Chapter 5

Zhang Fei was very generous, perhaps due to the influence of his father, who was also a butcher. With Gao Shun's introduction, Zhang Fei naturally treated Liu Ming with the affection of an uncle for his nephew. After Liu Ming greeted him, Zhang Fei not only bought the tiger skin and other items at twice the market price but also gifted him thirty pounds of premium fatty meat. Of course, the meat was not given today but would be provided when Liu Ming and Gao Shun left the next day. That evening, he invited Liu Ming and Gao Shun to his home as guests. Gao Shun did not refuse, as he had likely stayed with Zhang Fei before.

To be honest, when Liu Ming first saw Zhang Fei's house, he couldn't help but wonder: Do butchers make a lot of money?

Thinking about He Jin, who was also a butcher and eventually became the Emperor's uncle, one cannot deny that his sister, Lady He, played a significant role. However, without enough money to bribe the Ten Attendants, how could Lady He have been favored by Emperor Ling of Han?

The wealth that could sway the Ten Attendants and make them act must have been substantial, right?!

Looking at Zhang Fei's side, his father was also a butcher who earned a large estate as an ancestral property. Additionally, he spent a fortune hiring renowned teachers to instruct Zhang Fei, and later, Zhang Fei spent lavishly to befriend heroes and chivalrous men. All of this proved how profitable the butchery business was in ancient times.

Suddenly, Liu Ming remembered that the initial five hundred soldiers Liu Bei recruited were all funded by Zhang Fei!

Equipping them with armor, weapons, and provisions was no small expense. Given this, the Zhang family did not fall into ruin, and Zhang Fei continued to support Liu Bei while still managing their business. How wealthy must they be?!

In the evening, the Zhang family hosted a banquet for Gao Shun and Liu Ming. Since they were Zhang Fei's guests, his father did not attend.

After a hearty meal, Zhang Fei suddenly started a conversation: "Younger Brother Gao, have you heard of the Taiping Dao?"

"A few days ago, I was invited to exorcise evil spirits, but the village chief drove me away," Gao Shun smiled.

"Kid, you actually dared to take on the Taiping Dao, which has millions of followers?!" Zhang Fei immediately became interested.

"The heretical sect that disrupts the Han Dynasty, if I had troops, I would have destroyed them outright. A few blows wouldn't satisfy my anger!" Liu Ming felt that Zhang Fei was testing him and, considering his association with Liu Bei, gave what he believed to be the best answer.

"Truly worthy of being a member of the Han imperial family, always thinking of the Han Dynasty's fundamental interests." Zhang Fei smiled. He might have been surprised by Liu Ming's answer, but upon reflection, he realized there was nothing surprising about it.

Liu Ming was a member of the Han imperial family, and the Taiping Dao aimed to overthrow the Han Dynasty. Capturing such a member of the imperial family would likely result in immediate execution. In such a context, how could one even consider joining the Taiping Dao and rebelling with them?

The Zhang family also had their own intelligence network, as any merchant would have.

Because of this, Zhang Fei knew about the Taiping Dao and was uncertain about their ideology.

Fundamentally, having studied many classics, he recognized the Han Dynasty. However, the Taiping Dao had a large following, and the Han Dynasty was deeply corrupt. If the Taiping Dao succeeded... those who did not participate would suffer.

With a conflicted heart, he needed to seek advice from outsiders.

Gao Shun was cautious and wise, and he would not gossip, making him the best confidant. However, he did not expect Liu Ming to speak up with such words.

"Not just the Han Dynasty, but the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation!" Liu Ming said seriously.

"Interesting, go on!" Zhang Fei was intrigued. How did this rebellion relate to the Chinese nation?

Gao Shun remained silent throughout, neither approving nor scolding Liu Ming, subtly encouraging him to continue.

"How many followers does the Taiping Dao have?" Liu Ming asked.

"Millions, and it will grow even more if they rise up," Zhang Fei replied.

"Can the Han Dynasty hold them off?" Liu Ming continued.

