Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Brother Cun, that's not very nice of you. How come my back is bent?"

Zhe Keqiu was somewhat angry after hearing his younger brother's evaluation of him.

His back is very straight! Very straight!

"You think your broken back is straight? You were bent over so badly just now!"

Zhe Kecun glanced at Zhe Keqiu with disdain. Who was that person who was so obsequious to Zhao Ji's people just now?

"I did it for the Zhe family!"

Zhe Keqiu was at his wits' end. His younger brother, Zhe Kecun, was good in every way, except that he was always arguing with him! Especially on the issue of Zhao Ji, Zhe Keqiu advocated a more moderate approach, praising Zhao Ji first and obeying his orders as much as possible.

But Zhe Kecun was different. This guy made it very clear that he didn't want to be on the same side as Zhao Ji. He even shouted at Zhao Ji's people when Zhao Ji sent them before!

Therefore, Zhao Ji's men nowadays feel weak in the knees when they see Zhe Kecun. They dare to boss Zhe Keqiu around, but they dare not say anything to Zhe Kecun. They can only whisper behind his back that Zhe Kecun is a tyrant in the Zhe family.

Zhe Kecun readily accepted the label of "bully." "Bully it is," he thought. "If you, Zhao Ji, have the guts, then cripple me."

To be honest, Emperor Huizong had indeed considered deposing Zhe Kecun, but Yang Jian stopped him.

"Daban! This Zhe Kecun has been so disrespectful to me! Why can't I kill him!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Although Zhe Kecun deserves to die, the Western Army is our foundation, and the Zhe family has deep roots in it. Zhe Kecun is also one of the representatives of the ninth generation of the Zhe family. The Zhe family will definitely not agree to us touching him."

Yang Jian earnestly advised the emperor, but the emperor did not realize that his current power was actually given to him by the Western Army. If the Western Army stopped supporting him, he would be in great danger!

"Isn't the Zhe family ruled by Zhe Keqiu? Can't I even help him eliminate one of his enemies?"

According to Zhao Ji's logic, he was helping Zhe Keqiu deal with his opponent, so Zhe Keqiu should have given him his full support.

“Your Majesty, the Zhe family, whose members have served in the military for generations, is indeed different from others. Let’s make a note of Zhe Ke’s name first, and then issue an order for him to leave after Your Majesty returns to Tokyo.”

Thanks to Yang Jian's persistent efforts, Zhao Ji finally agreed to temporarily refrain from taking action against Zhe Kecun. However, he later repeatedly hinted to Liu Fa that he disliked Zhe Kecun and hoped that Liu Fa would deal with him.

Liu Fa dared not take the bait, and in the end had to announce that he was seriously ill, which finally calmed Zhao Ji down.

Of course, Zhe Kecun was unaware of all this. If he had known, he would have immediately led his troops to Zhao Ji's current residence, dragged him off his bed, and given him a beating.

“Brother Cun, the situation in the Central Plains is currently turbulent. Cai Jing is critically ill, and Fang La is also critically ill. The Lai Kingdom and the Ming Kingdom are now like fish on a chopping board. If our Western Army launches an attack at this time, we will definitely be able to recover the lost territory and restore the Song Dynasty in the shortest possible time. Aren’t you afraid that the Emperor will settle accounts with you later if you go against him now?”

Zhe Keqiu told Zhe Kecun his thoughts, hoping to persuade his stubborn younger brother.

“If our Zhe family can help the Emperor restore the country, the merit will be enough to protect several generations. How can you not see the situation?”

"Heh, do you think the Western Army is still invincible? Yes, Lai and Ming are not much, but what about Yi? Brother Qiu, have you ever fought against the Yi army? What makes you think our Zhe family army can definitely defeat them?"

Zhe Kecun felt that her older brother was being a bit presumptuous.

"Do you know that the leader of the Dayi Army's infantry was originally from the Western Army? He knows how the Western Army trains its troops, but what about us? We know almost nothing about them. Know yourself and know your enemy, do you understand?"

"Yes, I don't know, but you do!"

Zhe Keqiu pointed at Zhe Kecun and said:

"You've dealt with those people before, you should know their methods, but not only did you not say anything, you even reached a private agreement with them. Cun Di, what are you thinking? What kind of spell did those bandits cast on you to make you trust them so much? Do you really want a reward for supporting the new emperor? The Song Dynasty has done nothing wrong to our Zhe family, yet you're always thinking about overthrowing it. How about I hand over the headship of this family to you, and you lead the Zhe family to establish your own kingdom?"

“Zhe Keqiu, stop accusing me. I, Zhe Kecun, have done things in a way that is worthy of heaven and earth, my ancestors, and my soldiers! I have not acted for my own selfish reasons!”

Upon hearing Zhe Keqiu speak of him in that way, Zhe Kecun became enraged and took several steps forward, almost touching Zhe Keqiu's face.

"I never thought of becoming emperor, nor did I ever think of risking the lives of my brothers for my future! I simply despise Zhao Ji! He is not worthy of my service!"

"His Majesty is the legitimate ruler of the Song Dynasty! He's not worthy? Then why is Ren Yuan worthy?"

Zhe Keqiu did not back down; he stared intently at Zhe Kecun. This was the first time the two brothers had such a fierce argument!

"My Zhe family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, a family of generals. Why should we serve a nobody like this strongman?"

"Hmph, every aristocratic family started with nothing. Ren Yuan may have been born a strongman, but how many strongmen are there in this world? If you look down on someone, just say so. If you're unwilling to give up fame and fortune, just say so! Do you really admire Zhao Ji? You just want to use this achievement to become a Huo Guang, why are you pretending to be a loyal and righteous person with me?"

Zhe Kecun showed no mercy, directly tearing off Zhe Keqiu's last remaining underwear, causing Zhe Keqiu to blush instantly.

“Zhe Kecun! So what if I want to be Huo Guang? At least I can elevate the Zhe family to a higher level! What about you? You don’t want to be Huo Guang, you want to be Qiugui Ke! What kind of future do you have!”

"How do you know Qiu Guike is a good-for-nothing? When your father made you study, did you? Do you know what Qiu Guike ended up as? The ruler of a country! Do you know what happened to Huo Guang? And he even dragged the Zhe family into it? With the Zhao family's character, if you really help him restore the throne, the first person he'll kill will be you!"

The two men were like fighting cocks, head to head, spitting at each other. The other tenth-generation members watched this scene, wanting to intervene but not daring to. After all, these two were now big shots in the Zhe family; their seniority, strength, and status were unmatched by others.

"Fine! You think you're so great! You're so high and mighty! You look down on Emperor Huizong and the Song Dynasty. You want to be the Bearded Swordsman? Then go ahead and do it!"

After a long stalemate, Zhe Keqiu angrily issued an ultimatum.

"In the name of the ninth patriarch of the Zhe family, I hereby expel you from the Zhe family! From now on, the actions of your branch of the family will have nothing to do with the Zhe family!"

"Pah! How dare you? You think you can kick me out of the Zhe family? Let me tell you, I'm the one who's no longer related to your lineage, understand? You're the one who's being kicked out!"

Zhe Kecun retaliated decisively, "Who's chasing whom? If you're not convinced, let's fight!"

"Separate the family! Separate the family immediately!"

"Fine, let's break up! We're breaking up today. Anyone who begs the other person to come back is a coward!"

……