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

Chapter 150 Just click it
Captain Pei can be indifferent to this matter.

But thinking that Wang Chang had just boarded his boat, it was the best card in his hand.

As the eldest brother, Pei Yuan cannot let others feel disappointed.

So he said, "Let's go have a quick meal together."

After saying that, the two of them came out of the short alley.

As soon as Wang Chang showed up, the Yangzhou officials who came with him came forward one after another.

But the situation was awkward at the moment and they didn't know how to start.

You can't just ask, Da Sima, have you ever been blocked in the alley and beaten?
Doesn’t the Nanjing Minister of War have any respect?

Fortunately, their worries seemed to be unnecessary.

Not only did Sima Wang not show any sign of humiliation or resentment, but he actually looked quite proud of himself.

Without waiting for them to speculate, Wang Chang said with a smile, "Everyone, go back first. I want to have a drink with this friend today."

Those Yangzhou officials were not just there to welcome Wang Chang, but they had something serious to discuss with him.

Seeing Wang Chang was about to leave, he immediately became anxious, "Grand Sima, it's rare to get everyone together at this time. No matter how big the matter is, it won't delay meeting with everyone."

Wang Chang thought to himself, what's the point of discussing things with you losers?

He now had a clear mind and was no longer as confused as before.

I don't know whether it was to eliminate the previous negative influence or to maintain his authority among the remnants of Liu Jin's party.

Wang Chang threw his sleeves and said proudly, "Don't worry, I already have some ideas about the matter you are worried about. I will think about it for a day or two and then tell you what to do."

Captain Pei is a very considerate person.

After Wang Chang finished showing off, he took his men to the restaurant where Sun Keding had agreed to meet.

After all, Captain Pei had also experienced miserable times, and he knew that sometimes it would be very difficult to endure if he didn't pretend.

For example, Pei Yuan himself.

If Pei Baihu had not been so foolish as to trick Chen Toutie and Cheng Leixiang into joining his pirate ship and crowdfunding a team to start his own business, he would still be bargaining over "how much should I order for breakfast so that the owner won't come to ask for money".

If Wang Chang can successfully realize his intention and make Lu Wanyun the leader of Liu Jin's remnants, then Wang Chang's influence in this matter will become considerable.

He might be able to take the opportunity to integrate the remnants of Liu Jin's faction who were originally scattered and had no connection with each other.

By then, the importance of Wang Chang will increase further.

Considering that Wang Chang had the possibility of making a comeback, Pei Yuan realistically adjusted his attitude towards him and expressed some politeness appropriately.

At the beginning, Pei Yuan taught Wang Chang a lesson called "Respect and Compromise". He didn't want to be stupid in such a thing and turn a good helper into his enemy.

The place where Sun Keding was inviting guests was not far from here. Pei Yuan mentioned the place name, and Wang Chang led the group there as a guide.

Wang Chang did not hide it and laughed at himself, "I am the Minister of War in Nanjing. I have dozens or even hundreds of garrisons under my control, but in fact, I cannot touch any of them."

"It's not that I can't do anything, it's that they don't dare to do anything. It's like a ripe melon. It looks fresh and juicy, but if you pick it up with your hands, you will find that except for the skin, the inside is already mushy and about to ooze water."

Wang Chang finished speaking and turned his attention to the present. "Sometimes I feel depressed. I have come to Yangzhou quite often."

Pei Yuan understood and knew that Wang Chang was explaining his situation and why he was so familiar with Yangzhou.

Pei Yuan also knew that Wang Chang could not be blamed for this.

You have to know what Wang Chang's background is. He is a member of the eunuch party.

The eunuch party refers to the people who are one level away from the emperor.

He had never gotten along with the literati in Jiangnan.

It's not an easy position for Wang Chang to sit in.

Pei Yuan hadn't figured out how to get along with this guy yet. He walked, listened, and nodded.

By the time Wang Chang finished reporting his thoughts, the group had just arrived at a bustling place with tall red lights.

Pei Yuan saw from afar that the old servant of the Sun family was waiting anxiously outside the restaurant.

Pei Yuan interrupted Wang Chang and said with a smile, "Let's go meet my friend first. We can talk about these heartfelt words later."

Wang Chang stopped talking at the right time.

The old servant of the Sun family also saw Pei Yuan and his party, and hurriedly came over with a smile, "Captain Pei, my master has been waiting for a long time."

When Pei Yuan heard this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

It's only been a short while and I'm no longer myself.

If Sun Keding knew what I had been doing these days, I'm afraid he would have come to the door and waited there.

