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

Chapter 333: Han Qianhu is teasing me?

Pei Yuan was a little confused and bewildered.

What's going on?
How come Han Qianhu, who was letting himself wander around Beijing, suddenly gave instructions from a distance?

And what does this mean?
Pei Yuan thought about what he had done and felt that he had handled it well.

Without mentioning the efforts he made for a happy life in the future, let's just talk about the integration of the Northern Bureau. He also took advantage of the horse-dressing event at the Da Ci'en Temple to naturally bring military force to the stage and quickly expand the power of the Suppressing Evil Thousand Households Office.

According to the original plan, Pei Yuan had to gradually sort out the forces behind the various temples and Taoist temples, and then begin to erode the weaker parts among them.

But since they were all put on the table and people knew about the existence of those troops, Pei Yuan simply launched a quick attack.

The effect is actually quite good.

Many temples with some background, seeing that even the Grand Secretary of the dynasty could not protect his own son, and the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department could not protect his own brother, decisively chose to give in in the face of the fierce Captain Pei.

Under the proactive efforts of Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui, more than one hundred temples were collected.

After the two men's special military operation ended, there were more than 300 temples that came to Zhihua Temple on their own initiative to negotiate and were willing to accept Taoist Zhenji's entry and pay commissions.

Adding to the basic base of the hundreds of temples under the Thousand Households Office for Suppressing Evil, Pei Yuan currently controls more than 500 temples in the capital.

The more than one hundred companies that took the initiative to attack in special military operations have accumulated a large amount of wealth for the Zhenxie Thousand Households. As for the others, they can also provide enough cash flow to the Northern Bureau.

With the cash flow from these more than 500 temples, it is more than enough to support the current scale of military maintenance.

By the time Chen Toutie takes the 200 Xuzhou soldiers to Shandong to start a cult, the capital can significantly reduce its expenses and continue to accumulate a lot of surplus.

In the future, when Chen Toutie's career takes off, he will be able to quickly accumulate a large amount of manpower and wealth.

Tianjin Wei, Shandong Luo Jiao, the Governor of the River, and Xuzhou Zuowei, as long as the nodes of Huai'an Wei and Dahe Wei are opened up, the goods from Yangzhou can reach the north smoothly, and the goods from the north can also go directly to Yangzhou.

Yangzhou is located on the bank of the Yangtze River and is an important city in Southern Zhili. Its trade network covers the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

In Suzhou, there is also a Suzhou prefect named Zhai De'an who has secretly obtained the Jinyiwei badge and can be used.

Speaking of Hangzhou, Pei Yuan thought of Xu Feng, the Hangzhou vanguard commander who was now imprisoned in the Ministry of War prison.

Although this guy is a traitor who likes to tell on others, he behaves timidly and obediently when facing strong power.

Wang Chang, the Prince's Guardian and the Southern Grand Marshal, was facing a purge in the political struggle, so he dared to add insult to injury; but when facing Xiao Yan, a captain of only the fifth rank, he behaved as obediently as a dog because Xiao Yan had the eunuch Xiao Jing as his backer.

It can be said that as long as this guy is defeated and bent, it will be less troublesome than elsewhere.

By the way, it’s time to go to the Ministry of War’s prison to check on this guy and let him understand Captain Pei’s power.

As for the north, it's even simpler.

There are hundreds of strongly controlled temples in the capital alone that can sell goods. After Pei Yuan stabilizes the capital, he can slowly implement grid management.

In time, the profits flowing from this will be astronomical.

The economic model of the Ming Dynasty will be like this in the future.

The imperial court levied taxes, and money and grain flowed from the wealthy south to the north. These grains and money would flow into every corner in the form of maintaining the bureaucracy, the huge army, and large-scale projects, thus maintaining the economic size of the north.

Because resources are easily concentrated in the south, there will be giants and powerful tyrants. Because the available resources in the north are scattered and transportation is not convenient, there will be a large number of scattered small tyrants.

Trade between the North and the South will have certain differences in purchasing power due to differences in economic size and wealth.

For example, transporting goods from the North to the wealthy South may generate more than ten times the profit, while transporting goods from the South to the economically fragmented North will only generate three to five times the profit.

The profit differential between the two sides’ goods will once again affect the economic size of both sides and form a delicate economic balance.

For example, if you cut more of a bunch of leeks of different heights, and less of the shorter ones, they will look stable and neat.

According to the theory that economic structure determines superstructure, a stable economic structure also means a stable political foundation.

This obviously applies to the leeks that remain on the plate.

But what about the profits that are cut off?

Obviously, those who take profits on the plate pose a huge threat to the economic structure. The threat to the economic structure will in turn shake the political foundation.

Just looking at the plate underneath.

In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the north was caught in continuous wars, but the south held tight to its finances and refused to give blood transfusions. As a result, the northern rebels who changed their flags and picked up their swords again became the decisive force in defeating the Southern Ming.

