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

Chapter 209 Unfounded
Being called "Xiao Qi" in front of all the brothers was indeed a bit embarrassing.

But Qi Yanming didn't think so.

As the first person to face the impact of Pei Yuan's success theory, Qi Yanming regretted so much that he almost died on the spot after seeing his brothers taking 50,000 shi of grain because of their support for Pei Yuan.

So in the next disagreement, Qi Yanming, who firmly believed that Pei Yuan was testing him, decisively chose to support him.

The effect is almost immediate.

Pei Yuan immediately returned the favor and showed Qi Yanming the way to rob the Lianghuai Salt Transport Branch in Yancheng.

Although Zhao Sui later said that Pei Yuan also had his plans.

But aren’t your own advantages also visible?
After this incident, Qi Yanming sent Jiao Fang's granddaughter to Pei Yuan. In addition to thanking Pei Yuan, he also wanted to eliminate internal risks.

Qi Yanming also grew up in the underworld and is very familiar with the story of the Three Kingdoms.

He remembered how Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu turned against each other.

Zhao Sui was determined to kill Jiao Fang's granddaughter, while Liu Liu was determined to protect her.

This matter has been deadlocked for so long, and the impact it has brought is no longer just the fate of the little beauty, but also the face of both groups of people.

Pei Yuan happened to be the person that Zhao Sui and Liu Liu did not want to offend. Moreover, the two armies had just received a large amount of food from Pei Yuan, so it was not easy to argue about it.

So Pei Yuan became a very suitable person to resolve this matter.

That's why Qi Yanming thought that instead of keeping the little beautiful Jiao, it would be better to do Pei Yuan a favor.

Unexpectedly, this incident, and the subsequent developments, actually made Pei Yuan say to himself alone, "The road has become wider."

Qi Yanming has just been wondering what "the road has become wider" means?
When he heard Pei Yuan calling him "Xiao Qi", he immediately remembered the words "the road has become wider" before. It seemed like he was joking and asked Pei Yuan to call him "Xiao Qi".

so?
Is that the broad path that you can take?
Qi Yanming is a man with ideas, otherwise he would not have been able to become the commander-in-chief of a rebel army.

When he heard Pei Yuan's call, he looked around uncomfortably.

Then I thought about Pei Yuan's action. He did it in front of the Nanjing Minister of War. Could it be that Brother Pei had other intentions?
Or is it still a test for myself?

Qi Yanming couldn't figure it out.

Go over and ask.

he thought.

So he rode out and rushed towards Pei Yuan and Wang Chang.

When Pei Yuan heard the sound of horse hooves, Wang Chang also heard the sound of horse hooves.

He looked behind Pei Yuan and saw a strong horse galloping towards him. On the horse was a general with long arms and legs, holding a large spear in his hand, and the momentum looked like a charge of thousands of troops.

Wang Chang also heard Pei Yuan's words at this time, and was immediately shocked and speechless.

"Ba, Bazhou's thief leader..., Qi Yanming?!"

This is one of the biggest traitors in the world!

He is one of the six thief generals requested by the emperor himself!

Just, just call him over with just the word "Xiao Qi"?
What were the hundreds of thousands of troops of the imperial court doing?

Wang Chang thought he had some understanding of Captain Pei, but he didn't expect that what he knew was only the tip of the iceberg of Captain Pei.

The people on the city wall also saw another powerful general rushing out from the enemy army, and for a moment, there were constant exclamations.

Wang Chang only became afraid when he heard the noise on the city wall.

He just wanted to come out to meet Pei Yuan and show off in front of all the civil and military officials in the city, but the person who came now was Qi Yanming, the thief leader of Bazhou.

Judging from the huge spear in his hand, it would be as easy for him to smash his own head as to hit a melon.

And what is Wang Chang's identity? He is the Minister of War of Nanjing and the Grand Marshal of the South!

If Qi Yanming killed Wang Chang, it would definitely be a major event that would shock the world.

But at this moment, Wang Chang's legs were very weak, and Qi Yanming was pressing down on him like a storm, so it was too late for him to run away.

Wang Chang could only shout for help, "Captain Pei."

Pei Yuan turned around and saw Qi Yanming's mighty power. He praised in his heart that this horse-riding general was indeed different.

However, how come such a powerful person makes people want to shout "My son Fengxian" for no apparent reason?

No no no.

This idea is so ominous.

Pei Yuan killed this fatal thought and turned to comfort Wang Chang, "Don't panic, Grand Marshal. This dog and this person are not hostile."

When Qi Yanming arrived, he saw an official from the imperial court standing by and was afraid of causing trouble for Pei Yuan, so he hung his spear on his horse, clasped his fists and said, "Greetings, Captain Pei."

Pei Yuan looked at him for a few more times before turning back to Wang Chang and asking, "How is it, what did you say just now?"

Pei Yuan's words stunned both of them.

Wang Chang reacted quickly and immediately thought of Pei Yuan's words, "If he is willing to come, I will protect him."

Wang Chang asked in astonishment, "You want to protect Qi Yanming?"

