Chapter 76

Just three days after the Quanzhou Chamber of Commerce was completely massacred, the entire Shuangyu Port was once again in turmoil. As the sun rose early in the morning, hundreds of large ships suddenly emerged from the South and West ports, completely surrounding the North Port, allowing no one to enter or leave. At the same time, the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, along with the Xie and Hong families and other chambers, mobilized nearly two thousand people, heading northeast towards the North Port.

Seeing such a large-scale operation, even a fool would know that something big was happening. And those with keen eyes could tell that this time, the most powerful chambers of the Ming Dynasty were involved, and most of them were from the South and West ports. They were now all gathered in the mixed-power North Port. Could they be planning to clear out the Korean and Japanese forces in one fell swoke?

There were not a few people who had this thought, and even some Korean and Japanese forces felt uneasy. They sent people to gather information and prepared to flee at any moment. Although they did not know what had driven these Ming chambers to such madness, the combined force of several major chambers, mobilizing nearly two thousand people, far exceeded the total strength of the Korean and Japanese forces. They dared not resist.

Due to this speculation, the entire North Port was on high alert. All chambers stayed indoors, even suspending their business, quietly watching the development of the situation.

However, the many chambers in the North Port soon dispelled their concerns. Zhou Chong led these people directly to the Shangquan Chamber of Commerce's headquarters, and the fleet gathered at the port surrounded a part of the port managed by the Shangquan Chamber, even setting fire to all the Shangquan Chamber's ships.

Seeing this, everyone knew that these Ming chambers were targeting the Shangquan Chamber. This reassured many people, and those who felt they had done nothing wrong became bolder, even coming out to watch the spectacle. Zhou Chong also wanted everyone to see the fate of the Shangquan Chamber, so he did not stop those who followed.

The Shangquan Chamber, like the Nanyang Chamber, had its headquarters near the port, with a building style completely imitating the Nanyang Chamber. However, due to the financial gap, the scale of the headquarters was smaller, and the walls and watchtowers were lower. When Zhou Chong and his group arrived, the notoriously cruel Japanese did not flee. Instead, over a hundred Japanese, armed with katana, climbed onto the walls, ready to fight to the death.

This morning, under the leadership of Jin Wenhuan, Zhou Chong and his group had already rescued the kidnapped girls and children from another part of Shuangyu Port, further confirming the Shangquan Chamber's involvement in human trafficking. Seeing that the other side dared to resist, Zhou Chong and his group did not waste words. They pushed the battering ram to break open the Shangquan Chamber's gate, and over a thousand people rushed in. Zhou Chong, Xie Lingyun, and Hong Feiyun had already given the order: kill anyone from the Shangquan Chamber without mercy!

The entire Shangquan Chamber had only about two hundred people. Faced with an enemy five to six times their number, they had no chance of resistance. Almost every Japanese who appeared was immediately surrounded and killed by a dozen people. Many Japanese were hacked into pieces, and some, terrified, begged for mercy, but to no avail.

Seeing the brutality of the Nanyang Chamber, those who had come to watch the spectacle were all silent, wondering what the Shangquan Chamber had done to provoke such a bloody crackdown by the Ming chambers. Even in the lawless Shuangyu Port, such cruelty was extremely rare.

Zhou Chong and the presidents of other chambers, such as Xie Lingyun, did not need to personally join the fight. They stood in the courtyard of the Shangquan Chamber, protected by guards, with no concern for their safety.

"Everyone, it seems our goal has been achieved. Look at those people watching from outside. After this, no one will dare to engage in human trafficking for a long time!" The tall and plump Hong Feiyun glanced at the people standing outside, looking terrified, and said excitedly.

"You're right. Although we killed many people, it was worth it as long as we achieved our goal," said the white-haired old man who had sat next to Zhou Chong at the meeting yesterday, stroking his beard with a smile.

This white-haired old man was named Jia Ming, the president of the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce. Despite his age, he had a fiery temper, especially hating the Japanese. He did not even do business with them. This was mainly because one of his sons had been killed by the Japanese. Although he had avenged his son, the loss of his beloved child made him extremely hateful towards the Japanese. Now, seeing so many Japanese die before him, he was extremely pleased.

