A respectable Mrs. Venetta was woken up late at night and learned that her daughter had disappeared, and there were two of them. How would she react?

It's simply unimaginable.

In the past, the common tool used by Veneta people to deal with such situations was daggers coated with poison.

In recent years, the methods have become more civilized, and the poison-coated dagger has been replaced by a spring gun hidden under the cloak.

Putting himself in his shoes, Winters asked himself, what if a gangster dared to kidnap Ella?

The result of thinking is: after repeatedly confirming to Anna that she did not have a brother, Winters felt particularly relaxed.

All in all, he didn't want to meet Mr. Leo at all.

But considering that Mr. Leo came to Tiefeng County with his adoptive father, Winters had a vague feeling that Mrs. Navarre's attitude might have softened.

Winters had only met Mrs. Navarre a few times, and he could not even remember Mrs. Navarre's face. He only remembered that she was a very gentle, kind, and kind lady.

The situation...maybe not so bad?

Extending one's head is a knife, and shrinking one's head is also a knife. Winters delayed it until he could no longer delay it, and finally had to bite the bullet and meet Mr. Leo.

The meeting was very private, held around the fireplace in a small living room, with only Winters, Antonio and Leo present, because Winters thought Leo wanted to talk about "family matters."

But soon, the atmosphere turned serious and formal.

The reason is simple - Leo is not here to find a daughter for Mrs. Navarre at all, and he doesn't mention a word about Anna.

"Your Excellency, Tribune." Mr. Leo's tone was formal and straight to the point, directly setting the tone of the entire conversation: "Can you provide me with the tariff collection standards of Tiefeng County?"

When faced with sudden questions, especially on unrelated topics, people usually cannot respond immediately.

To keep the conversation going, most people will subconsciously pronounce a one-syllable word:

"ah?"

or "Huh?"

Or "What?"

This is a normal human reaction, and it is also the reason why many people ask the other person to repeat the question even though they have clearly heard the question.

However, this performance also means that it is in a weak position in negotiations.

Although Winters had no idea what Mr. Leo was talking about, he had a unique way of dealing with situations like this.

He said nothing, staring calmly into the other person's eyes, waiting for Leo to take the initiative to explain.

Leo did not intend to continue the confrontation. He explained the purpose of his visit very happily: "We have a batch of wool that we want to transport back to Veneta via Tiefeng County."

…

Wool, the walking white gold mine, is Plato's largest export commodity.

Compared with the wool trade, horse trading has become a tasteless small business.

Many, many years ago, it was the merchants of Piedmont (note: today's United Provinces) who first started the wool trade.

Merchants from the Piedmont traveled thousands of miles and arduously traveled to Palato. They first purchased wool from herdsmen, and then bought wood from nobles to make boats. Finally, they drove large boats loaded with wool eastward along the Jinliu River.

, go straight to the inland sea, and return to the piedmont.

Wool will be sent to textile workshops. Boats will be dismantled and sold as lumber.

After calculating their profits and paying off their debts, the merchants took their capital and headed to Plato again to embark on a new year's journey.

This kind of circular trade is called "buying a boat and sailing eastward". I don't know how many businessmen rush between [Piedmont-Plato] like this day after day, year after year.

The continuous supply of wool fed the wool textile industry in the piedmont, and the prosperity of the wool textile industry created more demand for wool.

In the era when Veneta commercial city-states such as Hailan and Baihua City monopolized inland sea trade, the cities in Piedmont earned their first pot of gold through the wool textile industry and continued to accumulate wealth in the following days.

It's interesting to say that because the entrepot trade was firmly controlled by the Veneta people, the merchants in the Piedmont had to find another way if they wanted to become bigger and stronger.

In desperation, the merchants in the Piedmont area developed a development route of "combination of handicraft industry and commerce".

They are often both workshop owners and traders. And because they have a common enemy, the merchants in the Piedmont are far more united than the merchants in the Veneta city-states.

However, there is a huge difference in size after all. If nothing unexpected happens, Qianqian will continue to be suppressed by the Veneta city-states, and its position as the second largest city in ten thousand years will not be higher or lower.

However, the goddess of fate gave Piedmont an opportunity. Entering the golden age, the city-states of Veneta seemed to think that they were omnipotent, and then all city-states unanimously initiated a resolution - to compete for hegemony.

The city-states of Veneta were fighting endlessly, fortress offensive and defensive technology also developed in great strides during this period, and the Piedmont ushered in a beautiful spring.

