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

Chapter 283 Flexible Plan

Pei Yuan, who had released all the pressure and was now completely stress-free, was actually very excited.

Finally going home.

I, Pei Yuan, now have money and connections, who dares to look down on me?
Is it the old man Zhang who sells chestnuts at the Lantern Festival, the Li Siniang who refuses to sell wine unless you pay in cash, or the little maid from the Music Bureau who practices music in the courtyard every day?
The closer he got to Beijing, the more confused Pei Yuan's mind became.

Chen Toutie and Cheng Leixiang came to ask for instructions on how to resettle these officers and soldiers of Xuzhou Guard.

Pei Yuan didn't want to think about it, so he asked about Chen Toutie and Cheng Leixiang instead.

These were the troops of Xuzhou Guard that Pei Yuan had forcibly seized, so of course they could not be arranged in the normal way.

Pei Yuan’s so-called Northern Bureau now doesn’t even have a basic office space.

Not to mention things like stationing soldiers and setting up arsenals.

Cheng Leixiang had not yet received the documents from the Ministry of War, so he could not take people directly to Tianjin for resettlement.

Chen Toutie suggested that Xiao Yan should help think of a solution, but Pei Yuan decisively refused.

He has received a lot of help from Xiao Yan this time.

Although Pei Yuan possessed the basic political qualities of "smiling on the face and having weapons in the hands", he was always asking people for help, so he was inevitably looked down upon.

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "It's unlikely that these soldiers from Xuzhou Guards can enter the capital just like that. First, use the official document given by the eunuch Lu Ting, the commander of military affairs, to ask them to deposit their weapons at the post station. Then we can let these people stay in Zhihua Temple temporarily."

At this point, Pei Yuan asked Cheng Leixiang, "Is it okay for Zhihua Temple to accommodate several hundred people?"

Cheng Leixiang patted his chest and assured, "No problem. I can ask my father to help arrange this matter."

Zhihua Temple itself is a large temple, covering a large area and with many Buddhist halls and palaces.

Besides, not many people go there to burn incense now, so as long as the temple is closed, it will be no problem to accommodate hundreds of people in seclusion.

Cheng Leixiang's father, Cheng Zhihu, is like a big boss in Zhihua Temple. He doesn't have to worry about the monks in Zhihua Temple not cooperating.

"Okay, you have to arrange this in advance."

Pei Yuan remembered something and ordered, "Oh, by the way, don't tell those Xuzhou guards about my intentions for now, to avoid any changes."

Pei Yuan wanted to dismember these soldiers who had experienced hard battles and make them a sharp sword in his hands.

At present, this matter is just Pei Yuan's wishful thinking and has not yet been made public to the soldiers of Xuzhou Guard.

Pei Yuan still has strong confidence in keeping these people.

Whether these people followed me to transfer to the Jinyiwei, or went to Tianjinwei and Xuzhou Zuowei, it would be better than returning to Xuzhou to work as hard-working shipbuilders.

There is no doubt that those who go to Tianjin Wei and Xuzhou Zuowei will be trained by Cheng Leixiang and Ding Hong. After going there, everyone can start as a small official.

Moreover, Cheng Leixiang and Ding Hong both came from the lower classes and had no military connections. They were able to simply and crudely promote their own people to positions such as centurions or thousand-man commanders in a very short period of time.

They have backers and people who can keep things under control, so what is there to worry about?
Especially Cheng Leixiang.

When he followed Pei Yuan on this trip south, he finally saw what lawlessness meant.

When the Huben Zuowei was massacred, Captain Pei didn't even blink.

At that time, Pei Yuan was just a passing centurion.

Now that Cheng Leixiang himself is the commander of Tianjin Garrison, can't he manage the people under his command?

If not, then all of them will be killed.

Cheng Leixiang even felt that he had an obligation to exchange experiences with Ding Hong, lest that guy be too incompetent and affect Pei Qianhu's layout.

As for the Jinyiwei who stayed with Pei Yuan, their interests would naturally be protected by Pei Yuan.

However, although these arrangements are good, they are just empty promises at present and are not very convincing.

At least we have to wait until the official approval of Cheng Leixiang and Ding Hong's promotion to commander comes down before we can talk about the future with the soldiers of Xuzhou Guard.

So Captain Pei told the soldiers openly that he, Pei Yuan, intended to ask the court for rewards for the battle of Yanggu on behalf of his brothers in Xuzhou Guard.

After the rewards are distributed, they will be sent back to Xuzhou to prevent the rewards from being stripped away by the officials of Xuzhou Wei.

The soldiers of Xuzhou Guards were very happy to hear these words.

Because rewards being stripped away layer by layer is the norm in this world.

They had admired Pei Yuan's bravery and strategy along the way, and now that Pei Yuan was about to leave, he was still able to put himself in their shoes and think about them, which moved them all.

Pei Yuan originally thought that he could temporarily avoid asking Xiao Yan for help, but he didn't expect that he would still have to ask Xiao Yan for help in the end.

