Chapter Nineteen: Entering Luoyang for the First Time

  Luoyang

  Still, the crowd was surging, rubbing shoulders and bumping into each other, with cars and horses galloping by, a scene of prosperity. The peonies in April were blooming beautifully, their fragrance intoxicating people. Under the reflection of the sunset like blood, Liu Ze saw not the majestic capital of Luoyang, but the afterglow of the Han Empire's setting sun.

  Liu Ze's merchant caravan entered the city of Luoyang at sunset, and Zhang Fei Jianyong and others had never been to a place bigger than Zhuo County, they were amazed by the prosperity in front of them, already stunned, no one was in the mood to care about Liu Ze's sunset sighs.

  This was the year 179 AD, the second year of Emperor Ling of Han's Guanghe era. It had been less than five years since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and it would only be eleven years before Luoyang City was reduced to ashes by Dong Zhuo. Liu Ze calculated with his fingers the time history had left him. The arrival of a chaotic world was only five years away. What could he do in such a short period? However, none of this mattered. What mattered was that he had arrived in Luoyang! From being an observer of an era to becoming a participant and eventually a master of an era, although there would be many twists and turns along the way, he had finally taken the first step!

  Found an inn, settled the team of horses, Liu Ze said to Zhang Fei: "Younger brother, you've had a hard journey, now that we're in the capital, it should be safer, tonight you sleep in the guest room, I'll take your watch for you."

  Before departing, Liu Ze divided the tasks: Jian Yun was in charge of accounting, and Zhang Fei was responsible for escorting the convoy. From the time they left Zhuo County, Zhang Fei diligently fulfilled his duties, never leaving the convoy for a moment, and every night he would sleep on the carriage with his clothes still on, and he who normally drank a dou of wine per day did not even touch a drop. Liu Ze was deeply grateful in his heart, as Zhang Fei came from a wealthy family and was an only child, which meant he had been spoiled since childhood, and had never experienced the hardships of sleeping under the stars or going hungry, yet he remained cheerful and didn't utter a single complaint.

  "No need. Big brother, if you care about your brothers, get me some wine. These past few days have been suffocating me," Zhang Fei stuck out his tongue, "Look, the hungry worms are coming out. However, saying it's safe is what you said, if there's a problem don't blame old Zhang."

  Liu Ze patted his shoulder and said: "Alright, no problem. The inn doesn't have good wine, I'll go outside to buy a jar of good wine for you."

  Out of the inn, turning east, is the prosperous Kaiyangmen Street, with countless wine houses standing tall. Even at midnight, the lights are still shining brightly and the streets are bustling with people. Liu Ze found a slightly larger wine house, and as soon as he walked in front of it, the agile waiter welcomed him and almost dragged him into the wine house.

  Liu Ze casually ordered two dishes and asked, "Is there any good wine?"

  The shopkeeper beamed with a smile. "Sir, you've asked the right person! Our good wine is the best in Beijing - we have Du Kang, Yanghe, Niangzi Hong, Fen wine from Shanxi, Qu wine from Jiangnan, and even grape wine from Anxi. Which one would you like?"

  Liu Ze thought of Cao Cao's poem: What can dispel sorrow? Only Du Kang. I suppose at that time, Du Kang was the most famous wine. "Bring a jar of Du Kang."

  Before long, the wine and dishes were served, and Liu Ze had only eaten a few mouthfuls when he wanted to take his leave. Suddenly, the words from the next table floated into his ears: "Nowadays, business is getting harder and harder to do. The road to Yizhou was originally difficult to walk, now it's even better, you can't get through at all. The Anshi merchants are also picky, if they don't want Sichuan brocade, I have a warehouse of silk fabrics, when can I sell them out?"

  Liu Ze heard this and turned around to see a long table beside him, where four or five merchant-dressed guests were sitting on the floor drinking and chatting. The words just spoken came from the mouth of a short and stout merchant, who was exactly the one Liu Ze had been thinking hard about getting information about Shu brocade. He got up and went over to make a deep bow, and the merchant was taken aback at first, then returned a courtesy bow.

