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

Chapter 198 Bait
Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "You guys step back first and let Captain Zhou come in."

Everyone responded and were about to leave.

Pei Yuan took a quick look and said, "General Song, please stay."

Sikong Sui, Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie were all a little surprised.

The official version of Song Chunniang's origins that everyone can get is that she was recruited by Han Qianhu from the underworld, and then with the help of horse donations from the Ministry of War, she got the position of general flag, and was later arranged by Han Qianhu to work for Pei Yuan.

Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie, who had met Song Chunniang before, roughly understood that this matter had something to do with Pei Yuan.

Later, some exchanges between the two made them feel that Pei Qianhu and Song Chunniang had some unclear relationship.

It just so happens that Song Chunniang, a character who grew up in the underworld in a wild way, is very good at using this set of tactics, and often takes the opportunity to act in a pretentious manner.

Fortunately, everyone understood that Captain Pei always acted with propriety.

Song Chunniang, who was suspected of using her beauty to seduce men, was not involved in many major secrets.

This time when Pei Yuan met Captain Zhou, he asked everyone to leave. It must be that there was some conspiracy that was inconvenient for others to know.

However, no one expected that Song Chunniang would have the opportunity to hear this secret.

Everyone inevitably had more thoughts in their minds and had a new judgment on Song Chunniang's position in the team.

Song Chunniang knew that Pei Yuan was informally announcing that she had entered the core circle, and she couldn't stop smiling.

After welcoming Captain Zhou in, Pei Yuan exchanged a few simple greetings with him, and Captain Zhou could not wait to state the purpose of his visit.

"Brother Pei, I mentioned what you said last night to our Commander He. He was also worried that the longer you wait, the more trouble you will have. He agreed with this."

Pei Yuan did not interrupt and waited for Zhou Chao to continue.

Since the Zhou Dynasty came with a request this time, it naturally had to make its words clear.

"Commander He means that we have collected a batch of food and intend to use it as bait to lure the Bazhou rebels over here."

"Bait?" Pei Yuan emphasized these two words and then smiled.

Zhou Chao smiled innocently and continued, "What Commander He meant is that as long as it is a plan, there will inevitably be mistakes. If you can ask someone to mediate and make things happen, it will be a safe result."

Pei Yuan listened and thought to himself that Commander He was quite knowledgeable.

Someone has to catch the flirtatious glances they throw.

If there is any misunderstanding and the Bazhou rebels think it is a trap, it will have the opposite effect.

Seeing that Pei Yuan ignored this topic, Zhou Chao asked tentatively, "Captain Pei is a well-connected figure in the Jinyiwei. Can you contact them and see how to get this done?"

When Pei Yuan heard that Zhou Chao came to see him, he already had some guesses about his purpose.

This was also expected.

As he was pondering, Zhou Chao thought Pei Yuan wanted to ask for a bribe again, so he quickly reached into his sleeve.

Pei Yuan saw this and quickly held his hand down, saying sternly, "Brother Zhou, please don't be like this. I was just thinking about who I could use."

Yesterday, Zhou Chao gave him two gifts. One was a nice piece of jade as Pei Yuan expected, but the other one surprised Pei Yuan a little bit, it was a few salt vouchers.

The amount of the salt permit is not large, which is fine. The key point is that with this thing, it is like having a white glove. With Pei Yuan's identity as a captain of the Jinyiwei, he can participate in the business of reselling "scrap salt".

Of course, whether you can use your connections to get approval for "scrap salt" depends on your own ability.

The other party is very sincere, so Pei Yuan cannot be greedy.

What's more, the Lianghuai Salt Field is right under their noses, and Huai'an is a place that can dissolve the tigers and wolves of the Ming Dynasty.

Instead of seeking those little benefits, it is better to demonstrate one's own energy and lay a good foundation for future cooperation between the two parties.

Zhou Chao was unmoved, still smiling and reaching into his sleeves, "Let's make friends."

Pei Yuan smiled and stopped refusing. He just said, "If that's the case, then you don't consider me your friend."

Zhou Chao heard this, thought about it, and could only smile awkwardly, "Then follow Brother Pei's wishes."

Pei Yuan asked Zhou Chao, "What did Commander He tell Brother Zhou?"

Zhou Chao said, "Commander He said that it would be best if we could establish contact with them. We can provide some food and ask them to come to the south to have a look. If things work out, it will be good for both sides. If things don't work out, we can communicate with them in advance to avoid misjudgment."

Pei Yuan had an idea in mind.

This is because they are afraid that the Bazhou rebels will not see the bait, and they are also afraid that the Bazhou rebels will be moved by the bait and will directly attack with all their forces, disrupting the arrangements here.

