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

Chapter 453 Lu Ting takes action
Pei Yuan thought for a while but couldn't come up with an idea, so he asked someone to call over the dozen or so personal soldiers that he had used recently.

When Pei Yuan returned to Beijing this time, he did not bring many people with him.

In order to take root in Yanggu thoroughly, most of the elite soldiers and guards were left there, with Sikong Sui and Cen Meng looking after the house.

With the idea of ​​using guest troops, Pei Yuan picked out five soldiers from Xuzhou from among these people and asked their names one by one.

The five people are Song Yan, Mi Bin, Sun Ran, Ma Tao and Dong Xing.

Pei Yuan asked about their ranks again, and they were basically all small flags of the seventh rank.

This is roughly consistent with Pei Yuan's judgment.

When Cheng Leixiang and Ding Hong led their men away, they captured almost all of Xuzhou's elite military officers, including centurions, trial centurions, and general flag officers.

Pei Yuan's thousand-household unit was of a very low rank. Many centurions, trial centurions, and general flag officers from the Xuzhou Guard were difficult to resettle here, and even if they were forced to do so, there was almost no room for advancement.

It's okay in the short term, but over time, it's inevitable that people will become disunited.

It just so happened that Cheng Leixiang and Ding Hong were both third-rank commanders in the garrison, which gave them plenty of room for promotion.

Cheng Leixiang and Ding Hong suddenly climbed to high positions, but they had few capable people at their disposal, so they needed a large number of low-level military officers to help them control their troops.

Those low-level military officers who followed them to the garrisons would be promoted very quickly and could be said to have a bright future.

Without those influential military officers, Pei Yuan could more easily absorb other elite soldiers from Xuzhou into his own team.

It can be said that it is a matter of killing two birds with one stone.

Those who were chosen to be Pei Yuan's personal soldiers were all talented in both physique and skills.

It is easier for such people to rise to the top from the bottom, and many of them have the status of an official of a small flag.

Pei Yuan simply said to the five people, "Your Majesty has allowed me to set up five 100-household offices in the five prefectures of Shandong except Jinan Prefecture. When I return to Shandong in a few days, I will start this matter."

"You five will go to the five Hundred Household Offices and serve as trial Hundred Households. I will give you some manpower to help you set up a base in each prefecture. You can discuss the specific distribution and which prefecture to go to later."

The five people were all confused after hearing this. They all came from the lower class and might be good at being brave and aggressive, but if they were to handle all the affairs of the mansion alone, they would be incapable of doing so.

Pei Yuan looked at these five ugly guys and couldn't help but think of the day he met Cheng Leixiang.

When he caught sight of Chen Xinjian, Pei Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't Cheng Leixiang have a younger brother or something?"

Chen Xinjian didn't know Pei Yuan was complaining, so he answered honestly, "I heard that Commander Cheng is an only son."

Pei Yuan sighed and commented, "Cheng Zhihu is useless."

Perhaps it was because he had been paying attention to this matter recently, Pei Yuan felt inexplicably guilty after he finished speaking.

Shit! He quickly looked at Chen Xinjian’s reaction.

Chen Xinjian didn't notice anything, and was still showing his loyalty in a servile manner, "It's a pity that my two younger brothers have just learned to run, otherwise I would have called them to serve the thousand households."

Pei Yuan quickly changed the subject.

When his eyes fell back on the five newly-minted trial centurions, he sighed helplessly, "The wind is rising and the clouds are flying, how can we find brave warriors to guard the four directions?"

Pei Yuan was really inspired this time.

As his business grew, he became increasingly short of available and trustworthy people.

When Chen Xinjian heard the word "brave warrior", he remembered something. He glanced at the few trial centurions who were a little further away, came close to Pei Yuan, and whispered to Pei Yuan, "Captain, the Bazhou bandit leader Qi Yanming is still in Puxian Temple. Shouldn't we send him away first?"

Pei Yuan suddenly remembered, "Yes, how could I forget my son Fengxian!"

Although the Bazhou Rebellion left many painful memories for the four provinces, it completely established the reputation of several generals.

Perhaps the Bazhou bandits still brought pain to the people, but when this pain fell equally on those guys who were rich and unkind in their daily lives, it seemed nothing.

The social structure of the Ming Dynasty has been fully formed, and the blood-sucking pattern will not change in the slightest.

Perhaps it won’t be long before many people will once again look to those indiscriminate destroyers and hope that those people will bring them justice.

For many people who are struggling to survive, as long as they can make those indifferent officials feel the same pain, that is justice.

