Chapter 205: Trade Fair

Oh?

General Chen, you really are interesting!

Moheduo was rather surprised, a strange hue flashing in his eyes, and he examined Chen Yan with keen interest, asking, "We have just finished the great battle, and you already want to discuss cooperation?"

This Zhou State commander who defeated him would use the opportunity to trade extortion, make a big deal of himself, and seize more profit.

But he had never thought that this person would actually seek to cooperate with him?

Interesting!

"There is an old saying in the Central Plains: 'You cannot know each other without fighting!'" Chen Yan smiled calmly, tapping his finger lightly on the table, amused.

Of course, there is also a saying: only by winning can one negotiate for what one wants at the bargaining table…

"General Chen, you truly are unlike anyone else…"

Moheduo, upon hearing that, lifted his tea bowl, took a shallow sip, and sighed.

He paused, then continued, "I just don't know what kind of cooperation you have in mind?"

At that moment, this Turkic special envoy, faced with the young foreign commander before him, was stirred by a strong curiosity…

What sort of cooperation could be discussed under these circumstances…

"Trade Fair!" Chen Yan's gaze hardened, and he slowly uttered the two words.

"What does it mean?" Moheduo muttered repeatedly, somewhat puzzled, and asked.

He recognized both Chinese characters, but the combined meaning was extremely unfamiliar…

He had never heard of it before.

"In plain terms, it means that Great Zhou does trade with the Turks…"

Chen Yan smiled and patiently explained, "We trade mutually for the things each side needs!"

"It is indeed a novel proposal…"

Moheduo nodded, thought briefly, set down his tea bowl, and asked, "General Chen, please elaborate—what exactly can you offer for the trade?"

"Trade Fair" as a concept was somewhat unfamiliar to Moheduo, but he had heard of the earlier "Closed Market" before…

However, since the Murong Former Yan, especially after establishing the Liu Zhen, there has been only warfare between the Central Plains and the Grassland.

The trade "Closed Market" had been a barrier for far too long, so long that people were on the verge of forgetting its existence…

"Great Zhou can supply grain, tea, medicinal herbs, silk, cloth, porcelain, salt, iron farming tools…" Chen Yan said methodically.

What Chen Yan offered were all finished products…

You can give a man a fish, but never give a man a fishing rod!

He would never repeat the fatal mistake that Li Second Phoenix indirectly helped the Tubo rise.

He would never send any technology to the Turks!

"Then what do you hope to gain?" Moheduo inhaled deeply, stared straight at Chen Yan, and couldn't help asking.

It was evident that Chen Yan's offered trade items were sincere, and they were exactly what the Turks urgently needed now.

Moheduo was moved.

With the Zhou State continuously supplying these goods, the Turks could rise even faster…

"Spices, jewels, slaves, livestock…"

Chen Yan lifted his head, met Moheduo's gaze, and smiled.

He paused, then continued, "And horses, as well as allies!"

At this point, his true intent was laid bare.

The earlier items were ordinary; the important ones were hidden behind.

"Horses?"

"Ha ha!"

Moheduo's eyelashes twitched, his keen mind grasped the point, and he laughed, retorting, "To give your Zhou State more cavalry?"

"Why would we Turks form an alliance with your Zhou State?"

In the previous clashes, this Turkic special envoy had already witnessed the might of Zhou State's cavalry…

Facing the two questions, Chen Yan remained unhurried, raised a finger, and answered meaningfully, "Because we share a common enemy!"

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Chen Yan was copying the assignment of some senior elder, Zhangsun…

Support the new nomadic peoples, weaken and overthrow the previously threatening Grassland overlord!

In a concise term, it could be called the Grassland balance of power.

"Rouran!" Moheduo said without hesitation, spitting out the "common enemy."

His eyes were filled with murderous intent.

The Turks, once iron‑forging slaves of the Rouran, had suffered much oppression.

Since mastering ironworking, the Turks gradually rose, began to rebel, and fought the Rouran mutually.

Although they won several times, they still could not topple that increasingly waning yet still formidable behemoth…

"Exactly."

Chen Yan smiled calmly and said, "Your Turks also need a steadfast ally who can share the burden, right?"

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, this ally can supply the various strategic resources you need!"

Since Former Yan, the Rouran entrenched in the northern frontier have always been a major thorn in the side…

By supporting the Turks and using their swords against the Rouran, the northern pressure on Great Zhou can be greatly reduced.

Moreover, if a "Trade Fair" can be opened, it means a trade route is opened, boosting the Court's revenue, bringing countless benefits with no harm.

Moheduo thought for a moment, let out a long sigh, and said, "I cannot deny, General Chen, the terms you offered are very tempting; I cannot refuse…"

He paused, then shifted his tone and continued, "But can you truly represent the Zhou State Court?"

It wasn't that this Turkic special agent was deliberately questioning Chen Yan; it was simply that he was far too young, looking even younger than himself…

Don't be fooled by his youth; he already controls the military and civil authority of Jingzhou.

Yet he is still surnamed Chen, not Yuwen, and not a prince—how could he wield such influence and power?

Could he secure the green light for the Trade Fair and the alliance?

No matter how florid his words, the decision‑maker remains just empty talk…

Therefore, Moheduo must confirm this point.

"Well asked!"

Chen Yan's lips curled slightly as he honestly replied, "I truly cannot represent…."

Moheduo's brows knit at Chen Yan's words, a feeling of being toyed with rising within him. Just as he was about to speak, Chen Yan added, "However, the Great Chancellor behind me can!"

"Yuwen Hu?"

Moheduo narrowed his eyes, looked at Chen Yan with puzzlement, and asked, "The one in your Zhou State who stands above ten thousand yet below a single person, the power behind the Court?"

The Heavenly Official Great Chancellor, Prince of Jin Yuwen Hu, a Turkic special agent—Moheduo naturally knew who he was…

Though called a minister of the Zhou State, he is in fact the de facto ruler; the emperor is a child without real power, and everything is decided by this Great Chancellor.

If that is indeed the case, the Trade Fair and the alliance have at least a seventy‑percent chance of being implemented.

"Exactly."

Chen Yan nodded and said resolutely, "I can persuade the Great Chancellor!"

"Are you so sure?" Moheduo, seeing his earnest demeanor, asked with a mix of belief and doubt.

Moheduo didn't quite believe that a towering power‑broker of a nation could fully heed a young…

"Of course!"

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow and laughed, "The Great Chancellor even placed his only son to train by my side…"

Then, from the tent, he called out, "A Ze, come in!"

"A Xiong!"

Yuwen Ze, who had been stationed outside the tent, entered at the call and saluted Chen Yan.

"Yuwen Ze?"

"Yuwen Hu's heir?"

In an instant Moheduo guessed Yuwen Ze's identity and, astonished, thought, "He calls Chen Yan 'A Xiong'?"

At that moment, he keenly sensed an unusual bond between the two…

He suddenly understood why this Zhou State commander, despite his youth, could wield such authority and confidence.

Had they not looked so different, Moheduo would have suspected that Chen Yan was Yuwen Hu's illegitimate son…

"Special agent, your father has more than one son, doesn't he?"

Chen Yan pressed his lips into a light smile, seized the moment, and said, "As far as I know, you have a dozen or so brothers…"

There was something rather thought‑provoking in his words.

"General Chen, what are you getting at?" Moheduo snapped back to the present and asked tentatively.

Chen Yan lifted his head, eyes shining, and said deliberately, "Cooperate with me, and Great Zhou can help you ascend to the throne of the Great Khan!"