However, Zhu Han believed what Liu Bowen said.
Under Zhu Han's persuasion, Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to Liu Bowen's proposal.
It was decided to continue stationed on the shore, assuming a posture of launching a large-scale attack, while Liu Bowen went to extort money and food from the Tatars.
Zhu Han personally sent Liu Bowen out of the camp.
At the gate of the camp, Zhu Han said to Liu Bowen: "Sir, although we will not capture Jiangnan this time, we will surely capture Jiangnan soon. It won't be long, sir. Why don't you join the army? Your relatives and family, We can send people to Qingtian County to receive people from Chuzhou for resettlement."
Regarding Zhu Han's invitation, Liu Bowen shook his head.
"Thank you for your kindness, young general, but there are too many Liu Ji clans. If there is any omission and Meng Yuan kills me, it will be my fault."
Zhu Han didn't force himself, just nodded and said: "Okay, in this case, when we capture Jiangnan in the future, we must first ask Mr. to help."
"Okay, Liu Ji will be happy to serve when the time comes!" Liu Ji said with a smile.
The two parted, and Liu Bowen rode on his donkey and left the military camp.
The camp of the Red Scarf Army was stationed on the edge of the Yangtze River. There were no Yuan officers and soldiers except for a few small fishing villages around it.
However, on the way out, Liu Bowen saw many strange sights.
He was surprised to find that Zhu Yuanzhang's Red Scarf Army was actually buying fish and vegetables from the common people.
Really buy it!
The kind that costs money.
For Liu Bowen, who was used to seeing the Mongolian and Yuan imperial armies killing and looting at every turn, this was a strange sight.
What's more, Liu Bowen also saw a few strong Red Turban soldiers helping a few old fishermen carry their things.
This scene made Liu Bowen even more excited.
"Heaven, it seems that the great vitality is endless, so there is no justice!"
"These rough red-turban thief soldiers all have a loyal heart. How can they not accomplish a great cause by acting like this!"
Liu Bowen's impression of this Red Scarf Army had already reached the level of 'the king's division'.
Liu Bowen rode a donkey and quickly rushed back to Jiqing Mansion.
Pingzhang Bolu and Fan Yao, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, who were looking forward to it, immediately greeted Liu Bowen personally from the lobby as soon as they heard that Liu Bowen was back.
"Bo Wen, how's the situation?" Fan Yao asked first.
Bolu was also staring at Liu Bowen from the side.
Liu Bowen did not speak, but sighed slightly.
It didn't matter that he sighed, Bolu and Fan Yao's hearts immediately fell into the ice cave.
broken!
It’s over!
They both wailed in their hearts, feeling as if their end was coming.
Liu Bowen remained calm, and then slowly spoke.
"This lowly official is incompetent, and I am unworthy of the trust you have placed in me! Although the traitor agreed to withdraw, he insisted on extremely harsh conditions!"
Bolu and Fan Yao's moods were like a roller coaster. They had fallen to the bottom just now, and now they suddenly rose again.
The two blurted out in surprise.
"What, retreat?"
"The thief promised to retreat!"
Liu Bowen nodded, "But the conditions they proposed are too harsh. I feel that for the sake of the people of Jiangnan, the court, and the reputation of the two adults, it is difficult for me to agree!"
Bolu and Fan Yao waved their hands together.
"It doesn't matter, if it's embarrassing or not, just say it!"
"Yes, as long as we can survive, oh, no, as long as we can make the thieves retreat, any conditions are negotiable!"
The reactions of Bolu and Fan Yao were completely under Liu Bowen's control.
The three people walked into the hall while talking.
Because the matter being discussed was very confidential, Bolu had dismissed all the servants and maids, leaving only the three of them.
Bolu, who always had his eyes set above his head, even served Liu Bowen a cup of tea with his own hands.
"Pingzhang, my subordinates met the bandit leader Zhu Yuanzhang, and they proposed the conditions for their withdrawal, which is to give them one million silver coins, one million shi of grain, and 400,000 pieces of cotton silk!"
hiss!
When Bolu and Fan Yao heard these conditions, they all gasped.
