The imperial cause at the end of the Han Dynasty was not one of partial peace.

After the crowd dispersed, only a mess and gradually cooling corpses remained.

Liu Bei sat upright on the back of "Dilu" and his gaze swept over everything. He wondered if the young Liu Bei in the history before he traveled back in time had also experienced a similar scene, and how he had dealt with it.

Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn't. But one thing he was certain of: the historical Liu Bei, in the spring before the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, could never have had such decisive, fierce, and preemptive measures.

At that moment, Liu Bei was probably still busy with the empty fame of "entertainment, entertainment, dogs, and horses" and "making friends with heroes," and had not yet truly smelled the rusty iron scent of the chaotic world. He had never thought that he would make a name for himself in Zhuojun and Youzhou in such a decisive way.

"This is precisely the opportunity for the prefecture and county to become famous." Chaos is coming, and those who follow the rules will only be crushed by the torrent of the times. What he wants is to firmly link the name "Liu Xuande" with "decisiveness", "bravery", and "first to crush the Yellow Turbans".

Today's events are the first thunderclap of testing the waters.

He looked up at the warehouse. Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, behind the door, were probably still in shock and with mixed feelings.

Sure enough, the heavy door was carefully pulled open a crack from the inside. Several men with knives peeked out to make sure there were no more thugs outside, only Liu Bei and his men, before they opened the door completely.

Supported by two employees, Zhang Shiping walked out cautiously.

He was about forty years old, with fair skin, and wore a silk robe, which was the common attire of the time. The upper and lower garments were connected, and nobles used silk, while merchants and wealthy people also wore it.

He wore a sheepskin coat, a common and respectable attire for merchants, but now the hem of his coat was covered in dust, the coat was askew, and his face was deathly pale.

Su Shuang followed behind him, equally disheveled.

The two men staggered a few steps to Liu Bei's horse and, without prior arrangement, bowed deeply in unison, their voices still trembling: "Many, many thanks to Lord Xuande for saving our lives! If it weren't for your arrival, we would both be dust today!"

Liu Bei dismounted, bowed slightly, and replied gently, "Brother Zhang, Brother Su, there's no need for such formalities. Since we are old friends, it's only right that we help each other."

Zhang Shiping straightened up, looked up at Liu Bei, his lips trembled a few times, and finally couldn't hold back, asking in a trembling voice, "Lord Xuande... just now... just now why... in the street..."

He pointed to the corpses of Deng Ahu and Li Shi on the ground, then to the strong man further away whose chest had been pierced by a bullet, his eyes filled with lingering fear and disbelief:

"These are three lives lost! In broad daylight, in full view of everyone... How can this be tolerated? What should we do next? Should we... should we find someone to take the blame? Or... should we bribe the county authorities?"

He was, after all, a businessman. Once he calmed down, he instinctively began to weigh the pros and cons and look for conventional ways to clean up the mess, such as "spending money to avoid disaster" or "finding someone to take the blame".

In his view, although Liu Bei saved them, he also caused them a huge problem.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei smiled faintly, appearing quite composed.

"Clean up the mess? Find a replacement?" He shook his head slightly, his voice calm: "Master Zhang, today's events are not a disaster, but rather a chance to make a name for ourselves. Why would we need to find a replacement?"

"When you became famous?" Zhang Shiping was completely stunned, not understanding what he meant.

"Exactly." Liu Bei's gaze fell on the low outline of the city wall of Zhuo County in the distance. Most county towns in the Han Dynasty were built with rammed earth, with low and flat battlements, allowing one to see the distant horizon at a glance, as if taking in the whole world.

He slowly said, "Zhang Gong, please observe. Does the Taiping Dao have any scruples about gathering this time? They claim to be 'punishing the guilty on behalf of Heaven,' wielding clubs and besieging the warehouse. How are they any different from thugs? Moreover..."

He pointed his whip at the pile of confiscated ring-pommel swords and crossbows on the ground, especially the two-piece armor that stood out even in the dust. "To privately possess crossbows and armor, what kind of behavior is this? The Han law clearly states, 'If armor and crossbows are not issued by the authorities, and are privately distributed, the offender shall be sentenced to death.' To privately possess armor and crossbows is tantamount to treason!"

