Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

“Brother, General Lü didn’t come alone.”

Zhu Wu continued speaking to Ren Yuan.

"Oh? There are other people?"

Ren Yuan was somewhat surprised. General Lü could actually bring people with him? Who were they bringing?

"I see there are four of them together. Besides him, there are Shen Shou, Huan Yi, and Feng Xi. All four of them have signed up, but I haven't talked to the other three underlings yet."

Zhu Wu spoke the truth.

"Uh……"

Ren Yuan thought about it. How utterly disastrous was Fang La's failure? He couldn't even keep Lü Jiang, let alone these three? These three were all important members of Fang La's civil service team in *Water Margin*.

Shen Shou was appointed as a councilor; Huan Yi as a vice scribe; and Feng Xi as an envoy. Although they did not leave a particularly prominent mark on history like General Lü, these three were definitely powerful figures in Fang La's group.

Could it be that Fang Shisan's spirit was completely shattered by his own actions, to the point that he no longer cares about the talents under his command? Who are his civil officials left now? Lü Shinang? Lou Minzhong? Zu Shiyuan?

"Brother, would you like to meet these three as well?"

"Never mind, I'll see you later."

Ren Yuan waved his hand, saying that to be fair, he would rather not see anyone, but for someone as capable as General Lü, he had to make special arrangements.

"Okay, I understand."

Zhu Wu understood. It seemed that this General Lü was indeed very capable, so much so that his brother was prepared to risk being accused of unfairness by going to meet him in advance.

But his other three friends didn't seem to stand out as much, otherwise his brother wouldn't have reacted this way.

Ren Yuan didn't try to guess what Zhu Wu was thinking. He continued flipping through the roster, trying to see if there were any other people he recognized.

This discovery was quite remarkable; he actually found two impressive young men!

The first one was named Zhang Jun, courtesy name Deyuan, from Mianzhu, Hanzhou; the second one was named Chen Kangbo, courtesy name Changqing, from Yiyang, Xinzhou.

Both of them are only eighteen years old this year, very young lads. Others may not see anything special about them, but Ren Yuan knows that these two were originally two of the twenty-four meritorious officials of the Zhao Song Dynasty. And most importantly, both of them have served as prime ministers.

Of course, right now these two are just two greenhorns, and Ren Yuan doesn't even know if their families agree to them coming to take the exam.

Moreover, Chen Kangbo is relatively easy to talk about, but Zhang Jun is a controversial figure in later generations, mainly due to extremely polarized opinions.

Those who praised him said he was "possessing both literary and military talents" and "unique since the restoration of the dynasty," and even tried to compare him to Zhuge Liang; those who criticized him said he was arrogant and misled the country, jealous of the virtuous and capable, ambitious but incompetent, and "had no achievements to speak of but countless crimes."

However, considering that this guy is still young, his minor flaws should be easier to correct, so Ren Yuan also plans to polish him up properly in the future.

Once properly groomed, Zhang Jun would definitely be a qualified political talent.

"Brother, have you found another talented person?"

When Zhu Wu saw Ren Yuan stop and think on a certain page, he knew that someone must have been chosen by his brother.

"Nothing escapes your eyes; you certainly saw it."

Ren Yuan said that he did see talent, but he couldn't say.

"Then I'll go out first, brother, you can continue watching."

Zhu Wu smiled slightly, then turned and left, leaving Ren Yuan alone to watch.

Ren Yuan watched Zhu Wu leave, a slight smile playing on his lips, but he didn't say anything.

That's Zhu Wu for you. If it were Xiao Jiasui, he would definitely watch it with you, ask all sorts of questions, and give his opinion.

After looking at it for a while, Ren Yuan suddenly lingered on a certain name for a long time.

What's going on? Why is this big shot here?

That's right, the name Ren Yuan saw was Zong Ze!

It's understandable that Chen Kangbo and Zhang Jun, two young children, would come; they are young and impetuous, and it's understandable that they would be moved by the news of the recapture of Yanyun.

But Zong Ze, what are you doing here, a die-hard loyalist of the Song Dynasty?

Ren Yuan wanted Zong Ze, of course he did. Who in later generations didn't know Zong Ze's strength? But what if Zong Ze was here to cause trouble?

If he were to shout "Traitor!" three times in the examination hall on the day of the imperial examination, what do you think Ren Yuan should do? Should he punish him or not?

Dealing with him would be disrespectful to this senior figure, but if we don't, he might cause even more trouble.

"It's true that everything that should have come and everything that shouldn't have come has come."

Ren Yuan couldn't figure out Zong Ze's purpose in coming, so he didn't know how to deal with this senior.

Or perhaps we could take our master to pay him a visit? After all, it's more appropriate to refer to the elders when discussing conversations between them.

"Strategist, strategist! Another group of students has just arrived. Report from the naval forces: there's a talent among them!"

Just as Ren Yuan was racking his brains over how to deal with Zong Ze, a junior officer from Tianmu suddenly entered the strategist's office.

"Your Highness?"

When the junior officer saw Ren Yuan alone inside, he was a little dumbfounded. "Wait, what's the prince doing here?"

"Oh? Another talented person has arrived?"

Ren Yuan looked up and saw the somewhat uneasy expression on the junior officer's face, then smiled kindly.

"Yes, Your Highness, he is one of the students who just arrived today. The online trolls say he has great leadership skills, ambition, and excellent judgment."

"What's your name? Where are you from?"

"Your Highness, this man's surname is Qin, given name is Hui, courtesy name is Huizhi, and he is from Jiangning."

The junior officer suppressed his excitement and spoke calmly and methodically.

"What did you say his name was?"

Ren Yuan was immediately unsettled.

"Qin, Qin Hui."

The junior officer was also somewhat surprised. Was this Qin Hui particularly powerful? And why did the prince seem so excited?

"Give me the information."

Ren Yuan gestured to the junior officer to bring over Qin Hui's information.

He simply couldn't believe that Qin Hui would actually participate in the imperial examination he had organized. If Zhang Jun, the one mentioned earlier, was quite controversial in later generations, then Qin Hui was beyond reproach—a quintessential traitor.

People have been ashamed of being named Qin Hui since the Song Dynasty. I feel ashamed of being named Qin Hui when I stand before his grave. Even his own descendant, Qin Dashi, said such a thing. How can we expect anything good from Qin Hui?

Although, according to the course of history, Qin Hui is still a passionate young man at present and has not yet become that infamous figure, Ren Yuan is very unwilling to give him a so-called opportunity, considering what this guy did to his junior brother in his previous life.

At this point, don't talk about fairness or unfairness. For the sake of your junior brother, what does it matter if it's unfair just once?

"Your Highness, is there something wrong with this Qin Hui?"

The junior officer sensed something was amiss; his lord's current expression didn't seem like that of someone who had just seen a great talent.

"Go through this trouble again and summon Military Advisor Zhu, Military Advisor Xiao, and Commander Shi. Oh, and summon Yue Fei as well. Also, don't tell anyone else about Qin Hui."

Ren Yuan frowned and spoke to the junior officer.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I understand."

Seeing Ren Yuan's expression, the junior officer realized that the man's situation seemed very complicated. The prince rarely acted so seriously, so he quickly turned around and left to find someone.

Watching the junior officer's departing figure, Ren Yuan couldn't help but rub his temples.

Chen Kangbo, Zhang Jun, Zong Ze, Qin Hui... it seems like everyone who should and shouldn't have come has arrived...