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

Chapter 671 First Horse Head
Pei Yuan originally planned to go to Jingzhou to help control the situation a few days after the new investigation team went south.

But the tactless remarks of his underlings made him uneasy.

After a sleepless night, Pei Qianhu finally decided to leave at dawn! The current situation was excellent, and he couldn't let those guys drag him down with him.

Pei Yuan's decision left Jiao Xiaomei feeling rather resentful.

But that's just how things are. When you're quietly eating small fish and shrimp, you can still develop stealthily. But there are only fifteen sheep in the Ming Dynasty. If Pei Yuan wants to catch one and eat it all by himself, how can he hide it?

As soon as the "Single Whip Law" reform began, anyone with discerning eyes could see who the beneficiaries were.

The imperial court can collect more taxes, the gentry and common people can save more money and grain, and the Luo sect will gradually lose its religious characteristics and become a huge merchant group that integrates exchange, logistics and trade.

The undeniable flow of money will eventually bring the true mastermind of the Luo Cult to light.

Pei Yuan, who is preparing to eat sheep, must transform the interest group surrounding him into a way that others can understand.

The core members of the Luo Cult have now been exonerated by Zhu Houzhao. Zhu Houzhao knows that the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) is secretly controlling the Luo Cult's upper echelons, and that the Luo Cult is under the supervision of multiple parties.

Pei Yuan believed that Zhu Houzhao would be very interested in this force that could bypass the barrier of imperial power not extending to the county level and be directly controlled by him.

Zhu Houzhao's thinking was never pedantic.

In order to strengthen his control over Tibet, he was willing to become the Great Celebration Dharma King of Tibetan Buddhism, so persuading him to become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven for the Luo Sect should not be difficult.

If Chen Tou Tie could leverage the power of the imperial court to demonstrate the process of suppressing and reorganizing the local forces of the Luo sect, he could also whitewash the rest of the matter in front of the imperial court.

The Luo Sect made a lot of noise during its early expansion, but an organization that worships Sun Wukong doesn't seem very smart.

The imperial court was probably not that vigilant about this.

This also aligns with Pei Yuan's interests.

What Pei Yuan wanted to do was not to create his own system, but to open that mysterious passage in the officialdom and spread his power parasitically.

The Luo sect belongs to A-Yuan, to A-Zhao, and ultimately to their son.

Pei Yuan's departure from the capital this time followed normal procedures.

He issued himself a mission permit and sent someone to the Ministry of War's Carriage and Cavalry Bureau to collect the official document.

The group was quite large, numbering over a hundred people.

After settling into Tongzhou that night, Pei Yuan immediately sent a message to his underlings to prevent them from getting impatient and betraying him.

Next, Pei Yuan didn't rush to Jingzhou to take charge, but instead went to Tianjin first.

After completing their investigation into the Zhang Yong case, the troops of the Tianjin Three Guards have withdrawn from Shandong back to their garrison.

Upon hearing that Pei Yuan was on patrol, Cheng Leixiang immediately led Deng Liang, the commander of the Tianjin Left Guard, and Cao Xing, the commander of the Tianjin Right Guard, along with a dozen personal guards to protect him.

Pei Yuan glanced at Deng Liang and Cao Xing, who were paying their respects, and noticed that their expressions were much more natural than when he last saw them.

On the way, Deng Liang and Cao Xing would occasionally chat and laugh with Pei Yuan's men, clearly trying to integrate into the circle.

Pei Yuan was very satisfied with this.

Cheng Leixiang hadn't been by Pei Yuan's side for some time, so he naturally spurred his horse to catch up, pushing Xiao Tong, Lu Yong, Cen Meng, and the others aside, and slowly explained to Pei Yuan his adjustments and plans for the three Tianjin guards.

Xiao Tong and the others were sensible enough to know that these were the first people to follow the commander, so they could only obediently follow behind.

Cen Meng didn't have many thoughts at first, but when he saw Cheng Leixiang blocking the way and thought about the three of them subconsciously giving way, he suddenly realized something.

Within Pei Yuan's small group, seniority is the most crucial ranking factor.

Previously, Cen Meng admired Yun Buxian's abilities and always subconsciously cooperated with Yun Buxian in doing things.

Thinking about it this way, he realized how foolish he had been to let Yun Buxian gradually take control of the situation.

At the time, Cen Meng didn't realize that there was anything wrong with it.

But Cheng Leixiang's actions today have enlightened him.

Cen Meng is simple-minded and straightforward in his actions.

Once he realized what was happening, he immediately glanced at Xiao Tong and Lu Yong, who were subtly competing with each other, and said rudely to them, "Why are you following so closely? Let me go first."