When the city-state war ended, the victor - the noble Sea Blue Republic - was shocked to find that the originally submissive merchants of Piedmont had already turned into giant sharks, tearing off most of the inland sea trade that was originally monopolized by Veneta merchants.

The city-states of Veneta declined, and the Piedmont officially entered its golden age.

At that time - that is, half a century ago, the Dukedom of Piedmont was the richest land in the entire empire and the most dazzling diamond on the emperor's scepter.

In terms of area, the Piedmont Dukedom is simply insignificant. However, this small delta provides one-third to one-half of the empire's annual tax revenue.

However, the story that follows is familiar to everyone.

The Sovereignty War broke out, and this time it was the turn of the Piedmont - the Federal Republic of the Provinces - to be beaten to the ground.

Hundreds of years of accumulation by the people of the Piedmont were all turned into fuel for the war.

At the same time, what were the city-states of Veneta doing?

Answer: The Veneta people were watching, and they made a fortune by the way.

In order to escape the war, a large number of commoners and nobles from the United Provinces fled to Veneta with their families - taking their wealth, technology and manpower with them.

While Ned Smith and the Butcher Duke fought bloody battles in the United Provinces, Veneta's woolen industry flourished.

What the people of the United Provinces call "every time the United Provinces fights a war, Veneta becomes rich" refers to this period of history.

All in all, after the end of the Sovereignty War, the wool textile industry was no longer a monopoly industry for the United Provinces, and the newly born Republic of Veneta could already compete equally with the United Provinces.

Veneta and the United Provinces, the rivalry between comrades and enemies continues to this day.

…

What does having sex have to do with Winters?

In fact, it does matter.

In addition to sales and looms, another major bottleneck restricting the wool textile industry is the raw material - wool.

Without wool, the loom will stop spinning; without wool, the weaver will starve to death.

With the development of buying a boat to go eastwards today, it is no longer the original form of "hawkers harvesting wool from herdsmen according to the pound".

Competition drives the development of business models. Woolen merchants with strong financial resources are no longer limited to buying wool, but simply invest in sheep flocks and even purchase pastures.

Even so, the Venetians and the Confederates would fight over the wool every year.

Wool was continuously transported from the plateau to the shores of the inland sea, where it was turned into fabric and sold throughout the continent.

Fine wine, precious metals, steel, and handicrafts continued to flow into Plato against the route of wool.

If the Senas Alliance is a giant, then the [Ember River/Running River] carrying the wool trade is at the same time the artery and vein of the giant.

However, the problem arises here: the main artery of the alliance is cut off.

After the Bloody Night of the Kings' Castle, Arpad's military government occupied the "Jiangbei Province" in the northwest of Plato, and the remaining land south and northeast of the Jinliu River was controlled by the Second Republic.

After several rounds of attacks and defenses by both sides, neither side was able to break through the Jinliu River.

As the proverb goes: If the city gate is on fire, the fish in the moat will suffer.

The Second Republic and the Third Republic faced each other across the river, but the Veneta woolen merchants were in mourning.

The wool trade is different from other businesses. If crops decline, planters can switch to planting or not plant. Bottles and cans are hard to sell, and workshops can stop producing.

But not wool.

Sheep don't care who wins or loses, they just eat grass, grow hair, and bleat. As long as they don't die, the sheep will grow hair.

Some of last year's wool could not be shipped back to China because shipping on the Jinliu River was completely choked, and this year's wool was all blocked in Plato.

When next summer comes and the new wool season arrives, there will be no place to store wool.

No, the more likely scenario is that the Veneta wool textile industry will not last until next year.

"Since we can't take the water route." Winters heard this and asked Mr. Leo for the first time: "Can't we take the land route?"

"You asked about the most interesting point." Leo opened his eyes slightly, paused for a moment, and turned his head to look at Antonio: "General, could you please help explain."

Antonio sighed: "The territory of Palato bordering the United Provinces and Veneta is controlled by the Second Republic, and the Second Republic has a strong pro-United Province tendency."

"This is also the most infuriating thing." Mr. Leo said a wisecrack: "It is obviously Plato who is fighting, but only the Venetians are injured."

"You mean..." Winters cleared his mind: "The Second Republic implemented some kind of trade embargo. Wool sent to Veneta was detained in Plato, while wool sent to the United Provinces could go

Is the land route smooth?"

"Exactly." Mr. Leo nodded.

"Why don't you just check your wool?" Winters frowned slightly.

"You have to do enough to save face." Mr. Leo smiled self-deprecatingly: "In my opinion, my colleagues from the United Provinces are waiting for me."

"What are you waiting for?"
To be continued...