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

Chapter 192 0191 The first day of abstinence, starting with Song Chunniang!
Speaking of loyalty to Han Qianhu, Song Chunniang is also loyal!

There was nothing to get entangled in between the two of them on this topic.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was unwilling to take over, Song Chunniang had to make other plans for the matter.

When the two returned to Shanyang County, it was already late.

Pei Yuan fulfilled his promise and found a good restaurant to buy wine for Song Chunniang.

The two men had lost interest in talking and were hungry, so they started scrambling for food and drink.

After eating and drinking, Pei Yuan, reminiscing about the old days, asked Song Chunniang if they wanted to find a place nearby to stay for the night.

Song Chunniang, however, did not hesitate to go back to her residence which was three blocks away.

Pei Yuan was just about to make an effort when he saw a system message pop up.

——Debt modification: Gu Dayong (29,500 taels)

——Total debt changed: 29,742 taels. Since it is below the debt ceiling, there is no need for forced settlement.

Pei Yuan was slow for a while before he reacted.

This was when Sun Keding met Gu Dayong and paid back part of the money he owed.

In other words, his plan to drive the Bazhou rebels south has officially begun?

Captain Pei was stunned, not because of anything else, but because of his own reaction speed.

I have been looking forward to it for so many days. Shouldn't I have thought that Sun Keding had joined the imperial army first?

I didn't expect that my obsession with beauty has affected my control over the world situation.

Pei Yuan instantly felt a strong sense of crisis.

How can a man be so sentimental?

The first day of abstaining from sex starts with Song Chunniang!
Pei Qianhu resolutely said, "If that's the case, then forget it."

Song Chunniang had already prepared for a fight with Pei Yuan, but she didn't expect Pei Yuan to give up so easily.

It feels like I was planning a set of smooth little combos, but the opponent just ran away.

On the way back, Song Chunniang looked at Pei Yuan suspiciously from time to time.

It was not until they arrived at the inn where they had stayed before that Song Chunniang managed to utter, "Are you still not good enough?"

"???"

Pei Yuan was puzzled.

Then he felt his friend reaching out his hand curiously to confirm.

Song Chunniang touched it twice and then quickly withdrew her hand.

Pei Yuan stood straight with a proud look on his face.

Then, he confessed his true feelings to Song Chunniang, "As a man born in this world, how can you live in depression and be inferior to others for a long time? From today on, I will abstain from sex."

The two of them came back quite early, and Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie were sitting in the inn hall chatting.

Seeing Pei Yuan coming back, he hurried over to ask about his well-being.

Seeing Song Chunniang beside them, the two men wisely did not ask Han Qianhu where he had been in the past two days.

Song Chunniang was well aware of how to survive in officialdom, so she deliberately did not explain anything.

Pei Yuan thought of his recent determination to work hard to govern the country. Although he was sleepy at this moment, he did not rush back to his room to rest, but asked about what had happened in the past two days.

Cheng Leixiang took the initiative to introduce, "Captain, since you left, Captain Tantai and Captain Sikong have come to look for you several times, saying that they have found a place to rest temporarily."

"Oh." Pei Yuan responded, and then asked, "Have you told them that we may have to stay in Huai'an for a while, until the north is a little calmer and the fleet transporting winter grain can enter the canal before heading north?"

Cheng Leixiang said, "I have explained everything clearly. It seems that these two have something else to ask you..."

As he was talking, Chen Toutie came over and said, "Captain of Thousands, the Captain of the Sikong Army is here."

Pei Yuan looked up and saw Sikong Sui entering the store.

He could roughly guess the purpose of the old guy's visit, and felt a little embarrassed for a moment.

When Sikong Sui looked over, Pei Yuan waved and called out, "Here."

Sikong Sui was relieved when he saw Pei Yuan, and came over and said respectfully, "Captain, I am glad to see you at last."

Pei Yuan was still vague, "It's just a small matter. What, have you finished your work?"

Seeing Pei Yuan asking about serious matters, Sikong Sui naturally talked about serious matters first, "I have already chosen a temporary place to stay. This time, it can be said that it is foolproof."

Pei Yuan asked, "Oh, where did you choose? Did you find a way from the Jinyiwei in Nanjing?"

The Thousand Households Office for Suppressing Evil is now one of the few powerful departments in Nanjing Jinyiwei that can still operate on a national scale.

They had a good relationship with the Nanjing Jinyiwei. When Captain Han was in Nanjing, he worked directly in a side courtyard of the Nanjing Jinyiwei Yamen.

The other thousand households in the Jinyiwei would also give some face.

Sikong Sui said quickly, "No, it's the territory of the Huai'an Guard Command. You definitely can't guess where it is?"

