Cut off my army's food supplies? I'll open a portal between the two worlds and max out my

Upon hearing Li Wen's question, the two guards beside him wanted to answer, but were glared at by Ariel.

Despite their magnificent leather armor and fine horses, these knights are, in name only, private slaves of the White Elephant Kingdom and have absolutely no say in the affairs of their masters.

Ariels isn't the kind of person who's reasonable. She's already decided that she'll rely on her own abilities to fulfill her promise to her father.

So when she saw her subordinate trying to interrupt, Ariel glared at him with her large, bright eyes, stopping him. Then she put on a serious expression and looked at Li, saying, "General, I want to cooperate with you."

"Oh? What kind of cooperation?"

Ariel took out something wrapped in a handkerchief and unfolded it in front of Li Wen.

Li Wen saw the soap inside but didn't say anything, waiting for the girl to continue.

Ariels said in a serious tone in her pleasant voice, "This kind of soap will definitely sell like hotcakes in the Western Regions, but the trade forces here are very complicated. They will exclude outsiders. But I am different. I am the princess of the White Elephant Kingdom. They will give my father face, and my father has also granted me some trade rights..."

Although Ariel didn't finish her sentence, her meaning was very clear.

She wanted to partner with Anxi Town to sell soap.

Li Wen knew that Ariels was not lying. Black Stone had said the same thing to him before: the Western Regions were a very xenophobic place, especially in terms of trade.

If Anxi Town wanted to join the Western Regions trade network, it would probably be very difficult... but this is based on the premise of doing ordinary business.

Soap is different.

Its appearance in this era is a game-changer! Whether it's its efficacy, scent, or appearance, it will make soap highly sought after by these Western aristocrats.

Soap was in oversupply, and the seemingly united trade network in the Western Regions was no match for it.

As soon as it appeared in a market and began to circulate, a large number of merchants would flock to Anxi Town to shop with their banknotes.

Therefore, Ariel's reasoning was as naive as her appearance.

But Li Wen still agreed: "Alright, what kind of cooperation model would Your Highness prefer?"

"Huh?"

Ariel blinked; she herself hadn't expected Li to agree so readily.

According to her thinking, shouldn't business negotiations last a long time, involve arguing for three days, and finally reach a smooth cooperation by each side taking a step back?

That's not how it is! You agreed so quickly that all the excuses I had in my head are now useless!

Ariel was a little anxious, but the prospect of collaboration was very appealing to her.

Because she really needed the soap product.

Ariel was like a caged canary in the White Elephant Kingdom. Although she was cherished, she had no freedom until her father prepared to arrange a marriage alliance with the Northern Desert Kingdom.

Ariel didn't want to marry the prince from the northern desert. Although the northern desert was very powerful, her ideal partner should be a great hero or an invincible general!

Ariel had imagined her ideal man countless times, but no matter what he looked like, he didn't match those people from the northern deserts.

She didn't want to go through an arranged marriage, but her father said she was too young and immature, and that she would mature after getting married.

Ariel disagreed, believing herself to be mature and capable, and argued with her father, eventually reaching an agreement with him.

Her father gave her the authority to govern a city and tasked her with earning a million dollars within three months to alleviate the economic pressure within White Elephant Kingdom.

One million coins is no small sum; it's equivalent to a year's tax revenue for the White Elephant Kingdom.

Therefore, the father believed that his daughter could not complete the task, so he agreed and even promised her that if she succeeded, he would personally go to the northern desert to annul the engagement.

"What's your decision, Your Highness?"

Seeing that the girl didn't speak, Li Wen politely reminded her again.

"OK!"

After regaining her senses, Ariel nodded subconsciously in agreement, then felt a little embarrassed. She secretly glanced at Li Wen, unsure of what to say next.

At first, she was very curious when she heard that merchants from the Gobi Desert had entered the country. With the mind of a young girl, she imagined the deeds of Li Wen that she had heard before as the great general in her heart. She wanted to find someone to ask about him, so she found Black Stone.

Ariel had intended to inquire whether the legend of Li Wen was true, but upon meeting Blackstone, she casually asked about his purpose. Blackstone had no choice but to truthfully state that he was only there to conduct trade and then showed her the goods he wanted to trade.

And so, what happened next took place.

Ariel, in a moment of inspiration, felt she had found a glimmer of hope for victory and pulled her bodyguard over to negotiate.

This is absurd; it's impossible for Ariel to have come out alone with so few people.

However, the King of White Elephant overlooked one thing: he gave his daughter too much power, and the guards he dispatched were all nominal slaves of the royal family who had no right to refute Ariel's orders.

Even if you wanted to notify the king in time, the journey alone would take two days.

Ariel arrived directly in Anxi Town.

"So how should we cooperate?"

Ariels asked a question that made Li Wen chuckle.

