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

Chapter 202 0201 Silky Smoothness
Pei Yuan's eyelids twitched, and he immediately declined, "This is a matter concerning the lives of many people. How can an outsider like me make irresponsible remarks?"

Liu Liu glanced at Liu Qi and Zhao Sui and saw that they had no intention of objecting.

Then he smiled and said, "Tell me about it, let's make friends."

When Pei Yuan heard the words "make friends", he immediately thought of Zhou Chao, the captain of Huai'an Guard who always had a silly smile.

That guy is not a good person.

Therefore, Pei Yuan did not dare to be careless with this man whose name contained the character "龙".

He thought for a moment and said, "Please allow me to complete this map."

Liu Liu casually said, "Just draw what you want. We are all friends. Don't treat yourself as an outsider."

Pei Yuan did not take this seriously and filled in the missing piece in the southwest part of the map.

Liu Liu asked curiously, "Where is this?"

Pei Yuan explained, "This is Huguang."

Huguang refers to the Hubei and Hunan regions in later generations.

Why is there a "Guang" in it? That's because Huguang, a provincial unit, used to include Guangdong and Guangxi.

Later, after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Guangdong and Guangxi each established their own provincial administration commissioners' offices.

However, Huguang stubbornly retained the legal claim to Guangdong and Guangxi, and still insisted on being called Huguang.

The emperor said: Change it.

Huguang Provincial Administration Commissioner: I don’t!
Liu Qi and Zhao Sui looked at Liu Liu when they heard his unprofessional question.

Huguang is right next to Henan, Sixth Brother.

Liu Liu blushed slightly and said loudly, "Of course I know this is Huguang. I'm asking, which prefecture is this?"

No one pointed it out, so Pei Yuan explained, "That's Xiangyang Prefecture."

Liu Liu immediately grasped the familiar knowledge, so he asked, "Then Jingzhou is right in front of us?"

Pei Yuan quickly pointed at the map, "Jingzhou Prefecture is here."

Liu Liu looked at the location of Jingzhou, thought for a moment and asked, "So, you want to persuade us to go to Huguang?"

After he finished speaking, without waiting for Pei Yuan to answer, he shook his head and said, "No, no."

This made Pei Yuan wonder, "Why can't Huguang do this?"

Liu Liu replied as a matter of course, "Even Guan Yu couldn't defend Jingzhou, so we are not that capable!"

Zhao Sui was speechless when he heard this.

He didn't dare to let Liu Liu take over the conversation, so he took the initiative to bring up the topic, "I thought you were going to persuade us to go to Jiangxi."

Pei Yuan was not in a hurry to answer, but took the opportunity to add Jiangxi on the map, which happened to be right next to Huguang.

Pei Yuan explained to everyone, "Jiangxi has a complex terrain and is surrounded by mountains. This side is Jiuling Mountain, this side is Mufu Mountain, this side is Luoxiao Mountain Range, and this side is Huaiyu Mountain and Wuyi Mountain Range..."

Pei Yuan pointed out the terrain and drew grooves on the mud with a knife.

The additional gullies soon wrapped Jiangxi like a pocket.

Pei Yuan then added, “This is just the mountain, and there is water.”

As he spoke, he dug a hole with the tip of a knife on the small Jiangxi plain and said, "This is Poyang Lake."

He also used a knife to cut several lines around Poyang Lake, dividing the surrounding land into pieces: "This is Ganjiang River, this is Xiushui River, this is Raohe River, this is Xinjiang River..."

Liu Liu, Liu Qi and Zhao Sui all looked at each other in bewilderment.

In the past, they could only get a general idea of ​​the surrounding terrain from traveling merchants, and had never had such a vivid and specific understanding of a particular province.

Pei Yuan, who was holding a knife and talking eloquently, was even more respected in their hearts.

Even Zhao Sui, who always considered himself smart, had a feeling of being awe-inspiring.

Pei Yuan pointed to the thick horizontal line connecting Poyang Lake and said, "This is the Great River! If you have generals and subordinates who are proficient in water warfare and can seize enough warships, you can station troops in Jiujiang Prefecture and lock up this pocket of beautiful mountains and rivers. Even if you divide the land and rule as your own, it is not impossible."

Pei Yuan paused and continued, "How can we support and win both land and water battles with only the manpower and resources of Jiangxi Province?"

The three former bandits were frightened when they saw the pocket-like terrain. When they heard Pei Yuan's words, they quickly agreed, as if they were afraid that Pei Yuan would make a rash decision.

"We don't have any navy, this is not the right place."

"I can't defend it. I can't defend it."

Pei Yuan no longer mentioned the matter of Jiangxi. His eyes fell on Huguang and he said to the three people, "So it's not me who chose Huguang, but the rebels in Bazhou can only go to Huguang if they want to survive."