"Where else could it be?" Pei Yuan wondered, "The military camp of Huai'an Guard?"

Then he casually said, "It can't be the Huai'an government office."

Sikong Sui immediately looked at Pei Yuan with admiration, "The captain is indeed very intelligent. He guessed the location right away."

Pei Yuan was stunned and didn't know who Sikong Sui was referring to.

Then Sikong Sui said, "It is the Huai'an government office. The people from the Huai'an Guard Commander's Office came to negotiate the price. They only need two taels of silver per day to vacate a courtyard in the Huai'an government office."

Pei Yuan was speechless after hearing this, "It really is the Huai'an government office."

Sikong Sui smiled and said, "We are on official business, and this mission is known to everyone. Why wouldn't they dare let us stay? Besides, we can get paid."

"Those people above us will know that Huai'an Guards are so considerate, and they might even reward them. Even if we pay a little money to show our appreciation, the court will never say a word about a few taels of silver."

"If we follow the court's official documents, we can directly call on Huai'an Guards for help, which is within the permitted scope. Besides, it only takes up some space."

The situation in Huai'an Prefecture was somewhat special. After experiencing the great turmoil at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, only six households were left in Shanyang County, the seat of the entire Huai'an Prefecture.

Later, in order to increase the population here, Zhu Yuanzhang moved Dahewei and Huai'anwei to fill Huai'an Prefecture.

The commander of Huai'an Guard at that time was named Hua Yunlong, one of Zhu Yuanzhang's twenty-four generals of Huaixi. He was also granted the title of Marquis of Huai'an for his merits.

As an important general stationed in Huai'an and holding the title of Marquis of Huai'an, he naturally seized the Huai'an government office which was located in the center.

The prefect of Huai'an, who had only six households at the time, had no choice but to move to another place.

Pei Yuan knew that the 80,000 taels of silver had probably been replaced by Captain Han long ago, so he was not particularly concerned about the safety of the silver.

Even if this silver was stolen and then revealed to be fake silver made of tin, who would believe it?

Anyway, Pei Yuan would not admit it, and neither would the governor of the Suzhou and Hangzhou Weaving Factory.

As long as the box of silver was not opened in public by the censor, Pei Yuan was not afraid of any consequences.

He thought for a while and said, "Let's just go to Huai'an Prefecture Government Office." Seeing that Sikong Sui had finished speaking and had no intention of leaving, he could roughly guess what this guy wanted to say.

Pei Yuan whispered to comfort them, "Don't worry, I will not forget what I promised you. When the time comes, I will give you and Tan Tai Fang Tu an order to allow you to leave Huai'an with your old brothers."

"As to whether to go directly to Beijing to set up the business first, or escort the money back to Suzhou as planned, we will have to wait and see."

Sikong Sui was overjoyed when he heard this.

He and Tan Tai Fang Tu had long been pessimistic about this silver transport mission.

Even if the assassination had not happened in Yangzhou, his previous experiences alone would have been enough to make him back down.

Before, Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui were able to cooperate reluctantly because, as they had already accepted the mission, they could not refuse. Another reason was that Pei Yuan had promised them that as long as they transported the silver to Huai'an, they would be considered to have fulfilled their responsibility and would be allowed to leave.

Now, the team escorting the tax silver has an additional troop led by Cui Bohou, who has stronger combat effectiveness and can just replace the remaining troops of these two men.

In addition, the silver that was being escorted was fake and had been replaced, so Pei Yuan didn't want to easily consume these two guys who were already his subordinates for these worthless things.

Sikong Sui saw that Pei Yuan really kept his promise.

While I was happy, I was also a little conflicted.

After all, Pei Yuan will be his immediate superior in the future. If he agrees too readily, he will inevitably be bullied in the future.

If they had to show loyalty and continue escorting the tax silver northward, the two men were unwilling to take such a big risk.

Seeing Sikong Sui struggling, Pei Yuan simply made another arrangement, "Don't feel that it's difficult. I'll tell you something else."

Sikong Sui hurriedly said, "Qian Hu, please speak."

Pei Yuan had previously mentioned to him the possibility of a rebellion by the White Lotus Sect in Henan.

So he said to Sikong Sui, "Zhao Jinglong of the White Lotus Sect may rebel in the near future. This matter involves a lot of things. You should pay attention to the official news. In addition, the rebels in Bazhou may also show signs of moving south. You should have people investigate carefully. If you have any intelligence, come to see me in time."

After hearing this, Sikong Sui breathed a sigh of relief. These two things were just trivial matters to him.

He responded, "I understand. I will arrange it right away."