The main reason is that Beijing is not anywhere else.

Not to mention hundreds of elite soldiers entering the city for no reason, even if ordinary people wanted to enter the city, their travel permit documents needed to be strictly checked.

When Xiao Yan heard that Pei Yuan was looking for him for this matter, he also found it a bit tricky.

Although he did not think that these several hundred disarmed people could cause much trouble in the city, if he really took it to extremes, it would not be easy to explain if they led troops into the city without permission.

He tactfully advised Pei Yuan, "The commander has been busy for more than a year. Now that you have returned to the capital, it's time to enjoy yourself. Why bother with those military affairs?"

"These past few days, I've also gotten to know your evil suppression Thousand Households Office, and I'm not completely ignorant of the duties of a Thousand Households Office."

"The main responsibility of a thousand households in Beijing is to supervise the various temples and palaces to prevent the emergence of evil cults that may mislead people. By the way, they also have to supervise the taxation of the temples. However, most of the temples and palaces in Beijing were built by the inner palace and noble families. How could there be any evil cults?"

"Even if it's about taxation, many larger temples are temple properties donated by the royal family and the harem, so they don't need to pay taxes. Which of the smaller temples and palaces dares to offend you, Taoist Zhenji?"

"The thousand households are still recruiting soldiers and expanding their strength. I really don't dare to think about it, brother."

After hearing this, Pei Yuan knew that Xiao Yan didn't want to get involved in this mess.

He first briefly explained his intention, "It is precisely because many temples and palaces in Beijing are related to the inner palace and nobles that they are difficult to control."

"The larger temples certainly don't worry about taxes, but there are many descendants' temples under their names that take the opportunity to conceal their temple assets and harbor filth. The smaller temples may appear to be submissive, but they are more likely to cross the line and act lawless."

"These things still need to be managed. If you want to do something, you can't do it without people."

Pei Yuan saw that Xiao Yan was listening inattentively and knew that Xiao Yan didn't take it to heart, so he lowered his voice and spoke again.

"Besides, there is one more thing. These hundreds of people were all eyewitnesses of the battle in Yanggu. If we let them go, what will happen if they talk nonsense outside? It would be better if I, your brother, stay by your side so that everyone can feel more at ease."

When Xiao Yan heard this, his expression changed immediately.

In the battle of Yanggu, the Xiao family produced two uncles.

Anyone with a bit of common sense would never believe that Xiao Yan and Xiao Tong, two playboys from eunuch families, had the ability to capture the enemy commander alive in the midst of chaos.

Now all official documents are logically self-consistent, the only trouble lies with the people who experienced it at the time.

If no one is willing to interfere, it will be fine. But if there are political enemies who want to attack him or Xiao Yan behind him, this may become a fatal weakness. Moreover, two uncles!
This is something that the Xiao family is determined to protect at the cost of their lives.

If Xiao Yan hadn't lacked the courage, he would have wanted to kill all the people who knew about it.

If what Pei Yuan said is true, it would be a good idea for Pei Qianhu, a stakeholder, to take control of the matter.

Xiao Yan immediately made a decision and said to Pei Yuan, "My uncle has recently been ordered to repair Chenglu Temple. I can bring them into the city in the name of craftsmen. But you must not cause any trouble for me."

Pei Yuan patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I have sent a letter to Han Qianhu by express horse, asking her to count the vacancies in the Qianhu Office. Most of the people here will have a complete and formal identity."

So sometimes the operations within the system are just so flexible.

It was extremely difficult for Pei Yuan to transfer these people from Xuzhou Guard to Zhenxie Qianhu Suo, but as long as he used these people to fill some vacancies in the Qianhu Suo and directly changed their names, they would become the emperor's personal army.

Just like He Ru, the person Pei Yuan intended to win over, who was working as the chief clerk in Shangyuan County of Yingtian Prefecture.

When that guy was the inspector of Guangdong, he was able to persuade the Portuguese to surrender and even get hold of Portuguese galleys.

He is definitely a top talent in Pei Yuan's mind.

Unfortunately, the imperial court did not recognize his talent, and the reward given to him was only a promotion from Guangdong inspector to the chief clerk of Shangyuan County, Yingtian Prefecture.

Being promoted from the ninth rank to the regular ninth rank is so shabby.

In order to win over He Ru, Pei Yuan had already directly asked Han Qianhu for a vacant position of sixth-rank pacification officer.

If the normal procedures were followed, it would be extremely difficult for He Ru, a ninth-rank official, to jump from the sixth rank.

But it becomes simple with flexible operation.

He Ru, the ninth-rank chief clerk of Shangyuan County, could simply die on the spot, then change his name and make a brilliant debut as a new sixth-rank pacification officer.

This sixth-rank Zhenfu can be guaranteed to be a clean shell. Counting back several generations, it only exists on paper, and there will definitely not be any ignorant relatives who will come forward to testify.