Open your mouth and get a million!
Zhu Yuanzhang, a rebel, really has a lot of talk.
"That's a lot!" Bolu said with a frown.
"Xiaoguan feels the same way, but after all, this matter is of great importance. I can only argue with reason and dare not reject them on behalf of my lord!" Liu Bowen said.
Obviously, neither Bolu nor Bolu knew that Liu Bowen argued hard and bargained the ransom from 500,000 to 1 million.
If they knew, Liu Bowen would definitely be cut into minced meat at this time.
"It's a lot to say it's a lot, but compared to defending Jiangsu and Zhejiang for the imperial court and guarding the tax-heavy area of Jiqing, one million is really not that much!" Fan Yao was afraid that Bolu, a Mongolian, was confused. , said quickly.
Boru is not a fool, so of course he will not refuse.
"Yes, if we can defend Jiangsu and Zhejiang for the imperial court and the Great Khan, one million is really not much, but where can we get so much money?" Bolu said in a dilemma.
Speaking of food, there are indeed more than one million grains in the warehouse of Jiqing Mansion.
But in terms of money, it should have been more than one million, but I couldn't stop Bolu, Barbarian Hague and others from embezzling it.
Today's Jiqing Mansion's treasury is worth two to three hundred thousand taels of silver.
"The lower official is not in charge of these affairs. I just don't understand the specific situation." Liu Bowen took it out of himself with one sentence.
He sneered in his heart. Death was imminent. Corrupt officials like Bolu still thought of using the court's money to rescue them, but they never thought of using their own money.
"Actually, even if it is food, it must be paid tribute to Dadu. If it is moved easily, once the court knows about it, people may be killed." Bolu said worriedly again.
Although shipping is blocked now, these grains will eventually be transported to the capital.
The emperor and the civil and military officials all relied on the food from Jiangnan to support the imperial army.
If anyone dares to misappropriate it, it will be a serious crime of beheading.
Bolu, Pingzhang, and Fan Yao, who was involved in political affairs, would have to move their heads.
"Not only that, there are also many Mongolian and Han officials. They all have the power to report to the court. Once our news is leaked, no one can escape." Bolu continued.
The provinces in the Yuan Dynasty had great power. In order to prevent each province from having too much power, many provincial officials had the power to report secretly to the court, and middle-level officials were used to check and balance senior officials.
Most of them are Mongolians who are trusted by the Mongolian Yuan.
"Bo Wen, you are resourceful and you will definitely find a way. Help us quickly!" Fan Yao suddenly said.
Bolu also looked at Liu Bowen, "Bowen, if we can make the rebels retreat this time and ensure that the court will not raise troops to investigate the crime, then I will recommend you to participate in political affairs as a fellow!"
The so-called "sympathy" to participate in political affairs is a super-standard promotion. As long as the word "sympathy" is removed, he will be a complete official of the border.
Fan Yao, the official political advisor, did not have the slightest bit of jealousy. Instead, he said: "Yes, when the time comes, Pingzhang and I will jointly recommend him, so that Bowen's talents will not be buried!"
Liu Bowen laughed in his heart, these two idiots really had no level at all.
He didn't like to be a political advisor to Meng Yuan anymore, but if he didn't agree, the two people would inevitably become suspicious.
Liu Bowen had already planned to serve as his latent leader in Meng Yuanzhong, waiting until Zhu Yuanzhang and other rebels entered Jiangnan, and then wait for an opportunity anyway.
"Pingzhang, participate in politics! In fact, there is really a way for the lower official. No, it shouldn't be a way, but another way. The court will definitely agree." Liu Bowen said.
Bolu and Fan Yao both looked surprised.
"Good brother, hurry up and say it!" Fan Yao said softly.
"Yes, yes, tell me quickly!" Bolu also looked eager for knowledge.
Liu Bowen cleared his throat and then said: "Pingzhang, you can write to the court and say that there is a critical war in Jiangnan. The red scarf thieves have come with a large army. The Jiqing Mansion is unable to resist and is determined to die together!"
"ah?"
"Death together?"
