Mona is a small country close to the Moon-Seeking Empire. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 The area of the Info Empire is about one-third the size of the Empire, and the territory is full of mountains and forests.

Because of the scarcity of cultivated land, many Mona people make a living from hunting, and most of the domestic handicraft products are animal skins and hand bone products.

In Mona, cotton textiles are considered luxuries. Here, even the lowest-grade cotton cloth is not something that ordinary people can afford.

However, leather products with higher value in other countries, such as leather clothing, leather armor, leather boots, etc., are cheap or even unpopular in Mona.

In particular, in recent times, the price of cotton textiles in Mona has soared due to a significant decrease in the number of cotton textiles and their raw materials from the monthly empire. In particular, the price of cotton cloth has soared more than threefold in just three days.

Although this price fluctuation had little impact on the lives of ordinary people, it dealt a blow to the already struggling cotton textile industry in Mona, and many artisanal workshops had to temporarily suspend or find other ways due to lack of raw materials.

Zhang Changsheng, who is nearly 40 years old, is one of the many victims.

Zhang Changsheng, a native of Mona, was born at the junction of Mona and the Moon-Seeking Empire. Like others living on the border between the two countries, the last three generations of Zhang's ancestors were in the cotton textile business.

Since there has always been a huge price difference between the Empire and the Mona Empire, many people here make a living by buying and selling cotton textiles, although they need to pay huge taxes, but in general the oil and water are still very good. Therefore, the people here have a good life.

Zhang Changsheng has followed his father back and forth between the Moon Empire and Mona since he was a child, and he has saved a lot of savings over the years. In addition, now that he is getting older, it is becoming inconvenient to move back and forth, so he gave up his original livelihood and spent a lot of savings to start a small workshop at home.

Two small grass huts, four waterwheel looms.

In the beginning of the period, the profits brought by this small workshop were even greater than the profits of Zhang Changsheng's previous reselling cotton cloth!

Moreover, Zhang Changsheng only needs to watch the workers work every day, and no longer has to come and go in the wind and rain like before. Not only do you have to pay huge taxes, but you also have to look at the faces of the border generals.

Now, I think about those days...... Alas!

"Old man, hey! What about you! Ten taels of fees for leaving the city! If you don't pay, get out!" The soldiers defending the city urged while carrying a spear and shaking two shots at Zhang Changsheng, who was running away, so frightened that Zhang Changsheng took two steps back and almost fell.

"Master Jun, in the past, you didn't charge money when you went out of the city, why do you have to charge ten taels of silver today?" Zhang Changsheng bowed and asked.

In response to Zhang Changsheng's inquiry, the soldier guarding the city was very impatient, he shook the spear in his hand, and shouted and scolded: "I said to pay the money, I have to pay the money, why is there so much nonsense! If you don't have money, get out quickly! The gun in the military master's hand doesn't have eyes!"

Seeing that the soldiers defending the city were about to start killing people, Zhang Changsheng had no choice but to take out ten taels of silver and hurriedly leave the city.

Among the people who went out of the city with Zhang Changsheng was an old man with a white beard, who seemed to be also a businessman. After he left the city, he kept staring at Zhang Changsheng, if he just stared at it, it would be fine. However, after looking at it for a while, the white-bearded old man walked directly in front of Zhang Changsheng and blocked Zhang Changsheng's way very rudely.

Zhang Changsheng was charged ten taels of money to go out of the city by the soldiers defending the city for no reason, and he was depressed in his heart. Suddenly, when he saw someone standing up to block his way, he couldn't help but get angry, and asked angrily, "What are you doing!?"

Unexpectedly, the old man was overwhelmed when he heard this, but said with a chuckle: "Boss Zhang, I haven't seen you for a long time! I heard that you have already washed your hands, why did you go out of the city again today?"

"Are you...... Boss Xiao?" As soon as the white-bearded old man spoke, Zhang Changsheng suddenly remembered who this person was.

Like Zhang Changsheng, he is a cotton textile merchant who travels between the Moon Empire and the Mona Kingdom. In the past, when Zhang Changsheng didn't change careers, he had run a few businesses with him, so although the two didn't know each other, they knew each other.

"The boss doesn't dare to be the boss, my old man just runs errands and earns a little bit of strength and money, but it's not as good as you young people!" Xiao Yuanxing said with a smile.

Zhang Changsheng also smiled and said, "Boss Xiao is modest. Who doesn't know Boss Xiao in our cotton spinning business? If you don't even dare to call yourself the boss, then we really don't have to do it anymore!"

Xiao Yuanxing shook his head when he heard this, and sighed: "Alas, what Boss Xiao, who dares to call him the boss if he is doing what we do now?"

When Zhang Changsheng heard this, he couldn't help frowning. Listening to the meaning of Xiao Yuanxing's words, it seems that the business of reselling cotton textiles is also in a recession?

Zhang Changsheng hesitated slightly, then arched his hand and asked: "Boss Xiao, I haven't been out of the city for a long time, I don't know what the market of the Moon Empire is now?" ”

Xiao Yuanxing waved his hand and sighed: "Alas, recently, I don't know what happened to the Month by Moon Empire, the price of cotton textiles suddenly rose, and the increase was even higher than our domestic one!"

"And if it's just a price increase, it's okay, but the major commercial banks are constantly raising prices and cutting supply differently. By now, I may not be able to buy the goods even if I have money! Alas, to be honest, I have been out of stock for almost half a month. Today I am here to try my luck and see if I can find a familiar firm, take pity on my old bones, and give me two orders of goods!"

Zhang Changsheng was shocked when he heard this, and asked urgently: "How could this happen? Could it be that the emperor of the Moon Empire has died......?

"Shhh

Zhang Changsheng was also excited just now, forgetting that he was already in the territory of the Moon Empire, and he was talking about the state affairs of the Moon Empire on the territory of the Moon Empire, which would be a loss of his head!

Moreover, if he was really beheaded by the Moon Empire because of this kind of thing, then he would die in vain, and no one on the Mona side would definitely frown for this kind of thing!

Alas, there is no way, who made our Mona country weak and unable to defeat the Moon-Seeking Empire?

Thinking of this, Zhang Changsheng looked around with palpitations, and after confirming that no third person heard his words, he poked his head and asked softly: "Since it is not internal, it must be external, isn't it that they are fighting again?" )