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

Chapter 647 Suspicious Men Suspicious of Each Other

Pei Yuan looked very handsome when he went out, but after walking only two streets, he quickly dismounted, hid in a small temple that had been pre-arranged, and began to change his clothes.

Xiao Tong, Lu Yong, and the other guards followed them in, took out the clothes they needed to change into from their horses, and changed into the clothes of ordinary people.

The curfew in Beijing is from 3 a.m. to 3 a.m., roughly from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. the next day.

When the time came, the Bell and Drum Towers sounded the evening drum, Chongwen Gate rang the bell, and the other eight gates responded by striking the cloud-shaped plaques.

Pei Yuan's banquet started early, so if they make the most of the time, they can leave the capital before the city gates close.

Pei Yuan quickly changed his clothes and then went out of the temple through another gate, heading swiftly out of the city.

The men dared not delay and quickly followed.

Pei Yuangang led his men out of Chaoyang Gate, when they heard the evening drum sounding inside the city.

The group exchanged glances and then burst into laughter.

Chaoyangmen was an important passage to Tongzhou, which was the final destination of grain transport along the Grand Canal.

Besides transporting grain, the Grand Canal also allowed canal workers and officials to smuggle grain along with other goods.

Once a gray area is created in an issue, black practices can also run rampant.

Therefore, the section from Tongzhou to Chaoyangmen became exceptionally prosperous.

The large number of canal workers, laborers, merchants, and officials formed a dense population, which in turn created a huge secondary consumption market.

Numerous warehouses, shops, and brothels sprang up around these people, and hotels and inns for people to rest were built in close succession.

The mountains of goods attracted merchants from all over the world, who then built numerous business guild halls here.

These business guild halls, like a skeleton, attracted merchants unrelated to the canal transport, who would also bring other goods to try their luck.

Pei Yuan and his group arrived at a shop in the eastern suburbs, retrieved their horses and luggage from the Imperial Guards who were there to meet them, and then headed to Tongzhou overnight.

Upon arriving in Tongzhou, they changed into clothes delivered by the Ministry of War and headed south along the post road.

Pei Yuan's operation this time must be swift and decisive, while also avoiding any leaks.

Therefore, the water station, with its long journey, was not at all in his consideration.

Considering the need to change horses frequently along the way, and that the Thousand Household Office alone could not support the task, they had no choice but to make good use of the imperial horse post stations.

To cover his tracks, Pei Yuan specially dispatched several missions to investigate heretical cults and lewd monks, and sent a group of trusted Imperial Guards south in advance.

These Imperial Guards would borrow horses from the post stations in advance and prepare food and water for Pei Yuan to use along the way, so that he could be resupplied when he arrived.

Pei Yuan traveled for half the night before finally arriving at Liangxiang Post Station.

Then Pei Yuan led his men around the post station, heading south along the post road for about a mile, where they quickly exchanged horses with the Imperial Guards and handed over the previously changed clothes to the Imperial Guards who were there to handle.

They continued their journey until the sun was high in the sky, when Pei Yuan finally found his men to meet him near the post station in Zhuolu.

After quickly washing up with his personal guards, Pei Yuan slept for a little over an hour before, despite his exhaustion, he mounted his new horse and continued south.

And so, Pei Yuan, with a few men, drove almost through the night towards Shandong.

Fortunately, although the bandits in Bazhou have been quelled, military intelligence continues to flow along the post roads, so Pei Yuan and his group do not attract much attention.

The main reason was that with the suppression of the Bazhou bandits, Chen Jin, the chief censor in charge of suppressing the bandits in Dongxiang, Jiangxi, was also somewhat panicked.

In order to quell the long-delayed Dongxiang bandits as soon as possible, Chen Jin organized a team that could be described as a super rabble.

He mobilized many plundering soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi, conscripted undisciplined monk soldiers from Hubei and Hunan, and also used a lot of Han Chinese troops. In addition, he welcomed all the local officials and chieftains from the surrounding areas of Jiangxi who came to quell the rebellion.

Chen Jin has expressed his determination to the imperial court and will launch a general offensive against the Dongxiang bandits in the near future.

This chaotic campaign of plunder and rape to quell the rebellion will soon begin. This horrific catastrophe will also provide a broad popular base for Prince Ning to seize control of Jiangxi and quell the rebellion.

Pei Yuan kept a close eye on the movements of Xiao Chong and Chen Xinjian and Chen Tou Tie throughout the journey.

After arriving in Dezhou, Xiao Chong stopped.

Chen Xinjian and Chen Tou Tie quickly blocked the road from Dezhou to Linqing.

Pei Yuan believed that with Chen Xinjian's decisiveness, even if he couldn't get there in time, he would still take action against Xiao Chong once Xiao Chong arrived in Linqing.

At the same time, Pei Yuan also noticed that after following the Chen brothers on their march for a while, Cen Meng changed direction and headed north along the post road.

Pei Yuan traveled for two more days until his men and horses were exhausted, and then he encountered Cen Meng, who was heading north, outside Dezhou City.