Bolu and Fan Yao originally wanted to die together, but it was just a matter of resentment before dying. Now that Liu Bowen has brought them new hope, how can they think about it again.
Just listen to Liu Bowen continue to say: "Then he continued to write a letter, saying that in order to prevent Jiqing's material reserves from falling into the hands of bandits, he was determined to use these grains and money to recruit loyal people around him and let them make a final effort. First, even if all the savings in the treasury are spent, the court will not pursue it again. After all, Jiqing Mansion, Jiangnan, and future hopes have been saved. Who cares about money and food? Anyway, next year You can collect it again!"
Liu Bowen's words made Bolu and Fan Yao suddenly enlightened.
"Wonderful!"
"It's really brilliant!"
Both Bolu and Fan Yao were so happy that their molars showed out.
"In this way, the court will not only not blame us for negotiating with the thieves, but also reward us!" Fan Yao said with a smile.
Bolu curled his lips, "What kind of peace talks? We obviously used the food and grass from Jiqing to recruit a group of loyal people, keep the enemy out of the country, and beat back the red scarf thieves!"
"Hahaha, yes! Pingzhang is right, we used money and food to repel the red scarf thieves!" Fan Yao said happily.
After Liu Bowen's manipulation, the two Bolu's behavior of using money to redeem became a resourceful strategy.
"Then who should we recruit? In other words, who should we tell the court to recruit?" Bolu asked.
This question can be answered by Fan Yao without Liu Bowen.
"Pingzhang, there are a lot of water thieves on the nearby river, as well as some bandits blocking the road. They all have names. We can report it to the court and say that they are the red scarf thieves they fought off."
Recruiting bandits to serve the court has been an old method of the Mongols for many years.
Since it is a recruitment, spending some money and food is not a problem at all.
"Okay, how do you explain it to the court? We already have it! How can we make up for the missing money?" Bolu asked another question.
Fan Yao thought for a moment, and then said: "How about adding more troops to Jiqing Mansion to tax the people!"
The officials of the Yuan Dynasty were most willing to do the temporary tax increase.
Because the higher-ups asked for one denarius in tax increase, the officials who implemented it below could add up to two denarii themselves, and the extra one denarius would naturally fall into their own pockets.
Liu Bowen hated this kind of exploiting the people the most, so it was naturally impossible for Fan Yao to carry it out.
"Ahem!"
Liu Bowen cleared his throat, and then said: "Pingzhang, participate in politics, those red scarf thieves are very angry, most of the people are poor, increase taxes on them, I don't know how long it will take to count, if the time is delayed, If you make the red scarf thief regret it, then the gain outweighs the loss."
When Fan Yao and Bolu heard this, they felt more and more that it made sense.
On weekdays, some normal taxes are collected, but the unruly people always push back and forth. If it weren't for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow for the day after tomorrow, and if it weren't for the imperial court's water and fire sticks and splints, it would be too difficult to collect taxes.
Now, if we add someone temporarily, it will definitely take a long time.
"Then what should we do?" Fan Yao asked.
"There are many merchants in Jiqing Mansion, and there are also many gentry and wealthy families. If the Jiqing Mansion that you two adults have protected is also protecting them, isn't it right to let them provide money and silver?" Liu Bowen said.
The powerful merchants in Jiqing Prefecture are all big fat sheep raised by the Mongols. Now that they are not allowed to bleed, it is really a shame for their status.
"Haha, that's good, but these big business owners are also in a lot of trouble. It's not easy to get them to pay."
"Moreover, many people have connections with the imperial court, so it's hard to use strong tactics."
What Bolu and Fan Yao told was the truth. If they offended some big shots behind the scenes in order to save Jiqing Mansion, they would not get any good results.
This is how people are, after getting something, they always want more.
Bolu and Fan Yao originally just wanted to save their lives. Now that their lives can be saved, they start to want to save their future and wealth.
Even, I want to use this matter to make my future rich and prosperous even better.
"Pingzhang, participating in politics is actually easier." Liu Bowen said with a smile.
"Tell me quickly, do you have any good ideas?" Fan Yao asked.
