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

Chapter 298 Sniping the River Governor
Pei Yuan was overwhelmed with emotion when he received the official document that Ding Hong was in charge of Xuzhou Zuowei.

In addition, Chen Toutie brought back an extra piece of news.

"Captain, I heard from Xiao Yan that the Ministry of Revenue reported to the court that because a large number of grain ships on the canal were burned, the transportation of grain has become a huge problem and the price of goods has begun to skyrocket."

"The rebels in Bazhou are now dispersing, and the bandits in Henan are also beginning to run rampant. It is still unknown when they can be pacified. In order to prevent a shortage of supplies, the court plans to tidy up the river and add more ships for grain transport."

Pei Yuan was immediately cheered up after hearing this.

This is a major project of the imperial court.

It seems that the imperial court wants to reopen the Grand Canal. Regardless of whether it can gain benefits from it, just the fact of strengthening the water transport system is a boon to Pei Yuan's Grand Canal strategy.

Pei Yuan could not get involved in a project like rebuilding the river which required corvée labor, but Xuzhou Zuowei was well suited to building grain transport boats.

Pei Yuan became interested and asked, "Have you agreed on how to divide this big pie?"

Chen Toutie recalled and said, "It seems that Chen Tianxiang, the Chief Censor of Bandit Catching, is in charge of the section north of Dongchang Prefecture, Zhang Feng, the governor of Susong, is in charge of the section from Dongchang to Pei County, and Zhang Jin, the Chief Censor of Water Transport, is in charge of the section south of Xuzhou."

Pei Yuan was puzzled and asked, "Why isn't Zhang Jin, the Chief Censor of the Canal Transport, in charge of Dongchang Prefecture to Pei County, and Zhang Feng, the Governor of Susong, in charge of Xuzhou to the south?"

The section from Dongchang Prefecture to Pei County is in southwest Shandong.

As the name suggests, the Governor of Susong is the governor of Suzhou and Songjiang. How could it be possible for him to remotely control the river projects in southwestern Shandong from Jiangnan?

It would be more reasonable to let him be responsible for the nearby section from Xuzhou to Yangzhou.

Chen Tou Tie said, "I heard from Xiao Yan that the court promoted Zhang Feng from Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate to Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief. This time, they asked Zhang Feng to clean up the river and supervise the construction of the grain transport boats, intending to let him work in Shandong."

Pei Yuan touched his chin. If a Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief went to Shandong to work, there would be only two positions left for him to stay.

One was the Governor of Shandong, and the other was the Governor-General of the Rivers.

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan lost his composure.

The position of Governor of the River was prepared by him for Wang Chang, and it was a very crucial position.

Pei Yuan frowned and asked, "Did Xiao Yan say whether Zhang Feng was going to Shandong to be the governor or the river governor?"

Chen Toutie answered truthfully, "Xiao Yan said that it is more likely that Zhang Feng will be transferred to the position of Governor of the River."

"There was a lot of discussion about Zhang Feng in the court. Chai Qi, the Imperial Secretary, and Wu Tang, the Imperial Censor, both accused Zhang Feng of being erratic in his conduct. When he was the governor of Suzhou and Songjiang, he overpaid the emperor for his crimes, which almost caused a civil riot."

"The Minister of Revenue, Yang Tan, even said that Shandong had not recovered from its wounds, and Zhang Feng was ambitious and aggressive. If he took control of the two major projects, he would inevitably impose more corvée labor, causing unrest in the local area. He didn't even want Zhang Feng to be involved in this matter."

"In this case, it is more likely that he will be appointed as the governor of the river."

Pei Yuan did not have the naive intention to ask why the cabinet had to use this guy since he was such a person.

The game of interests is not that simple.

He frowned and asked Chen Toutie, "Why did Xiao Yan tell us this specifically? The matter of the canal is of great importance and it is not something we can decide on."

Chen Toutie looked around, and Pei Yuan waved his hand, asking everyone else to leave.

Using other people's secrets to show trust to others is a sure-win business, but using your own secrets to show trust to others is not wise.

Chen Toutie whispered, "Xiao Yan's meaning is that now that we have captured Xuzhou Zuowei, we will most likely be able to undertake some shipbuilding business. The court is now paying special attention to this matter, and the Ministry of Revenue will allocate funds specifically for shipbuilding."

"He said he admired Qianhu's initiative and planned to make some money with him. There are many ways to manipulate this. If necessary, we can even buy old civilian ships at a low price and use them as official ships."

Pei Yuan's mind changed slightly and he began to understand Xiao Yan's intention.

Isn't this just taking advantage of the policy to defraud subsidies?
Xiao Yan had a way. He watched me not making any money, and then he thought he could do something, so he wanted to join forces with me to do something.