That's roughly the feeling.

——It doesn’t matter whether I live or die, but I want you to die!

By that time, a real Bazhou bandit leader Qi Yanming would be able to bring unexpected appeal.

Moreover, Qi Yanming is truly amazing, as he made Pei Yuan think of "my son Fengxian" the first time he saw him.

In the early days of the Bazhou Army's uprising, Liu Liu and Liu Qi were careless and were surrounded by the army led by Lieutenant General Sang Yu in Wen'an Village. Liu Liu and Liu Qi were unable to fight their way out, and finally jumped onto the upper floor of a civilian house in despair, wanting to commit suicide.

At this time, Qi Yanming arrived with a big knife in his hand, and with the knife "killed and injured dozens of people, and shouted loudly downstairs." This boosted the confidence of Liu Liu and Liu Qi, and they finally defeated Sang Yu and became successful.

Pei Yuan can choose not to use such violence, but he cannot do without it.

Dongchang Prefecture is a mixed population of Han and Mongolian people, and the folk customs are rough. It is a perfect place for a ruffian like Qi Yanming to thrive.

So Pei Yuan whispered to Chen Xinjian, "Let him go to your brother. Let your brother know how to arrange for him... Never mind, I will explain it to Tian Fu."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xinjian replied in a low voice, "I will go to Puxian Temple in person to arrange this matter later."

Pei Yuan thought that Cheng Zhihu at least had Cheng Leixiang, and the worry that had been lingering in his mind for days came to his mind again.

He said to Chen Xinjian, "You have been with me for some time, and your perspective is different from others. I leave these five guys to you. Help me train them. I have something else to do..."

After saying that, Pei Yuan stood up and walked out of the hall.

When Pei Yuan returned home, he went to the backyard regardless of the broad daylight, drove away the maid, brought the shy Jiao Yan'er into the room, and showed her great affection.

Miss Jiao is a very smart person. She has seen that her man has become much more impatient these days and has been observing her belly from time to time.

Although I felt embarrassed, I could also guess some things.

Thinking of the vague words she heard that night, Jiao Yan'er was a little bit unconvinced, but she also had some expectations that she didn't dare to tell anyone.

Therefore, when Pei Yuan asked for something, he rarely disregarded his dignity and let him do whatever he wanted during the day.

While Pei Yuan was busy sowing seeds at home, many major events happened in the court.

Because of the clear statement made by Left Censor-in-Chief Li Shishi, many people understood that this guy had completely gone his own way, so two major problems immediately faced everyone.

One was the question of who would fill the vacant position of Minister of Rites, and the other was the question of how Lu Wan, who had the most merit among the civil servants, should be promoted. With Lu Wan's qualifications, he was definitely not qualified to be the Minister of Rites.

In this case, the other seven ministers must be willing to give up their positions.

Naturally, no one dared to speak carelessly about something that would offend one of the Seven Lords.

Just when the political situation seemed to be falling into a stalemate again, suddenly another eunuch came to the court through the Ministry of Public Administration and wrote a letter to the emperor, talking about the political affairs of the court.

Although everyone was already familiar with the previous petitions submitted by Gu Dayong and Bi Zhenlu, many civil servants were still extremely angry.

What qualifications do the eunuchs in the inner court have to participate in the affairs of the outer court?
Do these guys have any sense of boundaries?

Since the two previous memorials were very informative, the ministers shouted in unison, "Give melons!"

When the ministers unfolded the copy they had received from the Ministry of Public Security and saw the name written on the letter, many of them were a little surprised.

It was him.

It turned out to be the eunuch Lu who had quietly returned to his own doghouse without fighting or competing since returning from suppressing the rebellion.

This person... is not that bad.

So everyone continued to watch patiently.

Then, as expected, everyone saw the "Bian Xian and Xiao Chong case" and the "Ma Zhongxi case".

Huge interests are involved in these two matters, and people from all factions are keeping a close eye on them.

Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, they did not find any new information that could influence these two major cases.

Instead, Lu Ting drew another point of view from these two cases.

Eunuch Lu mentioned with great humanistic concern those grassroots civil servants who died in the city.

Moreover, Eunuch Lu, a frontline commander and fighter, did not think that they were forced to die for the city. Instead, he felt that they were inspired by their integrity and would rather die than follow the enemy, so they took the initiative to die for the city.

In addition, there were many scholars and chaste and heroic women in various places who refused to follow the bandits.