"Yes, tell me quickly!" Bolu asked.
Liu Bowen adjusted his sleeves and then said slowly.
"Let me tell you a joke first."
Bolu and Fan Yao suddenly had dark expressions on their faces.
How come you are still telling us jokes after all this time?
Besides, we can’t understand the joke you tell with your Qingtian accent, Zhejiang Province.
"What a joke, Bowen, when did this happen?" Fan Yao felt a little sad.
Liu Bowen smiled slightly and continued.
"By the way, there used to be a group of people living in a big house. This house was surrounded by walls and had only one small door. Do you think this house has any shortcomings?"
Bolu and Fan Yao looked at each other, wondering what pills Liu Bowen was selling in his gourd.
"What's missing? Lack of food?" Bolu asked doubtfully.
"No!" Liu Bowen shook his head.
Fan Yao touched his chin, thought for a moment and said, "A house with only a small door is missing a window."
Liu Bowen clapped his hands and said, "Haha, you are right about participating in politics, but the window is missing!"
"Oh, haha, it's a missing window." Boru laughed.
"There is a lack of windows, so we need to open up the wall and open a window. However, there will always be objections to opening a window. Either this person dislikes the coldness near the window, or another person dislikes the window leakage, or else it is I think it’s too troublesome to open a window, but no matter what, there are always people who object to opening a window.” Liu Bowen said.
"That's right. There are quite a few people who don't understand the general situation." Fan Yao nodded.
"Then what?" Bolu's mind was already full of mud, and everything was confused.
"It is said that it is difficult to reconcile opinions. At this time, a man came out and said that this house was too stuffy. He wanted to lift the roof off so that everyone could breathe, which meant that there was no need to open windows." Liu Bowen continued.
"Haha, what a great idea, so refreshing!" Bolu clapped his hands and applauded. These words were in line with his temperament.
"Since someone wants to lift off the roof, then there will definitely be someone who will stand up and dissuade them from lifting off the roof. If you just want ventilation, then just open a window. No matter where it is opened, no matter who is wronged, It's better than losing the roof of the big guy! At this time, if anyone still objects to opening windows, everyone will unanimously target them, and the issue of opening windows will naturally be successful." Liu Bowen said with a smile.
After Fan Yao heard this, he immediately understood the intention.
"Okay, that's great! I already understand." Fan Yao said.
"What do you understand? What does it mean? Please tell me quickly." Bolu was still a little confused.
"Pingzhang, let's first summon the powerful merchants in Jiqing and tell them that they will fight to the death with the thieves. In critical moments, we may even turn Jiqing city into ashes. Will they still hide and refuse to hand over money at that time?" Fan Yao said.
Bolu also understood at this time.
"Okay, let's do this!"
With Liu Bowen's plan, one of Bolu and Fan Yao was a good person, and the other was a bad person.
Soon the powerful merchants in Jiqing Mansion were captured.
It's okay if they don't obey obediently. Bolu, a dog Tatar, actually wants to burn Jiqing Mansion to ashes, killing everyone's way of survival.
If Fan Yao, who was involved in politics, hadn't planned to recruit black and white troops to fight against the red scarf thieves, Bolu would really have started setting fire to it.
Finally, after all this trouble, the city redemption fee of one million taels was finally collected.
Liu Bowen led a group of soldiers and personally escorted the silver to the outside of the city.
Zhu Han, who had already received the news, led his soldiers to change out of their military uniforms and put on their own civilian clothes. They acted as a group of green forest heroes who were recruited and received this batch of money.
"Okay, sir, you are really awesome. You asked Bolu and others to come up with the silver so quickly." Zhu Han looked at the batches of silver and felt happy.
"Meng Yuan is innocent. If students want to help the rebels, they have no choice but to do this! Deputy Commander, the remaining one million grain, grass and silk cloth will probably take more time to be transported. Please be patient. ." Liu Bowen said.
"Haha, don't worry, we can all wait!" Zhu Han said with a smile.
After pocketing the one million taels of silver, Zhu Han led the soldiers to escort the silver back to the military camp.
