The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was winter of the sixth year of Guanghe.

That year was a difficult one for the Central Plains. First came a drought in spring and summer, followed by a locust plague, leaving vast tracts of crops with no harvest. Then, a heavy snowfall in winter made matters worse.

On the official road, more and more refugees, dragging their families along and dressed in rags, were appearing. They were emaciated and had numb eyes, like a group of walking corpses, aimlessly moving from one place to another.

People starve to death or freeze to death every day. Sometimes, after a heavy snowfall, you can see several stiff corpses by the roadside.

Within Yingchuan City, a semblance of peace was barely maintained thanks to powerful clans like the Xun family opening their granaries and distributing grain.

However, the lines of refugees queuing up for porridge at the city gate every day grew longer and longer, stretching for miles from the city gate.

An atmosphere of despair and restlessness permeated the air.

Xun Hao knew that this was the calm before the storm.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion, the prairie fire that would ignite the chaos of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, was already imminent.

His preparations must be expedited.

That evening, the Xun family held a small family meeting. Only Xun Kun and his adult sons attended.

Xun Kun sat in the main seat, his face solemn. He had just returned from outside the city and witnessed the miserable state of the refugees, which weighed heavily on his mind.

"I went to the soup kitchen today, and the situation is even worse than I imagined," Xun Kun sighed. "The imperial relief grain is still not arriving, and relying on the efforts of just a few of us is like a drop in the ocean. If this continues, I'm afraid things will get out of hand."

The eldest son, Xun Chen, spoke up: "Father, the only plan now is to fortify the fortified villages and prepare more able-bodied men to ensure our own safety. As for those refugees, we can save as many as we can, but as for the rest, we are truly... powerless to help them."

Xun Chen's view represented the ideas of most aristocratic families.

With chaos looming, the first thing to consider is preserving one's own family.

Xun Yu frowned, for he saw further ahead than his brother: "I fear that even fortifying the fortified villages won't guarantee peace of mind. The plight of displaced people is secondary. What worries me more is that once the world changes and heroes rise up, Yingchuan, located in the heart of the Central Plains, a place of constant warfare, will inevitably become a battleground. In that case, how can a small fortified village withstand an army of thousands?"

Xun Kun nodded; Xun Yu's worries were exactly what he was worried about.

"Father, elder brother, I have a somewhat immature idea."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was Xun Hao, who had been sitting quietly at the end of the table and had almost no presence.

Everyone has witnessed Xun Hao's transformation over the past few months. He is no longer the frail, sickly man who would get breathless after just a few words.

Although he was still slender, he had gained a touch of heroism between his brows, and his eyes had become calm and bright.

Xun Kun looked at his youngest son, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes: "Ah Hao, feel free to speak your mind."

Xun Hao stood up, bowed to everyone, and then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"What Father and my brothers are considering are all measures for self-preservation. But I believe that simply defending without attacking is ultimately a poor strategy. Rather than passively waiting for chaos to arrive, it is better to take the initiative and find a way to survive for the Xun family in the midst of chaos."

His words shocked everyone present.

"Take the initiative?" Xun Chen frowned. "Ah Hao, what do you mean?"

"Doing business!"

"Doing business?" Everyone was even more confused.

Xun Hao walked to the map in the hall, picked up a wooden stick, and pointed to several locations on the map.

"Father, please look. The Central Plains are currently suffering from a severe drought, leading to food shortages and soaring prices. But in the Jiangnan and Sichuan regions, the weather has been favorable this year, and granaries are overflowing. The price difference between the two places is more than tenfold!"

"Looking north, in places like Youzhou and Bingzhou, warhorses are plentiful and cheap. Meanwhile, the powerful families and clans of the Central Plains are recruiting soldiers and buying horses to protect themselves, and a fine steed is worth a fortune."

"There are also glass and spices from the Western Regions, Shu brocade and well salt from Sichuan... In times of chaos, the value of these things will multiply. If we can open up these trade routes and transport local specialties between each other, the profits will be unimaginable."

Xun Hao spoke eloquently, and Xun Kun and Xun Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of shock in each other's eyes.

They never imagined that their youngest son, who buried himself in books all day, would have such a thorough understanding of the world's products and the local market.

"Ah Hao, do you mean to suggest that our Xun family should engage in commerce?" Xun Chen's tone carried a hint of disapproval.

During the Han Dynasty, the social hierarchy was scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants having the lowest social status.

For the Xun family, a renowned and top-tier aristocratic family, to engage in such a "minor business" would make them a laughingstock among other aristocratic families.

"Brother, you are mistaken." Xun Hao turned around. "What kind of times are we living in? People are resorting to cannibalism, treating human life like dirt! In these times, what is reputation, what is fame? Is it more important than food? Is it more important than swords that can protect our families?"

"I know that merchants are looked down upon by scholars. But times have changed. We do business not to amass wealth and enjoy ourselves, but to accumulate strength! With money, we can buy more food and save more refugees. With money, we can recruit more guards and forge better weapons to protect our families and people in this chaotic world!"

"More importantly," Xun Hao emphasized, "only with money can we have our own leverage, instead of being at the mercy of others!"

A glint flashed in Xun Yu's eyes.

He understood what his younger brother meant.

Xun Hao wasn't looking at immediate gains, but at the future of the entire world!

He is using business tactics to give the Xun family, a scholarly family, a solid armor!

"Father!" Xun Yu stood up and bowed deeply to Xun Kun. "I believe that A-Hao's words are invaluable advice, a foolproof plan for our Xun family to survive in this chaotic world! Please, Father, consider them carefully!"

Xun Kun looked at his two sons, one with a deep gaze and the other with a burning gaze, and a surge of pride welled up in his heart.

Throughout his life, he was cautious and prudent, eventually rising to the position of Chancellor of Jinan, which brought honor to his family. However, compared to his two sons, his vision was ultimately limited.

"Good! Well said!" Xun Kun slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Forget scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants! Forget reputation and honor! The only important thing is to ensure the continuation of the family line!"

"Do as Ah Hao says!" Xun Kun waved his hand and made the decision. "However, we need to plan it well and register it under the name of a household servant. We must not let the news leak out for the time being."

The Xun family was a distinguished and scholarly family, which they had to conceal, at least on the surface. Otherwise, even though the Mi family was incredibly wealthy, they were excluded from the ranks of the top aristocratic families.