Pirates or hostile powers?
This seems the most plausible. A low tech sea-horde of pirates in the Indian Ocean ought to do the trick. Or perhaps in the Malacca Straits. Closing off a choke point would be good.
Pirates or hostile powers?
I'm working on a scenario that makes the Silk Road through central Asia the main route for trade in the 18th Century, rather than slacking off as shipping routes took over.
Are there any obvious reasons shipping would fail to take over?
Perhaps the planet is mostly landlocked with insignificant oceans for sea routes, or maybe naval/navigation technology failed to appear.
Perhaps a surviving Mongol Khanate would help, but shippping has the advantage of being capable of moving large quantities of goods over large distances. It's difficult to wave away that advantage.
When railway invented Railroad transportation was very capable of competing with Ocean shipping transportation. Before Suez canal distance through land was a lot shorter, so it makes sense to prosper Silk road trade.
The Trans-Sib was not really competetive even with around-Africa shipping until sometime into the Soviet Era.
It was a huge improvement when it was built of course but it wasn't a game changer.
Sea freight is just so much cheaper....
The Trans-Sib was not really competetive even with around-Africa shipping until sometime into the Soviet Era.
It was a huge improvement when it was built of course but it wasn't a game changer.
Sea freight is just so much cheaper....
Railroads are only all weather to the extent that the weather isn't terrible.
And distance matters less than time.