Nowadays, the Meng Yuan in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces don't even have any troops. They just walked back in a swagger.
When Zhu Han and the others entered the military camp, they immediately saw Zhu Yuanzhang coming up to them.
"Qi Wu, how are you!" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with concern.
Zhu Han stretched out his hand and pointed behind his back, "Brother, look at these coins!"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the carts of money and suddenly became happy.
"Is this one million taels?"
"That's right, just a little more, one million taels!"
The silver brought back by hundreds of chariots and horses immediately made Zhu Yuanzhang and others smile from ear to ear with joy.
With this money, they could pay the army, recruit some scholars as officials, and help them collect taxes and manage the people.
Because only such a complete system can free them from the image of rebels who rob families and homes.
Once a good image is established, more scholars and children from good families will join the army, and the strength of the Red Scarf Army will naturally become stronger.
"There's no problem at all, it's all fine silver!"
Xu Da, Tang He and others bared their big white teeth and looked at the mountains of silver happily.
"Actually, there is no need to test like this at all. The Tatars in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces simply don't dare to lie to us, because we have the ability to destroy them, just because we don't want to destroy them." Zhu Han said with a smile.
"Yes, that's right. From now on, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces will no longer be the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, but our Jiangzhe and Zhejiang provinces. In the future, all money, taxes, grain and grass will not be transported to Dadu, but all will be transported to us. Come!" Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.
When Xu Da, Tang He and others heard this, they laughed again.
During this march, they only cleaned up some small fish and shrimps, and then cruised the river by boat. They actually obtained millions of taels of silver, as well as subsequent supplies of grain, grass, cloth, etc.
"Qiwu, your calculation is really clever!" Xu Da praised happily.
"That's right, you didn't waste a single soldier, but you got more things. I, Tang He, don't accept anyone, so I will accept you!" Tang He also said.
"Where is this? One million silver is just a drop in the bucket compared to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. We can get more in the future." Zhu Han said.
"Rebirth of the Great Era of Fighting Waves"
"Oh, I can't wait to stay here and leave. Let's see how much money the Tatar officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces can still come up with." Xu Da said loudly.
"Haha, Brother Xu, I'm afraid it won't work if we don't leave. We took the money and we just have to abide by the agreement. If we lose integrity, how can we live in peace in the future?" Zhu Han said.
"What, live in peace? You want to live in peace with the Tatars?" Tang He was a little surprised.
"At least, before we are able to completely control Jiangsu and Zhejiang, we have to live in peace with the Tatars for some time." Zhu Han said.
Zhu Han's base camp is now in the Dingyuan area of Zhuzhou, which is sandwiched between the north and the south. The north is a raging war, and there is not much food and grass savings at all. They can only count on the rich places in the south of the Yangtze River.
If Jiangnan is destroyed again, how can we still accumulate food?
Zhu Han had already used a method to allow the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties to continue to own the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in name, while the Red Scarf Army actually owned the wealth of the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
"Yes, no matter what we are dealing with, even if we are facing dog Tatars, I think we should pay attention to some integrity. This time we received one million taels of silver. According to the agreement, we should retreat to the north bank of the Yangtze River."
Zhu Han said and looked at his brother Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded when he heard this, "Yes, now that the money has been received, we will keep our promise and return to Jiangbei tomorrow."
"When will we receive the remaining one million grain, grass and cloth? Let's retreat back to Chuzhou!"
Early the next morning, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the entire army to evacuate the camp on the south bank and retreated to the north bank of the Yangtze River in warships.
According to the previous agreement, before the Red Scarf Army left, they burned down the military camp on the south bank.
Thick black smoke instantly floated into the air.
A large amount of broken wood also flowed downstream along the river.
Downstream, Jiqing Mansion not only saw billowing black smoke, but also saw a large amount of wood chips, and everyone speculated what happened.
When they learned that the red scarf thieves led by Zhu Yuanzhang had returned to the north bank of the Yangtze River, they all cheered happily.
"The red scarf thief has retreated!"
"The red scarf thief must have been attacked, unable to fight, and fled away!"
