Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 146: Smart Operation
Pei Yuan estimated and said, "It's already so cold on the north bank of the Yangtze River. If it's like this in Huai'an, I'm afraid the road won't be easy to travel on."

Sikong Sui laughed and said, "That's nothing."

"In the sixth year of the Hongzhi reign, the Yellow River flooded, and the imperial court ordered Liu Daxia, known as one of the 'Three Gentlemen of the Hongzhi reign,' to control the flood."

"In order to protect Beijing, Liu Daxia built the Taihang Dam to prevent the Yellow River from flowing north, but he ignored the southern tributaries. As a result, the Yellow River rushed out from the southern tributaries and swept the Huaihe River basin again."

"Guess what?"

"After the Yellow River flooded the Huai River basin, it rushed into the Yangtze River before entering the sea."

"The Yellow River flows into the Yangtze River, a story that will be remembered for centuries."

"That year was terrible. The snow lasted from September to February of the seventh year of the Hongzhi reign. Damn, it snowed for almost half a year!"

Sikong Sui shook his head and sighed, "It's so tragic. Many places were buried in the snow, and it was as flat as a mirror."

Pei Yuan said "oh".

Sikong rambled on, "It's only been ten years, and many old people should still remember it. Since then, the land in the middle and lower reaches of the Huai River has been completely destroyed. The river channel is disordered and cannot flow smoothly, and there are silted lakes everywhere. Every year there is either drought or flood, and there are often consecutive floods. The people are displaced, and the Huai River basin has been severely damaged since then. Alas."

Pei Yuan looked at the wind and snow and once again thought of the influential figure Liu Daxia.

It seems that in the sixth year of Hongzhi, Liu Daxia received praise from Emperor Xiaozong and was promoted to the left vice-minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the left deputy censor-in-chief.

The court should be very satisfied with him.

This gentleman.

Externally, he prevented the eunuch Wang Zhi from recovering Vietnam, which was in a desperate situation, and lobbied for the destruction of the written records of Zhang Fu's expedition to Vietnam and the nautical charts of Zheng He's voyages to the West, which can be regarded as a contribution to stabilizing the border.

Internally, the Taihang Dam was built, and the choice was made in moderation, destroying the Huai River system, one of the Five Mountains and Four Rivers. Abandoning the nearby Bohai Sea, the Yellow River was allowed to flow far away to the Yangtze River, which expanded the options for the flooding Yellow River, and could be said to have the ability to maintain domestic stability.

Smart and honest historians of the Ming Dynasty would of course publicly record the demeanor of Liu Daxia as one of the three gentlemen of the Hongzhi period.

I would also casually write somewhere else that there was heavy snow in the Huaihe River Basin for half a year that year.

Therefore, Pei Yuan always felt that the fact that every dynasty liked to use the smartest scholars to write history was indeed a foolish move.

Because no matter how they embellish, beautify, or tamper with the history books they compiled, there are always some words that stubbornly and smilingly greet us in the cracks of history.

——Hello, gentlemen of later generations.

Pei Yuan sighed for a while and asked Sikong Sui, "Do we have enough cotton clothes?"

Sikong Sui said, "It's enough. If it's not enough, we can also forcibly requisition it from the local government."

Pei Yuan said to himself, "The court has people supplying cotton clothes, but what about those Bazhou rebels?"

Pei Yuan's words were abrupt and Sikong Sui was a little confused.

Pei Yuan had a clearer understanding of the situation in the north.

The continued severe cold, the frozen Huaihe River system, and the layers of defense lines in the north.

The right time, right place and right people were all driving the Bazhou rebels southward.

Pei Yuan watched such a great military achievement before his eyes, but he couldn't eat it.

That feeling made him feel so uncomfortable that he couldn't breathe.

When sleeping at the post station at night, Pei Yuan was still thinking in the dark with his eyes wide open, should I do something here?
Even if I don't enjoy the military achievement, it would be good if I could push some of my own people to the top.

But I don’t have anyone available.

These seventh- and eighth-grade bean sprouts under him cannot eat up the credit even if they are given it.

Sun Keding was waiting for him in Yangzhou, but he was loyal to Gu Dayong and was only in a cooperative relationship with him. He looked down on him as a military officer of the Jinyiwei in his daily conversations.

Even if Pei Yuan was magnanimous enough to let bygones be bygones, he was still a dismissed county magistrate. Even if the credit was given to him, the best he could do was to become a co-magistrate in a large province.

This is not enough for Pei Qianhu to spend time on.

The Suzhou prefect, a fourth-rank official, is a high enough position, but no matter how outrageous it is, it is not right for a civil servant from Suzhou to come here to make achievements.

Moreover, the position of Suzhou prefect is very important. If one goes a step further, even becoming an ordinary left or right provincial governor will not be considered a promotion.

Pei Yuan sighed, his eyes wide open, feeling helpless in the darkness.

This thousand households still lack foundation.

