Chapter 66

"Surround!" Upon hearing the report from the guard, Uncle Tu and the other two immediately stood up. Among them, Sun Tong asked anxiously, "What's going on? Who is so bold as to surround us here?"

"There are... so many people. There are countless torches flickering in front of the residence and on both sides. We have no idea how many of them there are." It seemed that there were definitely a large number of people outside; otherwise, the guard wouldn't have been so frightened.

The three of them, Third Lady, Uncle Tu, and Sun Tong, exchanged glances and then walked out together. When they reached the courtyard, all the guards had already received the news. Countless people were hurriedly grabbing weapons and rushing to the entrances of the residence, standing guard as if facing a great enemy, fearing that the people outside would rush in.

Third Lady and the others went to the corner tower on the right side of the main gate and leaned over the parapet to look outside. They found that, as the guard had said, less than a hundred meters in front of the residence, some disordered torches were burning quietly. Under the light of the torches, they could see Japanese people with topknots holding Japanese swords, shouting or laughing at the residence, without any concern. The guards on the corner tower, seeing the arrogant appearance of the Japanese, were all red-faced with anger, tightly gripping their weapons, wishing they could rush out and cut the Japanese into pieces.

Similarly, on the east side of the corner tower, there was also a group of people. However, their appearance and clothing were very similar to the Han people, but there were differences. The weapons they held were very distinctive; most of them used tridents, which looked like fishing spears, and only a few people of higher status had knives at their waists. Just from their weapons, it was clear that they were Koreans.

"It's the Ise Chamber of Commerce of the Japanese and the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce of the Koreans. As for the west, there's no need to look; it must be the Uesugi Chamber of Commerce led by Uesugi Koji. It seems they have secretly formed an alliance!" After identifying the enemies outside, Uncle Tu immediately said, his half-closed eyes flashing with a cold light.

"Aren't the Koreans and the Japanese usually at odds? How could they form an alliance?" Sun Tong's mind was indeed a bit slow, and he couldn't think around the corner.

"What's so strange about that? Both the Japanese and the Koreans are untrustworthy scoundrels. Faced with the huge temptation of our chamber of commerce, it's very normal for them to temporarily form an alliance." Third Lady said with a face full of hatred.

The Japanese were one thing; they often had conflicts with the Japanese in the past. But the Koreans on the east side were also enemies of the Japanese. In the past, when they were oppressed by the Japanese, they often sought help from them, and the chamber of commerce always tried to support them. But now, when the chamber of commerce was in trouble, these Koreans not only didn't think of repaying them but also wanted to take advantage of the situation, which was utterly shameless!

Although it was very dark outside, with the help of the torches, the three of them estimated that there were about four or five hundred Japanese in front and Koreans on the east side. If they added the Uesugi Chamber of Commerce on the west side, there were probably at least six or seven hundred people. However, they only had less than three hundred people, and a considerable number of them were guarding the dock, shipyard, and other places. Only about a hundred people were actually guarding the residence. This was because the three of them had gathered to discuss matters and had specially gathered some people; otherwise, there would have been even fewer.

"Sun Tong, with just these hundred or so people, do you have the confidence to defend the residence?" Uncle Tu asked at this moment.

"It's hard to say. Although our residence is built very solidly, as long as the other side has ladders, they can climb over the walls at any time. We have few people, so we can't guard every point. If the other side breaches the wall, the residence will definitely be lost. However, I have the confidence to protect the three of us and fight our way out!" Sun Tong immediately became spirited when talking about war, exuding a chilling aura.

"Not many people know about our gathering, and they are all people of status in the chamber of commerce. But now that we are blocked by the other side, it means that someone in our chamber of commerce has secretly betrayed us. I'm worried that if these traitors and the people outside work together, it will be troublesome!" Uncle Tu suddenly sighed, his old age and experience making him consider things thoroughly. He had already noticed that since the death of the master, Zhou Hai, the morale in the chamber of commerce had been scattered, but he didn't expect that in such a short time, someone had already betrayed them to the Japanese and Koreans.

However, just as Uncle Tu and Sun Tong were discussing how to defend and escape, Third Lady, who had been observing the situation outside, suddenly said, "Uncle Tu, you don't need to worry. The Japanese and Koreans outside won't attack!"

Hearing Third Lady's words, Uncle Tu and Sun Tong were both stunned and quickly returned to the parapet to look outside. They found that although the Japanese and Koreans outside were shouting loudly, they had been standing a hundred steps away for a long time without any intention of advancing.

Seeing this, a light flashed in Uncle Tu's mind, and he immediately understood the meaning. He said happily, "I see. The Japanese and Koreans outside are concerned, so they dare not rush in. They can only use this method to pressure us."