Pei Yuan’s thinking about the situation he would face in the future was very simple.

Political infighting is just a fight to the death in a cage, and Pei Yuan is not interested in becoming the person in that cage.

In the game of politics, no one is nobler than others. In essence, it is just a game of devouring power and devouring each other.

As long as it is useful to people, it's fine as long as it can be used now.

As long as they can help Pei Yuan solve one problem and then face the next one.

Pei Yuan only needs to keep an eye on the plate below and then on the people who are making the profits on the plate.

The key to maintaining the balance between the north and the south and avoiding overturning the plate is this Grand Canal that runs through the north and the south!
As for those who take the profits...

Instead of letting others do it, it is better to let Pei Yuan do it himself.

Although Pei Yuan was greedy, lustful, and had no bottom line, he was not a destroyer of this era. At least he knew that when the plate was tilted, he should do his best to hold it up.

Now both Pei Yuan’s Grand Canal strategy and the expansion of the Northern Bureau are progressing steadily.

It can be said that there are no problems in business.

Then why did Han Qianhu contact me?

Pei Yuan looked at the words in confusion, and his gaze swept over everyone present with a bewildered look.

Afterwards, his eyes involuntarily fell on the two old men, Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui.

If Captain Han wanted to know about Pei Yuan's situation, the most convenient way would naturally be through these two traitors.

These two guys have a lot of dark history and have reported Pei Yuan many times before.

Ever since Pei Yuan saw Han Qianhu's health bar last time, he has expressed his admiration for Han Qianhu in front of the two of them from time to time, and used these two traitors to launch long-range attacks on Han Qianhu.

Pei Yuan couldn't help but feel his heart beating faster.

Is it...

Is it because of this reason?

Perhaps it was a change in his mood. When Pei Yuan looked at the note again, the originally plain sentence seemed to be tinged with coquettishness.

——"Is it okay, Pei Yuan?"

Thinking of this, Pei Qianhu's body trembled and his whole body went numb.

Is this Captain Han trying to tease me?!
Thinking of the extremely powerful Captain Han, who could change his temper easily, Pei Yuan felt so hot that he couldn't calm down for a while.

Everyone present noticed Captain Pei's ecstasy and thought that Captain Han had said something interesting in the secret letter. Only Yang Fang felt something was wrong.

He calmly reminded Pei Yuan, "This is the handwriting of Captain Han. It has the effect of calming the mind."

According to Yun Buxian's report, Deputy Captain Pei must have been bewitched. According to common sense, after Deputy Captain Pei got Captain Han's handwritten letter, he would naturally be able to clear the confusion.

But looking at Pei Yuan's reaction, why, why did he get so excited?

Yang Fang looked at Pei Yuan in confusion and bewilderment. When he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the impulse that even the thin armor could not suppress and conceal, he was stunned for a moment.

When he came to his senses, Yang Fang felt as if a group of alpacas were running through his mind. ——Who the hell is this person? !

Looking at Pei Daqianhu, who was holding a paper and grinning like a bear in heat, Yang Fang now wanted to hack Yun Buxian to death.

How could a person who couldn't even be suppressed by the Heart-Clearing and Spirit-Tranquilizing Talisman be bewitched?
Pei Yuan was indeed extremely excited.

Han Qianhu is the white moonlight in his heart.

When he was at his lowest and most desperate, the beautiful and powerful Han Qianhu suddenly appeared in front of him, giving him hope to turn his miserable fate around.

In order to join Han Qianhu's army, Pei Yuan put in a lot of effort and even made a ruthless plan with Lu Ting. Only then did he get his wish and become a member of the Zhenxie Qianhu's army.

For Pei Yuan, success and failure are nothing but trivial matters. Marrying Han Qianhu is the ultimate perfection of his life.

Thinking back to when he was as weak as mud and had knelt before the white moonlight when they first met, Pei Yuan felt that the hem of the close-fitting soft armor was quite a hindrance.

Fortunately, Pei Yuan had the scumbag sequence to rely on, so he regained his sanity.

He quickly shouted, "Get some paper and pen, I need to reply."

After all, the Northern Bureau is Captain Pei's Northern Bureau. At Captain Pei's command, everyone took paper and pens, and moved tables.

Yang Fang didn't say much when he saw this, he was just a messenger.

Unexpectedly, Captain Pei held the pen, scratched his head and ears for a long time, but did not write a single word.

Seeing that it was almost noon, Chen Toutie asked carefully, "Captain, do you want to eat something?"

Pei Yuan was furious when he heard this, "Get lost! What are you eating?"

Pei Yuan turned around and continued to look at the paper in front of him with a serious expression, his face showing a conflicted look of wanting to get closer but afraid of being rejected.

Pei Yuan stared at the white paper, feeling very upset.

When there was no progress at the beginning, he was so bold that he tried hard to smell the fragrance on Han Qianhu's body when she passed by.