Pei Yuan thought about it and decisively refused, "I don't need this little money. If something really happens, it will cost a lot of food and lives. Even if I can use some connections to push the responsibility to the transport army, I can't help but feel guilty."

Chen Tou Tie said, "What Qian Hu said is true."

Then he whispered, "Xiao Yan also came up with an idea."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Pei Yuan was actually interested.

Chen Tou said firmly, "Xiao Yan said that Zhang Feng is a greedy person. Even if we don't take action, he will never waste this opportunity. Xiao Yan said that we can secretly hide a few Jinyiwei in Xuzhou Zuowei and get a clear picture of the evidence."

Pei Yuan was puzzled, "Are we going to impeach him? The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the Censor, and the Imperial Secretary were all unable to impeach Zhang Feng. If we do this, I'm afraid it will be a thankless task, right?"

Chen Toutie replied, "Xiao Yan wants to rob his fellow thieves. He will use those as threats to make Zhang Feng spit out all the money he has eaten."

Pei Yuan understood immediately and hesitated for a while. He didn't really want to get involved.

"It can be done, but he has to show up. How can I, a thousand households, be so strong as to do something that would offend people?"

As he was talking, Pei Yuan remembered something and asked again, "By the way, did Xiao Yan say when this thing started?"

Chen Toutie recalled and said, "He said that Shandong and Huaibei have already cleared the Bazhou bandits, and the court will push this matter forward soon. According to Xiao Yan, the court does not want to delay this year's autumn grain."

"Autumn grain." Pei Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

In other words, the project of dredging the river and replenishing the canal boats will definitely be completed before autumn.

If Xiao Yan wants to rob his fellow thieves, he must fatten the pigs first.

The time he will close his net should be around autumn.

If the original historical process had been followed, the Bazhou rebels would have been destroyed this summer.

The Bazhou rebels were first driven into Huguang, and then engaged in a battle with the local soldiers and monks.

As a result, the terrain and water system there were complex, and their most elite Bazhou cavalry had no way to display their abilities. The Bazhou army, which had suffered repeated setbacks, could only seize warships and head south, intending to attack the wealthy Jiangnan region.

As a result, these landlubbers of the Bazhou Army went downstream, suffered setbacks along the way, and were eventually wiped out at Langshan in Jiangsu.

If at that time, Lu Ting took advantage of the great victory to ask the emperor to hold an imperial examination, then the imperial examination, which had a stronger symbolic significance, would most likely be held in the autumn or winter of that year.

More likely in the fall…

Pei Yuan thought about it and slowly connected it to another thing.

If at that time, a major case or a group of cases related to the canal broke out in Shandong, then as a region close to the capital, the court would certainly send a large number of censors directly to investigate.

Wouldn't this in disguise fulfill the precondition of "the shortage of imperial censors in the court"? Then wouldn't it be more likely to influence the Minister of Personnel Yang Yiqing and let him send those new Jinshi to be imperial censors according to his own intentions?
However, in this case, not only would the two gangs rob each other, but they would also turn against each other afterwards, and Zhang Feng would have to be completely exposed.

Pei Yuan changed his mind and said to Chen Tou Tie, "Okay, go meet him again and tell him that I, Pei, have always been a straightforward person. Governor Xiao wants to help me make a fortune, and there is no reason for me to refuse."

Chen Toutie obeyed the order and hurried to pass on the message.

Pei Yuan thought for a while, thinking about the variables here.

This means that Wang Chang can no longer covet the position of Governor of the River for the time being.

But as the war is settled, will the court officials allow Wang Chang to continue to serve in this important position as Nanjing's Minister of War?

In particular, the news that Lu Wan is suspected to be the new leader of Liu Jin's remnants has now reached the ears of He Jian, the Minister of War in Beijing.

If everything goes according to the court's arrangements, and Lu Wan takes over the position of Beijing's Minister of War after returning to Beijing, it means that the Ministers of War in Beijing and Nanjing will all be held by Liu Jin's remnants.

Who can sleep like this?
Since Lu Wan had made great contributions and could not be abandoned immediately, their target could only be Wang Chang.

Therefore, Wang Chang had to express his position before Lu Wan put down the rebellion. He wanted to leave the Nanjing Ministry of War and seek a position as a governor-general to earn a few years of retirement money.

As long as Wang Chang expressed this intention, the upright people in the court would certainly welcome it.

Perhaps, Wang Chang could take advantage of this concession to gain some initiative.

Apart from these problems, the credit Wang Chang reported could not be delayed any longer.

If he did not ask to leave as soon as possible and take the opportunity to ask for the position of Right Censor-in-Chief, what if the court gave Wang Chang some useless additional titles or official positions through patronage? Then, given the vigilance of those upright literati against the remnants of Liu Jin, it would be extremely difficult for Wang Chang to seek such a merit again and be appointed as Right Censor-in-Chief.