"Concerned? Concerned about what? Do they fear our chamber of commerce's military strength, so they dare not attack?" The slow-witted Sun Tong couldn't understand the reason, but he didn't forget to praise himself.

Guessing the thoughts of the enemies outside, Third Lady also relaxed. Hearing Sun Tong's question, she immediately smiled and explained, "They are not concerned about us, but about the Ashikaga Chamber of Commerce."

"The Ashikaga Chamber of Commerce? How are they involved?" Sun Tong was even more confused.

"Hehe, we really have to thank the Ashikaga Chamber of Commerce. Look at the Ise Chamber of Commerce, the Uesugi Chamber of Commerce, and the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce outside. They are all mortal enemies of the Ashikaga Chamber of Commerce. Although they have formed an alliance and their strength far exceeds ours, if they want to swallow us in one go, they will also have to pay a significant price. If their losses are too great, do you think the Ashikaga Chamber of Commerce will let this opportunity to eliminate them slip by?" Uncle Tu also smiled cunningly, his wrinkles seeming to relax.

Hearing this, Sun Tong finally understood. He slapped his thigh and said happily, "I see. I always thought the Ashikaga Chamber of Commerce was a pain in the neck, but I never expected that we would rely on them to survive today."

Indeed, as Third Lady and Uncle Tu had guessed, the Ise Chamber of Commerce, the Uesugi Chamber of Commerce, and the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce were envious of the interests held by the South Sea Chamber of Commerce. They had colluded to divide them, but they were also concerned about the strength of the three of them, fearing that if a battle broke out, the Ashikaga Chamber of Commerce would benefit. Therefore, they dared not act rashly. The reason they surrounded the South Sea Chamber of Commerce today was mainly to pressure Third Lady and the others, forcing them to hand over their interests voluntarily.

Understanding the thoughts of the Japanese and Koreans outside, the three of them relaxed. However, they still instructed the guards in the residence to be cautious and ordered everyone not to leave the residence no matter what happened outside. The three of them also didn't return, first going to another corner tower to check the west side of the residence, and indeed, as they had expected, the west side was the Uesugi Chamber of Commerce.

"Uncle Tu, the other side clearly wants to use this method to pressure us. Although they won't attack tonight, they have already given us a deadline. If we don't give them a response by the deadline, they might really attack us without hesitation." On the way back to the hall, Third Lady said worriedly.

"Yes, I'm also worried about this. We now have only two options. The first is to follow what they said and give up our interests, which might save us. The second is to unite and fight to the death." Saying this, Uncle Tu took a deep breath and said firmly, "I'm old and have worked in the chamber of commerce for over ten years. I can't change places anymore. If those Japanese and Koreans want to take over the chamber of commerce, they will have to step over my dead body!"

"Uncle Tu, you're right. Although I, Sun Tong, am not as old as you, I have a group of brothers to support. If I give up the berths, my brothers and I will have nothing to eat. Even if I wanted to give them up, my brothers wouldn't agree. We can only fight to the death!" Sun Tong waved his strong arms and said indifferently.

Seeing that Uncle Tu and Sun Tong had made their stance clear, Third Lady also smiled and said, "You two are real men. My shipyard has been coveted by Uesugi Koji, that lecher. He even wants to take me. I have nowhere to retreat, so I can only fight to the death."

Seeing that their opinions were surprisingly consistent, Uncle Tu, Sun Tong, and Third Lady all smiled. The rift caused by the struggle for interests disappeared, and it seemed as if they had returned to the time when they worked together for the chamber of commerce.

The people from the Ise and other chambers of commerce caused trouble outside the residence all night. No one came forward to lead, and they just let their subordinates mock and curse the South Sea Chamber of Commerce, making the guards inside furious but not daring to come out.

It wasn't until the next morning that the people outside left. However, on the east side where the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce had left, Third Lady and the others found two corpses. Later, it was identified that these two were guards under Sun Tong's command at the port. The port people also reported that they had been attacked by the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce at night, and these two had gone missing in the chaos. It turned out that they had been captured and killed by the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce and used as a warning.

Shuangyu Port was a place without any law, and a few deaths were nothing unusual. However, as one of the largest chambers of commerce in the north port, the South Sea Chamber of Commerce being threatened in this way was an outrageous insult. When Sun Tong saw the corpses, he wanted to rush out with a knife to fight the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce, but he was held back by his subordinates.

Although the death of their people made the entire chamber of commerce very angry, the fact that they were not as strong as the other side was also true. Although Third Lady and Uncle Tu were both shrewd and experienced, they were helpless in the face of absolute strength. However, at dusk that day, a very ordinary carriage came out of the Xie family's residence in the south port and slowly arrived at the South Sea Chamber of Commerce in the north port.

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