The laws of the Han Dynasty were strict, especially the control over weapons. Crossbows and armor were important military and national weapons, and private possession of them was a crime punishable by death.

The appearance of this pair of armors is significant far beyond ordinary brawls.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhang Shiping, his eyes sharp as knives: "The Taiping Dao spans across prefectures and counties, with hundreds of thousands of followers. Now they are also privately minting weapons. What are they plotting? Brother Zhang, don't you understand?"

Zhang Shiping shuddered. He was also a businessman who had traveled all over the country and had seen a lot.

Previously, they may have been misled by the Taiping Dao's slogans of "curing diseases with talisman water" and "the Yellow Heaven shall rise," or they were unwilling to think deeply about it. But now that Liu Bei has pointed it out, and combined with what they have seen and heard today, a chilling conclusion is about to emerge.

"They...they really dare..." Zhang Shiping's voice trembled.

"It's not a matter of daring or not daring, but an inevitability," Liu Bei said decisively.

"A great upheaval is imminent. At that time, the world will be in chaos, and the laws and order will collapse. Today, I am shooting the ringleader of the rebellion in the street. The more shocking and unconventional it is, the more it shows that I have foresight and dare to be the first in the world!"

"When they openly plotted rebellion, the prefectures and counties learned that I, Liu Xuande, had already seen through their treachery back in Zhuo County and had ruthlessly taken action to wipe out their accomplices!"

He paused, then continued, "From this day forward, in Zhuojun and even Youzhou, all those with discernment will know of Liu Xuande, a man of fierce character, courageous and resourceful, who, at the height of the Taiping Dao's power, dared to step forward, draw his strong bow in the street, and slay three traitors, subduing hundreds of rebels and protecting the people!"

Liu Bei could almost imagine how this account would be recorded if a historian were to take up his pen:

In the spring of the first year of Zhongping, the Taiping Dao's forces expanded in Zhuojun. Its junior leaders, Deng Zhong and Li Shi, gathered several hundred starving people and surrounded the residence of merchant Zhang Shiping, intending to rob him. Liu Bei, who was twenty-four years old at the time, heard of this and immediately led Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and more than thirty light cavalrymen to the scene.

Zhong and Shi were arrogant and spoke disrespectfully. Enraged, Bei drew his bow and shot Shi, piercing his throat and killing him on the roadside. Zhong, horrified, tried to flee, but Bei shot him again, killing him instantly. A fierce member of the remaining gang concealed a knife, intending to commit further violence; Bei fired three arrows, striking him in the chest, killing him instantly.

At that time, the long street was bustling with noise, and onlookers were packed like sardines. He stood ready, horse in hand, bow drawn, his gaze imposing and awe-inspiring. The entire city was terrified; hundreds of rebels trembled and held their breath, none daring to look him in the eye. They then lifted the siege and dispersed. From then on, he became famous throughout the prefecture and county, and many heroes flocked to his side.

Zhang Shiping was completely stunned by Liu Bei's words.

He originally thought Liu Bei was a chivalrous leader who was brave and daring to fight, but now, after listening to his words and observing his actions, he realized that this was no longer the Liu Xuande who only knew about "music, entertainment, dogs and horses".

This is clearly the demeanor of a shrewd and insightful leader!

He had already been laying the groundwork for becoming "known throughout the world" and arranging for "to become famous in troubled times"!

Su Shuang was utterly dumbfounded, muttering, "Lord Xuande... he is truly... truly an extraordinary person!"

Zhang Shiping barely suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked in a hoarse voice, "Since Lord Xuande has said that chaos is coming... I wonder, I wonder how we merchants should conduct ourselves? This business of selling goods... I'm afraid it will be difficult to continue."

"A business of selling goods?" Liu Bei looked intently at Zhang Shiping. "Lord Zhang, the world is about to descend into chaos. This is the perfect time for a man to establish his career and for wealthy merchants to rise to even greater heights. How can you be so preoccupied with the immediate profits from grain and silk?"

