Other countries. The middle option is you basically going "Oh shit, we've uncovered a mass coordination scheme, everyone get ready right away!", which has the potential to massively foul whatever plan is going on by warning the victims early, throwing the plot off.
That's workable too.
Medium Investment in Sheep + buying rails = New Silk Road?
Okay, this is awesome.
While part of this was luck, a big part of this was narrative driven by your high Trust and Espionage. You had the capacities in place to take advantage of a lucky break, and the narrative you have been crafting means that the bitter, dispirited coordinator who has no reason to support the actual masterminds has the tiniest sliver of reason to turn the information over to you.
So, Monument + high Trust/Espionage to see opportunities and take them.
Nice.
Lots of little local shops around the mines and the like who will do both refining and smithing for local consumption, plus the spots in the cities that had ironworks that didn't get eaten up by the larger Crown Corps but sold off as part of the restructuring. Those groups have old equipment but can still keep up with internal domestic demand as it currently stands.
Not nearly as bad as expected - just local shops and the like. Hrm.
Tempting, given narrative impact of abundant cheap steel and faster opening of Free Trade tech.
Meh, I will just vote for both options on that one.
[X] [Kielmyr] 0 PW - A slight reworking of tariffs may be in order (-1 Temp SoL, +1 Temp IC, Kielmyr mildly accepting)
[X] [Kielmyr] 1 PW - Rework trade agreements to take advantage of what you are both best at (-1 IC, -1 Active Development, +2 Temp IC, +1 Temp SoL, Kielmyr pleased, Liberals Pleased, Urbanites Displeased)
[X] [Trains] 0 PW - Buy what is available (-1 Temp SoL, Prototype Railroad [Open] and boosted)
[X] [Sheep] 2 PW - Aid shall be theirs (Sending Technical Advisors, -1 IC, Medium Investment in Black Sheep, Black Sheep very pleased)
[X] [Officers] +1 PW - Yes (Black Sheep pleased)
[X] [Conspiracy] 1 PW - Send out a warning while publicly decrying the Ochruhr for their involvement (-1 Trust, potential war with Ochruhr, ???)