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

Chapter 205 How can there be such a person in the world

Pei Yuan looked at Zhao Sui seriously and said, "Has Deputy Commander Zhao never heard of the saying, 'If you learn from the best, you will only be average; if you learn from the average, you will be below average'?"

"The plan I made for you will provide a certain margin for error in case of any unexpected events."

"If the response from Nanzhi and the imperial court is not as expected, and we have no room for maneuver, wouldn't that be courting death?"

Zhao Sui's eyes moved, and he praised, "Brother Pei, you have thought it through."

Zhao Sui is different from Liu Liu and Liu Qi, two ruffians who came from the underworld. He has certain judgment on many things.

If 50,000 dan of grain could make him lose his mind, the Bazhou rebels would not have grown to such a large scale today.

However, Pei Yuan's attitude of considering a way out for the Bazhou rebels before making any plans really made it difficult for him to judge.

Could it be that Pei Yuan is really a man of great righteousness and loyalty?

No, he is just a captain of the Imperial Guard, what does he want?

Which side is this Jiang Gan from?

According to Zhao Sui's original thoughts, he also had to make some revisions to the plan proposed by Pei Yuan.

As long as there are a certain number of controllable deviations, it will be enough to turn the conspiracy against the Bazhou rebels into a trap that will backfire.

But Pei Yuan said it so frankly that Zhao Sui didn't know how to start.

Pei Yuan pointed at the map and continued, "Please look, everyone. Huai'an Prefecture is an important town on the Grand Canal, and the key is Shanyang County, the seat of the prefecture. If I'm not mistaken, when you chose to go south, you should have made a plan to raid Huai'an when necessary and force the court to go south for rescue."

Although the leaders did not answer, they all looked at Zhao Sui.

Pei Yuan thought to himself that it was true.

It seems that this is similar to my previous judgment.

Pei Yuan didn't even look at Zhao Sui, but took out another stone and drew another picture on the ground.

Bian Hua also explained to several leaders, "Everyone, this is a detailed map of Shanyang County, the seat of Huai'an Prefecture. Shanyang County is right next to the Grand Canal, and next to it is the important Huai'an Customs. Basically, any goods from the north that want to go south will pass through the Huai'an Customs."

"If Shanyang County is attacked, it will certainly cause a stir in the court and the country. Maybe even without the petitions from the Nanjing Military Department and those commanders, the court will urge Lu Wan to go south, giving you a chance to break through the government army's defenses."

Pei Yuan said this, and seeing several leaders nod slightly subconsciously, he knew that this should be their consensus.

At this moment, Pei Yuan suddenly said, "But I don't recommend that you attack Shanyang."

"Oh?" Liu Liu asked curiously, "Why is this?"

Zhao Sui, who had proposed this plan before, couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you make it very clear just now?"

Pei Yuan faced everyone's puzzled gazes and looked at Zhao Sui, "Deputy Commander Zhao is interested in Shanyang County. In addition to the important location of Shanyang County, he must have also taken a fancy to the huge amount of supplies gathered in Shanyang County."

"Yes." Zhao Sui responded, and then explained, "I had this plan before, but now it's over winter, and Shanyang County is located in the south. No one knows what the weather will be like in the future. What if by the time we reach the south of Huai'an Prefecture, the frozen river has begun to melt, and it will be difficult for us to escape."

After hearing this, Pei Yuan finally understood why the Huai'an rebels had been moving southward but had never had the determination to cut the Gordian knot.

It turned out that in addition to seeing through the court's conspiracy to drive them to the Huai River Basin, they were also worried that the spring would warm up early today and that the tributaries of the Huai River Basin would thaw too early.

Pei Yuan agreed, "It's hard to say. When I came here, several tributaries near Shanyang County were not frozen."

Pei Yuan then returned to the previous topic.

"I believe you all understand that Huai'an is just a major transportation route. Although goods from all over the country gather and disperse here, it is not the final consumption place for the goods. Therefore, the materials passing through Huai'an do not enter Shanyang County, but are traded in several surrounding trade markets."

Pei Yuan also added the fruits of his labor in the past few days, and pointed them out to everyone one by one, "These are the largest markets outside Huai'an City. The Huai'an that you have heard of is full of supplies and piled up like mountains. These are the places I am referring to."

When everyone looked at the points representing the market drawn by Pei Yuan on the detailed map of Shanyang County, they all suddenly realized and had a clearer understanding of the situation in Shanyang.

Liu Liu and Zhao Sui subconsciously thought that such a market outside the city would be like the granaries outside Suqian and Shuyang, where they could take whatever they wanted.

But Pei Yuan asked them, "Do you think that the big markets outside Shanyang County are like the granaries outside Suqian and Shuyang City, where you can take whatever you want?"

Liu Liu and Zhao Sui were both stunned and thought to themselves, what a guy.