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan quickly unfolded the paper and vaguely expressed his intentions and concerns to Wang Chang.

Now is the time when Wang Chang wants to raise the price the most, as for the target.

Since there is no hope for the governor of the river for the time being, the only option is the governor of Shandong.

In this way, when Pei Yuan kills Zhang Feng, Wang Chang can take his place immediately.

Pei Yuan called Ding Hong and handed him the official document appointing him as the commander of the Left Guard of Xuzhou.

Ding Hong was overjoyed when he saw this and thanked Pei Yuan repeatedly.

Just a few days ago, he was just a captain of a garrison, receiving a meager salary and living a life that he could foresee the end of.

Unexpectedly, in such a short period of time, he had already obtained the official status of the third rank. All this can be said to be a complete transformation.

Pei Yuan stared at Ding Hong for a while and felt that this guy should be trustworthy, so he asked him, "Do you know what to do after taking over Xuzhou Zuowei?"

Ding Hong bowed down solemnly, "Please give me your instructions, Captain."

Pei Yuan said unhappily, "I'm asking you, not asking you to ask me."

Ding Hong realized that he had misunderstood, and quickly replied, "The first thing I did when I took office was to have the brothers I brought with me go down to every team of soldiers in Xuzhou Zuowei and firmly grasp Xuzhou Zuowei in our hands."

"Then I will conduct a secret investigation to find the confidants who can be used during the incident. Those who can be driven away will be driven away, and those who cannot be driven away will be eliminated directly."

After this period of tug-of-war, Ding Hong also understood Pei Yuan's concerns about letting go of the order.

Pei Yuanlian had already said that he was going to ask Lu Ting to quell the rebellion. If Ding Hong still didn't take it seriously, he would be the one to quell the rebellion as Pei Qianhu.

Pei Yuan nodded and warned, "You must firmly grasp the Xuzhou Left Guard in your hands, and you must also have an absolutely reliable army that can be used by you."

Ding Hong nodded, "I understand."

Pei Yuan then said, "There are some moves in the court, which may be to restore the smooth flow of the canal. At that time, the area from the northern end of Xuzhou to Dongchang Prefecture will be under the jurisdiction of Zhang Feng, the governor of the canal, and the area from the southern end of Xuzhou to Yangzhou will be under the jurisdiction of Zhang Jin, the governor of the canal."

"If both places send you letters asking you to build ships, then you should agree to Zhang Feng's request."

Xuzhou Wei and Xuzhou Zuo Wei are both at the junction, and which side to help depends entirely on which side to give face to.

What's more, there is the famous Qingjiang Shipyard near Huai'an, where Zhang Jin, the governor of the Grand Canal, is stationed. It would be unreasonable for him to compete with Zhang Feng for Xuzhou Wei and Xuzhou Zuowei.

Seeing Pei Yuan paused, Ding Hong quickly agreed.

Pei Yuan did not speak immediately, but looked at Ding Hong seriously.

Ding Hong was sweating slightly when Pei Yuan looked at him. Just when he was about to ask Pei Yuan for instructions, he heard Pei Yuan ask, "If I want you to help me get rid of the governor of the river, what do you think?"

"Governor of the River?!" Ding Hong was surprised.

But he was not stupid, and he knew what to say at this time. He immediately vowed, "As long as the captain gives the order, I will have his head sent to the capital."

Pei Yuan's bond with Ding Hong is not as deep as Cheng Leixiang's, so naturally he doesn't dare to let him do something that tests his humanity.

So he said, "I heard that Zhang Feng is very greedy. When he was the governor of Suzhou and Songjiang, he embezzled a lot of money. This time he is handling an important matter, I am afraid he will also embezzle some money."

"We have no control over the river repairs, but he will definitely discuss the construction of the canal boats with you."

"When the time comes, no matter what he says or what he wants to do, you just have to do it. But you must secretly find out who is in charge of each matter and who the upper and lower parties are."

Ding Hong breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

So this is how you get rid of the River Governor.

If it is just this extent, it is called illegal supervision!

Even if the imperial court knew about it, not only would he not be guilty, he might even be considered to have made contributions.

Ding Hong expressed his opinion very readily this time, "Don't worry, Captain, I will definitely not make any mistakes in this matter."

Pei Yuan glanced at Ding Hong and said slowly, "Overthrow Zhang Feng and make room for him. I have other plans. The future governor of the river may be one of ours. Do you understand what I mean?"

"This matter is of great importance, which is why I asked you to keep Xuzhou Zuowei firmly under your control."

Ding Hong's heart trembled when he heard this.

Could it be that Captain Pei wanted to overthrow the river governor just to make room for his own people?
He didn't expect that Captain Pei was more omnipotent than he thought, nor did he expect that Captain Pei was more ferocious than he thought.

Ding Hong said quickly, "I understand. I will never make mistakes."

(End of this chapter)