Eunuch Lu cried out loudly, could it be that these people who were not officials and had no responsibility to defend the city also died in the city because of the court's order?
So Eunuch Lu, with a righteous look on his face, felt that this must be the result of Confucian education and did not accept any rebuttal.

Those officials who had originally focused on finding dirt on their political opponents suddenly felt...

Comfortable!
This is full of emotional value!

It was because of Lu Ting's words that many officials who were previously ignorant realized a problem.

Many grassroots officials were forced to sacrifice their lives for the city. Although it sounds pitiful and easy to win sympathy, as the matter continued to unfold, it exposed the naked oppression of those in power.

Although those in a lower position are worthy of pity, they are just worthy of pity.

As a result, the civil service camp lost a lot of points overall!

I didn't expect that this eunuch Lu would speak so nicely, and he immediately elevated the matter to the level of moral integrity, and talked about the credit of education. In this way, this crisis became a touchstone for educating the people.

Many people have realized the value of this article and can't wait to read on.

Then, Eunuch Lu, as an ordinary commander of an army of 200,000, told the stories he had heard during the suppression of the rebellion, one by one listing the noble behaviors of the civil servants or scholars when facing the rebels.

Finally, Eunuch Lu expressed regret for this, thinking that although he had made the greatest contribution in suppressing the rebellion, it could not overshadow his virtue of etiquette and education.

Now that I see that the position of Minister of Rites is vacant and even the matter of the Enke has been delayed again and again, I finally couldn't help but come out and say something.

Therefore, he hoped that the court could select wise ministers with outstanding conduct, integrity, and both moral integrity and ability as soon as possible.

The officials of the imperial court have always been politically sensitive. They felt relieved just now, but when they saw such pointed words, they immediately smelled something unusual.

An official position like the Minister of Rites must be recommended by the court, which requires the expression of opinions from all parties and ultimately the reaching of consensus and compromise.

But this was a matter of the outer court and had nothing to do with him, a eunuch in the inner court.

No matter how nice Lu Ting's words sound, he can't break the rules!
What's more, if the Minister of Rites was nominated by a eunuch, it would definitely make people laugh.

But with Lu Ting's previous work as a foundation, many people were not so resistant, so they read on, wanting to see who was colluding with Lu Ting.

As a result, when they saw the candidates put forward by Eunuch Lu, all the people who were reading the document rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

It turned out to be Xie Qian!

Lu Ting also listed several reasons for recommending Xie Qian. First of all, Xie Qian was the top scholar in the imperial examination and had a high enough rank. He had also served as a cabinet minister in the past, and thus met the rigid requirements for this position.

Secondly, Xie Qian’s reputation was high enough that his appointment as the Minister of Rites would convince everyone.

Secondly, Xie Qian was well versed in government affairs and could smoothly take over the work of the Ministry of Rites without affecting this widely-anticipated imperial examination.

After reading it, the officials still found it somewhat unbelievable.

I understand the logic, but don’t you know that Xie Qian left the court because he failed in his struggle with Liu Jin in the inner court?

You are a high-ranking eunuch, and you actually recommended Xie Qian. What are you thinking about?
Don't you consider your own position?

This, this is too real!

This eunuch Lu is really... so naive that it makes people feel sorry for him.

Amidst the public opinion that "felt sorry for Eunuch Lu", Yang Tinghe and his faction were the first to realize that something was wrong.

Xie Qian was a senior cabinet minister, and he was squeezed out because of Liu Jin.

So why didn't Mr. Xie, who was in good health and could climb to the fifth floor in one breath, get the chance to be reinstated after Liu Jin's downfall?
The reason, of course, is that the people who are already in that position don’t want him to come back!

If Xie Qian came back, with his qualifications, abilities, and prestige in the court and the country, he would probably surpass Yang Tinghe in an instant.

This is just like inviting a grandfather back!

It's not necessary to make such a fuss just for a Minister of Rites.

Many people understand these thoughts, but cannot express them out loud because, after all, they still have to save face.

But now that Lu Ting, the eunuch in the inner court, had come out to support Xie Qian, Yang Tinghe and his family were doubly embarrassed.

Not to mention Xie Qian's status and prestige in the martial arts world, now even the eunuchs of the enemy camp praise Xie Qian's character and talents. If anyone stands up to oppose him, he will definitely lose a lot of reputation.

The Minister of Personnel Yang Yiqing was a little slow, but he soon realized that this was a good opportunity to deal a heavy blow to Yang Tinghe, so he decisively stood up and supported Lu Ting's proposal, demanding that the court reinstate Xie Qian!
(End of this chapter)