Early the next morning, the team headed towards Jiangdu County, the capital of Yangzhou.

With the help of Cui Bohou's troops, Pei Yuan was quite confident.

The escort convoy will make its first replenishment in Yangzhou after crossing the river, and then head towards the neighboring Huai'an Prefecture.

Yangzhou is the best place in the world and is as prosperous as Suzhou.

Pei Yuan wanted to meet up with Sun Keding and see how his preliminary preparations were going.

On the way, Pei Yuan called the three centurions together to discuss, "I have been working in the north before, and I don't know much about this place. Does anyone know how much of this year's winter grain has been shipped by now?"

After hearing this, the three centurions looked at each other in bewilderment.

Sikong Sui, on the other hand, understood a little better and answered, "It depends on the tax payment status of the various prefectures in the south. In addition, the imperial court mobilized a lot of soldiers from the garrisons to suppress the rebellion. It is hard to say how the transport troops coordinated with the garrisons."

Pei Yuan felt overwhelmed after hearing this.

This complex transfer payment cannot be explained in just a few words.

Pei Yuan pondered for a moment and stated his main purpose.

"Most of the Jinyiwei soldiers and monks who came with me before are from the south. I am afraid that they will not be able to adapt to the climate here, so I plan to rest in Yangzhou for a few days. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Sikong Sui immediately objected, "Captain, it's rare that the roads are quiet these few days, so we should hurry on. If someone else catches up with us, I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble."

Tan Tai Fang Tu also muttered, "Brothers have almost recovered. Besides, our Qian Hu has been on missions all over the country, and we are all very tough. It is not easy for us to get sick from the local climate."

Cui Bohou remained silent.

Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu objected because Pei Yuan had promised them that as soon as they reached Huai'an, he would find an excuse to interrupt the escort and allow them to return with the tax silver.

Seeing that Huai'an was right in front of them, the two men certainly didn't want Pei Yuan to do anything weird.

This little bastard is really bad.

There are two main reasons why Pei Yuan wanted to stay in Yangzhou for a while.

One reason was that he had to wait for Captain Han to come and exchange the 80,000 taels of silver so that he could prepare for going to Huai'an to speculate in goods.

Huai'an City is now a mixed bag of people, with various government offices, various guard posts, and civilians from various prefectures delivering grain. If we wait until then to start this matter, it will be very easy for people to find out.

Another reason is that although the rebels in Bazhou faced the three major disadvantages of "time", "location" and "people", they were still trying hard to return to the north.

The willingness to go south was not strong. Pei Yuan checked the creditor's map for several days and found that Liu Qi was testing Lu Wan's northern defense line like a stone skipping stone, and even briefly entered Yizhou.

In order to cooperate with the march of the Bazhou rebels, Pei Yuan had to control the rhythm appropriately.

Pei Yuan couldn't explain it too clearly, so he could only say, "Captain Han may come to Yangzhou in the next few days to preside over this matter. I mainly want to wait for her to come."

After hearing this, Tan Tai Fang Tu subconsciously asked, "If Captain Han is in charge of this matter, will Captain Pei's previous promise to us still count?"

Pei Yuan realized what Tan Tai Fang Tu said.

He immediately said firmly, "Yes, of course. I am the deputy commander, so you should give me this little bit of face, Han."

After saying that, he felt that the surroundings were a little quiet, and added, "Besides, with Cui Bohou here, he can just fill your vacancy."

Sikong Sui heard the hidden meaning in Pei Yuan's words and asked in surprise, "Why, Qian Hu won't go back with us?"

Pei Yuan said half-truthfully, "We've gone through so much hardship along the way, it would be a shame to just give up like this. You guys take the silver and leave, Captain Cui and I will explore the way and gain some experience."

The two were skeptical, but after hearing Pei Yuan's detailed explanation, they could only put their concerns aside for the time being.

Cui Bohou took the initiative to ask, "Your Excellency is going to rest in Yangzhou. Have you decided where to stay?"

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and replied, "The post station is definitely not going to work. Yangzhou is a big city, and the people coming and going from the south and north are complicated, so it's not easy to distinguish between the enemy and us."

At this point, he understood what Cui Bohou meant, so he asked, "What does Captain Cui mean?"

Cui Bohou said bluntly, "The Nanjing Jinyiwei has several hundred households in Yangzhou. Perhaps we can use their power."

Pei Yuan was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Sikong Sui was the first to react and explained for Cui Bohou, "Although the Nanjing Jinyiwei is not as strong as before, there are still more than ten thousand households, and many of them have stations in Yangzhou."

"Although the territory of Nanzhili is not large, it is very prosperous. Some thousand-household offices have set up stations in Yangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Huai'an and other places. First, it is convenient for making money. Second, the thousand-household offices can legitimately stay in these places and live a carefree life."

Pei Yuan was speechless after hearing this. "Can those people from the Qianhu Suo still be used?"