"My Great Yuan is mighty, and there are still loyal people!"
Bolu and Fan Yao, who had already been prepared, immediately sent people to spread the news in Jiqing Mansion.
People all believed that it was the heroes recruited by Pingzhang and Shenzheng who helped Dayuan defeat the red scarf thieves.
Seeing that the red scarf thieves retreated, the powerful merchants who were forced to bleed for money felt that they had been rewarded.
Some people even felt that being able to hold on to Jiqing Mansion was partly due to them.
Bolu immediately sent someone to send an urgent report back to the capital city with the memorial he had already prepared. The memorial claimed that in the face of an army of 100,000 red scarf thieves, Bolu used the method of a strong man to cut off his wrists and spent all the money and food in Jiqing Mansion to recruit soldiers. After paying more than 200,000 yuan for loyalty, they finally fought fiercely for three days in Quishi, burning down the bandit camp, forcing the red scarf bandits to retreat to the north of the Yangtze River, and saving the Jiqing Mansion in Dayuan!
The image of a resourceful frontier official came to life in an instant.
Emperor Yuan Shun in the Imperial Palace of the Great Yuan Dynasty, oh, should be Emperor Zhizheng of the Great Yuan Dynasty at this time.
Originally, because the rich and precious land in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was about to be lost, he sighed every day, and even lost the mood to practice Yin and Yang with the concubines.
Now that I suddenly got the good news from Pingzhang Bolu in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, I was immediately overjoyed.
Emperor Zhizheng of the Great Yuan Dynasty was so excited that he even summoned the central ministers overnight.
"I, Yuan Dynasty, have a capable minister! This Bolu is my loyal minister, and he must be well rewarded!"
The imperial edict of commendation from Emperor Zhizheng of the Great Yuan Dynasty was soon sent south to Jiqing Mansion of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces.
Jiqing Mansion at this time.
Bolu and Fan Yao had just sent Liu Bowen to escort the last batch of grain, grass, cloth and silk to the Red Turban Army.
Zhu Han, who was in charge of the rear, finally led his army to evacuate the vicinity of Jiqing and returned to Chuzhou, Jiangbei, after receiving the last batch of grain, grass and cloth.
At the same time, Liu Bowen, who completed his mission, brought back a batch of unexpected gadgets.
Two whole boxes of gold!
If converted into silver, the total would be no less than one hundred thousand taels!
"Bowen, what does the red scarf thief mean?" Bolu was confused.
"Yes, does Zhu Yuanzhang have something that he wants us to help purchase?" Fan Yao was also puzzled.
Liu Bowen was also surprised by the gold he brought back.
He could only truthfully recount Zhu Han's words at that time.
"Pingzhang, participate in politics! That Zhu Han said that these golds are kickbacks given to the two of you after the cooperation is completed!" Liu Bowen said.
After several negotiations, Bolu Fanyao had already figured out that Zhu Yuanzhang was the leader of this group of red scarf thieves, and his younger brother Zhu Han was the deputy commander with great influence.
Even if they knew that Zhu Han was a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old, Bolu and Fan Yao did not dare to neglect him.
"rebate?"
Bolu and Fan Yao were immediately confused.
"What is this? What is a kickback? Why have you never heard of it?"
Poor Liu Bowen heard this statement for the first time, so he could only say it reluctantly.
"Two adults, Zhu Han said that this cooperation was successful, and the two adults took a lot of risks. They could not let the two adults work in vain, so they specially prepared some 10% silver, converted it into gold, and gave it to Your Majesty's kickback!" Liu Bowen said.
"ah?"
"I can't believe that these red scarf thieves are so particular?"
Bolu and Fan Yao were both stunned.
They never thought that the Red Scarf Army, who was born with mud legs, would have so many tricks.
What kind of kickback, this is the first time they have heard of it in their lives.
"One hundred thousand taels of gold is really a lot of gold." Boru said happily when he saw the gold in the box.
As the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, he had a lot of corruption, but this blatant behavior of taking kickbacks from the treasury still opened his eyes.
"Bo Wen, have these golds been prepared for you?" Fan Yao suddenly asked.
