In July, the east coast has officially entered the early winter, and as the temperature drops, the wilderness is bleak.

However, outside Hejin Fort, which is under the jurisdiction of the Northwest Reclamation Bureau, the semi-monthly country market is bustling with activity. With a population of more than 3,000 and a growing number of villages around the city, the villagers of the four villages bring their wares to the market to sell on market days, and then buy some of the things they need to take home: flower cloth, wine, or salted fish from the sea.

Agnelli sat in a corner of the bazaar, and in the morning he had mended the pots for three men, and sharpened knives for five men. In addition, some small knick-knacks such as sesame seeds, peanuts, and whale jerky in the sackcloth pockets were also sold. According to conservative estimates, his income this morning was at least more than five dimes, which should be satisfactory.

But it's at the bazaar after all! Agnelli sighed and leaned against a dead tree behind her. There is a lot of people in the market, and whoever has a broken pot, a dull knife, or something missing will come here to find a way, so business should be good. But in the same way, the business of a tinkerer like Agnelli is much more bleak, and he often travels long distances to many villages before he meets a single customer.

As a last resort, in order to increase his income and to make the most of his advantages in all directions, Agnelli also took up the business of a small trader - a license obtained by his cousin, who was an official in the Yihe region. When he first obtained his hawker's license, his business was really good for a while. It's just that the good times didn't last long, with the opening of railways in those areas. He and many of his peers are getting worse day by day.

The rolling trains brought in a large number of goods made in the eastern seaboard. The old commercial order in the inland areas gradually began to disintegrate. New business models are starting to take shape. Agnelli still remembers that when he first traveled around the castle to do business, the local business model was still very primitive, and at the fair, villagers from all over the country flocked to the customary location, and then took out their goods and began to exchange.

At that time, it was simply the "golden age" of traders like Agnelli. The goods they bring from afar are the rarest and most sought-after goods in the entire market, and with some handiwork they can do, so that their monthly income can be said to be far higher than that of farmers who farm at home or workers who work in factories. Although people are a little harder. But I can't make money, so at that time, Agnelli and the others were very satisfied and happy.

It's a pity that as the railroad tenaciously stretched to the hundred-foot cliff fort, the roaring train replaced all kinds of carts and pack animals that were struggling to walk on the prairie, and transported the truckloads of goods at surprisingly low prices. This fast and efficient mode of transportation dramatically changed the local business and social environment, and since then, many professions or trades that have existed in the local area for many years have gradually dismantled.

The first to disappear were the professional cowboys who drove their livestock from the capital, Dongfang County. It's the name of a gang of people who cross the road, but they're neither cool nor handsome, they don't have horses or guns. At night, those who are frugal sleep in the wilderness, and those who are particular about spending money in stinky farmhouses, firewood houses or pigsties.

They rely on their own hard labor. Earn some decent income from the slaughtering merchants in the townships. However, the train changed a qiē, and this efficient and fast transportation system was not only extremely large, but also cheaper than hiring a professional cowboy, so this "old" occupation was immediately and ruthlessly eliminated by the market. Some of the unemployed cowboys were recruited into the army, some went to work as agricultural workers on state-run ranches, and some simply applied to farm in new settlements, and the profession soon disappeared into history.

Agnelli still sometimes misses the cowboys and the scenes they used to take care of each other on the road together. After sighing softly, Agnelli suddenly felt a little sad, perhaps his profession was about to be eliminated by the smoky, whistling train.

At that time, the massive commodity impact brought by these trains directly dismantled the original fragile economic model of the local area. Originally, with the exception of traders like Agnelli, the locals traded with each other in the bazaar, and the consumers and producers traded in person, which was very primitive and fair. Agnelli still remembers that before the train was in the Hundred Feet Cliff Fort, the stalls in the local market were basically owned by the producers themselves.

But the opening of the railroad changed the situation, first with the arrival of a large number of goods, and then with the arrival of professional merchants, who were often not commodity producers, but merchants who simply made the difference. When these people arrived, they quickly overwhelmed the local "amateur traders" by taking advantage of their strong ability to organize the supply of goods in the coastal industrial zones and their relatively low cost.