Then Pei Yuan looked at Liu Qi and said calmly, "If you want to find a battlefield for these more than 100,000 soldiers, then there will be battlefields everywhere. If you want to find a place for these more than 100,000 people to eat, then it's better to do as I say."

The three of them were silent for a moment.

Pei Yuan waited for them to think for a while before saying, "King Ning asked me to make friends with you. Now that my plan has failed, I am ashamed. If I say more, I am afraid that I will become a laughing stock in the martial arts world like Jiang Gan."

Liu Liu came back to his senses after hearing this and immediately laughed, "No way, we are all brothers, who dares to speak nonsense?"

Pei Yuan thought to himself, what a guy.

From "make friends", to "we are all friends", to "we are all brothers", Long Ye completed the smooth transition with just three sentences.

Zhao Sui was thinking about what Pei Yuan had just said, and couldn't help asking, "So, if Prince Ning wants to rebel, he has no chance?"

Pei Yuan gave an open answer cautiously.

"It's hard to say."

Before Pei Yuan gave his analysis and interpretation, Liu Liu had already sighed with envy, "Of course, King Ning is like a tiger with wings when he has Brother Pei."

Pei Yuan didn't know whether Brother Long was referring to Zhao Sui, so he quickly said, "How dare I?"

Liu Qi, who had been silent for a long time, frowned and said, "Huguang is not that easy to go to."

Just now, Pei Yuan had made the court's intention clear, which was to squeeze these Bazhou rebels into the Huai River basin.

Unless they were prepared to sacrifice their lives, and immediately abandoned all the auxiliary troops and quickly moved northward with light cavalry, they would probably be held back sooner or later.

But the rebels in Bazhou are different from those in other places. Many of the gangsters who serve as the backbone of the rebellion follow them entirely because of the reputation of Liu Liu and Liu Qi for their loyalty. If they abandon their brothers and their reputation is ruined, even if they can escape, they may not be able to establish the same momentum as before.

So, what’s next?

Liu Liu and Liu Qi wanted to ask more questions, but the atmosphere at the moment was indeed a bit heavy.

Pei Yuan also seemed to be trying to refuse.

They each had their own things to sort out, and just then someone outside reported that Marshal Qi Yanming was coming.

So Liu Qi slapped his thigh and said, "Forget it, let's eat first."

Zhao Sui was thinking about the map and asked Pei Yuan, "Brother Pei, are you in a hurry to leave?"

When Pei Yuan heard this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At present, it seems that the leaders of the Bazhou rebels are still very cautious. Asking this question at least shows that they have no intention of directly detaining me for the time being.

Pei Yuan said tactfully, "There's no rush. You can stay for two more days."

Zhao Sui laughed, "Okay."

Zhao Sui asked again, "So, Brother Pei is working in the palace of Prince Ning?" Pei Yuan denied, "No, I am a member of the imperial court. The last time I met my seventh brother, I was intimidated by his divine power and didn't dare to admit it. I didn't mean to hide it."

This time, Zhao Sui and the other three suddenly realized what had just happened that had been fading from their consciousness.

What the hell!

By the way, this is a person from the imperial court.

We discussed the way out for the Bazhou Army with people from the imperial court for quite some time?
Damn it.

However, Zhao Sui thought about it and immediately understood that everything started from Pei Yuan's words that he was here to do Jiang Gan, and he had mastered the rhythm.

With just one sentence, Pei Yuan admitted his identity and eliminated the hostility.

This grasp of people's hearts...

Amazing.

When Zhao Sui looked at Pei Yuan with a serious look, Liu Liu had already said strangely, "Isn't Prince Ning planning to rebel? Why are you, a member of the imperial court, still helping him?"

Pei Yuan sighed, "Hasn't Prince Ning rebelled yet? Besides, the current emperor has no son, and the court is not a monolithic entity. There are many uncertainties in the future. Prince Ning has great ambitions but little talent, but he is willing to spend money, so let's try our luck."

Liu Liu shook his head and said, "Then King Ning doesn't know people. Brother Pei is so capable, but he didn't ask him to come to his side to ask for advice day and night, and he still let you do something as a messenger outside."

Pei Yuan's expression was calm. "I can't really say. I just do the job for money."

Pei Yuan mentioned money twice in a row, which finally caught Liu Liu's attention. He asked curiously, "Brother Pei, are you short of money?"

Pei Yuan smiled but didn't answer.

This made Liu Qi, who was standing by, think about something.

It seemed that when he was in Jining, Pei Yuan took the five taels of silver that he had intended to compensate the drinkers from the table in the name of drinking.

It seems that Brother Pei's life is still quite difficult.

Pei Yuan also remembered something and took the initiative to say to the three of them, "By the way, since I can be considered helpful to you three brothers, can you keep my identity a secret for a while?"