Cen Meng was overjoyed to see Pei Yuan and quickly reported to him what had happened since he came south.

After receiving Pei Yuan's order, Cen Meng immediately went to find Chen Tou Tie, who was concurrently serving as the commander of Jining Guard and was in charge of consolidating troops in Jining.

Then Chen Tou Tie led Luo Jiao's trusted elite soldiers to meet up with Chen Xinjian, who was recruiting soldiers in Dongchang Prefecture.

When Chen Xinjian went to Dongchang Prefecture to recruit soldiers, he was on a mission to go south, and his troops had been operating in the vicinity of Gaotang Prefecture.

To ensure Pei Yuan was informed of the situation promptly, Chen Xinjian sent Cen Meng north to Dezhou, where Xiao Chong, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, was temporarily stationed, to inquire about the news.

Pei Yuan was pleased to hear this and quickly asked Cen Meng, "Have you found out why Xiao Chong stopped in Dezhou and didn't head south?"

Dezhou is the northern gateway to Shandong. Once Xiao Chong arrived here, he could barely consider it the location of his mission.

Cen Meng replied, "I heard that Xiao Chong stayed in Dezhou to summon Jin Xianmin, the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and the main officials of the Provincial Surveillance Commission to meet with him."

"At the same time, Ding Hong, the commander of the Xuzhou Left Guard who first reported the incident, was also sent to Dezhou with evidence."

Pei Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he pressed on, "Wasn't Zhang Feng summoned?"

Cen Meng recalled the intelligence he had gathered and replied, "No, it seems that the Right Censor-in-Chief is going to first gather evidence of Zhang Feng's corruption and embezzlement before taking him down in one fell swoop."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan sneered, "It seems that Xiao Chong still intends to protect Zhang Feng."

Cen Meng was somewhat incredulous upon hearing this. "It shouldn't be that bad, right? I heard that Xiao Chong brought thirteen censors and two supervising secretaries from the Six Ministries this time. It's like he's handling a major case."

Pei Yuan said, "The cases reported from Shandong are major cases involving multiple individuals. No matter how much the court wants to pretend to be ignorant, it has to be handled according to the standards for major cases involving multiple individuals."

"Even if Yang Tinghe's faction wants to protect Zhang Feng, they have to make a big show of it in order to give a result that will convince the court and the public."

Pei Yuan was all too familiar with this method of digressing and starting the investigation from the smallest details.

First, interrogate the person who made the whistleblower to find out what they know, and then have someone ask Zhang Feng if these matters can be resolved peacefully.

Once Zhang Feng has cleaned up the mess, Imperial Envoy Xiao should arrive in Linqing with an iron fist and interrogate the accused one by one about the allegations.

Then, Zhang Feng, a good cadre who had been wronged, argued his case, and the people also stood up for Zhang Qingtian.

Next, the plaintiff becomes the defendant.

The treacherous Ding Hong and his ilk, who betrayed their colleagues, were publicly reprimanded. Others also presented evidence of Ding Hong's illegal and disorderly conduct. Imperial Envoy Xiao even declared that he would uphold the Emperor's will and punish evil while promoting good. In the end, it all came true, just as Pei Yuan had predicted.

The truth doesn't matter; Yang Tinghe can't be wrong.

Knowing that he had successfully cornered Xiao Chong in Dezhou, Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt that things were rather tricky.

Because he was in a rush this time, he was very worried that something might happen in the capital.

However, if Xiao Chong remained holed up in Dezhou, his surprise attack would lose most of its effectiveness.

We still need to find a way to force Xiao Chong to take action, at least to get him out of Dezhou.

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and came up with an idea. He then said to Cen Meng, "Immediately send some people to spread the news in Dezhou City. Say that Zhang Feng, who is currently supervising the construction of cargo ships in Linqing, has heard that the court has sent an imperial censor to investigate him, and has already rushed from Linqing to Dongping to supervise the construction of the waterway."

Cen Meng didn't have many ideas and was afraid of making a mistake.

He quickly and cautiously asked, "What does the commander mean?"

Pei Yuan said, "The impeachment petition from Shandong was urgent this time, and the court also sent people down to investigate the case urgently. Even though the higher authorities sent people to meet with Zhang Feng privately beforehand, many things could not be fully communicated because most matters had not yet been finalized at that time."

"Although Xiao Chong's method is somewhat shady, it still looks quite intimidating."

Even if Zhang Feng trusts Yang Tinghe, he may not necessarily have much tacit understanding with Xiao Chong, who is investigating the case.

"Similarly, how much can Xiao Chong trust Zhang Feng?"

"As long as we create the atmosphere that Zhang Feng wants to escape, Xiao Chong will most likely think that Zhang Feng misunderstood him."

"So whether it's to deal with the pressure from public opinion or to prevent Zhang Feng from making any more mistakes, Xiao Chong has no choice but to rush to Linqing as soon as possible and meet with Zhang Feng in person."

