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

Chapter 109 0108 How about we each make a concession?
Pei Yuan looked at the two men and his eyes became enthusiastic at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Before this, the only ones who had received such treatment were Zhang Cong and Ouyang Bijin, whose utility value suddenly increased!
Pei Yuan waved his hand to signal everyone to leave, then stood up and asked Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui to sit down.

The two guys were somewhat puzzled by Pei Qianhu's sudden enthusiasm.

However, after going out to check the scene and asking passers-by for clues, the two centurions felt that they should give Captain Pei some minimum respect.

Pei Yuan did not hide it. He looked at the two and said, "Do you know who assassinated me today?"

Sikong Sui thought for a moment and replied, "The Nanjing Ministry of Justice is still investigating, and we will also secretly look for evidence."

Pei Yuan smiled and said frankly, "Don't pretend, it's most likely someone from the Northern Pacification Division."

Sikong Sui and Tan Tai Fang Tu exchanged glances, but neither responded.

Pei Yuan spoke so bluntly, and it was obvious that he was ready to put aside the routine and have a serious talk. There was no need for them to be hypocritical and make others look down on them.

The large number of crossbows and spears that appeared during the assassination almost revealed the identities of those people.

Pei Yuan looked at the two and said slowly, "You two have been in the officialdom for a long time, so you must understand the filthiness of it."

"The south is rich and commercially prosperous, but the imperial court receives almost no tax revenue. Every year, the silver deficit of the imperial court has been made up by farmers in the south. If this continues, there will be chaos."

"I personally am inclined to accomplish this task of escorting the tax silver. But I will not overestimate my own abilities and gamble my life for a result."

"I am currently earning a monthly salary of 16 shi for a fifth-rank official. Even if the Ming court is in a difficult situation, it should not be able to do without this salary of mine."

Tantai Fangtu and Sikong Sui heard that Pei Yuan was trying to compromise, and they were delighted, "Master, you are wise."

Pei Yuan pondered for a while and said, "The game between the imperial court and the southern clans is indeed not something that small characters like us can interfere with. There is nothing wrong with doing it according to your original idea. But now the situation has changed."

Tantai Fangtu and Sikong Sui both knew that Pei Yuan was going to talk about the main point next, so they listened attentively and said, "I hope the master can speak clearly."

Pei Yuan then explained it to the two of them.

"Originally, both sides were concerned about the tax money. The imperial court had to collect the money from the south in an upright manner. The goal of the southern nobles was to make the imperial court pay a heavy price and eventually give up this loss-making move."

"According to this logic, our backers are the imperial court, and the trigger point of all conflicts is after we get the tax silver."

"But things are different now. The imperial court has obviously adopted more sophisticated means. What they are fighting for with the southern nobles is no longer a small amount of tax silver, but a big situation!"

"They must first decide the outcome of the general trend, and then take the tax money as the victor."

Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui looked at each other.

They were all veterans in the officialdom and were keenly aware that this matter was a powder keg, so they pretended to obey Han Qianhu's orders but actually disobeyed them.

Originally they thought that Pei Yuan was a young man who rose to prominence by currying favor with the eunuchs, but they didn't expect that this guy was quite clear-headed about the current situation.

Sikong Sui thought for a moment and asked, "Forgive my ignorance, I don't know what the so-called 'victory is decided by the general trend' means?"

Pei Yuan explained.

"When the localities are against the imperial court, their status is naturally unequal, which is their disadvantage. But they also have their own advantages, that is, it is easy for the localities to form an iron plate, but in the imperial court, the southern nobles can also have a seat."

"Therefore, as long as the local governments can provide their allies in the imperial court with a name that they can use to gain power, they can drag down and paralyze the imperial court. As time goes by, the imperial court will be distracted by other troubles and the matter will gradually come to nothing. You know, under the same conditions, doing good things is not easy, but doing bad things is very easy."

"The title that can be used as leverage is naturally the public opinion!"

"Among the public opinions, the most easily incited are the artisans in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Changzhou, and Songjiang. As long as the damaged big merchants pass on the losses to the artisans, and threaten to reduce their wages and lay off the artisans, the large and well-organized artisans will rush to the front and fight desperately." "The merchants don't pay taxes, and the organized artisans protect them and refuse to give in. In the end, the unorganized farmers are the ones who suffer."

“However, these unorganized and oppressive farmers are often the most terrifying.”

"So the imperial court planned to seize the opportunity first, and make a big fuss in advance by attacking the escorting officials, so as to hold the southern officials accountable. Then, under a series of tight pressure, their means of intimidating the craftsmen would fail, and then they would take away the taxes openly."

Then Pei Yuan looked at the two of them and said calmly, "The victims here are us."

Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui both changed color.

"So, before we reach Suzhou, we may have to fight a few tough battles. The imperial court is determined to use us as an excuse. We can't just give in and get away with it."

Both of them looked gloomy.

Pei Yuan's gaze lingered on the two men's faces for a while, and he continued to put pressure on them, "Reaching Suzhou is not the end. The imperial court will certainly not embarrass us, but those southern bureaucratic groups may not let us go. After that, we still have to transport silver thousands of miles away, hehe..."

Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui's expressions became increasingly ugly.

Pei Yuan was afraid that the situation was too tense, so he changed the subject and said slowly, "I've thought about it carefully, and it seems that there is no harm in discussing some things. Otherwise, how about we both make concessions?"

This time, without waiting for Sikong Sui to answer, Tantai Fangtu asked in a very aggressive tone, "How do you want to make concessions?"

Pei Yuan's tone suddenly softened. "Let's put it this way. The imperial court's military order is for us to escort the tax silver from Suzhou to the Neichengyunku in Beijing. Military orders are as heavy as a mountain. If we want to disobey, we will die."

"However, I think the two centurions' previous ideas have merit. How about we use Huai'an as the boundary?"

The two were puzzled and asked, "What does Qianhu mean?"

Pei Yuan said, "You guys help me transport the silver to Huai'an first, and then I'll find a way to turn this matter down and let you guys bring the silver back directly, how about that?"

After Pei Yuan's analysis, the two felt as sad as if their father had died.

Suddenly hearing Pei Yuan being so caring, she couldn't believe it for a moment, "Really?!"

Pei Yuan pointed at the Bazhou sword stuck in the ground and said, "I swear on the sword that I will never lie. When we get to Huai'an, I will arrange for you to bring the silver back. Even if we have to go north again, I am willing to do it alone and will never drag down my brothers."

Tan Tai Fang Tu and Si Kong Sui were both very moved.

The two looked at each other.

Tan Tai Fang Tu said to Pei Yuan honestly, "If the captain keeps his word, we brothers will hand over these two old bones to him!"

Pei Yuan hummed with satisfaction and said to the two, "That's settled, you go first."

After the two men left, Pei Yuan stroked his chin and started planning again.

In this way, you can temporarily capture their hearts and make them work for you.

Moreover, after Han Qianhu has finished selling the goods in Huai'an, Pei Yuan can ask these two idiots to help escort the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver back.

Isn't this better than killing them and taking away the military power directly?

——This is his and Han Qianhu’s money.

Thanks to book friend 20220204003142859 for the reward, thank you 20200426091612827 for the reward, thank you for your support. There will be more in the evening.

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(End of this chapter)