Pei Yuan still had a clear understanding of the change in the situation, "I'm not in a hurry. It's not something that can be dealt with in the next few days."

After Sikong Sui left, Pei Yuan was too lazy to ask Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie if they had anything else to say, and went straight back to the guest room to sleep.

Pei Yuan didn't dare to sleep last night and he traveled all day during the day.

Even with Pei Yuan's energy, he could hardly hold on any longer.

He returned to his room, no longer able to hold on, and fell asleep immediately.

When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

Pei Yuan thought that since Captain Han could arrive on horseback, the convoy escorting the tax silver should be here soon.

Thinking it was just some fake silver, Pei Yuan wanted to ask Cheng Leixiang to do it for him.

But when I thought about it carefully, I felt that it was inappropriate.

In the past, Pei Yuan valued those silvers more than his life. It didn’t make sense that he wouldn’t take them seriously now.

Doesn't this just arouse suspicion?

Pei Yuan took Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie out with him, and asked Song Chunniang to lead the way.

The team escorting the tax silver was indeed not far away.

Less than half a day after the four men left the city, they saw the cavalry scouts sent out by Cui Bohou.

When Cui Bohou's men saw Pei Yuan, they came over to pay their respects and reported to Pei Yuan the approximate location of the silver transport convoy.

After spending a little more time, Pei Yuan finally saw the silver transport convoy he had not seen for a long time.

This silver transport convoy still maintained its previous grand scale, and the deployment of troops was also done in the same way as Pei Yuan had done before.

In the middle were the Jinyiwei soldiers guarding the silver carriage, slightly to the outside were the martial arts masters recruited by Pei Yuan, and further out were some young and strong yamen runners temporarily recruited from Yangzhou Prefecture.

The only thing that surprised Pei Yuan was that a little further away, there was another cavalry of about two hundred people.

Pei Yuan was not nervous because this cavalry was clearly the style of the imperial court's troops.

Pei Yuan directly asked Cui Bohou, "Who is over there?"

Cui Bohou really knew him, and quickly replied, "Reporting to the Lord, that is a captain of Huai'an Guard, named Zhou Chao. They said that they have already agreed with you to escort the tax silver to their place for temporary storage. In order to prevent any accidents, they specially sent soldiers to guard it."

"I didn't get your order, so I didn't dare let them get close. They didn't go far, they just followed nearby."

Pei Yuan didn't take it seriously at first, but when he heard what Cui Bohou said, his eyes immediately became sharp.

Then, he asked carefully, "When did the people from Huai'an Guard come?"

Seeing that Pei Yuan's reaction was not right, Cui Bohou also became serious and asked, "Was it yesterday afternoon?"

Pei Yuan thought about it silently.

Sikong Sui and the people from Huai'an Wei agreed on the accommodation arrangement probably two days ago.

In other words, just as Sikong Sui had agreed with them to stay at their place, the commander of Huai'an Guard sent people to protect the silver transport convoy?

Is Huai'an Wei so diligent?

If the Huai'an guards had any moral integrity, they would not have abandoned Liu Xiang, the prefect, and fled in panic when the situation was favorable to attack when the enemy was halfway across the river, allowing the Huai'an prefect to be captured alive by Yang Hu.

That's why they are suddenly so active...

Pei Yuan pondered in confusion, could it be that he came here for the 80,000 taels of silver?
It would be a joke if the imperial court's tax silver was directly robbed by Huai'an Wei.

Because a big part of the reason why the imperial court levied commercial taxes from the south was to support the army.

Anyone who considers the overall situation will not be stupid enough to come and sabotage at this time.

If this really happened, Pei Yuan would feel relieved.

This is a rebellion!
The tax money has been taken away by the rebels, so what else is there to say?
The imperial court will then make arrangements to quell the rebellion, so they won't have time to care about a small captain like me.

Pei Yuan thought about it and said directly to Cui Bohou, "Find someone to call Zhou Chao over and ask him."

Upon hearing this, Cui Bohou immediately said, "Then I will go there myself."

Zhou Chao was a captain of Huai'an Guard. Logically, Pei Yuan, who was of the same rank, should have taken the initiative to meet him.

It’s just that Captain Pei has become a little arrogant recently and no longer takes officials of the same level seriously.

Fortunately, Cui Bohou still knows the rules.

Watching Cui Bohou riding away on his horse, Pei Yuan also felt that the situation was a little tricky.

His current plan could not afford to have any problems.

If Huai'an Wei, this stupid teammate, has some unrealistic ideas, it might lead to disastrous consequences.

Pei Yuanping felt even more worried, "Huai'an Wei..., you guys should not make any rash plans."

"Otherwise..., I will really beat you to death."

(End of this chapter)