Now that Han Qianhu had just flirted with her so briefly, why was he feeling a little at a loss as to what to do?
Seeing his men peeking around, Pei Yuansao's face turned slightly red and he had no idea what to write.

After holding it in for a while, he gritted his teeth and wrote crookedly on the paper, "I miss you too."

After finishing writing, Pei Yuan was a little confused.

What the hell am I writing?
Then my heart started pounding.

Han Qianhu is so proactive, why not give it a try?

Pei Yuan didn't know where he got the courage from, and added, "Love you, Pei Yuan."

Sikong Sui, who was leaning against a pillar and waiting boredly, felt his teeth aching from the pain.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

As if he realized that he had made some noise, he quickly retracted the vine that had climbed up the pillar to the beam to peek.

Tan Tai Fang Tu, who was resting with his eyes closed, poked Si Kong Sui and asked in a low voice, "What's written?"

Sikong Sui wanted to pretend he didn't hear it, but this kind of thing, if you don't share it with others, it would be suffocating.

So he whispered a few words in Tan Tai Fang Tu's ear.

After hearing this, old man Tan Tai also felt his blood pressure rising a little.

He glanced at Pei Yuan, who was still scratching his head while holding a pen.

Pei Qianhu was nineteen years old, tall and strong, and good-looking, looking quite heroic. As for his ability, it was beyond reproach.

Well, I can’t say there’s anything wrong with it.

So, he said to Sikong Sui, "Didn't we agree to just ignore it?"

Sikong Sui stretched out his hand to stop Tan Tai Fang Tu from saying anything, and said hastily as if to distance himself from her, "I didn't say I would intervene. I was the one who concealed all of Pei Yuan's crazy and nonsense words before."

Tan Tai Fang Tu continued to close his eyes and rest, "Just don't get involved."

Pei Yuan looked around, and the Jinyiwei who had been watching him from afar all looked away.

Pei Yuan coughed lightly, asked someone to bring his seal, and sealed the document.

Pei Yuan handed over the secret letter and Yang Fang took it respectfully.

Yang Fang thought for a moment, then handed a small flag to the person beside him, "Captain Han is still waiting for the result, you should send the secret letter back quickly."

Upon hearing this, the little flag apologized to Pei Yuan and hurriedly left with a few people.

Pei Yuan watched the small flag leave, thinking to himself, he didn't know how Han Qianhu would react when he saw it.

Pei Yuan recalled the occasional dishonest glances he had made when facing Han Qianhu alone, his recklessness when he sniffed her secretly, and his bold verbal teasing in Huai'an.

Since I wasn't beaten to death at that time, she must have liked me.

Pei Yuan analyzed it and felt that the logic was perfect.

He felt a little hungry, so he called out to someone, "Go get some wine and food."

He glanced at Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui and added, "It just so happens that two centurions are coming over, let's have a drink together."

Then he said to Yang Fang, "You come too."

Yang Fang completed his mission and immediately expressed his respect to Deputy Captain Pei, "I obey your orders."

Pei Yuan thought of Yang Fang's previous arrangement and felt a little strange. He asked casually, "Did you come to Beijing this time for anything else besides delivering the letter for Han Qianhu?"

Yang Fang replied, "I came here to deal with this emergency incident urgently, and there is nothing else to do."

After that, he explained, "I stayed here to wait for another colleague to join me."

"Oh." Pei Yuan looked at the soldiers serving the dishes one after another and asked, "Do you want to wait for him?"

Yang Fang remembered what Yun Buxian said, that Pei Yuan seemed to attach great importance to the land tax. Although Yang Fang had to follow Han Qianhu's orders, he was not stupid and did not want to cause trouble now.

So he said, "How can we let the deputy captain wait for the general flag?"

Pei Yuan nodded and invited a few people who were qualified to sit at the table.

Then he frowned.

Dealing with emergencies urgently? Did Han Qianhu suddenly miss himself?

Pei Yuan looked at Yang Fang and asked directly, "What did your colleague do?"

Yang Fang sighed secretly, but could only answer honestly, "Following the order of Captain Han, I am going to kill Tian Fu who plotted against Captain Pei."

"What?" Pei Yuan kicked the table over and angrily asked, "Who told her to do that?!"

For a moment, the Buddhist hall was silent and everyone looked at him sideways.

Pei Yuan was stunned for a moment, and looked at the gazes of Tan Tai Fang Tu, Si Kong Sui, Yang Fang and others. His face darkened and he ignored them.

He quickly waved his hand and took people to rescue Tian Fu.

Chen Toutie stood up immediately, followed by Cen Meng. With the sound of weapons clashing, the Jinyiwei on duty nearby followed without hesitation.

In a blink of an eye, only Tan Tai Fang Tu, Si Kong Sui, and the stunned messenger Han Qianhu were left in the Buddhist hall.

(End of this chapter)