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

Chapter 214 Why teach me
Pei Yuan finally received news from Prince Ning and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The current situation was caused by him alone.

But once the trend was formed, it was unstoppable and he could no longer interfere.

Pei Yuan had made up his mind before that if he did not get any news from Prince Ning before the Bazhou Army went north, he would decisively give up these interests.

The news from Han Qianhu is just in time.

Pei Yuan perked up and continued to ask, "Is there anything else?"

Song Chunniang said, "Captain Han said that everything went smoothly, but he didn't mention anything else."

As she spoke, she looked at Pei Yuan and said with a smile, "Could it be that you did something big in Chaheji?"

As soon as Pei Yuan arrived in Huai'an, he looked for the market everywhere. After arriving at Chanhe Market, he was even more attentive.

Song Chunniang, who happened to be at the right time, was also used by Pei Yuan to gather intelligence.

The map in Han Qianhu's hand that records the location of the warehouse was made by Song Chunniang.

Although Pei Yuan left Chanheji later, when he asked Song Chunniang to look for Han Qianhu last time, he hinted that she could look for him in Chanheji.

After Song Chunniang arrived at Chanheji, as expected, she was found by Han Qianhu's men.

Then, after the Bazhou rebels moved south, Captain Han suddenly dispatched a large number of elite soldiers and stationed them in Chahe Town.

Just by connecting these events together, it was not difficult for Song Chunniang to guess what was going on.

Pei Yuan and Han Qianhu must be targeting those merchants in Chanheji, and they must be those soybean merchants!
Pei Yuan looked at Song Chunniang's expression and knew that he probably could not hide it from her anymore.

Even if there were no subsequent events, as long as the news of the plummeting and soaring prices of goods in Chanheji spread, Song Chunniang would definitely have guessed it.

Pei Yuan thought about it and wanted to reveal something to her so that she would know the seriousness of the matter.

But after hesitating for a long time, he still felt that the interests involved were too great, so he warned, "This is not something you should worry about."

Song Chunniang didn't get an answer, and thought that Pei Yuan was excluding her from the secret again as he did in the past, so she said "oh" in displeasure.

Pei Yuan's mind moved, and he said, "When I was in Sanyuan Palace before, I used the name of your Changfeng Escort Agency. I don't know what Yu Zhenzi will think afterwards. This is a hidden danger after all."

"The world is in turmoil right now, and I can't just turn a blind eye to it."

"I will give you a letter later, and you can ask someone to deliver it back. Your fellow apprentices will be incorporated into the Jinyiwei and work with you. As for Chief Escort Song, I can find a quiet temple in the capital to house him."

Pei Yuan was more specific. "Give him a small flag officer, like Cheng Leixiang's father, what do you think? If he doesn't want to work for the court, that's fine. Even if he moves to Beijing to retire, your income is enough to take care of him."

Among those who were recruited by the imperial court, Cheng Zhihu is the best example.

Now, not only is he treated like a big boss in Zhihua Temple, but his son Cheng Leixiang has also been promoted to the chief flag bearer.

These are things that Song Chunniang is familiar with.

Even if Chief Escort Song took into account the loyalty of the underworld and was unwilling to be a lackey of the imperial court, Song Chunniang's salary and rewards would be enough to support him in his old age.

Song Chunniang was so delighted when she heard this that she didn't even wait for her to express her gratitude.

Pei Yuan had already grabbed her by the collar and pulled her in front of him.

Song Chunniang thought of the times when Pei Yuan almost killed her, and she couldn't help but shiver subconsciously in fear.

Pei Yuan warned in a low voice, "What happened in Chaheji is related to the safety of the whole country. Please, please don't meddle in it."

Song Chunniang felt a little aggrieved after hearing this, "I didn't plan to do anything."

And she was really confused. Wasn't it just some business dealings in Chanheji? How could it involve the safety of the world?
Is it that exaggerated?

After Pei Yuan threatened Song Chunniang, he also felt that this matter was a bit too much.

The atmosphere is so tense. How am I going to deal with my best friend later?
Pei Yuan could only put Song Chunniang down and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Song Chunniang said, "No, no more."

The unfamiliarity and vigilance in the tone were indeed not conducive to the subsequent performance.

Pei Yuan had no choice but to say, "Okay, you stay here for a day. When I finish my work, you can go back and pass on the message."

Song Chunniang thought about it and realized that Captain Han had indeed not asked her to return as soon as possible to report back, so she lowered her brows and said, "I will obey your orders."

After Song Chunniang left, Pei Yuan sighed and thought that he would have to find another opportunity later.

Thinking that he had other important business to attend to, Pei Yuan got up and went to look for Liu Liu.