There were only two boxes of gold in the house, and it was obvious that Liu Bowen was not involved.
"The lower officials are used to being poor and don't like these idiots!" Liu Bowen said with a smile.
When Bolu heard this, he immediately became unhappy.
We are both corrupt officials, and we colluded to deceive the court. How can you have fun together in the future if you don't even love gold?
"That's not possible. I must give you a share of this gold!" After saying this, Bolu opened the box, stretched out his two big hands and took out several golden gold bars.
Seeing this, Fan Yao also took out several gold bars from his box.
The two men put the gold bars together, which amounted to about a heavy one hundred taels.
They transferred the gold into another small wooden box and stuffed it into Liu Bowen's arms.
"Bowen, you must hold this gold!" Boru said loudly.
"Yes, you must accept it!" Fan Yao also said.
When Liu Bowen saw this, he already understood the mentality of the two of them.
If I don't go along with them, I'm afraid I'll be jealous the next day, and maybe even get killed.
"Okay, then I'd rather be respectful than obey my orders!" Liu Bowen said generously.
Bolu and Fan Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief and showed satisfied smiles.
Seeing this, Liu Bowen quickly proposed that he wanted to resign and return to his hometown.
"There are still students from the clan in Xiaguan's family who need to go back to educate him. Being an official is really not what I am good at. I would like to ask your permission to let Xiaguan go back to his hometown to farm." Liu Bowen said.
He really wanted to leave, and now he had made a lot of money helping Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Han. If there was any trouble in the future, he had to make plans in advance.
but.
Bolu and Fan Yao, however, were shaking their heads like rattles and firmly disagreed.
"The Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provincial Yamen, no one is missing, but you, Liu Bowen, can't be missing!" Bolu said kindly, taking Liu Bowen's arm.
"Yes, Bowen, we know that you are very talented. You were really wronged by being assigned to do all the affairs in Marshal Lao Shizi's Mansion. Pingzhang and I have already planned to formally report to the imperial court to allow you to participate in political affairs and be in charge. Be on guard against all the red scarf thieves!" Fan Yao said.
Nowadays, the red scarf thieves in the north are getting louder and louder. Now that the red scarf bandit brother Zhu Yuanzhang has retreated, there is no guarantee that they will not cause trouble in the future.
Even if Zhu Yuanzhang and his group of red scarf troops don't come to cause trouble, what should we do if other red scarf thieves come?
Today's Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are still short of major generals, and tens of thousands of people can take care of Jiqing Mansion.
Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for Bolu and Fan Yao to let go of Liu Bowen, a Zhuge Liang of the time, who has successful experience in negotiating with red scarf thieves.
joke!
You, Liu Bowen, have gone home to farm. If the red scarf thief comes again, the two of us will have to move our heads.
"Two adults, are you really unwilling to agree?" Liu Bowen suddenly felt helpless.
He himself also made some miscalculations. He didn't expect that he was so important.
Bolu and Fan Yao both shook their heads and firmed up their attitudes.
at last.
Liu Bowen reluctantly agreed and returned home with a box of gold in his arms.
As soon as he entered the house, his wife Chen greeted him.
"Husband, there is no rice at home, can you come back with your salary?" Mrs. Chen asked.
Recently, because of the appearance of red scarf thieves outside Jiqing City, the prices of various commodities in the city have skyrocketed.
The price of a bucket of rice has even increased tenfold.
The price increases for various other supplies have also been outrageous.
Liu Bowen's little salary was not even enough, and there was no support from his hometown. Chen's clever wife was also in a dilemma.
"Salary? Oh, by the way, I forgot to get it today!" Liu Bowen said in a daze.
"What about today's rice money?" Mrs. Chen couldn't help but feel helpless.
The two adults can survive until tomorrow if they don't eat a meal, but there are two sons who are several years old. If they don't eat a meal, they will be hungry and cry.
"Forget it, why don't I borrow some rice from my grandmother's house next door." Mrs. Chen said.
As soon as she stood up, Liu Bowen suddenly grabbed her arm.
"Wait a minute, find a place to hide this thing first."
