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

Chapter 173 Heading to Huai'an
Sun Keding was overjoyed when he heard this. Although he had not heard the specific plan yet, Pei Yuan had already felt his excitement.

——A debt of favor.

Debts Receivable (1/1): Sun Keding has accepted a favor from you and his impression of you has increased.

Validity period remaining: three days.

Pei Yuan was feeling a little upset. Who was he trying to disgust? It would be better not to let you owe him this favor.

Pei Yuan's mind moved, and he flipped through the information.

My good brother Sun Keding really is the one who never owes anyone a favor.

That time, Pei Yuan reminded Sun Keding that the favor owed to Zhang Chun, the Junior Secretary of the Nanjing Imperial Household, for the possible appointment as the Governor of Shuntian Prefecture had dissipated over time.

Pei Yuan met Sun Keding several times, but Sun Keding never mentioned anything about Zhang Chun.

If Pei Yuan guessed correctly, this guy probably looked down upon a fellow Jinshi who was ranked third in the imperial examination.

Moreover, after the civil unrest in Bazhou, the imperial court will certainly sort out the horse policy.

It is still unclear whether Zhang Chun can hold on.

When Pei Yuan reminded Sun Keding, he was still a small centurion.

Sun Keding's trust in Pei Yuan was not worth him spending a lot of money to keep Zhang Chun in the cold stove.

Sun Keding was not interested, but Pei Yuan was a little tempted.

Zhang Chun’s promotion to the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture should be a recent event. If you don’t buy at the bottom now, you will miss a great opportunity.

This man was a civilian official who understood military affairs and had suppressed the Miao Rebellion in Guizhou. He had a unique track in the Ming officialdom.

Later, Zhu Houzhao focused on border troops and directly promoted him from the post of Yingtian Prefecture Governor to the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief and Governor of Border Towns.

Originally, Pei Yuan did not dare to reach out because his status was too low and he did not even have the qualifications to buy at the bottom and sell at a good price.

But now, doesn’t he already have his younger brothers fighting in the battle?

With the efforts of Liu Chun and Jiang Mian, two assistant ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, and the support of Grand Secretary Fei Hong,

Zhang Chun was about to take off with the help of his classmates.

At this time, Wang Chang could submit a letter of recommendation and take the opportunity to win Zhang Chun's favor for free.

Pei Yuan thought about it, and his annoyance towards Sun Keding's pressure faded away.

Pei Yuan then told Sun Keding in detail the predicament faced by the imperial army in suppressing the rebellion, as well as Pei Yuan's views on the situation.

As for the possible rebellion of the White Lotus Sect in Henan, it was mentioned with particular emphasis.

When the Bazhou rebels were attacked fiercely by the imperial court, they split into two parts, one part went south from Henan, and the other part entered Shandong.

The imperial army identified the area where the core bandits were located and tried desperately to wipe them out.

Once the White Lotus Rebellion broke out in Henan, it meant that the two rebel forces' path to reunion would be completely blocked.

This is not just a matter of a rebel group with unclear stance appearing in Henan.

It also means that in order to feed these rebel troops, the people of Henan will face another wave of looting.

Even if the Bazhou rebels successfully returned to Henan, they would not be able to plunder the resources to feed their troops. They could not even get through Henan, let alone return to their hometown in Hebei.

Therefore, as long as the White Lotus Sect raises the banner of rebellion in Henan, Henan's attractiveness to the Bazhou rebels will be greatly reduced.

At that time, the Bazhou rebels, with no way to go, could only continue to move south.

Pei Yuan explained the pros and cons to Sun Keding in detail, and Sun Keding's eyes lit up and rolled around.

When he had thought everything through, he immediately stood up and bowed to Pei Yuan, saying, "I am very grateful for your words. If Eunuch Gu asks, I will never take credit for it. I will definitely praise your plan in front of Eunuch Gu."

If Pei Yuan believed this guy, then something strange would happen.

Pei Yuan said so much just now, and almost personally helped Sun Keding to an official position above the fifth rank. The favor he owed is still time-limited.

——A debt of favor.

Debts Receivable (1/1): Sun Keding has accepted your favor and is deeply grateful to you. If I ever become rich, I would like to share it with you.

Validity period remaining: forty-nine days.

He is worthy of being my good brother. He is a man who can’t even handle the system.

Sun Keding was about to achieve this great feat, and he immediately became restless.

He handed the task of contacting the merchants over to his steward, and asked someone to fetch 1,500 taels of silver in advance as a share for Pei Yuan.

Sun Keding judges others by his own standards.

He felt that if he didn't first settle the protection fees for those businessmen, Pei Yuan would not let him leave easily.

Therefore, they simply let Pei Yuan take the biggest share and gave him the majority of the commission.