He had just left Liu Liu's place not long ago, and suddenly came back, which surprised Liu Liu.

Although Liu Liu is Liu Qi's elder brother, his personality is not as strong as his younger brother. Although important military affairs are discussed with him, it is usually Liu Qi who makes the final decision.

When Liu Liu saw Pei Yuan coming back, he couldn't help wondering, "Brother Pei, did you forget something or did you forget something?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Nothing else, I just came here to have a drink with Sixth Brother."

The Bazhou army had been in a mess between Feng and Pei for a while, and they didn't even have much meat to eat, let alone wine.

Pei Yuan still remembered that when he first arrived in the army of Liu Liu and Liu Qi, he had meatballs at the welcoming banquet the night before, and started eating egg batter the next day.

This time the entire city of Suqian surrendered, and many merchants were looted by the Bazhou army that entered the city without their knowledge.

I got a lot of wine and meat.

Since such a capable brother Pei is coming to drink, Liu Liu naturally cannot be stingy.

So Liu Liu called Liu Qi and Zhao Sui to accompany the guests.

These two people also had their own camps and occupied areas, so they naturally had no shortage of wine and meat. However, when they heard that it was a banquet for Pei Yuan, they both gave him face and rushed back.

As soon as Liu Qi arrived, he complained to Pei Yuan, "Brother, if you want Sixth Brother to treat us, you should have said so earlier. We have been back to the camp for such a long time, and now we have to rush back again."

Seeing Zhao Sui also enter the courtyard, Pei Yuan deliberately sighed and said, "I was a little worried. I was just thinking about getting drunk with Sixth Brother, but I didn't expect to alarm you two."

Liu Qi said frankly, "Brother, if you have any concerns, just tell me. If our Bazhou Army can do it, I, Liu Qi, will definitely not say a word."

Zhao Sui heard this, fearing that Liu Qixu was too straightforward, so he smiled and continued, "Yes, Brother Pei, please tell me first."

Pei Yuan seemed to hesitate for a moment, but finally shook his head and said to the two of them, "Forget it, let's drink!" Both of them were men of the world who were accustomed to the world, and they smiled at each other.

Even if Brother Pei doesn't say anything now about finding someone to drink with to relieve his troubles, he will surely tell the truth after a few drinks.

They both said, "Then forget about those troubles and get drunk first."

Liu Liu had already had the banquet prepared, and had several large wine jars placed in front of the hall. He also found a pretty maid to be in charge of filtering the wine.

When several large cups were filled with wine, Liu Qi took a sip first to satisfy his craving, and then disguisedly invited everyone to drink together.

After a few rounds of drinking, Pei Yuan was a little tipsy.

So he narrowed his eyes, breathed out the smell of alcohol, and kept silent.

When the Liu brothers and Zhao Sui saw Pei Yuan starting to sway forward, they knew it was time for him to start talking drunkenly.

So they waited calmly.

Pei Yuan read the note for a while, then took advantage of being drunk to speak, "To be honest, I came to see Sixth Brother this time because of an important matter."

As the person involved, Liu Liu took the initiative to pat his chest and said, "Brother, just speak up. What Lao Qi said just now is what I mean. You have done your best for our Bazhou Army. Don't we know what is good and what is bad?"

After hearing this, Pei Yuan glanced at Liu Qi and raised his glass again, saying, "I toast to Brother Qi."

Zhao Sui smiled and said, "That's what I meant, too. Why don't you toast me together?"

Although he had some doubts about Pei Yuan, the Jinyiwei, he felt that what Liu Liu said just now was indeed correct.

Apart from anything else, Pei Yuan has indeed done his best for the Bazhou Army.

Especially in Zhao Sui's eyes, the fact that Pei Yuan gave them a relatively complete map of the world situation was probably of immeasurable help to them.

What's more, they also delivered food and salt, helped formulate strategies, and helped to strengthen the government army's defense line.

Even if Pei Yuan had his eyes on the salt from the Lianghuai Salt Transport Branch, so what?
Is there any bold businessman in the world who would dare to do the salt business with the Bazhou Army?

If we cannot get supplies from afar and have to rely solely on looting along the way, we will definitely get into trouble.

No matter how powerful the Bazhou Army was, could they steal cotton cloth from Songjiang or grain from Suzhou?
In a sense, Pei Yuan's help to the Bazhou Army in converting salt into cash was not a reward from the Bazhou Army to Pei Yuan. Instead, the Bazhou Army owed Pei Yuan more of a favor.

In this situation, if Pei Yuan put forward some requests that did not violate the ethics of the martial arts world, not to mention generous people like Liu Liu and Liu Qi, even Zhao Sui would feel that he had to help Brother Pei get the job done no matter what.