The three of them laughed and said, "Don't worry, we brothers are not like Song Jiang."

A few people chatted and left the general's tent.

Cheng Leixiang, who was separated from several leaders, immediately cast an inquiring look at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan nodded to him, indicating that everything was fine.

A burly man over eight feet tall was talking to someone. When he heard the noise of the tent door, he immediately turned his head.

He glanced at Pei Yuan and saw that he was a stranger, then looked at Liu Liu, Liu Qi and Zhao Sui who were following beside him.

Qi Yanming wondered, "Where did this friend come from? Why haven't I seen him before?"

Liu Qi would invite him to accompany guests, obviously he values ​​this person very much.

Seeing Qi Yanming asking, Liu Liu took the initiative to answer, "He is Cang Hai Yi Xiao."

"Oh..." Qi Yanming responded, not too happy about it.

Remembering that he was here to entertain guests, he asked, "Then how should I greet you, brother?"

Liu Liu remembered what Pei Yuan had asked them to do just now, and took the initiative to speak up, "This brother's surname is Pei, and he has a nickname in the underworld, called 'Living Jiang Gan', he is a talent!"

Pei Yuan, who was about to step forward to say hello, almost tripped over himself.

What the hell is this nickname?

Qi Yanming was also stunned when he heard this, and then looked at Pei Yuan strangely.

Jiang Gan also knows it.

Isn't that the funny guy from the Three Kingdoms? Why do people still use this nickname?

Liu Qi greeted him, "I just happened to have something to do, let's talk after dinner."

Qi Yanming nodded without saying much.

The place where Liu Qi entertained Pei Yuan was in another big tent.

At this time, wine and meat had been served, and some people who looked like leaders had arrived and were whispering.

After the few people arrived, Liu Qi enthusiastically invited Pei Yuan to the table, and then, following Liu Liu's words just now, introduced Pei Yuan, the "living Jiang Gan", to many leaders.

Everyone laughed and made a lot of noise.

Open your seat directly.

Pei Yuan took a few bites and found that the taste was unexpectedly good.

He had been sleeping in the open air for the past few days, and he and Cheng Leixiang had been living on dry food. Now that there was wine and meat, they did not hesitate to eat as much as they could.

Seeing Pei Yuan enjoying his meal, Liu Liu enthusiastically introduced it, "How is it? It tastes good, right? Try this boiled meatball."

After Pei Yuan ate a few meatballs, he said, "This chef used to work for funerals, and he was well-known in the surrounding area. Now he is with us, and is responsible for arranging banquets in the army."

When Pei Yuan heard about funerals, he did not let his pretentiousness affect his appetite, but immediately thought of Xue Songqi, the head of the knife hall of the Funeral Association.

He immediately asked, "I heard that there is a man named Xue Songqi in the Jianghu who has also joined the rebel army. Is this true?"

Liu Liu was surprised when he heard this, "Why don't I know?"

He added, "Xue Songqi is a well-known figure. I heard of him when I was a gangster. If a man like him came to join us, I would definitely know about it."

After hearing this, Pei Yuan roughly confirmed his guess.

It turned out that Xue Songqi was indeed raised by Prince De. I'm afraid even the horse thieves on that day could not be sure of that.

Pei Yuan was thinking about it when he saw Liu Qi called Qi Yan's name over and discussed something with him in a low voice.

Qi Yanming looked at Pei Yuan while listening, then nodded and left.

Pei Yuan was confused, but now that he was in the enemy camp, he could only wait and see.

Not long after Qi Yanming went out, he opened the curtain and walked back in.

Behind him, there were a dozen timid women following.

These women all seemed to be from official families. Even when they were frightened and uneasy, their manners and behavior were pleasing to the eye.

Liu Qi smiled and said to Pei Yuan, "Brother Pei, take a look at these women. How do they compare to your family? They are all good women from official families. They were originally intended to be married to by the leaders under your command."

Pei Yuan heard what Liu Qi meant, and he quickly said, "My heart is as hard as a rock, and it cannot be broken. I am not just greedy for beauty."

Liu Qi concluded, "She's just not as pretty as your wife."

After saying that, he waved his hand and said to Qi Yanming, "Forget it, take the person away."

Qi Yanming was somewhat displeased with Pei Yuan's ignorance, but he couldn't offend Liu Qi in public, so he led his men away angrily.

Liu Qi patted his legs lightly and said regretfully, "What a pity, I can't keep you."

Pei Yuan felt a chill down his spine when he heard this. What the hell did this mean?
Liu Qi hesitated for a moment and said, "I just heard you say that you were paid to work for King Ning. If I also pay, can you help me plan something before you leave?"

Pei Yuan's expression changed. "You want to go to Huguang?"

(End of this chapter)