Zhou Chao added, "In fact, if the Bazhou rebels really march south in full force, it wouldn't be a bad thing for some people."

"But whether it will be beneficial to us in Huai'an is still unclear."

"Commander He's only goal this time is to collect the commercial tax money, so he is more inclined to let the Bazhou rebels stop at nothing."

Pei Yuan silently wondered who the so-called "some people" referred to, and then asked, "How much chips does Commander He plan to use as bait?"

Zhou Chao had already prepared a plan, and answered directly, "At that time, we will store 30,000 dan of grain outside Suqian City and 20,000 dan of grain outside Shuyang City. In this way, both sides will respond and submit a letter to the court at the same time, which will also attract the court's attention."

Pei Yuan was greatly surprised when he heard this. "Can you provide 50,000 dan of grain?"

Fifty thousand shi of grain is not a small amount.

Especially if you want to give it away for free.

With Huai'an Wei's disposition of taking advantage of others, how could he be willing to bleed so much blood?

Zhou Chao did not hide it from Pei Yuan. He said, "Someone provided the food. We are just doing a favor."

Seeing that Zhou Chao was unwilling to point it out, Pei Yuan half-jokingly said, "Some people?"

Zhou Chao laughed but refused to give a direct answer.

Pei Yuan had made up his mind at this moment, so he accepted the task, "Okay, I have some clues about the Bazhou rebels, but this is just a discussion between us brothers, I won't acknowledge any subsequent rumors."

Zhou Chao patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, if this matter gets out, who will dare to be friends with us Huai'an Wei in the future."

The Zhou Dynasty's request for this matter was very simple, which was to find a way to let the rebels in Bazhou know that there were 50,000 shi of grain outside the cities of Suqian and Shuyang.

By then, as long as there are rebels from Bazhou who are attracted by these 50,000 shi of grain, they will have achieved their goal.

Pei Yuan asked Zhou Chao again, "When will the food arrive?"

Zhou Chao replied, "Captain Pei can try to inform the north now. The food will be gathered within three days. We will tell you the specific location of the food storage when the time comes."

Pei Yuan didn't hesitate and agreed to the matter without hesitation.

After seeing Zhou Chao off, Pei Yuan did not rush to call Sikong Sui and the others in, but frowned and thought in his seat.

Song Chunniang had been guarding beside her since just now, and now she couldn't help but ask, "50,000 dan of grain, why is there so much?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan casually responded, "What else can we use to impress the Bazhou rebels?"

Song Chunniang asked again in confusion, "Aren't they afraid that the rebels in Bazhou will be tempted by Huai'an's prosperity and come directly south to attack us?" Pei Yuan sneered, "Then maybe some people will do what they want?"

Song Chunniang had occasionally heard Pei Yuan talk about the current situation, so she immediately asked in confusion, "Are you talking about Gu Dayong, Lu Wan and the others?"

Pei Yuan uttered a “ha”, with an expression that was hard to describe. After a while, he said, “I’m talking about some people, some people from Huai’an.”

Song Chunniang was surprised.

"From Huai'an?"

Then he asked incredulously, "Isn't the whole world avoiding the rebellious army? Why are there still people looking forward to the rebellious army coming?"

Pei Yuan knew that Song Chunniang still had her usual underworld mindset.

Captain Pei was still willing to give some advice to someone like her who had already been included in the direct line of succession.

So he asked, "Why do you think it's a bad thing for the Bazhou rebels to come to Huai'an?"

Song Chunniang looked at Pei Yuan as if he were a fool, and then said as a matter of course, "Isn't this a natural thing? Although the rebels in Bazhou are led by heroes like Liu Liuye and Liu Qiye, their subordinates are mixed, and there are also many scums."

"These people followed the two Liu masters to start a rebellion, it's nothing more than malicious intentions that are hard to get rid of, they just want to burn, kill, rob and live a happy life."

"In addition, the Bazhou rebels have more than 100,000 miscellaneous soldiers, auxiliary soldiers, family members, etc., which means more than 100,000 mouths to feed."

"No matter how upright the two Mr. Lius are, you can't just ignore the lives of these people."

"How much food do we need every day just to feed these 100,000 mouths? If we don't wreak havoc on the countryside and plunder the people, how can we survive?"

"I am not afraid to put it this way. If the Bazhou army really wants to come south to get food, they will never leave so honestly."

Pei Yuan nodded.

This is basically a common problem of all rebel armies. At the beginning, they may fight for their ideals and beliefs.

When the team becomes large enough, some things will push the decision makers to move forward.