Unexpectedly, Pei Yuan immediately poured a basin of cold water on them.

"Impossible."

Pei Yuan then drew a series of crooked lines connecting those markets. When he reached the end of the line, he swung it vigorously and swung a long side to indicate that it led to the distance.

Then, Pei Yuan explained to the leaders, "The reason why these places can form markets is because there are waterways connecting them, which makes it very convenient to transport goods to all directions. Therefore, many bulk goods are directly shipped by ship after being traded."

"I'm afraid that before your troops get close to Shanyang, the merchants in the market will scatter. Without a navy, what can you use to chase them?"

Liu Liu, Liu Qi and others were greatly disappointed after hearing this.

Originally this was a very important trump card of theirs, but they didn't expect it to lose its value like this.

Zhao Sui insisted, "Even if we can't get the supplies in Huai'an, as long as we launch a feint attack on Shanyang, we will still attract the attention of the court, and then our predicament will be resolved."

Pei Yuan did not deny this, and agreed, "It is indeed possible, but this may also cause you to be trapped in the Huai River Basin."

“Taking enough risks but not getting enough rewards is something that no wise man would choose.”

Hearing this, Zhao Sui did not argue.

Instead, he sighed, "Brother Pei is right, so if we can solve the current predicament with 10,000 taels of silver, we will not take the risk."

Pei Yuan's analysis completely explained their thoughts and made them feel completely disappointed.

Now it seems that following his advice is the best option.

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhao Sui's attitude.

He was confident that he could convince the two rough guys, Liu Liu and Liu Qi, so he turned to look at the last general, Qi Yanming.

Qi Yanming saw Pei Yuan looking at him.

He could not help but think of the idea that had been lingering in his mind, and he said directly with a solemn oath, "Whatever Brother Pei Xian said, I, Old Qi, will believe it, and there is no doubt about it!"

Pei Yuan looked at him with great satisfaction, then nodded slightly.

Then he looked at the leaders and said, "Originally, according to my plan, with the help of this money, I would be able to achieve my previous intentions, which would be enough to repay all of you brothers. But Marshal Qi's statement really touched me."

When Qi Yanming heard this, he subconsciously shuddered.

What does it mean?
The other leaders also had a vague premonition, and a wave of inexplicable emotions surged into their hearts.

Pei Yuan pointed at Qi Yanming and said, "Marshal Qi doubted me before, but I don't blame him. It's because he didn't understand me." Qi Yanming's heart was pounding when he heard this.

He said hurriedly, "Brother! I really want to take out my heart and liver and show it to you."

Pei Yuan nodded slowly and spoke.

"Now that Marshal Qi has such an attitude, I feel it is even more precious, so I decided to give him an unprecedented huge benefit!"

Liu Liu, who had benefited from it yesterday, suddenly felt that he had missed out on 100 million yuan. He was so anxious that he broke out in a sweat. "I believe it too! I believe it too!"

Although Zhao Sui was reserved and always considered himself a wise man, if he didn't speak at this time, when would he speak?
Isn’t begging just kneeling?
Not shabby at all!

Zhao Sui immediately became thick-skinned and coughed lightly, "Brother Pei, don't act on impulse. Think about Sixth Brother, and then think about me."

Pei Yuan didn't listen. He looked at the two men and said emotionally, "My two brothers, please let me be willful this time. I am really happy to see the transformation of Marshal Qi."

At this moment, in front of Qi Yanming, the two of them couldn't say anything more.

Qi Yanming quickly stepped forward and pulled the two men apart, "Get out of the way, I was just about to ask Brother Pei for advice."

Pei Yuan glanced at Qi Yanming who was eagerly approaching him, and changed the subject temporarily, "By the way, I bribed those guards in Nanzhi to stage a fake fight in Suqian. Do you have any objection to this?"

Liu Qi, who didn't say much this time, pointed to a location to the south and proposed again.

"If we go to Suqian, if the garrison troops from Jiangnan also come here, I'm afraid it will be difficult to control the situation and it will easily become a real thing. Brother Pei, how about having them stationed in Taoyuan County?"

Pei Yuan glanced at the map and said, "That's fine."

Then he confirmed with everyone, "Then we should move south as quickly as possible, march into Suqian, and then send a detachment to feint an attack on the Nanzhili government troops stationed in Taoyuan. When the main force of Lu Wan's government troops receives the order from the court and urgently moves south, we will seize their opportunity and return north. Is this general strategy okay?"

He added, "If there is no problem, I will write to the Nanjing Military Department to contact them about this matter."

After a brief discussion with Zhao Sui, Liu Qi agreed, "Okay."

Pei Yuan's plan, except for the need for a major battle to break out of the gap on the northern line, will basically not involve any substantial fighting and will not put the main force at risk. For the Bazhou Army, the safety level is very high.