Qi Yanming just came here and is not clear about the situation yet.

Hearing this court official say this, I was even more confused.

Fortunately, Pei Yuan finally paid attention to Qi Yanming at this time. He kicked his horse to move, allowing the three of them to sit on their own so that they could talk more conveniently.

He said gently to Qi Yanming, "The world situation is changing rapidly, so I won't talk about success or failure. We are all smart people, and I believe we all know our limits."

Pei Yuan said this, looking towards the Bazhou rebels.

He continued, "Before, you led thousands of cavalrymen to march across Hebei. Because you came and went like the wind, the imperial court could not control you, and you made a great show."

"But you have too few men and can only inflict damage to the imperial court. Even if you win eight or ten times, as long as you are caught by the imperial court, I'm afraid that just one blow will be enough to seriously injure you."

Pei Yuan saw Qi Yanming was about to speak, so he raised his hand to stop him and said, "Just listen to me."

Seeing Qi Yanming remained silent, Pei Yuan continued, "So you quickly expanded the size of your army and gathered a large number of auxiliary troops. Soon you were able to capture counties and prefectures one after another, and you were so powerful that you could march back and forth across the north."

"but?"

"The rapid expansion of scale has not brought more benefits, but has rapidly expanded your weaknesses."

"You now have more than 100,000 people. Even if you attack one county at a time, how long will the food you collect from each county last you?"

"Every time you capture a county, it will be destroyed, and more refugees will come to you."

"There was no spring planting last year, so there was no autumn harvest last year. There will be no spring planting this year, so there will be no autumn harvest this year either."

"You're running around trying to feed hundreds of thousands of mouths, but it's barely bringing any growth."

"Remember my map? As you ravage more land, your future situation will inevitably become more difficult."

Qi Yanming, who was about to speak, fell completely silent.

Pei Yuan continued, "You have eaten up all the food in Hebei, Shandong, and Henan, causing the destruction of many farmers in those areas. Even if some places can replant and harvest, I'm afraid they won't be able to harvest much this year."

"If the prefectures and counties in Huguang are also destroyed and the stored grain is eaten up, what will you do in the future?" Seeing that Qi Yanming seemed a little depressed, Pei Yuan observed him and said, "Forget it, you will slowly understand these things in the future. I called you here this time for another matter."

Qi Yanming was a little depressed, but still said, "Please give me some advice, Master."

Pei Yuan looked at Qi Yanming and asked, "I also know that you leaders are very loyal, and I have no intention of trying to persuade you. But if I plan to save your life, it won't be considered a violation of your loyalty, right?"

Qi Yanming was speechless after hearing this. What kind of question was this?

He sighed and said, "I hope Qianhu will speak clearly."

Pei Yuan nodded and then looked at Wang Chang.

"Tomorrow night, according to the previous plan, I will let the Bazhou rebels organize a feint attack at night, and then let them burn down the camp outside. At that time, you can report the war damage to the court as soon as possible. This matter cannot be delayed."

Wang Chang had now come back to his senses from Pei Yuan's words and said solemnly, "I understand."

"As for Qi Yanming," Pei Yuan pointed and said, "When the Bazhou army returns north, when you report your achievements, add him to the list and say that you have killed the Bazhou bandit leader Qi Yanming. Remove his name from the court."

Pei Yuan specifically mentioned, "It counts as your military merit."

It's such a pity that a man like this was taken away to be made into a human skin saddle...

"What?" Qi Yanming was shocked. No, how could he be killed?
Wang Chang also understood Pei Yuan's meaning and panicked for a moment. "Captain, no! No! Falsely reporting military achievements will cause big trouble!"

Pei Yuan said to Qi Yanming, "You may not know that the emperor hates the Bazhou army very much and vows to capture the six bandit leaders led by the Liu brothers. I plan to erase your name so that the emperor won't worry about you."

Pei Yuan also explained his intention, "As long as your reward is gone, others will not bother with me. If that day comes, maybe I can save your life."

Wang Chang felt that Pei Yuan's idea was a bit far-fetched.

He ignored Qi Yanming's presence and reminded him seriously, "Captain, you have to think it over carefully. If you remove Qi Yanming's name now, you will be stealing credit from Lu Wan and Gu Dayong. How could they agree to that?"

"Besides, Qi Yanming is definitely alive. We can't fool anyone in the world!"

Pei Yuan waved his hand and said, "This is a small matter. I have been unhappy with Gu Dayong for a long time, and I have arranged for someone to replace him as the military supervisor."

"As for Lu Wan, his contributions are enough. There is no need for him to make trouble and risk offending so many guards by getting involved in this matter."

"He is now the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. It is only a matter of time before he takes over as the Minister of War. Ministry of War, now is the time to do some favors for your subordinates, so that people will listen to you in the future."

When Wang Chang heard this, he was immediately attracted.

"Are you going to use Gu Dayong?"

Pei Yuan hummed, "I won't hide it from you. The one who did it was the eunuch Lu Ting. There won't be any problems on the front line regarding Qi Yanming's matter. Nanzhili also made a contribution in this battle, so it won't be a big problem if we share the credit in advance."