I'm afraid that in this guy's eyes, I am still the Jinyi Captain who can make friends with him, a distinguished Jinshi, only because of Gu Dayong's backing.

Pei Yuan didn't care and said, "Lead the way."

The old servant of the Sun family hurriedly led the way and led the group into the restaurant.

The restaurant was obviously also a very comprehensive entertainment venue. There were people playing musical instruments and singing in the front hall, there were elegant guest rooms upstairs, and the courtyard at the back had winding paths and many gorgeously decorated rooms.

Pei Yuan's trip attracted a lot of attention.

It is mainly the monk Daigo and the Taoist Zhiwei, who are more likely to arouse people's interest.

Monk Daigo's face turned red. He didn't dare to look around, but he would secretly glance at her from time to time. However, he never said anything like avoiding her from beginning to end.

Zhiwei was a Taoist who smiled openly and frankly. When he saw a woman looking at him, he would nod in greeting.

For a moment, Pei Yuan couldn't tell which one was more despicable.

Soon, they arrived in front of a flower hall, and the old servant of the Sun family said, "Captain Pei, wait a moment, it's right here."

Having said that, he took a few quick steps and went in to report.

Sun Keding's laughter immediately rang out in the flower hall, "Brother Pei finally arrived."

Soon, Sun Keding came out.

Pei Yuan looked him over and said with a smile, "I have also survived many deaths along the way. It's hard to describe it in words. Sigh."

Pei Yuan and Sun Keding only have a mutually beneficial relationship, so there is no need to talk too deeply about some things.

Sun Keding looked at Pei Yuan for a few times, then looked at the followers following behind Pei Yuan, and his eyes immediately fell on Wang Chang.

The reason is simple.

The people behind Pei Yuan looked like they were from the underworld serving as bodyguards, but Wang Chang was dressed in fine clothes, had the authority of an official, and had been a scholar for many years, so it was natural that he had that kind of temperament.

Sun Keding was startled for a moment, then asked carefully, "I dare not ask, who is this?"

Pei Yuan glanced at Wang Chang, wondering whether it was convenient for him to tell him his identity directly.

Wang Chang was not shy and said directly, "I am Wang Chang, and I am with Captain Pei." "Wang Chang?" Sun Keding was surprised and a little hesitant.

He was an official in Nanzhili.

He had heard of the names of several top ministers in Southern Zhili.

I just can't believe it, is it that person?

Pei Yuan and Sun Keding were not that close, and he was afraid that Wang Chang would misunderstand him and say something he shouldn't.

He took the initiative to say, "He works in the Ministry of War."

Pei Yuan's words seemed to be a bit of a stop.

Sun Keding had been in officialdom for some time, so he could hear the hidden meaning behind the words.

Saying that Wang Chang works in the Ministry of War is to tell Sun Keding that, yes, it is the person you are thinking of.

The words have been made so clear, but he is unwilling to break the last layer of window paper. This is to remind Sun Keding that it is enough. He knows it, but it has not reached that point yet.

Wang Chang had been in officialdom for a long time, so he quickly understood the things that Sun Keding understood.

In just a few words, each other's identities, positions, and the attitudes to be responded to were all made clear.

Sun Keding bowed deeply and bent his waist. "It turns out that you are here, old sir. I am honored to have you here."

Wang Chang smiled and responded, "I was just discussing something with Captain Pei, and I haven't finished talking yet. I can only follow Captain Pei for a few more steps. I am sorry to bother you."

Sun Keding was slightly surprised at first, and then he was horrified.

What surprised me a little was that Pei Yuan is now a thousand households?

It’s only been such a short time since I left, but I didn’t expect this guy to take a big step forward.

In fact, this incident did not have much impact on Sun Keding.

Sun Keding was a civil official and looked down on military positions. Even though Pei Yuan had achieved the rank of a thousand-man military officer, he still did not take this Jinshi seriously.

What shocked me was what Wang Chang meant by what he said just now?
He had something to discuss with Pei Yuan, but he had to accommodate Pei Yuan and follow him while talking?
Wang Chang was the second-rank Nanjing Minister of War. How could such a high-ranking official with such great knowledge make such grammatical errors?
Just when Sun Keding was in doubt and stunned, Pei Yuan urged him, "Go in and talk."

"Okay, okay. Please, please." Sun Keding hurriedly led people inside.

Pei Yuan walked into the flower hall and saw that there were tables and chairs everywhere, but the seat at the top was still empty.

So I walked up without hesitation.

