshi (now part of Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture) had grown concerned over the great cost of hosting Xin ambassadors, becoming so distressed that he considers abandoning his kingdom and fleeing to Xiongnu.

Xin's Xiyu commissioner Dan Qin summons Xuzhili and executes him.

Xuzhili's brother Hulanzhi flees to the Xiongnu and attacks Dan, inflicting severe casualties, before withdrawing.

The region known as Dalmatia, a narrow coastal strip on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea lying west of the Dinaric Alps and bordered by Istria in the north and by Kotor Bay in the south, had been the northern part of the Illyrian kingdom between the fourth century BCE until the Illyrian Wars in the 220s BCE and 168 BCE when the Roman Republic established its protectorate south of the river Neretva.

The area north of the Neretva had been slowly incorporated into Roman possessions until the province of Illyricum was formally established around 32-27 BCE.

The region had then become part of Illyricum.

The Dalmatians between 6 and 9 CE, had raised the last in a series of revolts together with the Pannonians, but the Romans have finally crushed the revolt in CE 10 and split llyricum into two provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia.

The Romans, aside from committing atrocities during the war, split up Illyrian tribes into different groups than the ones they had previously composed.

The administrative civitates of Osseriates, Colapiani and Varciani are probably created from the Breuci.

Other members of tribes are probably sold as slaves or deported to different locations.

Pannonia is incorporated with Illyria, the frontier of which is thus extended as far as the Danube.

The proximity of dangerous barbarian tribes (Quadi, Marcomanni) necessitates the presence of a large number of troops (seven legions in later times), and numerous fortresses are built on the bank of the Danube.