According to the latest news, He Ru has gladly accepted his new identity and is preparing for his own funeral at home.

Pei Yuan wanted to take over these hundreds of soldiers from Xuzhou Guard, but of course he didn't want to adjust their military status or re-register them.

The method used was also simple and crude. Part of the money was taken from the vacancies in the Zhenxie Qianhu Suo, and part of the money was taken from the vacancies in Tianjin Wei and Xuzhou Zuowei Li.

At that time, the extra people will be considered as those seconded by Pei Yuan from the two guards.

Xiao Yan had indeed thought of this, and asked, "How many people are there in the full complement of the Evil Suppression Thousand Households? Can it accommodate so many people?"

Pei Yuan did not hide it, "I plan to take some vacancies from Tianjin Guard and Xuzhou Zuowei."

Now Xiao Yan was completely relieved.

Xiao Yan already understood that these hundreds of soldiers from the Xuzhou Guard would soon change their appearance and exist in the official world with a completely new identity.

In this way, the matter can be resolved at its root.

If someone else comes out to point out the problem, Xiao Yan can confidently shout, "You are a military household in Tianjin Wei, how dare you pretend to be someone from Xuzhou Wei and slander me! This is simply outrageous!"
Xiao Yan's eyes flickered for a moment, and he said decisively, "I will get you the approval documents from Cheng Leixiang and Ding Hong as soon as possible."

Pei Yuan took the opportunity to ask, "What if Commander Guo from Xuzhou Guard comes to cause trouble?"

"Xuzhou Guard?" Xiao Yan paused slightly and thought of the other party that had been harmed.

Pei Yuan kindly reminded, "They are under the jurisdiction of the Central Army Commander's Office."

Xiao Yan immediately hardened his temper, "Nonsense, what kind of place is this? How can he be allowed to mess around under the emperor's feet? I will have him kicked out!"

Pei Yuan felt at ease.

That's it!

This is only possible in the Ming Dynasty, otherwise it would be difficult for Pei Yuan to operate.

After dealing with Xiao Yan, Pei Yuan called Ding Hong again and asked him about the results of his correspondence with the commander of the Left Guard of Xuzhou.

Ding Hong told Pei Yuan with some embarrassment that Shi Yong was quite dismissive of Ding Hong's statement, and his words and deeds showed that he did not trust the matter.

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Then tell Shi Yong that the court will soon issue three decrees to him. One is to reprimand him, one is to suspend him from his post, and one is to confiscate his property. Tell him to wait."

Ding Hong was shocked when he heard this, "Captain, it shouldn't be that serious."

Pei Yuan rolled his eyes. "I don't own the imperial court. I can only do some work and give him a letter of reprimand. If that doesn't scare him, we can only change to another one."

After listening to this, Ding Hong roughly understood what Pei Yuan meant.

Ever since he was promised the post of commander of the Left Guard of Xuzhou, he had been feeling anxious. The communication with Shi Yong before was not smooth, which had made him a little impatient.

After hearing Pei Yuan's words, he hurried to write another letter to Shi Yong.

Beijing is not far from Xuzhou, and it won’t take much time to send a trusted horse back and forth.

Pei Yuan estimated the schedule and thought that he would arrive outside Beijing tomorrow.

Thinking about the arrangements after entering the city added new worries.

I have so much money, it's not easy to put it in openly.

This is more than 60,000 taels of silver.

Gu Dayong and Xiao Yan both have their own backgrounds, so they don't need to care about those things.

But when he returned to Beijing, he was just a small captain of the Jinyiwei. Even if he was just a patrolling imperial censor, he had the qualifications to stop and check.

In this kind of situation, it is better to be safe than sorry.

And speaking of money, there was no place to hide the money in his small shabby yard in Dengshikou Hutong.

Even if he wanted to dig a hole in the courtyard to bury her, he might be seen by those who were having sex on the roof of the Jiaofangsi in the middle of the night.

Besides, it is impossible for me to stay at home all the time. Such a large sum of money needs someone to look after it.

If you calculate it this way, his two small courtyards alone cannot accommodate many personal guards.

It seems that I can only hide the silver in Zhihua Temple for the time being and then reconsider buying a yard.

Pei Yuan was thinking about the matter of Zhihua Temple, and called Cheng Leixiang over again, "You should arrange for someone to send a letter today and discuss with your father about staying at Zhihua Temple."

When Cheng Leixiang was about to leave, he remembered something and reminded him, "Oh, by the way, I also need to find out if there is anything important happening in the capital recently."

If Pei Yuan's guess was correct, the first shackle that Zhu Houzhao needed to remove if he wanted to control the army was the political resistance brought to him by the Tumu Incident during the reign of Emperor Yingzong of Ming.

But Pei Yuan couldn’t figure out what he would do?
Will they radically reverse the verdict on Emperor Yingzong, or will they use other smarter ways to avoid the political risk?

(End of this chapter)