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

Chapter 279 Where the Thunder Goes
Captain Pei, who was concerned about the country and the people, became even more worried after returning to the inn.

I want to care about the future Queen Mother.

The young empress dowager saw through Pei Zhongchen's intention of "wanting to do it again" and refused angrily.

Out of boredom, he inspected the troops and saw the Jinyiwei chatting and feasting, which boosted their morale.

These people were the guarantee for Pei Yuan to get back a large sum of silver, so he generously rewarded them with 100 taels each.

So morale was boosted.

Captain Pei felt that the army's morale was good, so he went back to sleep.

The next day, Pei Yuan left Chen Toutie with men to guard the house, and asked Cheng Leixiang to take some Jinyiwei to escort some baggage carts to a gold and silver shop in the city.

A few embroidered spring knives were placed on the table, attracting the owner of the shop.

What a coincidence, it was an acquaintance from yesterday.

Pei Yuan had no intention of taking the gold and silver in the shop. He just wanted to use their silversmiths to burn the loose silver into silver ingots.

Pei Yuan left with satisfaction only after all the silver had been melted into ingots.

Excluding the more than 2,000 taels of reward he gave out yesterday, Pei Yuan now has more than 66,000 taels of reward in his hand.

Plus the common property between him and Han Qianhu.

Countless, impossible to count.

Pei Yuan enjoyed two more days of comfort in Yanggu. During the day, he sometimes took Jiao Yaner out for a stroll, and sometimes went to have a brief meeting with Xiao Yan and Gu Dayong.

At night, Pei Yuan, who had no hope of conquering Song Chunniang again, turned his attention to his beautiful concubine.

Jiao Yaner is beautiful, gentle and intellectual.

It feels great to hold hands and tour the ancient city together during the day, but when they share the same bed at night and Pei Yuan can do whatever he wants, the development of this relationship seems very confusing.

When Pei Yuan's hands gently rubbed Jiao Yan'er's underwear, wasn't the blush on her face just as beautiful as the blush during the day?

Pei Yuan faced his beautiful concubine as if she were delicious food.

Before going to sleep, sometimes I bite my fingers, sometimes I bite my ears, and sometimes I take out that cute thing and sip it.

Every time this happened, the little concubine's eyes would open wide, and the surprise in her eyes was even greater than any other emotion.

She was just a girl when she was asked to come here.

After successfully skinning the beautiful concubine like a little lamb, Captain Pei had a better appetite.

But he endured it again and again, and in the end he didn't just get it over with.

With Jiao Yaner's intelligence and insight, she will undoubtedly occupy a unique and important position in his home.

Then the history of Jiao Yan'er being abducted by bandits would become a trouble that is difficult to avoid.

Therefore, the white silk given on the night of taking the concubine would be a clear explanation to the people.

No matter who the future wife will be, no one can blame her.

Her children will also have an undisputed status.

If it was someone like Qin Lingbo or Bai Yujing, Pei Yuan wouldn't have to waste so much time on it.

The progress of the two parties with a clear relationship naturally cannot be compared with that of Tietie, who has no name or status.

After being semi-forced by Pei Yuan several times, the beautiful concubine timidly opened her mouth and did many things beyond her knowledge.

The days passed in a happy and carefree manner.

Captain Pei has money and women, and there are few people in Yanggu County who are higher in rank and better at fighting than him.

It feels like Ximen Daguanren plus.

Even little Wu Song, who was making a fuss around Yanggu, fled south and disappeared after hearing that "Big Tiger" and "Starry Sky" were defeated overnight.

Ding Hong has already obtained the complete list through torture.

Pei Yuan took a quick look at it and handed it to Chen Toutie for safekeeping.

These will all be revisited in the future.

During these days, Pei Yuan also waited for the arrival of the imperial censor in charge of inspections, whose name was Vincent.

According to Xiao and Gu, the people who came were their own people.

But I don’t know whether it is on Xiao Jing’s line or Zhang Yong’s line.

Xiao Jing survived several dynasties. If one wants to investigate his background, one must at least start from the era of the Three Yangs. He can be regarded as a living history of officialdom.

Zhang Yong's followers are few, but he has a staunch ally in Yang Yiqing.

At this point in time, Yang Yiqing was temporarily serving as the Minister of Personnel in the court, so it was not difficult for him to arrange a Censor to do the job.

As for Gu Dayong's influence in the officialdom...

Almost nothing.

This Vincent also has a bit of a background. His brother is called Wenlin, and Wenlin's son is the failed art student Wen Zhengming.

If it was Xu Wenchang, Pei Yuan might still be interested, but Wen Zhengming's words were a little less interesting.

If Pei Yuan remembered correctly, the two old men, Tang Bohu and Zhu Zhishan, were extremely eager to seek social recognition at this moment.

I'm going crazy wanting to be an official.