  "May I ask, sir, are you in the Shu brocade business?"

  "What can I do for you, little brother?"

  "I just heard what you said, uncle, and I know that the road to Yizhou is cut off. What's the reason?"

  "This year's early spring floods caused landslides in Xiagou and Jigou mountains, blocking the road to Hanzhong, making it even more impossible to reach Chengdu."

  "Are the roads of Xiguan and Jiguan blocked? Is there still a road through Ziwu Valley to Hanzhong?"

  "You don't know this, but the road to Ziwu Valley is treacherous and infested with bandits who kill and rob people. We're just small-time merchants, we can't afford to risk our lives, right?" He looked Liu Ze up and down and said, "Little brother, aren't you also in the Shu brocade business?"

  Fellow travelers are enemies, Liu Ze thoughtlessly denied it in one breath.

  "No, I have a distant uncle in Yizhou who is doing business, and I was just about to join him. I thought that if I could transport some pears or other fruits there, I could also earn some traveling expenses."

  Another merchant shook his head and waved his hand, saying: "No, no, no. The journey is so long and bumpy, the pears will all be rotten before you even reach Yizhou. Little brother, if you really want to do business, I'll give you a tip. Yizhou is backward in production and lacks iron tools. If you transport some farm tools like plows, hoes, and rakes over there, you're sure to make a lot of money."

  Before Liu Ze could speak, the short and stout merchant laughed and said: "Han Lao Liu, stop bragging, you've run so many trips to Chengdu, but I haven't seen you bring back a few hoes."

  Han Lao Liu's face turned red as he said, "The main thing is that the ironware is too heavy. If you take too little, it's not worth it, and if you take too much, the mules can't carry it. A few years ago, I tried once, and many horses were exhausted, but we didn't even make it to Jianmen before we had to throw everything away. But what I'm saying is true, isn't that right, Jia Lao Si?"

  The stout merchant nodded and said, "That's right, ironware is at least five or six times the price on that side. Now, it's not just about transporting ironware, even if you want to transport a chicken feather over there, it's futile. Young brother, I hear your accent is from Yan?"

  "Exactly, he was from Zhuo County in Youzhou Prefecture."

  "You'd better go back now and come again next year when the road is open."

  "Going on, there is an important matter in Yizhou that needs to be handled, and it can't wait until next year. If the Ziwu Valley is still passable, I'll try my luck again."

  Jia Laosi shook his head and said, "Last month, Wang Laoban from the Yuantong warehouse hired over a dozen skilled bodyguards to forcefully enter the Sub-Mu Valley, but they were robbed by bandits at Taibai Ridge and not one of them was left alive."

  "Sixty-four people went out, and when they came back, sixty-four heads were carried back in the carriage. One word: miserable!"

  Liu Ze-yi indignantly said, "Under the clear and bright sky of a peaceful and prosperous era, these thieves are too rampant. Can't the government do anything about it?"

  "Nowadays, the government is only obsessed with selling official positions and titles, engaging in large-scale construction projects, and obstructing the way of virtuous officials. Even someone like Cai Yi, a good official who dared to speak truth to power, was dismissed from office. Who would still bother to deal with a few bandits who rob people in desolate areas?" At this point, Jia Lao Si let out a sigh.

  The eastern guest who had been silent all along suddenly said: "Don't talk about state affairs! Don't talk about state affairs!"

  Jia Lao Si also felt he had misspoken, and stopped talking, picking up his wine cup and draining it in one gulp.

  Han Lao Liu saw Liu Ze standing and said: "Young brother, come sit down and have a drink."

  Liu Ze cupped his hands and said, "Thank you all for your advice, I've troubled you, I still have something to attend to, farewell." He then paid the wine bill, picked up the wine jug, left the wine tower, and headed towards the guest house.