"As long as the people at the table agree, it doesn't matter what others say."

"Lu Ting?" Wang Chang had some impression of him. "He seems to be someone who knows military affairs."

Pei Yuan had seen Lu Ting's moves and commented, "It's just so-so."

"As for the fact that Qi Yanming is not dead...what truth can those bandits tell? It is totally unworthy of refutation."

"Maybe they hired someone to impersonate me in order to spread rumors."

"This kind of thing is unwarranted."

Pei Yuan and Wang Chang chatted casually about the personnel arrangements for the army to suppress the rebellion, and did not shy away from mentioning the Bazhou bandit leader next to them.

This made Qi Yanming, who was feeling confused, feel very wonderful.

No?

Would the current Minister of War of the imperial court call himself a humble official in front of a thousand households?
Did you, Captain Pei, just replace Gu Dayong, the eunuch in charge of military affairs, just because you wanted to?
Also, who is Lu Ting?
As he thought about it, Qi Yanming couldn't help but become full of doubts.

Are there some problems with the Ming Dynasty’s system?

Pei Yuan said to Qi Yanming casually, "It would be great if you could try to stay out of the spotlight after this battle."

By this time, Qi Yanming had recovered from the bleak prospects of the Bazhou Army.

He sighed, but said firmly, "I know Brother Pei means well, but Qi Yanming will never do anything to betray his loyalty. As long as the Bazhou Army is there, I, Qi Yanming, will live honorably. If the Bazhou Army is gone, I, Qi Yanming, will die honorably."

Pei Yuan just pretended not to hear.

He turned to Wang Chang and said, "It's enough for the three of us to know about this matter. Those guards in Nanzhi can't get on our ship for a while. There's no need to mention anything that shouldn't be mentioned."

Wang Chang heard something else and said nothing.

Qi Yanming was a little confused. Did this bastard listen to me?

Fortunately, Pei Yuan took care of Qi Yanming's emotions and said to him, "I didn't intend to hurt your loyalty. If you are willing to die with them when the Bazhou army can't hold on, it's up to you. If you want to live, when you are caught, shout that you want to see the eunuch Lu Ting."

Pei Yuan looked at Qi Yanming calmly, "I want to protect you. This has nothing to do with you."

Although it had nothing to do with him, how could Qi Yanming not know Pei Yuan's good intentions? He was a little confused for a moment.

Pei Yuan felt a little regretful. In such a domineering moment, he always felt like something was missing.

He Qi Yanming said, "You go back first. If anyone asks, just say I want to discuss the feint attack tomorrow night with the Minister of War, and I want you to be a witness."

Qi Yanming didn't say much, just clasped his fists, and rode away on his horse.

The two men watched him leave, and Wang Chang asked in confusion, "Captain, why are you protecting him?"

Pei Yuan's eyes did not move, and he answered subconsciously, "Without Qi Yanming's military merit, how can you guarantee your promotion to Right Censor-in-Chief?"

"Moreover, so many garrisons in Nanzhi sent out troops, but in the end they suffered heavy losses and achieved nothing. How can we explain this to the court?"

"By then, let alone the Right Censor-in-Chief, I'm afraid you won't even be able to keep your position as the Minister of War."

Wang Chang was surprised when he heard this and asked, "Could it be that the captain is willing to take this risk just for me?"

Pei Yuan turned around and asked, "What do you think?"

If Wang Chang had not just witnessed the deep love and friendship between Pei Qianhu and Qi Yanming, he might have really believed it.

Wang Chang thought he should show off his wisdom a little, so he said, "I thought the captain was planning to use false reports of military merit to tie the commanders of Nanzhi to the same boat with us."

Pei Yuan said, "This is just a trivial aspect. Reporting military merits indiscriminately may seem scary now, but in a few months you will know what is outrageous."

The one who gained the most military merits after the war was Zhu Houzhao. After all, this was related to Zhu Houzhao's plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty.

A large number of Zhu Houzhao's adopted sons, eunuchs, and eunuchs' families took the opportunity of being rewarded for their merits in suppressing the rebellion to officially begin to seize power.

The rise of Lu Ting, Zhang Zhong and others cannot be viewed in isolation. From a global perspective, they are completely in line with this larger context.

Zhu Houzhao was eager to reshuffle the army, but the failure of Liu Jin's new policy made him change direction too quickly and he did not have many reliable troops at his disposal.

What should I do if I don’t have a reliable team and I need to take control of the military power as soon as possible?

What a clever little guy Zhu Houzhao is.

In addition to employing a large number of eunuchs other than the Eight Tigers, he followed the example of his ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang and began to adopt a large number of young generals as his adopted sons and forcibly establish close relationships with them.

Over the years alone, Zhu Houzhao had more than a hundred adopted sons.

Most of them suddenly rose to high positions in recent years, and then were brutally massacred with the end of the Zhengde Dynasty.

Pei Yuan raised his chin slightly and gestured to the Bazhou Army, "Qi Yanming doesn't understand me yet. When he understands me, he will regard me as a god."

(End of this chapter)