The permanent population of West River Market exceeds 30,000. Apart from the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce, the four major forces of West River Gang, Flying Feather Gang and Zhang Clan, the largest number of people are actually ordinary merchants and laborers.
People come here to do business and make a living, and gradually settle down here, making West River Market far more prosperous than many county towns.
Shopkeeper Zhao of Zhao's Grain Shop got out of bed before dawn and had his employees bring out all the shop's account books to check each item one by one.
His grain shop had been operating in West River Market for over twenty years, enduring extortion by the West River Gang, price suppression by the Xie Clan family, and forced sales by the Zhang Clan...
Every time power shifts, ordinary merchants like him are skinned alive!
His ledgers clearly recorded every single "fee" he had handed over over the years—to the West River Gang, to the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce, and to the Flying Feather Gang.
Now that West River Market is undergoing unprecedented changes, Shopkeeper Zhao is inevitably uneasy, wondering how much money he will have to hand over this time.
Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sound of gongs echoed through the streets.
Four militiamen walked along the street, banging gongs and shouting, "Managers of all households, please come to the city wall for a meeting at 9:00 AM! Militia Commander Wu of the Fist Academy has important matters to discuss! All managers must be present!"
Shopkeeper Zhao's heart sank.
What's meant to happen, can't be avoided.
Early this morning, militiamen from the Fist Academy were running around the streets and alleys of West River Market, notifying merchants of all sizes.
Before 9:00 AM, many people had already gathered at the drill ground in the city walled village.
The Fist Academy provided benches for everyone to sit on.
West River Market the merchants, big and small, from grain shops, cloth shops, salt shops, and blacksmith shops to restaurants, inns, and pharmacies—every shop with a name—came here!
Hundreds of people sat on the benches, discussing the matter in hushed tones.
"Right now, the Fist Academy calls the shots in West River Market, and it's likely they'll continue to dictate the business in the future."
"Are they going to swallow up all our business?"
"What can you do if they really try to take over your business?"
"Is... is there no law anymore?!"
"The law? Logically speaking, this area is under the jurisdiction of the West River County government, but the Zhang Clan has been driven away. Who will dare to manage the Fist Academy in the future?"
"..."
Shopkeeper Zhao listened to the discussions, he grew increasingly uneasy.
Merchants like him certainly have more savings, knowledge, and connections than ordinary people, but in the face of a powerful force like the Fist Academy with thousands of armed men, he is nothing more than an ant!
We can only leave it to fate.
A moment later, a group of people walked over, and the seated shopkeepers all stood up.
All the chatter ceased, and everyone looked at the newcomer with awe.
The leader was a young man dressed in black martial arts attire, who was masculine and upright.
Although young, he exudes an aura of authority!
'So young!'
Many of the merchants were seeing Wu Shuangren for the first time.
Wu Shuangren walked alone to the high platform at the front, looked at all the shopkeepers below, and got straight to the point:
"I've summoned all the managers here today for only one thing."
The audience was completely silent; everyone looked up and held their breath.
"From today onwards, I will establish the West River Market Chamber of Commerce!"
Wu Shuangren revealed the answer, "In the past, everyone had to choose sides and fight together. But in business, harmony brings wealth; cooperation is the key to making more money."
These words resonated with many of the shopkeepers, who nodded in agreement.
"I established the West River Market Chamber of Commerce so that everyone could achieve a 'win-win' situation!"
Wu Shuangren introduced a concept that was still unfamiliar to everyone. He didn't explain it in detail, but instead gave Mo Zhengxing a look in the audience.
Mo Zhengxing, holding a thick booklet, stepped forward and stood before all the shopkeepers. "From now on, Militia Commander Wu will be the president of the West River Market Chamber of Commerce. I will now explain the rules set by the president."
"First, starting today, all merchants in West River Market are prohibited from maliciously undercutting each other, poaching customers, or creating obstacles. Any violations will be punished by the Chamber of Commerce, with the most serious offenses resulting in the immediate closure of the shop and expulsion from West River Market!"
A commotion immediately arose in the crowd.
"Secondly, merchants who join the chamber of commerce can cooperate and share customers and goods. This is entirely voluntary; the chamber does not force anyone. But the benefits are obvious to everyone in the business world—if you can work together, can the sellers who sell your goods still raise prices? If a customer likes several items, and you all sell them, the customer can compare prices and negotiate. If a business only sells one item, how can the customer negotiate a lower price?"
Shopkeeper Zhao noticed that the way the people around him were looking at him had changed. After a moment's thought, he realized the benefits of this situation.
If all the merchants in West River Market can cooperate sincerely, everyone will indeed earn more than before!
Mo Zhengxing continued, "Third, the 'fees' previously collected from each household will be abolished, and there will be no more of these 'fees' in the future."
The crowd erupted in chaos!
"You're not charging the customary fee anymore?"
"Really?"
"..."
Mo Zhengxing raised his hand, signaling for silence. "The Chamber of Commerce charges a membership fee to each member every month. The chairman said that this fee is based on each person's size and will definitely be less than the 'usual fee' you used to pay. Moreover, it's entirely voluntary. If you don't join the Chamber of Commerce, you don't have to pay a membership fee."
Shopkeeper Zhao quickly calculated in his mind that if the Chamber of Commerce could really do the two things mentioned earlier, then even if the 'membership fee' was a little more than the previous 'usage fee,' it wouldn't matter.
After all, paying money in the past didn't bring any benefits; instead, it forced people to take sides, which affected their business.