Pei Yuan naturally smiled happily at this.

After a little reluctance, they were all accepted with a smile.

After that, Sun Keding's steward would help coordinate the merchants.

Pei Yuan had already received the benefits and didn't care about it.

Considering that the silver transportation this time may not be smooth, the imperial court may be furious and ask them to transport it again.

Pei Yuan decided that he must demonstrate his business integrity.

So Pei Yuan also gave some careful instructions.

After leaving Sun Keding, Pei Yuan returned to the post station.

After reporting the details of the incident to Han Qianhu, Han Qianhu asked, "Do you want to bring anyone with you when you go to Huai'an this time?"

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "It is enough for me to bring only three general flags. This is a secret operation. If I bring too many people, it will be easier to be ambushed."

"Besides, the silver has not yet been loaded onto the grain ship, and the enemy's current target may still be the commercial taxes."

"With you guys covering for me in the open, my risk will be smaller."

Han Qianhu smiled and said, "Don't be careless. I'll let Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu follow you. When the time comes, just tell them that you are going out to do something, and don't reveal the specific details to them yet."

"These two people?" Pei Yuan felt it was a bit difficult to deal with.

Sikong Sui has always been smooth and experienced, while Tantai Fangtu has a explosive personality.

Taking both of them with you is not a good idea.

Han Qianhu tapped his fingers on the table and emphasized to Pei Yuan, "You are from the north, and the three military officers under your command are also from the north. You are not familiar with the affairs of Southern Zhili. If you encounter trouble in Huai'an Prefecture and want to ask for help, I'm afraid you can't even tell me which government office is facing."

"I asked them to follow you for a comprehensive consideration."

Pei Yuan came to his senses immediately after hearing the sound of knocking on the table.

Han Qianhu's words have ulterior motives.

She didn't want these two centurions to accompany her to do things. It was obvious that she wanted to take the opportunity to send these two centurions who could directly manage the Jinyiwei soldiers away, so that it would be convenient for her to exchange the silver.

Pei Yuan immediately said sensibly, "It would be great if two centurions could help us."

Pei Yuan finally understood the situation through this incident.

Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu were definitely not Han Qianhu's confidants.

The person Han Qianhu can rely on should be Cui Bohou.

Otherwise, why did he send Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui away this time without mentioning the matter of Cui Bo Hou?

Early the next morning, Pei Yuan told everyone that he would go to Huai'an to contact the grain transport ship. Han Qianhu praised Pei Yuan for his dedication to his work.

Pei Yuan then took the initiative to request that Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu, two centurions who were familiar with Nanzhi, accompany him.

After hearing this, Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu looked unhappy and cursed Pei Yuan in their hearts.

Everyone is already clear about the current situation.

Those enemies even went so far as to bribe the Huben Zuowei and mobilize a large number of people to assassinate Pei Yuan in Yangzhou City. Can we still expect them to restrain themselves?
Maybe this trip to Huai'an will be a life-threatening one.

Han Qianhu heard Pei Yuan's words but did not make a decision directly. Instead, he said to Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu, "I'm afraid this mission will be full of difficulties and dangers. The two centurions are already old, why not let someone else go?"

Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu began to curse Han Qianhu in their hearts.

Everyone’s heart is like a clear mirror.

Han Qianhu's words were not an attempt to persuade them to stay, but were clearly intended to block their escape route.

She deliberately pointed out the difficulties of going to Huai'an this time, and deliberately attributed the reason to the fact that they were both relatively old.

If Sikong Sui and Tan Tai Fang Tu refused, then no matter how reasonable and nice their excuses were.

Others would also think that these two old guys were being cowardly.

Sikong Sui was still trying to figure out how to break the impasse, but Tan Tai Fang Tu sneered and said to Han Qian Hu, "There's no need to change people. If you can't even do this well, and you're looked down upon by others in the future, what's the point of complaining?"

Sikong Sui exclaimed, "What a good guy."

He felt both a little troubled and a little impressed by Tan Tai Fang Tu's stubbornness.

The headache was, of course, that Tan Tai Fang Tu's words had created a troublesome task for the two of them.

What I admire is that what Tan Tai Fang Tu said was really impolite.

The meaning of his words was almost clear: if they did a good job this time, don't blame them for being resentful if Han Qianhu had the same attitude again in the future.

Since Tan Tai Fang Tu had said this, there was no need for Si Kong Sui to back down.

Moreover, since Captain Han and Captain Pei had made the decision at the same time, there was no room for them to maneuver, so they might as well do it in a more presentable way.

He immediately said, "I am willing to go to Huai'an."

Han Qianhu understood what the two men meant, laughed, and spoke very clearly.