Pei Yuan was also quite moved by Zhao Sui's words and raised his glass to him again, "Then I also toast to Deputy Commander Zhao."

The three of them drank their glasses at the same time, and then looked at Pei Yuan, wanting to hear what Pei Yuan had to say.

Then Pei Yuan said, "Originally, there was one thing, but seeing all of you brothers being so loyal, it has become two things."

The three of them burst into laughter after hearing this, and said, "Go ahead and tell me."

Pei Yuan then said the first thing, "Brothers, you should all know why I came to Bazhou Army this time."

The three of them were stunned after hearing this. Yes, why did Pei Yuan come?

Why does it feel like Pei Yuan came here just for their Bazhou Army? Brother Pei really cares about the Bazhou Army.

Just as Liu Liu and Liu Qi, who were a little drunk, were thinking about whether the Pei brothers were going to join them, Zhao Sui remembered Pei Yuan's original purpose, "Are you here for King Ning?"

Then he realized, "Brother, are you worried about Prince Ning's affairs?"

Pei Yuan sighed, "That's right."

"This..." Liu Liu and Liu Qi, who had come to their senses, were also troubled.

Not to mention that they have no intention of joining others at the moment. Even if they have that intention, Prince Ning is not their first choice.

Brother Pei made it very clear that day. Although Jiangxi is a place with key mountains and rivers, the Gan River runs through it. If you want to defend it, you must guard both the land and water entrances at the same time.

However, Jiangxi's population resources are not sufficient to support both land and water fronts, and there is no future at all for rebellion and separatism there.

Liu Liu and Liu Qi were both rough-tempered people. Not long after they finished speaking, they didn't know how to respond, so they looked at Zhao Sui.

Zhao Sui heard this and said to Pei Yuan without hiding anything, "Brother Pei, this is making things difficult for us. If we were brothers, a few down-and-out gangsters, we would have no problem sticking our necks out for you. But there are more than 100,000 soldiers in the Bazhou Army, how can we do you a favor?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Of course I won't embarrass you brothers."

Zhao Sui heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this, raised his hand and said, "I'd like to hear the details."

Pei Yuan said, "I received a letter from Jiangxi saying that King Ning has always admired you heroes. If he cannot allow you to surrender because of his lack of virtue, he will not complain."

"There is just one thing. If it can be done, it will be beneficial to both sides. Let the commanders consider it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sui said, "Brother Pei, please speak first."

Pei Yuan said, "My brothers, you have invaded Shandong several times, so you must know about Prince De Zhu Jianlin. Zhu Jianlin is the second son of Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, and his fiefdom is in Licheng, Jinan Prefecture. His power is extremely large, and he is loyal to the emperor."

"So Prince Ning and Prince De started to have some dirty dealings. Prince Ning meant that if the Bazhou Army could raise the slogan of 'clearing the emperor's side and supporting the virtuous prince' and threaten to support Prince De Zhu Jianlin as the emperor, then my efforts would not be in vain."

Liu Liu and Liu Qi both frowned slightly after hearing this.

Liu Qi couldn't help but say, "We, the people of Bazhou, rebelled precisely because of Zhu Ming's tyranny. Why do we need to support the establishment of a King of De?"

Pei Yuan explained, "It's just verbal."

Liu Qi frowned and said, "That's not good either. How can I explain this to my brothers?"

He has something that he can't say too clearly.

Many powerful people were willing to follow him in rebellion. Of course, there was the factor that the officials forced the people to rebel, and the people had no choice but to rebel. However, there were also some people who saw that the Bazhou army was powerful and had more than 100,000 capable soldiers and horses, and that they did have the foundation for changing the dynasty, so they hoped to gain the credit of following the emperor.

You are going to support King Baode, so why should we follow you?
Support King Baode. Can’t we support King Baode ourselves?

Besides, if we go to support King Baode, why don't we cut off your head and offer it to support the emperor?
Zhao Sui pondered for a while, then said to Liu Qi, "Seventh brother, please be patient, I will ask you in detail."

After Liu Qi stopped talking, Zhao Sui said to Pei Yuan, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a counter-espionage plot by Prince Ning, who wants to take the opportunity to alienate the relationship between the De Fan and the emperor."

Pei Yuan said, "Yes, that's exactly what I meant. King Ning just wants to cause some trouble for the emperor. This matter actually does not conflict with what you are going to do. Although you will suffer a loss in name, you will get actual benefits."

Zhao Sui said, "If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. I am afraid that if we lose our reputation, our Bazhou Army will not be able to convince the people. If the people below start to have doubts, the Bazhou Army may be destroyed in an instant. Brother Pei is a smart man, I wonder how you can teach me?"

(End of this chapter)