Pei Yuan added, "In that case, the grain in Suqian will not be moved, and the 20,000 dan in Shuyang can be directly transported to Suqian."

Liu Qi replied, "Okay, I'll go pass on the message later."

At this time, Pei Yuan's gaze fell on Qi Yanming, who was in a daze.

When Qi Yanming saw Pei Yuan finally looking at him, he immediately asked excitedly, "What do you want, brother?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "This trip southward, if we only consider the original intention, can be completed smoothly. But it doesn't benefit Marshal Qi, which always feels incomplete. I should plan it for Marshal Qi."

Qi Yanming was so moved that he almost cried.

I didn't expect Pei Yuan to be so righteous and loyal.

Pei Yuan pointed to a place in the southeast of the map and said to the leaders, "Please look, this is actually a strategic location that is no less important than Shanyang County. Moreover, if we attack this place, the benefits we will gain will definitely far exceed attacking Shanyang."

"Where is this?" Zhao Sui tried hard to recall the map that Pei Yuan had drawn for him before, but he couldn't remember it.

Pei Yuan said, "This is Yancheng, where the salt fields of the Huaibei Salt Transport Branch are located! A large amount of salt is stored here, but there is only one guarding garrison responsible for defense."

"I can try to drain the troops from Huai'an Prefecture and gather them all in Taoyuan. Then Marshal Qi can lead a light force to raid Yancheng and seize a large amount of salt."

"Salt is silver, salt is wealth, and salt is a necessity for everyone! As long as we can capture Yancheng and rob the stockpile, the gains we get will be worth more than hundreds of thousands of stones!!"

Qi Yanming was shocked when he heard this. "Yancheng! The salt field of the Huaibei Salt Transport Branch!"

Pei Yuan also explained to Liu Qi, "Seventh Brother, although I have a selfish desire to be better to Marshal Qi, this does not affect our plan. Except that we may harvest too much and waste some manpower to transport it, it will not affect the rhythm of the army."

Liu Qi could still see clearly about this matter.

Although the several generals of the Bazhou Army each had their own camps, they were still united when faced with major events.

It was impossible for Zhao Sui and Liu Liu to watch Qi Yanming starve, and Qi Yanming naturally would not hold back the salt and prevent his brothers from having a taste of the salty food.

Overall, this is a very good thing for the Bazhou Army.

Liu Qi quickly said, "Brother Pei, why do you say that? Actually, this is your kindness to our Bazhou Army. You are so loyal that even your brother is a little overwhelmed."

Before Pei Yuan could speak, Zhao Sui, who had been staring at Yancheng for a long time, said seriously, "Brother Pei, I have a question. Please help me. If you can't help me, let alone the city full of salt, even if it is full of silver and gold, we dare not take the risk."

Pei Yuan looked at Zhao Sui and said calmly, "Do you doubt me?"

Zhao Sui frowned slightly, but before he could speak, Pei Yuan relaxed his brows and said with a smile, "It's okay, just tell me. I will let those who doubt me know where they are wrong."

Zhao Sui looked at Pei Yuan and asked seriously, "Could it be that Brother Pei is a saint?"

Pei Yuan's expression remained unchanged.

Zhao Sui asked himself and answered, "Not necessarily? I, Zhao Sui, have never seen any saints. Since Brother Pei is not a saint, then why is Brother Pei, as a member of the court, so kind to our Bazhou Army?"

Zhao Sui spoke bluntly. Liu Liu and Liu Qi also came to their senses and looked at Pei Yuan. Qi Yanming, who had been suspicious of Pei Yuan, tried to smooth things over. "Don't doubt this and that all the time. Brother Pei must have a reason. Just talk it out."

Pei Yuan smiled and said to Zhao Sui, "You doubt me? Very well, I will not only give you an endless supply of salt, but I will even have people exchange the excess salt for grain, meat, and cotton cloth!"

He looked at Zhao Sui and grinned, revealing a meaningful and strange smile.

"Those who doubt me will trust me more! And I will give you more!"

Zhao Sui looked at Pei Yuan's smile and couldn't help feeling creepy.

He was a very smart man. After thinking about Pei Yuan's words for a moment, it was like a flash of lightning flashing through his mind. He immediately asked, "Then, where do you plan to give me food, meat, and cotton cloth, Brother Pei?"

Pei Yuan smiled even more happily, "What? Are you starting to believe me?"

He looked at Zhao Sui, and the two smart men looked directly at each other.

Pei Yuan's smile disappeared and he said calmly, "In Henan, in Huguang, how do you feel?"

Zhao Sui looked at Pei Yuan and was speechless for a moment.

He already fully understood Pei Yuan's meaning...

He had an extremely absurd feeling in his heart.

The fact that an imperial official used the rebel army to help transport salt was truly outrageous.

Looking through the history books, is there such a person in the world?

(End of this chapter)