That's not all, as the frequency of trains increases, some general stores with a wide area have gradually sprung up. Some of these shops are state-run or small, privately run shops. Regardless of who opened the stores, their stores broke the traditional business model of regular local markets, and the market sales of goods gradually transitioned to the hands of these professional merchants, and the large and medium-sized general stores selling these goods gradually became a fixed place for mass shopping, and the business model can be said to have undergone a complete and revolutionary change.

This is how Agnelli and the others were squeezed out of the hundred-foot cliff fort in the first place, and in order to live, he, a part-time small trader's tinkerer, had to take his beloved little donkey, carrying some tools and goods, and staggered away from the hundred-foot cliff fort, which was no longer friendly to him, and rushed to Merlot Castle, which had not yet been connected to the railway. And when the railroad was built to Merlotburg, he had to pack his bags again and head towards Hejinbao, once again away from the threat of the railway.

It can be said that railways have become the thing that Agnelli fears the most, and at the same time hates the most. It is this smoking machine that allows oneself to be driven from one place to another like a lost dog. Of course, it was neither the police nor the merchants who set up shops that drove him away, but something called a "market". In short, they're just a bunch of poor people who are engaged in the sunset industry.

But Agnelli's nightmare is clearly not over. With the full rollout of the second phase of the Northwest Railway, and the introduction of a large number of Crandi road construction workers from La Plata, it is likely that the opening of the railway from Fort Merlot to Fort Hezin will be brought forward. The railway, which was supposed to be laid in March next year (1649), is likely to be opened to traffic at the end of this year or early next year, more than three months ahead of schedule.

In other words, Agnelli had at most about six or seven months to live in Hezinburg, after which he had to repeat the story that had happened over and over again, pack his bags, take his donkey, and continue his way to Chengshan Fort, which was far away from the railway.

It's a day to be able to do it! Agnelli sighed again, then pulled a cowhide bladder out of his bag and poured a few sips of warm water. This water bladder is a souvenir of his retirement from the army, and it is also a thing that he usually cherishes very much. After four years in the army, he didn't catch up with the good times of the war, so he didn't earn a lot of money, and now although the income is higher than that of ordinary people, he thinks of his wife and only son who can't do heavy work due to illness, and Agnelli feels that he can't feel easy.

Forget it, don't think about it! Agnelli took another sip of water, then looked at the sky, well, it was already noon! This is the time when the market is at its most crowded, but everyone is basically eating, resting, and playing, and there is usually no business coming to the door at this time. Agnelli looked at the vendors on the left, the peasants from the countryside chatting and laughing with each other, and as they packed up their things and prepared to go to a nearby restaurant for a meal, a drink, and a relaxation.

Agnelli also took the stall, put his tools in a bag, and put them on the donkey's back. Then he used a piece of rope to tie the mouth of the sack containing sesame seeds, peanuts, whale jerky, and other goods, and put it on the donkey's back. After doing this, he untied the reins tied to the dead tree, led the donkey out of the stall, and walked towards a nearby small restaurant, where he had to go to lunch.

The bazaar is bustling and very lively. Some of the vendors who sell luxury foods such as candy men and sugar gourds are still gone, squatting on the side of the road, staring at each potential customer with a child, and then using their voices to attract the attention of these children, making them cry and the adults to come and buy something.

There are also two troupes in the bazaar. One is from the Eastern Ming Kingdom, more than a dozen people, and the performance seems to be an oriental drama, anyway, Agnelli can't understand it and is not interested. But the other troupe, Agnelli, was very affectionate, because they came from Tuscany, Agnelli's hometown, and this Italian theater troupe also had a dozen men and women, and the repertoire was a few imitations of Tibury? The comedy of Mr. Fiorelli. Among them, the actor who plays the classic harlequin Scaram Cha, who loves to brag, is of some level, and Agnelli likes his performance very much, and even invests a dime in them for the performance fee.

Walking through the troupe area, which was surrounded by many people, Agnelli led the donkey to the side of a small restaurant, and the busy boss nodded his head when he saw him. Agnelli smiled, and after tying the donkey to a tree, he found a stool next to him and sat down. Unexpectedly, at this time, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Agnelli?"

"Gao Jinzhong!" (To be continued......)