Sikong Sui replied, "It's terrible. The court has stopped recruiting new Nanjing Jinyiwei. Except for the sons of military families in this place who can inherit the positions, most of them have been reduced to a mess."

"Those thousand households in the thousand households are happy to eat empty salaries and never care about these things."

Pei Yuan was puzzled, "Then what's the point of me looking for these people?"

Sikong Sui replied, "Although the people are useless, the garrisons are good. Although the locations of these garrisons are not good, they are very solid and comparable to fortresses. If we stay in Yangzhou temporarily, it is best to go to these places."

Pei Yuan understood what Sikong Sui meant. "I see. That's not bad. Then how should I ask them for help? Should I use the imperial court's official documents to requisition them?"

It was common for the court to seek assistance from sister units for such tasks.

Sikong Sui coughed and said softly, "We are all brothers in the Jinyiwei, there is no need to be so embarrassing. I will go to the city to ask for the price. Ten taels of silver a day should be enough."

Pei Yuan was speechless. This really surprised me.

Pei Yuan thought about it and decided that it was a good idea to be stationed in the Hundred Households Office.

It will also be easier to block the news when Han Qianhu comes to exchange the silver.

So he said, "Okay, I am not a calculative person. You go ahead and take care of this matter."

Pei Yuan called Chen Toutie over again and told him, "Go with Sikong Baihu later. After entering the city, go to the agreed place to find Sun Keding and tell him that I have arrived in Yangzhou."

If you want to know about Dongcao, it would be more reliable to ask Sun Keding.

He had previously served as the magistrate of Jingjiang County and was much more familiar with such local government affairs.

When you have many capable younger brothers, it becomes easier for you as the big brother.

When the convoy was approaching Jiangdu County, Sikong Sui came to report that he had already negotiated a deal for a centurion station near the south gate of the city, with the price being fifteen silver coins per day.

Friendly price.

So after the convoy entered the city, it went directly to the headquarters of the centurion.

This centurion unit was under the jurisdiction of the Nanjing Jinyiwei Zhonghou Qianhu Unit. I heard that these people were responsible for transporting government silver to the north, and they did a very honest job.

Except for an old soldier who was guarding the gate, no one was left to avoid suspicion.

Sun Keding was also overjoyed when he heard that Pei Yuan was going to enter Yangzhou.

He asked Chen Toutie to pass on the message that he had booked a room in the best courtyard in Yangzhou to welcome Pei Yuan.

Translated into human language, it means that some merchants are unsure about going north and want to meet the captain of the Jinyiwei who is in charge of escorting the transportation.

Given Pei Yuan's arrogance and his cautiousness about the current situation, when he heard that his financial sponsor was looking for him, he resolutely let Chen Toutie take the letter back.

Be sure to be there!
When the team escorting the tax silver settled down in the Hundred Households Office, Pei Yuan ordered Sikong Sui to look after the house, and he took his men out to meet Sun Keding.

Considering the upcoming dangers, it is likely that assassinations will be the main form of the crime.

In addition to Cheng Leixiang and Song Chunniang, Pei Yuan also brought with him three people with good kung fu skills: Monk Daihu, Taoist Zhiwei, and Cui Bohou.

In addition, Hou Qing was also asked to bring a team of Jinyiwei wearing cotton armor to keep on guard from a distance.

Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu originally wanted to give some advice, but seeing Pei Yuan was so cowardly, there was nothing more to say.

If Pei Yuan could still be assassinated with so many people, then he deserves it!

Pei Yuan changed into casual clothes and took his men to the streets.

The layout of Yangzhou City is somewhat similar to that of Jining, with a large population densely living on both sides of the canal outside the city.

Because during the Ming Dynasty, there was not such a prosperous urban economy, and relying solely on the city's own commercial activities was not enough to support such a huge city.

Pei Yuan walked and looked around, taking in the splendor of the city and the charm of the Twenty-Four Bridges.

Then he thought that the place where Sun Keding was inviting guests should not be too bad, so he turned around and said to Cheng Leixiang with a smile, "Maybe there will be Dou E's Injustice to watch."

Cheng Leixiang understood what he meant and smiled at the right moment, responding to Pei Yuan.

But there are a lot of people here now, and Cheng Leixiang also knows his limits.

Song Chunniang was also a person who had seen a lot of ups and downs. She had probably read some books like The Injustice of Dou E. When she saw the reactions of the two, she looked at them with disdain.

Just when Pei Yuan was maliciously speculating whether Song Chunniang had ever taken control of the female county magistrate, Pei Yuan unexpectedly found a small pop-up window of his "debt settlement system".

——Debt of Favor (1/1):
Wang Chang, the Minister of War of Nanjing, has decided to do you a favor and let go of this entanglement with you.

Request for repayment of a debt of favor: He doesn’t want to see you again.

Mission time limit: minimum time limit 9999 days (When you appear in front of him, the time will be refreshed.)
"???"

Pei Yuan was confused, why did it refresh again?

(End of this chapter)