Unfortunately, these people were not going to join Pei Yuan's eunuch party because of their reputation. Moreover, their movements attracted worldwide attention, and Pei Yuan did not want to shine a spotlight on himself.

Eunuch party. Eunuch party.

I still need to find a suitable pair of white gloves.

Pei Yuan pondered.

Sun Keding popped up in my mind.

Cross it out.

Gone.

"Alas." Pei Yuan put his hands in his pockets.

The imperial examination had just ended in the sixth year of Zhengde, and the next one would be in the ninth year of Zhengde.

In other words, it would take at least two years for my good brother Ouyang Bijin to enter the officialdom.

That was when some things went wrong.

Unless we wait until the rebellion in Bazhou is quelled this year, and try to push for the special examination, we can hold another examination in the seventh year of Zhengde.

In this way, Ouyang Bijin can be put to use sooner.

Pei Yuan remembered this incident and called Chen Toutie to remind him, "Write a letter to Ouyang Bijin and ask him to prepare for the exam in Jiangxi. If he fails to pass the exam this year, I will break his legs."

Pei Yuan felt that with Ouyang Bijin's intelligence, he should be able to understand what he wanted to say. As for the rest, he could only try his luck at Da Ci'en Temple.

See if there are any failed scholars stranded in the capital due to the war.

If someone knows what's best for him, it's not impossible to give him a hand.

Pei Yuan still remembered the moment when he went to wait for someone outside the Da Ci'en Temple. He was poor and wanted to take advantage, but was forced to become introverted by those candidates.

Fortunately, next time will be different, because next time I will be a father.

The main theme is that a villain succeeds!
In the evening, Xiao Yan came to him with a rosy face and said that the road surface had been dry in the past few days. If Captain Pei had no objection, they could set off the next day or the day after tomorrow.

Pei Yuan knew that there must be more than just this matter that made Xiao Yan come here so eagerly.

He then motioned Xiao Yan to continue.

Xiao Yan finally couldn't bear it anymore and laughed happily, "The imperial censors and the heads of the Ministry of War have all finished counting the merits. There are 41,085 heads, not one more or one less. 'Big Tiger' and 'Starry Sky' have also been identified by the living and verified. If there are other bandits impersonating them in the future, it will not be our business."

Xiao Yan continued to talk about some follow-up measures.

"In order to prevent the epidemic, labor was conscripted from Yanggu, and the heads and bodies were buried on the spot. The military equipment and supplies were taken back by the Ministry of War, and the other silk, hemp, cotton, grain, salt, and scattered ironware were allowed to be collected by Yanggu to compensate for the loss of labor."

Xiao Yan was optimistic. "There are two uncles in my family and one in Eunuch Gu's family. It should be a sure thing. I heard that the results of this battle were reported back to the capital, shocking the government and the public. Many censors who were waiting to impeach Eunuch Gu have not made any moves recently."

"I think that this time, Eunuch Gu will not only be able to turn danger into safety, but he may even be able to regain the emperor's trust."

The Xiao family has already had two uncles, what else is there to be dissatisfied with?
Xiao Tong's youngest son was nominally adopted by Xiao Jing as his grandson, as he already had an older son.

At that time, his uncle could be passed on to his eldest son, and Xiao Tong's uncle would be counted as being in the lineage of Xiao Jing.

Pei Yuan reminded, "Where's my share?"

Pei Yuan’s demands are rather complicated, and many of his actions are outside the normal process.

To some extent, the only thing related to the court was Cheng Leixiang's military achievements. The rest were all personal interests exchanged between Pei Yuan, Xiao Yan and Gu Dayong.

Xiao Yan said, "Everything has been communicated."

Xiao Yan paused and said, "At the beginning of this year, the Nanjing Military Department reported that Japanese pirates had landed in Yangzhou and attacked the Huben Zuowei, resulting in the annihilation of the Huben Zuowei. The Anti-Japanese Command in Zhejiang, Nanzhili, and Fujian, as well as the Jinshan Anti-Japanese Command, which was responsible for the special task, suffered heavy losses when they besieged this elite group of Japanese pirates, with a large number of casualties."

"The court decided to temporarily retain the chiefs of the three anti-Japanese military headquarters in Nanzhi, Fujian, and Jinshan. The commander-in-chief of the Zhejiang anti-Japanese military headquarters will be demoted and transferred to another place. Qi Jingtong, the commander-in-chief of the Shandong anti-Japanese military headquarters, will take over."

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.

At least Mr. Qi left office in a dignified manner and made room for someone else.

Pei Yuan's moral pressure was also reduced a little.

But I didn't expect that I would be the one who submitted the excuse for changing guard to the court.

"After we return to Beijing, Xuzhou Left Guard Commander Shi Yong will be promoted to Shandong Defense Commander, and the Ding Hong you mentioned will also be promoted to Xuzhou Left Guard Commander for his merits."