Pei Yuan then asked Song Chunniang, "Who do you think most wants the Bazhou rebels to come, among the poor, ordinary people, and rich people in Huai'an?"

Song Chunniang thought that Pei Yuan’s question was a bullshit. I’m afraid no one would want the rebels from Bazhou to come, right?
There is a saying that goes, "It is better to be a dog in peace than a man in chaos."

How could anyone hope for an army rebellion that would destroy their hometown?
Song Chunniang wanted not to answer, but she saw Pei Yuan was staring at her seriously.

After thinking about it, the poor people have nothing to lose anyway, so they should be the ones who hope the Bazhou rebels will come the most, right? The rich people are big and powerful, so they should be the most afraid of being looted by the rebels. And the ordinary people should be somewhere in between.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was waiting for her answer, Song Chunniang told him her judgment truthfully.

"I think it's probably those poor people who want the Bazhou rebels to come the most."

Pei Yuan shook his head.

Song Chunniang was somewhat surprised by Pei Yuan's denial, "Could it be an ordinary person?"

Pei Yuan's mockery was even stronger this time. "An ordinary person can gather 50,000 dan of grain in three days, and give it away for free?"

Song Chunniang immediately understood the answer that Pei Yuan was hinting at.

She was stunned by what she heard. "Is the captain saying that the people who most hope that the rebels from Bazhou will come are the rich people?"

Pei Yuan snorted, and although he didn't answer, he obviously agreed.

Song Chunniang was even more confused now. "But, but why is this happening?"

Pei Yuan did not keep the secret and explained directly, "The arrival of the Bazhou rebels is like a violent storm. Although they look fierce, they can only plunder a little bit of wealth."

"What is floating wealth? It is just gold, silver, silk, grain and cloth."

"Gold, silver, silk and other valuables can be taken away in time. Although food and cloth cannot be taken away, even if there is no loss, they will slowly rot and become worn out after being stored for three to five years, and eventually nothing will be left."

"Then, what is real wealth? What is the thing that can truly provide them with gold, silver, silk, grain and cloth in an endless supply?" Pei Yuan reminded Song Chunniang.

Song Chunniang immediately came to her senses and replied, "It's the land!"

Pei Yuan snorted again, still with that scornful and mocking expression on his face, "Then think about it again."

Song Chunniang seemed to have realized something, and her thoughts were completely overturned.

Pei Yuan directly told Song Chunniang, “The poor are not afraid of the Bazhou rebels, nor do they care, because they have nothing to lose.”

"And what about the rich? They were able to transfer most of their valuables in time. The impact and losses they suffered were only temporary and limited. Because the Bazhou rebels can't gain a foothold in Huai'an at all. After they come, they will definitely leave."

"These thieves, who will leave sooner or later, cannot take their most important property with them, which is the land."

"The only people who are truly afraid of the rebels are ordinary people in Huai'an. They have a small amount of land and a small amount of wealth. Some are trying hard to live a good life, while others are struggling on the edge of poverty. These people have the worst ability to resist risks."

"Once the Bazhou rebels cross the border and start looting, a large number of ordinary people who have no ability to resist will be in great trouble after the war, even if they only lose a small amount of floating wealth."

"By then, 'some people' will come out and plunder from them the things that the Bazhou rebels cannot take away."

"--land."

Song Chunniang instantly understood what Pei Yuan meant.

"You mean to say that some local tyrants deliberately lured the Bazhou rebels to the south to attack the local people. Then, after the Bazhou rebels retreated, they took advantage of their plight and bought the land from them at a low price?"

Pei Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "What else? Do you want those powerful and wealthy people to store silver that will turn black and deteriorate in the cellar, or store grain that will rot year after year?"

“What they really want is land.”

"It is the land that becomes more fertile when filled with corpses, and where grains grow and people can enjoy life!"

Song Chunniang was stunned when she heard this and didn't know what to say for a moment.

After a long while, Song Chunniang finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Pei Yuan with some complexities, "What is the thousand households going to do?"

Seeing that Pei Yuan didn't answer, she asked tentatively, "Are you going to do this with them?"

Pei Yuan's face was full of sarcasm and ridicule, "What else?"

Although Song Chunniang did not consider herself a good person, she felt somewhat complicated at the moment.

She hesitated and whispered, "Can we not do it?"

Pei Yuan looked at Song Chunniang and asked, "Do you feel sorry for them?"

Song Chunniang nodded softly.

Pei Yuan said, "How do you know that they won't live better than before? When their land is annexed, the rent they have to pay will be much lighter than the taxes."

Pei Yuan thought about the Ming Dynasty at that time and said calmly.

"All they lost was hope."

(End of this chapter)