Chapter 161

Outside Luo River City, spring plowing was in full swing, and the clang of workshops rang day and night.

Yet a war without smoke quietly began in the Bei Jing of Chan Prefecture, in the border region near the Khitan-controlled area.

This place is called Grey Wolf Pass.

It is not some mighty strategic pass, merely a valley with relatively gentle terrain and adequate water and grass.

Because it lies in the buffer zone between Later Zhou, the Khitan, and several small warlord factions.

Over time, it spontaneously became a border market.

All sides maintained a fragile tacit agreement here, permitting merchants to trade and each take what they needed.

Later Zhou lacked horses, hides, and medicinal herbs, while the Khitan and northern tribes desperately needed salt, iron, cloth, tea, and even fine porcelain.

This fat piece of meat naturally aroused envy among the surrounding powers.

Previously, it was mainly controlled by the Chan Prefecture military and local strongmen, with tangled interests.

Now, as Chen Wen and Zhao Kuangyin, the two great new powers in Chan Prefecture, rose to prominence,

Control of the Grey Wolf Pass market thus became another tacit arena of contention between them.

That day, the Grey Wolf Pass market was even more bustling than usual.

Caravans from all sides, laden with goods, gathered in the area temporarily marked out in the valley.

Shouts and horse whinnies filled the air, with haggling in various accents never ceasing.

The air mingled with the gamy smell of livestock, the fishy odor of hides, the strong scent of spices, and the fresh fragrance of tea.

Chen Wen did not come in person, but his trusted aide in charge of commerce,

and a detachment of elite Jing'an troops had already been stationed there.

On their stalls, the goods were neatly arranged.

Snow-white salt blocks were piled like mountains, bolts of sturdy hemp cloth and a small amount of lustrous silk gleamed.

Crates of coarse tea from the south gave off a rich aroma?

There were even some ironware produced by artisan workshops—high-quality iron pots, kitchen knives, and other household implements.

These goods, especially salt, iron, and cloth, were hard currency in the eyes of northern tribes in any era.

At nearly the same time, Zhao Kuangyin's people also arrived.

They likewise brought a large quantity of salt, iron, and cloth, their scale even appearing somewhat larger than Chen Wen's side.

They were clearly prepared.

The forces of both sides faced each other at a distance in the valley, maintaining superficial courtesy on the surface.

But where their eyes met, sparks already flew.

The focus of contention quickly shifted to several large horse teams from Khitan-affiliated tribes.

These tribesmen brought over a hundred strong, fat warhorses, as well as large quantities of fine pelts and mountain products.

They spoke halting Chinese, their shrewd eyes scanning back and forth over the goods of the two Later Zhou merchant groups, waiting for a good price.

"Fine river-east salt, snow-white and clean! Trade for horses! One dan of salt for one good horse!"

An aide of Zhao Kuangyin shouted loudly, offering a price in line with past market rates.

The Khitan horse merchant leader stroked his chin, did not answer immediately, and turned his gaze to Chen Wen's stall.

The person in charge on Chen Wen's side was a young clerk named Zhou Kui.

Originally under Zhang Cheng, he managed the granaries, his mind agile and skilled at calculation.

Having received Chen Wen's secret instructions, he stepped forward calmly and spoke loudly.

"Honored friends who have come from afar, our salt here is also top-grade—not only white but fine and easy to melt."

"One dan of salt exchanges for a horse of equal quality!"

The price seemed the same.

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin's aide curled his lip in disdain.

He was about to mock the other side for copying others' ideas, but saw Zhou Kui shift his tone.

"Not only that, anyone who trades with us for more than five horses."

"Each extra horse earns a gift of a fine‑iron‑forged thick‑backed meat‑cutting knife! For trades over ten horses, we also add two bolts of hemp cloth!"

Upon these words, not only did the Khitan horse merchants stir, but even Zhao Kuangyin's side was stunned.

"Give knives? Give cloth? Isn't this essentially undercutting the price?"

"Salt and iron are already hugely profitable, but adding these gifts."

"The profit margin will be greatly squeezed, possibly even leading to a loss!"

Zhao Kuangyin's aide's face instantly darkened.

His orders were to purchase as many warhorses as possible to suppress Chen Wen's momentum.

But he never expected the opponent to come out swinging with such a no‑holds‑barred stance.

He gritted his teeth: "Our side can also give cloth!"

Zhou Kui, however, merely smiled faintly, said nothing more, and gestured for his men to lift out several large chests and open them.

