The Zhen Family was recently so happy they were almost bursting, possibly because of the New Year and the confrontation between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao, many merchants doing business in Jizhou were somewhat dispirited. Furthermore, knowing that the Zhen Family had recently made a huge windfall, many merchants decided to leave Jizhou. They sold their goods to the Zhen Family at prices far below the market value, almost equal to the cost of production.
With a large family business, the Zhen Family naturally welcomed all comers in these good times. Other merchants worried that the war might spread to Jizhou, so they quickly sold off their inventory to the Zhen Family.