However, when Liu Ba saw the detailed information on Liu Bei's side, he calmed down completely. The disparity seemed significant; first, Cao Cao was very short of money, while Liu Bei was extremely wealthy.
The more important point is that after learning about the real situation on Liu Bei's side, Liu Ba was utterly stunned. This wasn't something that could be explained away by cleverly named loans; the Money Exchange was terrifying, but even more frightening were the people using it!
Raising an army is incredibly expensive—armor costs money, weapons cost money, provisions cost money, and stipends also require money. All of these need funding, and not only does Liu Bei maintain an army, but he also invests in education. Even more startling is that he provides free education to children of appropriate age.
The statistics on Cao Cao's side indicate that Liu Bei invests billions in education annually, which would be more than enough to support tens of thousands of cavalry...