Pei Yuan thought for a while and said, "There's no rush for this. Ding Hong and Shi Yong need to communicate well. If Shi Yong is willing to keep a clean and useful Xuzhou Zuowei, he will have the hope of jumping two levels and becoming the second-rank commander. If he doesn't know how to handle things, maybe this opportunity will go to someone else."

Pei Yuan also wanted to influence the Shandong Defense Force through Shi Yong, and of course he didn't want his relationship with Shi Yong to end like a one-time deal.

A third-rank official with no merit at all just sits at home and skips the promotion from second-rank to second-rank. What the hell is he expecting?
Pei Yuan can't just send it away like this.

Xiao Yan said, "It's up to you, but this matter can't be delayed for too long. Otherwise, others will also take notice."

Pei Yuan asked with concern, "What about Cheng Leixiang?"

Compared with Ding Hong, a younger brother recruited halfway, Pei Yuan was obviously more concerned about Cheng Leixiang's arrangements.

Xiao Yan glanced at Cheng Leixiang who was looking a little worried, and said with a smile, "Brother Cheng and I have dealt with each other several times. Even if I don't care about your face, I will not treat Brother Cheng unfairly."

Pei Yuan ignored the nonsense and waited for Xiao Yan to tell the result.

Xiao Yan didn't keep Pei Yuan waiting and gave a direct answer, "Commander-in-Chief of Tianjin Guard!"

Pei Yuan was overjoyed when he heard this.

There are three guards in Tianjin, which are usually stationed together. They are Tianjin Guard, Tianjin Left Guard and Tianjin Right Guard.

The Three Guards of Tianjin are located close to the capital, bordering the sea to the east and the capital to the north, making them very important.

Originally, this place was called Zhigu. Because it was located at the center of sea transportation and commercial ships, three garrisons were set up here to guard it.

Because the Three Guards were a military organization, the territory under their jurisdiction was "intertwined among counties and prefectures."

It can be said that in that area, apart from the soldiers, there were no civilians to govern it.

In addition, no local government is willing to get into this trouble.

Therefore, the land where the three guards of Tianjin were located was directly under the jurisdiction of the Beijing Rear Military Governor's Office.

Later, in order to facilitate joint defense, the three guards built a small city, began to cultivate land along the coast, and later built schools and parade grounds. Gradually, merchants and common people gathered and gradually the city became large.

Perhaps because they were too happy in their own circles and had no superiors to control them, the three guards in Tianjin gradually became corrupt and treacherous, and the military and government were in disarray. Soldiers began to harass the surrounding prefectures and counties in groups.

Seeing that trouble was about to break out, the imperial court immediately began to reorganize Tianjin's military preparations.

In the third year of the Hongzhi reign, a military preparation department was set up in Tianjin, and a deputy envoy from the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Department was sent to supervise it. The main defense area was the section from Tianjin to Dezhou.

Now twenty years have passed, and the situation of Tianjin Sanwei has not changed much.

Because the land of Tianjin Bingbeidao theoretically belonged to the Beijing Rear Military Governor's Office, there was no complete local political structure in legal terms.

The Bingbei Dao mainly controlled the activities of military entities and had no legal authority to manage the peasant cultivation and commercial transactions that were dependent on the military groups.

Therefore, many things are developing in a wild way in the territory of Tianjin Sanwei.

In such a place where fists are used to compete, the three commanders who control fifteen thousand households are extremely important.

If Cheng Leixiang could take charge of Tianjin Wei, the five thousand households under his control could solve many personnel promotion problems for Pei Yuan.

It is also possible to openly station a usable army right under Beijing's nose.

Xiao Yan saw Pei Yuan's happy expression and asked with a smile, "How is it? More money, less work, and closer to you!"

Pei Yuan was very satisfied and said, "Very good."

Looking back at Cheng Leixiang, he was already laughing silly with joy.

Commander of Tianjin!
Not only does he hold a high position of power, he also oversees the last section of the canal, which is rich in oil and water.

It’s also close to home, so it’s convenient to show off to my friends in Beijing.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was very satisfied, Xiao Yan's eyes moved slightly and he said with a smile, "Since you two are satisfied, I will make this decision with Eunuch Gu when I return. We also need to inform the rear army governor's office about this matter."

"Mao Lun, the governor of the Rear Army Governor's Office, was sent to Datong as a soldier because he attached himself to Liu Jin. Many other officials, both big and small, were implicated. It is precisely because the Rear Army Governor's Office is in a bit of chaos that we can accomplish this."

"After a while, not to mention the rear military governor's office, all five major governor's offices will be overcrowded."

When Pei Yuan heard this, he was moved and asked, "What do you mean?"

Xiao Yan did not hide it from Pei Yuan, "Maybe because of my brother's contribution, many people are jealous. Many eunuchs who have a say in the palace have sent their families and gathered some soldiers to help the eunuch Lu Ting, the commander of military affairs. Haha, each of them has received the emperor's order. Lu Ting's life is not easy."

(End of this chapter)