Inside lay neatly stacked thick‑backed meat‑cutting knives flashing with cold light, and bundles of brand‑new hemp cloth.

The steel of the knives and the density of the cloth were clearly superior to the goods offered as gifts by Zhao Kuangyin's side.

The dual advantage in quality and price instantly tipped the scales.

The Khitan horse merchants, no fools, all flocked to Chen Wen's stall.

In a moment, Zhou Kui and his crew were swamped, horse after horse being led over.

Dan after dan of salt, knife after knife, bolt after bolt of cloth changed hands—the scene was explosive.

Zhao Kuangyin's aide watched, eyes blazing with fury, yet could do nothing.

If he continues to follow and raise the stakes, the losses will be hard to bear.

He could only watch helplessly as most of the fine horses and pelts fell into Chen Wen's purse.

The secret behind this, naturally, lies in the empowerment of Chen Wen's Cow Horse System.

Before this arrived.

Chen Wen then applied the effect of 【Extensive Bestowal: 8× Efficiency】 to Zhou Kui, who was in charge of this, and his core team.

This made their efficiency in preparing goods far surpass that of ordinary people.

The salt workers could boil and refine salt more quickly and efficiently;

The weavers could produce more and denser cloth;

Especially the artificers' camp, when forging those iron knives given as gifts.

Moreover, they achieved twice the result with half the effort, and costs were driven to the lowest.

In other words, Chen Wen was producing goods of better quality and greater quantity at a cost far lower than Zhao Kuangyin's.

This border market contest was, from the preparation stage onward, destined to be an unfair competition.

Chen Wen appeared to be making concessions, but in fact he still retained considerable profit margin.

And if Zhao Kuangyin tried to follow suit, he would likely suffer great harm.

Over the next few days, the situation remained the same.

Whether purchasing horses and furs, or selling tea and porcelain.

Chen Wen's side could always rely on superior cost-effectiveness and more flexible strategies.

Sometimes it was free gifts, sometimes bundled discounts, sometimes even accepting special barter combinations, firmly maintaining the upper hand.

Their goods sold quickly, exchanging for large quantities of warhorses, leather armor raw materials, and medicinal herbs.

Meanwhile, Zhao Kuangyin's side had sluggish business, only able to pick up what the other side had left behind.

Or they had to contest minor resources at a higher cost.

The news quickly returned to both sides' stations.

In the Lo Chuan County office, Chen Wen listened to the report sent back by Zhou Kui via express horse, his face showing little delight.

He merely said lightly to Zhang Cheng.

"Looks like this 'Extensive Aid' also works in commercial affairs."

Zhang Cheng wore a face full of admiration.

"Lord's splendid calculation. Thus, we not only obtained urgently needed warhorse supplies, but also dealt a blow to Zhao Kuangyin's arrogance, and the say-so of the Grey Wolf Pass market began to tilt toward us."

And in Zhao Kuangyin's military camp, the atmosphere was much more repressed.

Listening to the steward's dejected report.

Looking at the unsightly transaction records on the books and the few horses exchanged back.

Zhao Kuangyin's face was so dark it seemed water could drip from it.

He waved everyone off, sat alone in the tent, and slammed a fist hard onto the table.

"Chen Wenzhong……where does he get all these fine goods?"

"Could it be that his artisans, salt workers, and weavers are all heavenly soldiers descended to earth?!"

He racked his brains to no avail, his heart filled with frustration and an ineffable jealousy.

The loss in the border market seemed like a commercial competition failure, but actually reflected the gap in overall strength between the two sides.

Especially that unfathomable, highly efficient productive capacity.

Such a gap made Zhao Kuangyin feel a deep sense of helplessness.

He stood up and paced irritably inside the tent.

His gaze occasionally swept over the positions of Lo Chuan, Thus entries: Thus entries: Anping, and Linhe counties on the map, his eyes growing ever more complex.

Just then, a personal guard reported from outside the tent.

"Deputy Commander, Team Leader Wang requests an audience."

Zhao Kuangyin's steps paused, a flicker of strange color flashed in his eyes, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"Let him in."

Wang Yansheng strode in, after paying his respects, he leaned in and lowered his voice.

"Deputy Commander, over there……another message has come."

Zhao Kuangyin's gaze narrowed, he looked toward Wang Yansheng.

The setback in the border market made some of his previously wavering thoughts in his heart seem to firm up a bit.

The dust of Grey Wolf Pass has not yet settled, but a deeper undercurrent has, because of this loss, accelerated its flow.