Chapter 630
The two places Cheng Dalei had stayed, Youzhou and Liangzhou, were not the best of places. Though the climate in Liangzhou was better than Youzhou, it was a vast land with few inhabitants. Put simply, the lack of people meant no foundation for commercial development.
The current imperial environment was also not conducive to the growth of commerce. Iron, salt, copper, cloth, and medicinal ingredients were all valuable commodities. Yet, their common difficulty was transportation, preventing the development of large-scale commerce within the Empire.
The prime location within the Empire was Jiangnan, with its favorable climate and extensive waterways ideal for goods transportation. Despite the recurrent invasions by the Rong Clan, they had never managed to reach Jiangnan. As such, the region's development had always been undisrupted, once flourishing with prosperity.