Liu Bowen handed the small wooden box to his wife.
"Husband, what is this?" asked Chen.
The small wooden box turned out to be very heavy.
"Gold!" Liu Bowen said.
"Husband, you are just joking. You have always been an honest official. You don't take anything from others. Where did you get the gold? It's such a heavy weight. I guess it's an inkstone again!"
Ms. Chen knew her husband very well and did not believe it was gold at all.
She smiled and opened the small wooden box.
moment!
A golden ray of light shone into Chen's eyes.
"ah!"
Mrs. Chen was so frightened that she almost shouted.
"Husband, is it really gold?" Ms. Chen was a little worried.
Liu Bowen nodded and immediately told Mrs. Chen the origin of the gold.
When Mrs. Chen heard this, she immediately became worried.
"Husband, although these things you did were to make the Red Scarf Army retreat, they were still deceiving the court. Now you have received kickbacks from Zhu Han. Once anyone knows about it, there will probably be a big disaster." Chen Shi said.
Liu Bowen sighed, "Oh, I don't know, but now Bolu and Fan Yao are eyeing me. If I don't join up with them, there will be a lot of trouble, and even let me keep it secret. The retreat of the Red Turban Army will also lead to a bloody disaster!"
All of this was beyond Liu Bowen's calculations.
Liu Bowen did not expect that Bolu and Fan Yao would value him so much.
The only thing Liu Bowen made wrong was that he underestimated his own importance.
"What to do with the gold?" asked Chen.
"Feel free to use it, but be careful not to let anyone notice any abnormalities."
Liu Bowen now has to guard against others, and also guard against his two pig teammates Bolu and Fan Yao from doubting him.
Zhu Han's 'Kickback Technique' immediately became effective.
Bolu and Fan Yao's perception of the Red Turban Army has undergone a huge reversal.
They all felt that Zhu Yuanzhang and his group of Red Scarf Army were not the kind of bandits who robbed homes, but more like moral businessmen.
That's right, a businessman.
Liu Bowen mentioned more than once that the word most often mentioned by Zhu Han, the deputy commander of the red scarf thief, was 'credibility'!
These days, except for businessmen, no one cares about reputation.
In officialdom and on the battlefield, it is important that soldiers never tire of deceit.
Anyone who cares about credibility will be in trouble.
In Pingzhang Mansion, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces.
Bolu and Fan Yao gathered together again to discuss.
"This Zhu Han can give us a kickback. Does he have any other purpose?" Bolu said.
"Other purposes? There shouldn't be any, right?" Fan Yao wasn't very sure.
Bolu thought about it for a while, but he had no idea.
"That Zhu Han is very particular about credibility. He shouldn't be an insidious person. Maybe he really has no other purpose." Bolu comforted himself.
"Well, what Pingzhang said makes sense!" Fan Yao said quickly.
The two drank and talked casually.
Bolu's heart suddenly felt a sense of loss.
He drank all the wine in the cup and asked Fan Yao.
"Tell me, since we deceived the court and accepted gold as kickbacks from Zhu Han, a red-turban thief, will we be liquidated by the court in the future?"
A deep look of worry appeared on Bolu's face.
Fan Yao was also a little scared, but he still said it satisfactorily.
"Pingzhang, don't worry. Only the three of us know about this matter. As long as you don't say it, I don't say it, and Liu Bowen doesn't say it, who else can know? Even if there are some rumors, we can say it is the red scarf thief spreading the rumor. I just want to destroy you, the imperial power in Jiangsu and Zhejiang!"
Fan Yao's words were extremely certain, which made Bolu feel determined.
"Well, yes, you are absolutely right. As long as we don't tell you what is written in the memorial, how can the court doubt us if it just sees something?"
��Bulu felt relieved immediately.
The two of them moved from cup to cup and kept drinking until they were tipsy.
suddenly.
There was a sound of rapid footsteps, and Bolu's trusted servant ran over and said a few words in Bolu's ear.
tomato
Belu was so startled that he dropped the wine glass in his hand.
Peng!
When Fan Yao saw this, he felt an ominous premonition.
