Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

"This humble general, Han Bin, Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong, pays his respects to Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy."

Han Bin stepped forward and bowed respectfully, but his attitude was somewhat distant.

Pei Yuan looked down at him from his high position without dismounting.

"General Han, no need for formalities. I am here on the Emperor's orders to quell the Jianzhou rebellion. I am unfamiliar with this territory of Liaodong, and I would appreciate your guidance."

Pei Yuan spoke casually, his eyes revealing a calculating intent to sell at a higher price.

Han Bin smiled ingratiatingly.

"You flatter me, sir. I have prepared a welcoming banquet in the city. Please come in and rest. We can discuss the matter of the Jianzhou Jurchens at a later time."

That evening, the General's Mansion was filled with the aroma of wine and meat.

Several braziers of charcoal fire warmed the lobby.

Han Bin brought out his treasured deer blood wine and bear paws.

They even arranged for several local dancers from Liaodong to perform in the hall.

Pei Yuan sat in the head seat, with women on his left and right, eating with gusto.

He convincingly portrayed the image of a pleasure-seeking nobleman from the capital.

After a few rounds of drinks, Han Bin dismissed the dancers and tentatively began to speak.

"Your Excellency, although the Jianzhou Jurchens have shown some disrespect in recent years, they mostly stay in the deep mountains and forests. That place is characterized by high mountains, dense forests, and treacherous terrain."

"If our 30,000 troops rashly enter the mountains, the transport of supplies will be difficult, and we will be easily ambushed. I think it would be better to send an envoy to Jianzhou to reprimand them and make them offer some money as an apology."

"It's best to avoid this war if possible."

Han Bin's words reflect a common flaw among border generals.

It's better to avoid trouble than to harbor enemies.

As long as there is no war on the border, they can live peacefully as their own local tyrants.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan pushed aside the maid beside him, put down his wine cup, and picked up a cloth to wipe his hands.

His gaze instantly shifted from a dazed look to a sharp, piercing gaze fixed intently on Han Bin.

"Should I reprimand him? Or offer him some money?"

Pei Yuan sneered.

"General Han, do you think I've come all the way from the capital with 30,000 troops just to sightsee?"

Han Bin was startled and quickly explained.

"This humble general dares not presume; this humble general is only thinking of the safety of the army..."

"Safety my ass!"

Pei Yuan slammed his hand on the table, making the bear paw in the plate jump.

He suddenly stood up, walked up to Han Bin, and lowered his voice.

His tone revealed a chilling greed.

"Han Bin, let's not beat around the bush. The Emperor is in the capital, eyeing the silver in the imperial granary with envy, but he's being held back by those old pedantic scholars in the cabinet."

"I've come here on the Emperor's secret orders to rob Jianzhou!"

Pei Yuan stared at Han Bin and said, word by word.

"You're telling me about offering bribes? How much can they offer? Ten thousand taels? Two hundred thousand taels? Let me tell you, the Emperor wants all the wealth Jianzhou has accumulated over decades!"

"It's millions of sable pelts, pearls, and thousand-year-old ginseng!"

Han Bin was so shocked by these words that he gasped.

This imperial envoy from the Ming Dynasty acted even more arrogantly and bluntly than the bandits in the mountains!

"Han Bin, do you want to stay in your stable position as general and then come with me to Jianzhou to make a fortune?"

"Or do you still want to thwart the Emperor's grand plan? Tomorrow, you'll be stripped of your official robes by the Imperial Guard captains and escorted back to the capital to face your death?"

Pei Yuan's Embroidered Spring Blade gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the candlelight, its hilt already half-exposed.

Han Bin trembled all over, and dared not utter a single word of dissuasion. He immediately knelt down on one knee.

"This humble general is willing to follow Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy into the mountains! To raze Jianzhou to the ground!"

Having dealt with the local tyrant in Liaodong, Pei Yuan's next plan naturally unfolded.

However, the Jianzhou Jurchens were not blind either.

The news that the Ming Dynasty had deployed 30,000 troops outside the pass had already reached the ears of Li Manzhu, the leader of Jianzhou, through scouts in the mountains and forests.