"Okay, in that case, Captain Pei will lead you on this trip."

"Since Captain Pei came to our Suppressing Evil Thousand Households Office, he has led us to fight a few battles and successfully transported the commercial taxes from Suzhou to Yangzhou."

"As for Captain Pei's ability, I don't need to tell you, I'm sure everyone knows it."

"At least I, Han, admire him."

Pei Yuan was confused and didn't know why Han Qianhu suddenly started praising him.

According to common sense, shouldn’t CPI continue to operate on its own?
Then, Captain Han said, "I'm sure you all know Captain Pei's background. I asked him to come from the Northern Pacification Division, so he doesn't have a proper position in the Suppressing Evil Captain's Office."

"Although I am a deputy commander, I don't have my own fixed jurisdiction. I only have three general flags and one small flag under my command."

Pei Yuan just remembered it when he heard this.

Although his personal guards were impressive before, they were all temporarily assigned from Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu, and were not his people at all.

The only ones who truly depended on him in terms of organizational relations were Cheng Leixiang, Song Chunniang, Chen Toutie and Yun Buxian.

Although it's not a lone commander, it's almost the same.

Perhaps once this mission is completed, without any specific positions assigned, the five of them will simply become nominal positions.

The last time Pei Yuan was returned from the East Factory to the Northern Pacification Office, he worked as a centurion for a while. That was not a good time.

Just when Pei Yuan was silently unhappy.

Then Captain Han continued, "It just so happens that I would like to take this opportunity to formally announce to you that the two 100-household offices in the hands of Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui will be managed by Captain Pei from now on."

"If there is a specific matter to be handled in the future and I am unable to spare the time, the other 100-household offices can be temporarily managed by Captain Pei."

Pei Yuan was shocked to hear this.

He looked at Han Qianhu in disbelief, wondering what was going on in this guy's mind.

There are some deformities in the current Ming system where the Thousand Households of Suppressing Evil are located.

Its personnel are loosely distributed, and their subordinates have to be stationed in various locations to supervise palaces, temples and monasteries.

When there is a mission, that little mobile force needs to run around the country.

However, as a small thousand-household unit, its organizational structure is actually very tight.

Pei Yuan was basically a nominal position, usually responsible for taking the lead in some temporary tasks. When he was not on a mission, with Han Qianhu around, his position was completely useless.

But Han Qianhu's words were equivalent to splitting a large piece of her power and putting it in Pei Yuan's hands.

In other words, Pei Yuan got the basic base of two hundred households out of thin air.

These are not just two simple centurions, there are also a large number of temples and palaces under the jurisdiction of these two centurions, as well as Taoist priests scattered outside.

In the Zhenxie Thousand Households Office, it will become a situation where Thousand Household Han controls three Hundred Households Offices, and Pei Yuan controls two Hundred Households Offices.

Captain Han had not discussed this matter with Pei Yuan before.

Pei Yuan was a little stunned when it was suddenly thrown out.

Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu, who were involved in this matter, were also greatly surprised.

The two men looked at Captain Han, then at Captain Pei, and neither dared to express their opinion.

If they expressed their loyalty to Han Qianhu at this moment, and if Han Qianhu had made up his mind and insisted on carrying out their order, wouldn't they be offending Pei Yuan?

How could their lives be easy now that Pei Yuan has become their immediate superior?

If they turned around and tried to please Captain Pei, and found out that this was just a test from Captain Han, wouldn't they be asking for trouble?

They also noticed Pei Yuan's confusion and felt depressed.

Could you two communicate your matters in advance, or else it will make things difficult for us subordinates.

Pei Yuan thought about it, and then boldly asked Han Qianhu, "Qianhu, what do you mean?"

This matter is quite critical and there is no room for ambiguity.

Pei Yuan must figure out what Han Qianhu means in order to avoid any hidden dangers.

Han Qianhu looked at Pei Yuan and said seriously, "It means literally, you don't have to doubt it."

Literally, does Captain Han really want to share power with me?

What does it mean to be Han Qianhu with real power?

It was an existence that could bring out falconets, a large number of muskets, hundreds of musket teams, as well as a large number of bows, crossbows, and armor.

As a thousand-household unit that has been suppressing underworld forces for many years, the strength of this thousand-household unit is no worse than any military leader in Jiangnan.

And his private wealth is also very rich.

Captain Han was able to give himself two captains, and Pei Yuan was even confident that with this foundation, he could defeat most of the military leaders in Jiangnan.

This is a big-picture consideration.

From a small perspective, at least, I don't have to borrow Han Qianhu's place to support Qin Lingbo...

Pei Yuan did not hesitate at all and immediately responded, "I will obey Captain Han's orders and am willing to share his worries."

(End of this chapter)