"That's a question for our wise emperor," Zhang Fei shrugged and joked.

"Alright, let's assume they can't hold them off. Since the regular army can't fully resist the Taiping Dao, shouldn't we encourage local warlords to organize forces to resist them? Even if he doesn't think of it, someone will surely advise him to do so," Liu Ming said with a hint of resentment.

He knew that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was the catalyst for the gradual control of local military and political power by the aristocratic families, leading to the path of regional warlordism. However, it would be a lie to say that these aristocratic families were not prepared beforehand.

At that time, many people pointed out that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was merely an excuse for the aristocratic families to gain military and political power. One could even say that the aristocratic families were the masterminds behind the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

It was unclear who participated, but the Yuan family, with four generations of high-ranking officials, was likely involved.

"Local warlords... aristocratic families... interesting," Zhang Fei was not a fool, but he preferred to act on impulse in battle and did not like to show off his strategic thinking in front of others.

"Kill all those who resist, then buy the positions of these regions, forming a vast, invisible network. The tragedy is that this network is not in the hands of any one person..." Liu Ming sat down on the couch, sounding a bit dejected.

Hearing this, Gao Shun and Zhang Fei were struck by the thought: the division of the land by warlords!

"The fools of the Taiping Dao, being used by others without even realizing it. Once their usefulness is over, their existence will be meaningless," Liu Ming said, eating meat with large bites and obvious disdain.

"What if the Taiping Dao wins directly?" Zhang Fei proposed a possibility.

"The aristocratic families are not fools. Wouldn't they take basic precautions? They just need to regularly add a drug that will take effect months later to the food of the leaders, especially Zhang Jue..." Liu Ming looked at Zhang Fei with an expression of disbelief.

Without further ado, Gao Shun and Zhang Fei were shocked.

First, what he said made sense. The Taiping Dao relied on Zhang Jue's personal charisma. If Zhang Jue suddenly fell ill and died during the uprising, the regular army would immediately gain the upper hand, and everything would unfold according to the script of the aristocratic families. Second, if a great scholar had said this, it would not be surprising, but the speaker was a fourteen-year-old boy who had not yet reached adulthood!

Zhang Fei looked sharply at Gao Shun and saw that he was also surprised. He was impressed; this young man's insight was far beyond his own!

Thus, he could not simply view him as an unlikable junior...

"If it really comes to that, what would you do?" Zhang Fei suddenly became curious.

"That depends on whether I have an army!" Liu Ming said without hesitation.

"What if you had an army?" Zhang Fei asked curiously.

"Find a base and join the game. With my status as a member of the Han imperial family, I would recruit heroes and chivalrous men loyal to the Han Dynasty and wage war to eliminate the warlords!

Of course, if the emperor is a wise ruler, I could lead my army to Luoyang and, as a member of the Han imperial family, assist the emperor in conquering the neighboring regions and subduing the rebels!" Liu Ming said with a mischievous smile.

"You, kid, you actually want to be an emperor, don't you?" Zhang Fei saw through Liu Ming.

"I am a member of the imperial family, a descendant of the Marquis of Zhongshan. If the time comes when the land is divided among warlords, why can't I be a Han Guangwu Emperor?!" Liu Ming snorted.

"Interesting, truly interesting!" Zhang Fei's eyes grew brighter.

He was a butcher and, in a strict sense, also a half-merchant.

The biggest deal for a merchant is buying a country. Lü Buwei did it in the past. Later, this situation was generally referred to as 'a rare commodity is worth keeping.'

To Zhang Fei, Liu Ming was a highly potential and valuable rare commodity!

...

(1) In ancient times, most families would only buy meat once a year, and they would buy fatty meat. Fatty meat, after being rendered, would be stored for use throughout the year, and the leftover oil residue would be used for a delicious meal during the New Year.

In other words, in ancient times, the price of fatty meat was much higher than that of lean meat. Lean meat had little fat, and for people who rarely consumed fat throughout the year, it was naturally less popular than fatty meat.