Jianzhou Laoying is located in a secluded valley deep in the mountains outside Fushun Pass.

Li Manzhu sat on a folding chair covered with a tiger skin, his face gloomy.

He was tall and strong, with the distinctive braids of the Jurchen people, and his eyes gleamed with a wild, cunning glint.

"When the Ming army arrived at Shanhaiguan, the commander was a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) officer named Pei Yuan. I heard that he was greedy for money and lustful, and a great traitor."

A scout knelt on the ground to report.

Upon hearing this, Li Manzhu's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he let out a contemptuous sneer.

"Greedy for money and lustful? That makes things easier. But if it's someone as stubborn as Yu Qian back then, we'll have to lay low for a while."

"Since he's a greedy and corrupt official, let's deal with him using the rules of our mountains."

Li Manzhu looked at the several trusted leaders inside the tent.

"Prepare a generous gift. Select fifty of the finest sable pelts, ten pearls the size of longans, and dig up two century-old ginseng roots."

"Send Dong Shan to the Ming army camp in person and tell them that our Jianzhou tribe is loyal to the Ming emperor and that those so-called disrespectful acts were all done by the surrounding barbarian tribes."

"As long as that Imperial Guard is fed, the Ming army's trip will have been in vain."

A few days later.

The Ming Dynasty military camp, the central command tent.

Pei Yuan sat upright behind his desk, looking down at the several rough-looking Jurchen people dressed in fur coats.

The one leading the group was Li Manzhu's nephew, Dong Shan.

Dong Shan ordered his men to bring forward several large wooden crates, which he then opened respectfully.

In an instant, the tent was filled with the glittering of jewels and the fragrant aroma of medicine.

The dozens of sable pelts were smooth and shiny, gleaming with a faint purple glow under the candlelight.

Those pearls were perfectly round and flawless, priceless.

Not to mention those two old ginseng roots that were intact and had already taken on human shapes.

"Dong Shan of Jianzhou, acting on behalf of Chief Li Manzhu, pays his respects to Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy. This humble gift is merely a token of respect from Jianzhou for your tea and refreshments."

"We hope that you, sir, will put in a good word for Jianzhou before the Emperor. For generations, we Jianzhou have been loyal dogs of the Ming Dynasty."

Dong Shan spoke in broken Mandarin, his face beaming with smiles.

The generals, including Han Bin, who were standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at the sight of these treasures.

The Jianzhou Jurchens were indeed incredibly wealthy.

Pei Yuan stepped down from behind the desk and slowly walked to the wooden crates.

He reached out and gently stroked the soft sable fur, then picked up a pearl and played with it between his fingertips.

A look of greed and obsession appeared on his face.

"Good stuff... truly good stuff. Even in the capital, I rarely see pearls of such high quality."

Pei Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement, as if his soul had been captivated by the gold and silver treasures.

Seeing this, Dong Shan felt much more at ease.

He really is a greedy and incompetent official.

"If Your Excellency is pleased, when Your Excellency returns to the capital in triumph, the Jianzhou tribe will certainly prepare another generous gift and send it to Your Excellency's residence."

Dong Shan struck while the iron was hot.

"Oh? There's a generous gift too?"

Pei Yuan turned his head and looked at Dong Shan with shining eyes.

"Of course! Although life in Jianzhou is tough, our filial piety towards our elders is purer than the snow in these mountains."

Dong Shan made a solemn vow.

Pei Yuan burst into laughter, the sound echoing within the tent.

"Good! I have seen the loyalty of the Jianzhou tribe. Since you are so sensible, how could I be an unreasonable person?"

Pei Yuan walked behind the desk, picked up a cup of tea, seemingly preparing to serve tea to his guest.

Dong Shan was secretly delighted and was about to bow and take his leave.

In that very instant.

Pei Yuan's hand, which was holding the teacup, suddenly paused.

The smile on his lips vanished abruptly, replaced by a murderous intent even more chilling than the ice and snow of Liaodong.