With that, he spurred his horse forward a step.

Xiao Tong and Lu Yong exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Cen Meng, who was closer to the front, kept a close eye on Pei Yuan's movements.

With Cen Meng between them, Xiao Tong and Lu Yong weren't paying much attention and were getting a little bored on horseback.

At this moment, Deng Liang and Cao Xing, who had been very active all the way, rode over.

Seeing that Pei Yuan and Cheng Leixiang were chatting happily and hadn't noticed them, the two men immediately smiled and quietly took out a silver ingot from their sleeves and handed it over, saying, "Brothers, let's get to know each other."

"In the future, when you have time, put in a good word for us in front of Commander Pei."

Cheng Leixiang never hid his background, and Deng Liang and Cao Xing, the two newcomers, naturally knew how their boss had risen to prominence.

In particular, every time they saw Cheng Leixiang, the leader of the Three Guards of Tianjin, they would fawn over and flatter the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Both of them felt that their leader's backer might not only have been kind to their leader, but might even be far more unfathomable than they thought.

When Cheng Leixiang heard that the commander was going south, he immediately brought his men to personally escort him. Their servility only strengthened their belief in him.

Although Deng Liang and Cao Xing didn't get many opportunities to speak with the commander, that didn't stop them from getting close to the people under him.

Both of them were seasoned veterans who knew that if they couldn't curry favor with someone, they would naturally have to take good care of the people around them.

Xiao Tong and Lu Yong were bored, and they found it quite novel to see the two commanders bribing them with silver.

The two of them felt better.

Xiao Tong pocketed the silver and said happily, "It's easy. Do you have something to ask of our commander? Tell me, and maybe I can help you."

Lu Yong nodded as well.

In fact, this was the first bribe they received after entering officialdom.

Deng Liang and Cao Xing quickly replied, "We don't ask for anything, it's just a small token of our appreciation."

Xiao Tong understood and smiled at Lu Yong, a newcomer to officialdom who had only recently come to the capital from the countryside, saying, "This is how you 'grease the wheels.' It shows that they are sensible people, so that we remember their kindness and think of them if there are any good things to do in the future. They will then show their appreciation."

Deng Liang and Cao Xing were surprised by Xiao Tong's directness and looked rather embarrassed.

Putting aside the fact that they had paid money, how could two mere captains allow two third-rank commanders like them to criticize them with their presence? Seeing that Deng Liang and Cao Xing both looked somewhat displeased, Xiao Tong thought that since these two were subordinates of the senior Cheng Leixiang, he shouldn't make things too awkward.

So he explained to the two men, "This is the Earl of Zhenping. He used to stay in his hometown in Hebei. He was living a peaceful life when his uncle suddenly earned him an earldom this year, so he started to work."

“He hasn’t been in the capital for long and doesn’t know much about these official matters. We’re on the same side, so there’s no need to be formal. I’ll explain it to him so he won’t look foolish in front of outsiders.”

Deng Liang and Cao Xing were both quite surprised; the unassuming young man in front of them was actually an earl.

Moreover, the implication in the words was that he had just been granted the title of Earl.

The two immediately thought of the previous suppression of the rebellion in Bazhou.

Deng Liang and Cao Xing both gasped. The previous grand discussion of merits had caused quite a stir, and since the three Tianjin guards were so close, they had naturally been watching the whole thing unfold.

I vaguely remember that during this suppression of the rebellion, it seems that not many earls were granted titles.

Deng Liang immediately felt that the silver he had just handed over was inappropriate. If the other party was really the Earl of Zhenping, his dozens of taels of silver would not only be a favor, but also somewhat humiliating.

He quickly and cautiously asked, "This humble servant is ignorant and has not yet been granted your name?"

The simple young man, Lu Yong, recalled Pei Qianhu's teachings and instinctively felt that this was the right time to apply them, so he said, "My name is Lu Yong. I was just fortunate enough to receive his favor."

Xiao Tong, standing nearby, discreetly told the two, "This is the nephew of Eunuch Lu, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial."

Deng Liang and Cao Xing's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The nephew of the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial?
The two men were initially incredulous, but then they realized that their Boss Cheng was no ordinary country bumpkin; he was a legitimate third-rank commander, someone Boss Cheng would fawn over. How could he possibly speak recklessly about such a matter?

The two hurriedly said to Lu Yong, "My apologies."

Xiao Tong quickly gave Lu Yong a beaming wink.

Lu Yong understood; it was his turn.

So Lu Yong said, "As Lord Leping just said, we are all on the same side, there's no need to stand on ceremony."

