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

Chapter 280: Sometimes, the Ming Dynasty just doesn’t make sense

Pei Yuan had a rough idea in his mind.

Under Zhu Houzhao's slogan of "Military First, Ming Dynasty", the era of making great military achievements was about to begin.

Various military positions will quickly begin to become worthless.

A strange situation will soon occur where dozens of commanders and generals are crowded into one Jinyiwei.

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan felt an even stronger sense of urgency.

There will be more wolves than meat in the future. Tianjin is so close to the capital, and if we don’t make arrangements quickly, we will easily be targeted.

Pei Yuan searched his mind for other valuable places, intending to fill them in before the chaos broke out.

I just don’t know if He Huan, the commander of Huai’an Guard, has the appearance of a man who will live to be a thousand years old.

If He Huan was adopted as Zhu Houzhao's godson, the vacant Huai'an Wei would be a treasure land!

Pei Yuan was willing to take over the place even if it cost a huge price.

Pei Yuan thought about it, looked at Xiao Yan thoughtfully and asked, "What about you? Are you going back to Lu Ting?"

Xiao Yan shook his head and smiled happily, "I'm not going back, I'm not going back! I'm going to be an uncle, why should I go back? If I lose the battle, won't I have to pay the court for it?"

After saying this, he said smugly, "I don't expect to be granted a title of nobility. I only have two sons, and they will each live with the country in the future. I am content, I am content."

Okay, okay.

Pei Yuan asked Xiao Yan, "So what are your plans for the future?"

When Xiao Yan mentioned this, his voice unconsciously became louder, "Of course, we should go to the Five Military Commander's Office and take the position before anyone else takes it."

"That's awesome." Pei Yuan couldn't tell how he felt.

Although Pei Yuan was not very interested in the official position which did not bring him much actual military power, it did not stop him from being jealous of the nouveau riche.

Pei Yuan asked politely, "So where did you take a fancy to?"

Xiao Yan said, "Left Commander of the Central Military Commander's Office."

After that, he asked Pei Yuan, "Do you think I have this blessing?"

What the hell! The Left Commander of the Central Military Commandery, first rank!
Pei Yuan really isn't envious at all.

"It's not a big problem." Pei Yuan smacked his lips and finally gave a rational evaluation.

The first-rank left and right governors could not be appointed simply by merit.

Either you have to have the blood of a person who founded the country or quelled the rebellion, or you have to be a useless relative of the emperor's wife, or you have to be a family member of a eunuch.

As Xiao Jing's nephew, Xiao Yan meets these definitions of radish.

Moreover, they reported a reward of 40,000 this time. Although it was due to the favorable timing and location, the achievement was really too dazzling.

In order to capture the more than 100,000 bandit troops in Bazhou, the imperial court mobilized soldiers from the capital camp, border troops, and garrison troops, plus conscripted laborers to transport baggage, a total of no less than hundreds of thousands of people, and consumed countless amounts of food and money, which was a huge waste of money and manpower.

The results? Hardly worth mentioning.

Gu Dayong and Xiao Yan's trip consumed almost no resources from the court and yet reaped huge rewards.

In comparison, the results are naturally more dazzling.

If Pei Yuan was also involved, given that Pei Yuan did not have those carrot attributes, his final official position would most likely rise within the Jinyiwei sequence.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard certainly couldn't stop him.

Being a commander-in-chief is a bit difficult, but being a second-rank commander-in-chief is not a big problem.

In order to gain this false reputation, Pei Yuan would have to leave the Zhenxie Qianhu Office, lose his existing power, receive a slightly higher salary, drink tea at work every day, and after half a year, face competition from dozens of colleagues.

So, it can't be said that Pei Yuan envied Xiao Yan at all.

This time, Pei Yuan took Tianjin Wei and Xuzhou Zuowei. One was the throat that controlled the capital's grain transport, and the other mastered the shipbuilding technology. Both were very solid gains.

Pei Yuan was also very satisfied with this.

Overall, the division of spoils in Yanggu was successful, victorious, and united.

After talking about the happy things, they mentioned the departure.

Pei Yuan doesn't have to make much preparation, as Yanggu County will resupply the escort team.

Pei Yuan just needs to take his dirty money and leave Yanggu.

Considering that there were no large-scale bandit attacks on the subsequent roads, the three men agreed that there was no need to increase the number of guards.

The remaining 600-odd Xuzhou guards will be enough.

These soldiers had all seen blood, and faced with an enemy of overwhelming proportions, they not only did not collapse, but also put up a very brave resistance.

Captain Pei later carefully summarized the reasons.

He believed that the reason why the shipbuilders of Xuzhou Wei were able to achieve this level was entirely due to their lack of combat experience.

Because the serious garrison soldiers would have run away if they encountered such a situation.