After Sun Keding entered the room, he was still thinking about hurriedly and attentively asking Wang Chang to go up, but when he saw Pei Yuan walking up on his own, he was a little surprised.

When Pei Yuan sat down at the top seat, he saw Wang Chang sitting down at the second seat with a calm expression.

Sun Keding couldn't believe his eyes.

After Pei Yuan's entourage had taken their seats, Sun Keding realized that he was standing there awkwardly, and quickly found an empty spot to sit down.

There were some people dressed as wealthy businessmen in the hall, and they were whispering when Pei Yuangang walked in.

Seeing Sun Keding sitting there absent-mindedly, he felt even more puzzled.

Pei Yuan was thinking about business, so he smiled and said to everyone at the head, "I am Pei Yuan, the captain of the Jinyiwei who is in charge of escorting the tax silver. I believe Magistrate Sun has mentioned me to you these days."

As soon as Pei Yuan spoke, the merchants who were whispering stopped.

A fat man who was standing nearby said with a big smile on his face, "I've heard about Captain Pei's reputation from Magistrate Sun. After meeting him today, I find that he is indeed quite impressive."

Pei Yuan laughed and looked at Sun Keding, "Brother Sun, this is the drinking party you arranged, you can say a few words."

Sun Keding was still brainstorming, wondering what the meaning of Wang Chang's appearance here was and what his relationship with Pei Yuan was.

When Pei Yuan mentioned him, he quickly sat up straight and opened his mouth, but his words were stuck there.

What was I trying to say?

Seeing this, Pei Yuan said, "There's no point in being polite, and there's no need to waste everyone's time. Let's talk openly about what's going on with Brother Sun."

Sun Keding finally calmed down and said dryly, "This time, we invited Captain Pei to come here mainly because the merchants in Yangzhou have some questions in their hearts."

"The first one is the problem of water transport."

"I heard from them that at this time last year, a group of ships also went north to carry goods. However, after the ships arrived in Jining, part of the river froze over, and the goods were sold very slowly. When they wanted to return, it was the spring drought, and no ships came back until May. It took more than half a year to go back and forth, so they were a little confused."

When Pei Yuan heard this, he was confused and glanced at Wang Chang.

Wang Chang naturally followed Pei Yuan's meaning.

After a pause, he said, "Last year's climate was indeed a bit strange, because the winter transport was not going well and the river governor was replaced. This year is a little colder than last year, but the rain and snow situation is not bad, it shouldn't be worse."

At this point, Wang Chang paused and asked Pei Yuan, "Captain Pei, are you planning to take people to transport goods to the north?"

Pei Yuan then remembered that he had not told Wang Chang about this yet.

But he was experienced and had already understood what Sun Keding meant.

After a little more thought, he understood everyone present.

Sun Keding, the former county magistrate who had just resigned, was obviously acting as a broker for Pei Yuan. These Yangzhou merchants were most likely the fat sheep that Pei Yuan wanted to slaughter.

Pei Yuan did not try to hide it from Wang Chang. "It just so happens that we have the imperial guards and the ships to transport the troops. It would be a waste if we didn't make some money. Besides, it would be good for everyone if we had more people traveling together."

Pei Yuan explained to Wang Chang, and after a while of thinking, he already knew how to respond.

He smiled and said to the merchants, "I guess you heard these words from the merchants who were heading north before, right?"

When the people led by the fat businessman saw Pei Yuan asking this, they did not hide anything.

"That's right. When Magistrate Sun came to talk to us about shipping goods northward, we were really tempted. Although we have some capital, we don't have any connections. It's our blessing that Captain Pei is willing to take us with him."

"It's just that we don't know the ins and outs of this, so we can only cautiously ask around. The information we got made us a little hesitant."

"It might take me half a year to make this trip, so it's not worth it."

Pei Yuan listened quietly, and waited for him to finish before slowly saying, "Have you ever thought about another thing? If the fleet on the canal cannot go south due to the spring drought, does that mean that no new ships can go north until May?"

Pei Yuan finished speaking and looked at the fat businessman, "Is that so?"

The fat businessman was stunned and couldn't help muttering, "Yeah..."

Pei Yuan's simple words made him suddenly realize a previous blind spot.

Pei Yuan looked at the fat merchant and continued slowly, "That is to say, if you encounter a spring water shortage and the boat cannot return, another situation that is most favorable to you will occur at the same time."

"That means no other merchants will be able to appear in the north at that time and compete with you."

Pei Yuan didn't know much about business, so he asked the fat businessman, "Is that true?"

The fat businessman swallowed and said excitedly, "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)