  During the reign of Emperor Ling, Liu Ze was not unaware of the corruption in the imperial court. Eunuchs dominated the government, selling official positions and titles, while loyal and virtuous officials were slaughtered. The emperor's extravagant construction projects and land grabs had brought the people to the brink of despair, intensifying social contradictions and ultimately leading to the Yellow Turban Rebellion. These events were recorded in history books, but Liu Ze had not personally experienced them and could not feel the atmosphere. In contrast to the prosperity and extravagance before his eyes, he saw the suffering of the common people on both banks of the Yellow River, who were forced to sell their children into slavery. This imperial court was rotten to its core and beyond salvation; its downfall was inevitable. Liu Ze felt increasingly pressed for time and had no more time to wait. The few bandits in Qinling Mountains were not even a concern for him.

  Talking about ironware, this made Liu Ze's heart move, he had been thinking of what goods to bring to Yizhou, but the words of several merchants made him suddenly have an idea. Ironware cannot be transported to Yizhou, so ironware in Yizhou must be expensive; Shu brocade cannot be transported out of Yizhou, so Shu brocade in Luoyang is naturally a huge profit. What others can't do, maybe heaven is giving oneself an opportunity.

  Zhang Fei, as soon as he saw the wine, grabbed it and gulped down half a tank in one breath. Only then did he let out a satisfied sigh and laughed: "Good wine! The wine from the capital is indeed exceptional, sweet and fragrant. It's been ages since I've had such a delightful drink. Big brother, why don't you have some too?"

  "No."

  Zhang Fei held a wine jar and looked at him saying: "Big brother, it seems like you have something on your mind?"

  Nothing. Just now at the wine house, I heard several silk merchants talking about how all the roads to Yizhou are blocked due to landslides.

  "What's good about that?" Zhang Fei grew anxious as soon as he heard it.

  "At present, only the valley of Zi Wu is still passable, but this valley is treacherous and difficult to traverse, and there are also bandits lurking about, which has already claimed many lives."

  Zhang Fei burst out laughing and said, "As long as he can walk away, it's fine. If those few bandits hadn't run into his grandfather Zhang, they would be lucky; if they did, they could only blame their parents for giving them a bad birth."

  Liu Ze also smiled slightly, Zhang Fei was a first-class general in the Three Kingdoms, and at Dangyang Changban Slope, he shouted to repel Cao Cao's million-strong army. Now, although young, his bravery is not afraid of several mountain bandits.

  The next morning, Liu Ze and his group rushed to the blacksmith's shop. Liu Ze used 80 million of the total funds of 100 million to buy all kinds of farm tools such as plows, rakes, and hoes. Due to the large quantity purchased, they emptied the inventory of six blacksmith shops before meeting the required amount, filling up twenty large carts. The owners of these blacksmith shops were overjoyed at encountering such a big customer and, after some price negotiations, agreed to sell at 80% of the original price while also gifting several dozen high-quality steel ring-handled knives. Liu Ze even picked out an inlaid jade scabbard for himself. As they entered the Iron Age, knives gradually replaced swords as close-range weapons on the battlefield, but Liu Ze still preferred using a sword, perhaps due to his childhood infatuation with martial arts novels. In his opinion, swords were more elegant and poetic.

  Zhang Fei and Jian Yong were in the dark until the convoy hastily left Luoyang, and Liu Ze had time to slowly explain the situation. The two then suddenly realized. Zhang Fei said: "It turns out that big brother wants to sell iron tools in Yizhou, I thought big brother was going to take us to open up wasteland in Yizhou." Everyone burst into laughter.

  Leaving Luoyang and heading west, passing through Hongnong and Tongguan, they rushed straight to Chang'an. However, Liu Ze did not enter Chang'an, but instead turned south at Baling in the east of Chang'an, and headed towards the Ziwu Valley. The roads traveled in the previous days were mostly flat and wide, with a relatively fast speed, but as they approached the Qinling Mountains, the terrain suddenly became steeper, and the road also became bumpy and narrow.

  On this day, the distant and inaccessible Qinling Mountains clearly appeared before their eyes, with towering peaks that pierced the clouds, steep and precipitous, making people tremble with fear. Liu Ze knew that they would soon be entering the desolate and uninhabited Ziwu Valley, so he ordered the convoy to enter a town at the foot of the mountain to rest and replenish enough water and dry rations for ten days.