But that's how it is, what has been experienced has been experienced, these people have gone through extremely difficult battles and have won a great victory.

When they face the enemy again, they will have a strong psychological advantage.

They have gone from being ignorantly prepared to fight against enemies that are twenty times their number to actually daring to fight against enemies that are twenty times their number!

Because they won!

Pei Yuan had privately assigned destinations to these Xuzhou guards.

Some of them followed Cheng Leixiang to Tianjin to help Cheng Leixiang open up the situation.

Some of them followed Ding Hong to Xuzhou Zuowei to help him stabilize the army.

Pei Yuan planned to take over the rest and make them his core force in the Northern Bureau.

Pei Yuan's first move in reorganizing the Northern Bureau of the Suppression of Evil Thousand Households was to seize financial power.

He would first discuss the numbers with the major temples and decide on a number that everyone felt was reasonable.

With soldiers and money, he can integrate the power of the Northern Bureau as a whole.

Pei Yuan tried to probe Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan had no interest in the men of Xuzhou Guard and said he would not interfere.

After Xiao Yan returns to the capital, he will be granted the title of Earl. With Xiao Jing, his senior brother who has been a eunuch for many dynasties, there is a very high possibility that he will be awarded the first-rank position of Left Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Governor's Office.

Afterwards, this self-aware guy planned to take the first-rank salary and treatment and lie down and enjoy life.

The grooms and guards he needed on a daily basis could be assigned to him by him, the Left General, following the proper procedures, and they could even be paid for with public funds.

The biggest trouble that Pei Yuan had withholding these troops from Xuzhou Wei might be the wrangling with Xuzhou Wei.

Pei Yuan is not afraid of arguments.

Pei Yuan detained these troops not for his own personal use, but also to do work for the Ming Dynasty. The most that Xuzhou Wei Commander Guo could do was to report Pei Yuan's misdeeds to the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commandery.

Xuzhou Wei was under the jurisdiction of Nanzhi, and was under the jurisdiction of the Nanjing Ministry of War in the administrative hierarchy, and under the jurisdiction of the Central Military Governor's Office in the military organization.

In other words, if Commander Guo filed a complaint, the complaint would eventually fall into the hands of Wang Chang and Xiao Yan respectively.

——Sometimes, it’s just unreasonable to talk to the Ming Dynasty.

Pei Yuan could say in a "rational" way that these soldiers of Xuzhou Wei were no longer there.

After agreeing on the departure time for tomorrow, Xiao Yan left with a sense of satisfaction.

Pei Yuan didn't have much to prepare, so he simply talked to his brothers and went back to his room to sleep.

The next morning, everyone who had rested for a long time in Yanggu County gathered together. Ding Hong also came with the captured young and strong men.

The soldiers of Xuzhou Wei have replenished their weapons and equipment, and regardless of whether they are combat soldiers or auxiliary soldiers, they have all been mixed together to participate in the defense along the way.

The task of transporting baggage was performed by the captured prisoners.

After the bandits in Bazhou were defeated, the threat posed by these bandits, who were mainly local young and strong men, was greatly reduced, and Ding Hong no longer controlled their diet.

These days, I look pretty good overall.

These young and strong men helped transport the baggage. Firstly, they could be spared from death. Secondly, Pei Yuan also promised them that as long as they sent the caravan to the capital, everyone would be given travel expenses to return home.

Without the harassment of bandits, it was much easier to set out on the road again.

After stopping along the way, we soon entered Dongchang Prefecture.

As soon as he entered Dongchang Prefecture, someone came to report that it was the current Prince De, Zhu Yourong, who wanted to see Eunuch Gu.

Everyone was very surprised and didn't know how the two were involved.

As a eunuch, how could Gu Dayong dare to meet the son of a vassal king in private?
However, as a royal slave, he could not refuse, so he called Pei Yuan and Xiao Yan to serve as witnesses.

The purpose of Prince De's visit to see Gu Dayong was quite simple.

He heard that Eunuch Gu led the people to defeat the Bazhou bandits who were plaguing Shandong, so he came to express his gratitude on behalf of the people of Shandong.

Moreover, he also wanted to see the heads of "Big Tiger" and "Sky Star" to represent his father, Prince De Zhu Jianlin, in person.

After Zhu Yourong finished speaking, everyone roughly understood it.

It should still be the "clear the court and support the virtuous king" incident.

Zhu Jianlin was of course very angry as he had to bear the blame for nothing.

However, as the younger brother of Emperor Chenghua and the grandfather of the current Emperor Zhengde, it was not appropriate for him to explain in a too humble manner, so he used this method to express his attitude.

The three of them discussed it quietly, and none of them wanted to offend this powerful vassal king.

In addition, Zhu Yourong's request was not excessive, so he agreed reluctantly and asked someone to bring the two already somewhat blurred heads, symbolically completing the "spitting in his face".