Someone couldn't help but ask, "Master Mo, now that we've paid the membership fee, is that really all?"
Mo Zhengxing nodded. "There are no other fees."
What about during holidays and festivals?
"No gift money."
"Are they unloading and shipping goods at the dock?"
"The dock is managed by the Flying Feather Hall, and all fees are clearly marked and there will be no additional charges."
"..."
Mo Zhengxing patiently answered everyone's questions.
After a moment, he raised his hand again to signal everyone to quiet down:
"There will be plenty of time for everyone to learn about the details of the Chamber of Commerce later. What I want to say is that Militia Commander Wu established the Chamber of Commerce with the genuine intention of making West River Market more and more prosperous and enabling everyone to earn more money!"
Everyone looked up at Wu Shuangren standing on the stage, their expressions changing.
"Thank you, Mr. Wu!"
Someone shouted first and bowed in greeting.
"Thank you, Mr. Wu—"
"Master Wu is truly a living bodhisattva!"
"When Master Wu arrives, it's dawn in our West River Market!"
The scene immediately became lively, with everyone shouting and bowing to the young man on the stage.
Two days later, the various articles of association of the West River Market Chamber of Commerce were posted on the notice board in the center of the market.
Shopkeeper Zhao has joined the Chamber of Commerce and learned that his monthly membership fee is eight hundred coins.
In the past, he could earn about thirty strings of cash a year through hard work, but he had to hand over more than ten strings of cash for various "customary fees".
The fees you need to pay now are much lower than before, and you might even earn more than before.
Suddenly, there was hope for the future!
Many others are in the same situation as Shopkeeper Zhao.
When powerful groups Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce and the West River Gang were in power, they fought each other for control, leaving small merchants caught in the middle and struggling to survive.
Now that the Fist Academy has a monopoly, it has set the rules, and people's hearts have gradually settled down.
The first month since the establishment of the West River Chamber of Commerce.
Everything was calm and peaceful.
The Zhang Clan didn't send anyone to cause trouble, and Mist Hidden Temple remained silent.
With the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce, Wu Shuangren set rules, integrated resources, and even formed a 'monopoly' to a certain extent, making West River Market increasingly prosperous.
The number of ships docking at the pier is increasing every day, and the cargo volume is growing daily!
Wu Shuangren was practicing his long-handled broadsword on the training ground.
The setting sun dyed the entire training ground a dark red, and the sound of long-handled swords cutting through the air came one after another, their blades tracing arcs of light in the twilight.
Xu Yu stood not far away, also holding a long sword and practicing along, his movements precise and methodical.
Mo Zhengxing walked over with a few people and stood aside quietly watching.
Wu Shuangren practiced his swordplay three more times before finally putting it away and stopping. He took a cloth from his guard, wiped his sweat, and turned to Mo Zhengxing.
Mo Zhengxing held an account book in his hand. "Commander, this month's accounts are in."
Wu Shuangren took the ledger and glanced at it.
"How many?"
"One thousand four hundred and thirty-two strings of cash!"
Mo Zhengxing's voice was very low, "This is our income from West River Market this month!"
Wu Shuangren raised her head.
"The boxing match business netted over 320 strings of cash this month."
Mo Zhengxing began to list the figures one by one, "From the Flying Feather Hall, the ferry fees for the canal transport and the loading and unloading work at the docks brought in over 310 strings of cash. The Chamber of Commerce membership fees totaled over 340 strings of cash. In addition, there are the various businesses we do ourselves..."
Wu Shuangren closed the ledger.
One thousand four hundred and thirty-two strings of cash.
He repeated the number, a slow smile spreading across his face.
When I first came to West River Market, I only thought about making the boxing business a success, and I would be very happy if I could earn a hundred strings of cash every month.
My income has increased tenfold!
Mo Zhengxing was also very excited. "The lucrative business of West River Market used to be shared among four businesses. They sabotaged each other, and the losses were all borne by each merchant. Now, with the rules set by you, Group Leader, all the profits are in our bowls. West River Market's business is growing bigger and bigger, and this is just the beginning. I'm confident we'll earn even more in the future!"
Wu Shuangren looked at Mo Zhengxing. This Third Master Mo usually looked worried, so it was rare to see him so excited and high-spirited.
Are they alright?
Wu Shuangren pointed to the group of young people behind Mo Zhengxing.
These young men were all relatives of the Wu and Liao families, and were selected by Wu Shuangren from his personal guards.
Not everyone is suited to charging into battle, and after personally training these relatives for a period of time, Wu Shuangren changed his mind.
Just then, Mo Zhengxing brought up that he was currently too busy with many things and hoped that Wu Shuangren could arrange some helpers for him.
So Wu Shuangren selected several literate and quick-witted relatives from the Wu and Liao families to serve as Mo Zhengxing's deputies.
In fact, Wu Shuangren had also noticed that this Third Master Mo was responsible for both the logistics of the militia and various businesses, practically controlling the militia's finances entirely.
The power is a bit too much!
Before, when the business was small, Mo Zhengxing was in charge of logistics and finances, so it wasn't a big deal.
Now Wu Shuangren has taken over the entire West River Market, and can even earn thousands of strings of cash a month. Mo Zhengxing's power is growing bigger and bigger!
He realized this himself, so he took the initiative to ask Wu Shuangren for help.
"They're all pretty good; they learn very quickly."
Mo Zhengxing said to Wu Shuangren.
Several young people looked at Wu Shuangren with awe.