Even the guards standing nearby couldn't bear to watch any longer, looking as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.

However, according to the rules of the White Elephant Kingdom, servants who disturb the host's conversation during a formal occasion are subject to the death penalty.

Li Wen suppressed a smile, then said seriously, "How about we adopt a revenue-sharing model?"

"Revenue sharing model?"

"Yes, I'm giving you the exclusive distribution rights for this soap, which means that no one else is qualified to sell this kind of product outside of Anxi Town except you."

Li Wen, worried that Ariel might not understand, kindly explained it again, and then continued:

"The profits will be distributed as follows: 70% to Anxi Town and 30% to you."

"Isn't that a bit too little?"

Ariel asked blankly after hearing the number. She hadn't brought any of her subordinates, nor had anyone helped her organize the relevant information. She just felt that the proportion given by Li Wen was a bit low.

Li Wen shook his head and said, "Whether it's less or not depends on Your Highness's needs and expectations."

"Hmm, is it possible to earn a million in three months?"

"No problem. If you get the exclusive distribution rights, making this profit will be very easy."

Li Wen answered truthfully.

"Alright! Let's cooperate!"

Ariel said happily.

"..."

Am I lying to a child?

Seeing Ariels' happy expression, Li Wen felt a pang of guilt, but only a tiny bit.

If the sales channels for soap can be opened up, then Anxi Town will have an industrial pillar.

Giving the entire agency rights to Arielse alone may seem like a bad deal, but it's not.

Li Wen had thought it through carefully. If Anxi Town sold soap on its own, it would only make a little money.

Just as I thought, even if we break the trade shackles by relying on the product value of soap itself, we can only make a profit from the price difference from the merchants. Not to mention that if the trade volume with the Great Zhou increases, the other side can easily find out about the existence of the Anxi Army.

The Anxi Army is a very sensitive issue in the eyes of certain individuals, and Li Wen did not want Anxi Town to attract their attention prematurely.

If Ariel gets this agency right, she can naturally solve all the troubles in Anxi Town.

The prerequisite is that this cooperation plan can be implemented.

Li Wen could also see that Ariels's promise to make a deal was the kind that was made on a whim, and it was hard to say whether the order would be carried out after they returned.

However, Li Wen still signed a very formal contract with Ariel.

"If our cooperation goes smoothly, we will establish a trading post here to handle matters related to our cooperation."

Ariels can write Chinese, although her writing is crooked, but at least she can write.

After signing her name, Ariels asked curiously, "General, has this been written down?"

Li Wen shook his head and said, "To be precise, this should be a contract."

"contract?"

"Yes, the contents above outline our respective obligations and responsibilities. You can take a copy back and have your subordinates review it."

"Very good."

Ariel was very happy after receiving the contract.

Li Wen only wrote down the scope of obligations and responsibilities of both parties, but did not specify what would happen if a breach of contract occurred.

Li Wen was well aware that for these people from the Western Regions, violating the contract was just a piece of waste paper... Moreover, whether this cooperation could even be implemented after they returned was another matter entirely.

Li Wen was just playing house with Ariel for now. The real cooperation would begin when she returned to Tongcheng and sent caravans to establish trading posts.

Li Wen specially wrote a detailed explanation of the responsibilities of both parties and gave it to Ariel.

After signing the contract, Ariel was about to leave when Li Wen gave her a box of soap and a bag of tea.

Soap is a sample product, used as a stepping stone to gauge market response.

After getting everything sorted out, Ariel felt she had accomplished something great and prepared to return to Tongcheng.

When Ariels left, Li Wen personally escorted her to the exit of Anxi Town.

Before leaving, Ariels suddenly turned around and asked seriously, "General, may I ask you a question?"

Li Wen nodded: "As Your Highness's partner, it is of course I can answer a few questions."

"A partner, huh..."

Ariels hesitated for a moment, then asked with bright eyes, "General, why did you allow my guards to enter your territory wearing armor and carrying weapons? In the White Elephant Kingdom, even some great lords who invite me as a guest do not dare to let my guards enter their territories with weapons."

Upon hearing their master's words, the knights around them proudly raised their heads.

Although they were of low status, they had all received rigorous training from childhood, and their martial arts skills were considered very strong in the Western Regions.

When Jiang Tian, ​​who had been following along, heard Ariel's question, he almost burst out laughing.

What kind of trouble could these dozen or so armored men cause? Their soldiers on duty are carrying crossbows; their armor is no different from paper in front of those crossbows.

As for force... I could kill three or five of those fancy moves in an instant.

Li Wen glanced at Jiang Tian, ​​knowing what Jiang Tian was thinking, but he simply gave him a look to tell him not to be impolite to his partner.

"Because I believe you are a kind girl who is here to seek cooperation. Cooperation would be a win-win situation for both of us, so we will not have any conflicts."