After leaving Dongchang Prefecture, the road became smoother and smoother. After passing the important node of Dezhou, we reached the territory of Northern Zhili.

Northern Zhili included Shuntian Prefecture, Baoding Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture, Zhending Prefecture, Shunde Prefecture, Guangping Prefecture, Daming Prefecture, Yongping Prefecture, as well as Longqing Prefecture and Baoan Prefecture.

Shuntian Prefecture refers to the Beijing area in a broad sense.

Bazhou was a scattered state under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture.

So one can imagine how strong the psychological impact of the Bazhou Rebellion was on the imperial court.

Even the people in the capital city rebelled. This is simply outrageous.

Pei Yuan, Xiao Yan and Gu Dayong now have a headache when they see Bazhou.

So the three of them unanimously decided not to enter Shuntian Prefecture directly, but to go through Hejian, then pass through Tianjin, and then go directly to Beijing.

When they arrived in Hejian, Pei Yuan treated Xiao Yan and Gu Dayong to a meal of donkey meat hotpot.

The three of them enjoyed the meal very much and ordered more before leaving reluctantly.

Hejian Prefecture was also the area where the three guards of Tianjin jointly defended.

Cheng Leixiang was reserved yet a little nervous, as if he was about to introduce his girlfriend to his family.

Fortunately, the journey was very smooth and no soldiers came to ask questions, which avoided early contact between the two sides.

Pei Yuan knew that he was completely safe here, so he found Chen Hutou who had been detained all the way and planned to let him go.

Chen Hutou was very silent along the way. He would curl up in the prison van when he had nothing to do and didn't say much.

He originally thought that he was being "sent to the capital in a cage" to be executed.

When Pei Yuan found him and said he would let him go, Chen Hutou was a little bit unbelieving.

He really wanted to ask Pei Yuan why, but he was afraid that Pei Yuan would really change his mind.

So he was so surprised that he could only look at Pei Yuan blankly.

Pei Yuan had a lot to say to him, but seeing his state, he lost interest.

He only said, "Tell all the leaders a good message. We are brothers, so please don't forget me. If you need me, you can send someone to Zhihua Temple to find me."

Chen Hutou couldn't imagine what kind of mentality Pei Yuan had in asking him to say hello to the big leaders.

But he really spoke so naturally.

After seeing off Chen Hutou, before the team arrived in Tianjin, Pei Yuan encountered an unexpected wave of reinforcements.

Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui actually chased after them with their own troops.

When Pei Yuan saw the two leading their troops over, he felt something was wrong. Damn it, why did these two old guys come so early? !

According to Pei Yuan's idea.

These two people have stayed in Nanjing for many years and must have many relatives and friends.

This time Pei Yuan asked them to go back just to give them a vacation so that they could take care of their own affairs.

Unexpectedly, these two guys returned to Nanjing, mobilized their troops, and rushed back directly.

This way.

How can you make a big fuss about taking a concubine?

Pei Yuan met the two centurions with a gloomy face.

As soon as the two of them finished their greetings, they stood aside seemingly obediently.

Captain Pei couldn't help but feel worried.

The sensible younger brother is about to leave, and the ignorant younger brothers come two at a time.

How should I hint to them not to tell tales to Han Qianhu casually?

Be direct and say that you don’t have dermatitis by telling tales?

It's a loss of grandeur.

Cheng Lei came over just in time, and Pei Yuan called out, "Come, come, come."

Pei Yuan pulled Cheng Leixiang aside and said to Tan Tai Fangtu and Si Kong Sui, "We will be staying in Jinghai County for one night. Now that we are in Cheng Leixiang's jurisdiction, let him entertain you."

After that, Pei Yuan said to Cheng Leixiang, "Just report the bill normally."

We are about to arrive in Beijing, and it’s time to use public funds.

Sikong Sui was a little surprised. What did Cheng Leixiang's jurisdiction mean? Could it be that Captain Pei had already divided the Northern Bureau's sphere of influence while they were away?
Don't look down on the elderly and poor.

He said quickly, "Captain, I wonder what's going on in General Cheng's jurisdiction? We have a lot of complicated affairs in the north, and everything is still in its infancy. We should be more cautious."

Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu discussed future matters on their way here.

Given Pei Qianhu’s strength, his future days will probably not be easy.

Fortunately, he doesn't have many capable people under his command now. If he performs well, he should be able to slowly change Captain Pei's impression of him.

Unexpectedly, he had just returned to the team and heard that Cheng Leixiang had already taken charge of the area.

What about Chen Toutie? What about Song Chunniang?
The key point is, what position do he and Tan Tai Fang Tu, the two old guys, hold in Pei Yuan's system?

(End of this chapter)