However, Zhou Chong was not entirely convinced by Hong Feiyun and Jia Ming's words. In his view, this was the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and how could he allow these Japanese to cause chaos? If he had the strength, he would have long eradicated all the Japanese and Korean armed forces, and anyone who wanted to trade with the Ming in the future would have to follow his rules!

As Zhou Chong and the others were talking, the combined forces of the major chambers had already stormed into the back courtyard of the Shangquan Chamber. For a moment, screams filled the air, but soon Sun Tong ran out of the back courtyard and shouted, "Bad news! Shangquan Hong Er, that scoundrel, is not in the chamber, and some of the Shangquan Chamber's key members are also missing. We found a secret passage in the back courtyard. They must have escaped through it!"

"What, they escaped?" Zhou Chong and the others were all shocked. Shangquan Hong Er was the main culprit in the human trafficking. If he escaped, even if they killed everyone in the Shangquan Chamber, the matter would not be considered fully resolved.

"Have you sent people to chase them?" Zhou Chong immediately asked. It was essential to eliminate all evil, and Shangquan Hong Er must not be left as a threat.

"Don't worry, Master. Old Master Zheng has already sent people to chase them. However, the direction of the secret passage seems to lead to the sea, so I also sent some brothers to the coast, hoping to intercept them," Sun Tong, though not very smart in other matters, was extremely sharp in battle and considered things thoroughly.

"Very good, Uncle Sun, you've done well!" Zhou Chong praised him, but he also knew that the terrain along the coast of the North Port was complex. If Shangquan Hong Er really escaped to the coast and hid in a crevice, it might be difficult to find him in the short term.

In fact, as Zhou Chong feared, Zheng Ling and the people sent to intercept them soon returned with the news that they had found traces of Shangquan Hong Er's escape on the coast, but they could not find him after searching for a long time. They sent people back to ask Zhou Chong to send more people to expand the search area.

Hearing this news, not only did Zhou Chong lose hope, but Xie Lingyun and Hong Feiyun also showed disappointment. However, they still held out a glimmer of hope and sent more people to search, hoping to find Shangquan Hong Er. In reality, the search teams searched the coast for three days but could not find him.

The escape of Shangquan Hong Er was a great regret for Zhou Chong and the others, but fortunately, the Shangquan Chamber had been completely destroyed. Out of the two hundred people in the chamber, all but a few who escaped like Shangquan Hong Er were killed. Like the previous Quanzhou Chamber, the two hundred heads were strung together in groups of ten and hung at the North Port, looking like lanterns, visible to everyone coming and going at the port.

Although hanging heads seemed barbaric, it was the most effective deterrent, especially for the weak and fearful Koreans and Japanese. Every time they looked up and saw the heads hanging over the port, they would be reminded not to cross the line of the Ming chambers, or they would face the same fate!

The joint operation of the eight major chambers to destroy the Shangquan Chamber caused a greater stir than the previous destruction of the Quanzhou Chamber. The previous incident was due to private grudges between two chambers, but this time it was about the bottom line of all the Ming chambers. Moreover, the eight major chambers mobilized nearly two thousand people, a number that already made the other forces in Shuangyu Port extremely nervous. It also showed the strength of the Ming chambers to the Japanese forces led by the Ashikaga Chamber.

Of course, strength alone was not enough to make the Japanese and Koreans fear. The key was that the Quanzhou Chamber and the Shangquan Chamber were both destroyed in a complete annihilation, with all members, regardless of age or gender, killed. This brutal method was what they feared the most.

Therefore, after the destruction of the Shangquan Chamber, the atmosphere in Shuangyu Port improved significantly, especially in the North Port. The previously arrogant and tyrannical Japanese and Koreans now behaved themselves, and there were no more incidents of bullying. As for human trafficking, it became a taboo in the Shuangyu Port chambers. At least until the hundreds of heads hanging at the port were taken down, no one would dare to engage in human trafficking again.

With the matter of human trafficking temporarily resolved, Zhou Chong finally had time to consider how to develop the chamber. After understanding the smuggling process, he had discovered a shortcut for the chamber's rapid development. He had planned to start immediately, but the Shangquan Chamber's human trafficking issue had delayed him. Now, he could finally focus on this task.