Pei Yuan explained in detail, and Cen Meng immediately replied, "This subordinate understands. It's about using their mutual suspicion to make them believe that the other side is also suspicious of them, thereby disrupting their plans and then leading them by the nose."

Pei Yuan praised, "Not bad."

Then, he added to Cen Meng, "You can take the waterway from Dezhou to Linqing. Although Xiao Chong didn't take a boat on his way south, he might choose to take the waterway to Linqing."

"Go and inform Chen Tou Tie to sink a few grain ships in the river and see if that works."

The Luo religion spread very rapidly among the canal workers.

Although most of the actual control was directly seized by some local tyrants, Chen Tou Tie also gradually placed some of his own trusted men in his place.

For Chen Tou Tie, the cult leader, sinking a few boats in the canal was not a difficult task.

Cen Meng reminded him, "Chief, the methods for dealing with shipwrecks on the canal are quite sophisticated, so the blockage probably won't last long."

Pei Yuan, however, thought it best to take a chance, saying, "It's alright, even if we can't block the canal, we can at least scare him."

Cen Meng chuckled upon hearing this, indicating that he understood.

While sending someone to deliver the message, Cen Meng continued to have people keep an eye on Xiao Chong.

Pei Yuan and his men found a roadside inn outside the city and took a quick rest.

When Pei Yuan woke up early the next morning, he learned that Chen Xinjian and Chen Tou Tie, who had gone to Shandong, had sent some men to Pei Yuan for his command.

Chen Tou Tie also acted quickly, ordering his men among the canal workers to secretly sink several grain ships on the canal.

Pei Yuan ate his food while patiently waiting for time to pass.

When Cen Meng came in again to report to Pei Yuan that Xiao Chong had not made a move, Pei Yuan said firmly, "There's not much time left. We can only wait until noon at the latest."

"If Xiao Chong hasn't moved by noon, then we'll disguise ourselves, storm into the official post station, and kill him directly."

The Chen brothers had sent enough men; if they attacked the official post station in haste, they could kill Xiao Chong and the imperial censors who followed him before anyone else could react.

Killing Xiao Chong was merely the prelude to the turmoil in Shandong.

How he died is not important.

Cen Meng listened with a chilling air, but showed no fear.

He was one of the earliest Jinyiwei personal guards to follow Pei Yuan, fighting alongside him all the way, experiencing the open and covert struggles between the imperial court and the Southern Group, and facing the tidal wave of attacks from the Bazhou rebels.

When Pei Yuan was framed by Liang Cishu, he took the blame in the Shuntian Prefecture prison.

He was also present when Zhang Yong was killed.

After experiencing so many near-death experiences, life and death become just another thing.

While ordering his men to speed up preparations, Cen Meng also had them keep a close eye on Xiao Chong's movements.

Around noon, Cen Meng rushed to Pei Yuan's room and excitedly told Pei Yuan, "Commander, Xiao Chong has made a move."

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

While killing Xiao Chong was a swift and decisive move, there was always the risk of oversights and mistakes.

If we can lure Xiao Chong out of Dezhou City, things will be much safer.

In that case, Chen Xinjian and Chen Tou Tie's ambush troops could also be put to use.

Pei Yuan stared at Cen Meng and said, "Keep the watch on him and get in touch with the Chen brothers as soon as possible. No matter where Xiao Chong's entourage is tonight, I want him dead."

Xiao Tong and Lu Yong also sensed the tense atmosphere and stood by, too nervous to even breathe.

Xiao Tong was better off, having experience ambushing Zhang Yong before, but this was Lu Yong's first time doing something like this.

Moreover, the first thing they faced was the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Imperial Court, who had come by imperial decree.

Cen Meng naturally dared not be careless.

When further news arrived, he hurriedly reported to Pei Yuan, "Commander, Xiao Chong has taken the investigators to Pingyuan County. It seems they may stay in Pingyuan County tonight."

Pei Yuan then asked, "How many men do they have?"

Cen Meng said nervously, "There are more than 500 provincial governor's standard troops, all of whom are from the Beijing garrison. These people are not very good at fighting, but the problem is that they will run away as soon as they are attacked."

"The road from here to Pingyuan County is wide and there is no suitable terrain for an ambush. Even with the Chen brothers' manpower, it is probably impossible to completely eliminate them."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan decisively said, "Don't worry about the others. Let those Beijing garrison troops run away. Let's just kill Xiao Chong and those censors."

"I promised my good younger brothers that I would give them a bright future. How can I not make room for them?"

Upon hearing this, Cen Meng hesitated and said, "Should we wait a little longer and make our move further away from Dezhou? I'm afraid someone might notice something."

Pei Yuan laughed heartily upon hearing this, becoming even more smug. "Do we need them to figure anything out? We can openly use the name of the Luo Cult to kill them."

As he spoke, a malicious smile appeared on his face. "In the Zhang Yong case last time, those people already fooled the Emperor once using the name of the Luo Cult. Do you think the Emperor will believe it again this time?"

(End of this chapter)