"Reach a higher level?" Zhang Shiping asked, puzzled.

Liu Bei slowly replied, "I have heard that there are three classes of merchants. The lowest class are those who buy low and sell high, chasing a profit of one-tenth, competing with petty people in the marketplace for every penny. This is what is meant by 'merchants,' those who 'sit and sell in rows.'"

Zhang Shiping nodded, explaining that this referred to ordinary traveling merchants. Although the Han Dynasty emphasized "emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce" and had discriminatory laws such as "merchants are not allowed to wear silk or ride in carriages," by the end of the Han Dynasty, the commodity economy had already developed. Wealthy merchants "wear fine clothes and eat fine food," and they had connections with kings and nobles, so their power was not to be underestimated.

"Secondly, hoarding and speculating, manipulating the market, monopolizing goods, and becoming richer than a country," Liu Bei continued, his voice solemn.

"However, their rise was swift, and their fall was sudden. In the end, they were hated by the powerful and wealthy, and rarely had a good end. This is what is meant by 'Shang.' In the past, the Zhuo family of Shu and the Kong family of Wan were as rich as rulers, but they could not escape this fate in the end."

Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang exchanged a glance, their expressions changing slightly.

They traveled between You and Ji, trading horses and brocade, accumulating a fortune of tens of thousands, and could roughly be included in this category.

However, as Liu Bei said, merchants have no roots. In times of peace, wealth may protect them, but in times of chaos, they become easy prey in the eyes of powerful figures and warlords.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the "counting of wealth" system led to the bankruptcy of many wealthy merchants. The lessons of the past should serve as a warning to all.

"And the one at the very top," Liu Bei suddenly raised his voice, his gaze fixed intently on Zhang Shiping, the light in his eyes causing the worldly-wise Zhang Shiping to feel a chill.

They do not value immediate profits, but rather the potential for "rare commodities to be hoarded"! Their focus is not on a single city or region, but on the overall global situation; their resources are not in pearls and jade, but in... people!

"A rare commodity worth hoarding?" Zhang Shiping murmured repeatedly, seemingly touched by something, but his mind was in turmoil and he couldn't quite grasp it.

"Indeed!" Liu Bei said decisively, quoting classical texts, his voice particularly clear in the empty streets and alleys. "Long ago, Lü Buwei of Qin saw Prince Zichu (also known as Yiren) of Qin being held hostage in Zhao, destitute and helpless. He returned home and asked his father, 'How many times more profitable is farming?' The father replied, 'Ten times.'"

"How much more do you win with pearls and jade?" The answer was, "A hundred times."

"How much will the ruler of the state win?" The answer was: "Countless times."

Lü Buwei said, “Now, even with diligent farming, we cannot afford warm clothes and surplus food; but if we establish a state and a ruler, the benefits can be passed down through generations. I wish to go and serve him.”

"Therefore, he dispersed his family fortune, traveled west to Qin, persuaded Lady Huayang, and established Zichu as his rightful heir."

"When Zichu ascended the throne, he became King Zhuangxiang, appointed Lü Buwei as his prime minister, enfeoffed him as Marquis Wenxin, granted him a fief of 100,000 households in Luoyang, Henan, and called him 'Uncle Zhong,' holding the reins of Qin for more than ten years!"

The Records of the Grand Historian states that he "traveled back and forth, buying low and selling high, accumulating a fortune of thousands of gold pieces." However, his greatest trade was not goods, but the ruler of a state! What he gained was far beyond what ordinary pearls and jade could achieve. This is what is meant by "establishing oneself as the ruler of a state and winning countless riches!"

He paused, looking at Zhang Shiping's suddenly contracted pupils, and said, word by word, "Lü Buwei invested in a fallen prince and reaped immense profits. Brother Zhang, Brother Su, in this world today, where are there no 'rare commodities'? Who can be considered 'worth investing in'?"

"This..." Zhang Shiping's heart was pounding like a drum, almost bursting out of his chest.

A thought that he had never dared to consider, or that had only occasionally flickered in the depths of his mind when drunk or in the dead of night, was so nakedly, so alluringly, and so powerfully thrown before him by Liu Bei.