He added sincerely, "I haven't actually experienced any of these things either."

Upon hearing this, Deng Liang and Cao Xing felt a chill run down their spines and quickly turned their gazes to Xiao Tong.

Holy crap, who is this person?

Meeting their gazes, Xiao Tong knew better than to continue giving Lu Yong hints.

Fortunately, Lu Yong was not stupid, just inexperienced. He immediately followed suit and said, "The Earl of Leping is the grand-nephew of the former Director of Ceremonial, Eunuch Xiao, and the son of Commander Xiao of the Central Military Commission."

Upon hearing this, Deng Liang and Cao Xing couldn't help but shudder.

While shocked by the identities of the two men, they suddenly realized something even more beyond their comprehension.

There might be some hidden story behind the fact that the nephew of the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial is working as a servant here, but what does it mean if the son of another earl and governor is also working as a servant here?
The two glanced at each other, then couldn't help but look ahead together.

Then, after Pei Qianhu said something, Cheng Leixiang immediately burst into a loud and hearty laugh.

Just as Commander Pei was about to speak again, Cheng Leixiang immediately stopped, leaning forward slightly to listen.

hiss……

The backer of my own seems to be quite powerful!
Suddenly, they felt that even Cheng Leixiang's sycophantic appearance seemed impressive. After all, their leader, who had no background whatsoever, had unceremoniously pushed two earls with great influence to the back.

Deng Liang and Cao Xing exchanged a glance, and the same thought came to their minds.

If we could give them the opportunity to be on the same side as the nephew of the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the son of the Left Commander of the Central Military Commission, and ride side by side here, laughing and chatting.

What's wrong with their boss being a dog?
After regaining their composure, the two men looked at Xiao Tong and Lu Yong somewhat awkwardly. "We were being presumptuous just now. Please return the silver. We brothers will offer you a gift later."

Xiao Tong could roughly understand that Cheng Leixiang brought these two people along to help them integrate into this circle.

Xiao Tong was fully aware that the Xiao family had been tricked, and he also knew how important it was to win over these guys who actually held military power.

So he smiled and said to the two of them, "This isn't fun."

“We’ll keep that silver. We’ll use it to buy wine for the commander on this trip south. When we return to the capital, we brothers will tell the commander that all the wine we bought along the way was a gift from you.”

The two were overjoyed and thanked him profusely.

The fact that such a small amount of money could be used to do such a favor is far beyond their imagination.

Xiao Tong laughed and said, "Work hard under Commander Cheng, and you'll get your share of the benefits."

Deng Liang and Cao Xing felt that they had befriended Xiao Tong and Lu Yong, and had also curried favor with Commander Pei, which made them even more determined to serve him.

While staying overnight at the post station, Pei Yuan called the two men over to discuss with them the matter of manufacturing soy sauce in Tianjin.

The three cities of Tianjin had already established a route for smuggled salt. If soy sauce could be manufactured in Tianjin, it would not only help to consume the surplus soybeans from Shandong, but also better legitimize the smuggled salt.

Furthermore, once Pei Yuan opens up the trade route between Liaodong and Shandong and successfully transports the timber, the cooperation of the three guards of Tianjin will be needed.

The main markets for timber in Liaodong were the two Zhili provinces in the south and north.

Because with thousands of years of civilization development, in those densely populated and economically developed areas, all the decent large trees have long been cut down.

As families rise and fall, generation after generation, some families rise while others fall. We always see them build towering structures, and we always see them crumble.

Besides these changes in the world, wooden buildings also have their own lifespan.

This has made high-quality timber increasingly scarce.

In particular, the large timbers that can serve as beams and pillars when building a house are not cheap.

Even with the aid of water transport, transporting rough and bulky items like timber still required the help of a large number of boatmen and laborers.

Once you enter the Grand Canal from the Daqing River, as long as you leave Shandong and head north, you'll be in the territory of the Three Guards of Tianjin.

Whether it's transportation or sales, Tianjin Sanwei's help is needed.

Pei Yuan thought he would have to give Deng Liang and Cao Xing some benefits to gain their support, but to his surprise, as soon as he opened his mouth, the two hurriedly knelt down and said, "If there is anything you need from us, please give us your orders. We don't know much, we only know how to obey orders."

Pei Yuan glanced at Cheng Leixiang with some surprise.

He thought it was Cheng Leixiang's skill in managing his subordinates that had brought order to the three Tianjin guards so quickly, and couldn't help but praise him, "I never knew you had such abilities. It's really a waste of your talent to make you a mere commander."

(End of this chapter)