<Snipped quote by Shorticus>
To an extent I can see that. Just keep in mind that Oceanic trade would allow merchants to bypass other nations easily.
Oh, definitely - some trade is direct, for sure. But Zhodul is kind of a "center of the known world" for a lot of the same trade you'd get in Ardonia anyway. Some merchants could profit by going as far as Ardonia, though, so they can buy directly from one market and sell in their homeland (and vice versa).