With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, the inconspicuous western trading routes had bustled back to life, with merchant caravans coming and going incessantly every day.
There was no need for anyone to organize them; self-interest was the best motivator, drawing merchant guilds from all corners of the world to this place.
Although the Russians were open to buying food, livestock, coal, weapons, and ammunition in bulk, there were always some who wanted to earn more, and that's where conflicts arose.
Especially after bureaucrats and local power brokers joined in, the situation became even more complicated. Merchant guilds that were weak and had no strong backers were the first to be eliminated.
They faced three choices: either be assimilated, picking up the scraps behind larger guilds, or take a risk and overthrow those guys to ascend themselves.
