Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Brother Yao? What a rare guest."

A distinguished guest has arrived at the Zhe family today, none other than Yao Pingzhong, the leader of the younger generation of the Yao family.

Zhe Keqiu naturally stepped forward to greet them. After all, although Yao Xiong and Yao Gu of the Yao family were still alive, Yao Pingzhong and Zhe Keqiu were a perfect match in terms of age and family status.

"Brother Zhe, you're joking. We both came from the Western Army and have known each other since childhood. How can you be such a rare guest?"

Yao Pingzhong and Zhe Keqiu sat down as host and guest, and Zhe Keqiu took the initiative to serve tea.

“Oh, Brother Yao, it must have been several years since you last visited me. Come, Brother Yao, please have some tea.”

Zhe Keqiu said, "I haven't been here for several years. Why don't you have some tea first?"

"Brother Zhe, don't rush for tea. Tell me first, where is Brother Kecun going?"

Yao Pingzhong had no interest in drinking tea. He knew the current situation facing the Yao family, which was extremely difficult. His father and uncle had sent him to the Zhe family hoping to find out something from them.

"Zhe Kecun? Brother Yao, have you gone mad from being in the army? The Zhe family of Fuzhou has long since lost such a person."

Upon hearing Yao Pingzhong's words, Zhe Keqiu's expression instantly turned sour, becoming extremely unpleasant.

"Brother Zhe, please stop joking with me. Brother Ke Cun is your younger brother!"

"I'm sorry, Brother Yao, but the genealogy of the Zhe family in Fuzhou has been re-edited. There is no such person as Zhe Kecun, and that lineage has no relation to the Zhe family in Fuzhou."

Zhe Keqiu picked up his teacup and drank his tea.

"Are you guys serious?"

Yao Pingzhong was a little confused. Wasn't it supposed to be just a simple severance of ties? Why had even the family genealogy been changed?

"What do you mean by real or fake? Brother Yao, if you're here to see me, then you're welcome. But if you're here to see someone who doesn't exist, then we have nothing to say."

Zhe Keqiu put down his teacup, his tone serious.

"Brother Zhe, Zhe Keqiu, don't think I don't know what you're doing! Do you think I, Yao Pingzhong, am a fool?!"

Yao Pingzhong refused to accept this and jumped up from his seat.

We are all from large families. Although your Zhe family has a more profound history than our Yao family, do you really think I, Yao Pingzhong, can't tell the difference between these words used to coax a child?

"You're saying Zhe Kecun is no longer in your family genealogy? I don't believe it! Don't give me the one you show the royal family! Show me the one from your ancestral hall!"

Yao Pingzhong pointed at Zhe Keqiu, his tone also anxious.

"Brother Zhe! I'm here today truly for the Yao family! I only represent the Yao family! If you still value the long-standing friendship between our two families, then stop trying to fool me with these lies!"

Seeing Yao Pingzhong's appearance, Zhe Keqiu could no longer maintain the proper decorum. He put down his teacup and gestured for Yao Pingzhong to sit down, but Yao Pingzhong was far from able to sit still.

"Let me put it this way, the family is splitting up, it's a real split."

Zhe Keqiu looked at Yao Pingzhong with sincere eyes.

“You know my younger brother. He and I have always disagreed on family matters. Plus, he is exceptionally skilled in martial arts, so he has never been obedient to me since childhood.”

"This division of the family was initiated by my younger brother. At the time, the emperor was also dissatisfied with the fact that the Zhe family had not gone on the eastern expedition, so I agreed to his request."

"Of course, judging from the current situation, my younger brother should have a certain status in Yi State. In the future, whether Yi State destroys Song State or Song State destroys Yi State, our Zhe family can survive."

Yao Pingzhong looked at Zhe Keqiu, especially into his eyes, and after confirming that Zhe Keqiu was not deceiving him, he sat back down in his seat with a sense of helplessness.

"Why did you choose Yiguo, Brother Kecun?"

"I don't know the specifics. Maybe it's because Ren Yuan of Yiguo established the country through martial arts, and with the legendary martial arts master Zhou Tong endorsing them, and my brother being a martial arts fanatic, he might naturally have developed feelings for him."

Zhe Keqiu didn't have much feeling for Yiguo personally. In his view, although Ren Yuan and the others had done a lot of things, it was still a rebellion and didn't suit his taste.

"Then what you just said about the family tree..."

Yao Pingzhong still found it somewhat unbelievable.

“That’s true. As I said, his lineage no longer exists in the Zhe family of Fuzhou. But if he goes there and establishes a new Zhe family in Fuzhou, and then moves that lineage over there, then it has nothing to do with me.”

"Brother Yao, the Zhe family has indeed split up. Just like the Zhuge family back then."

Zhe Keqiu was very sincere. He had previously thought that Yao Pingzhong was from the imperial court, since the Yao family had always supported the court. But after seeing Yao Pingzhong's attitude, he told the truth.

"Then what should my Yao family do? Brother Zhe, please give me some advice."

Yao Pingzhong humbly sought advice.

“Brother Yao, if the Emperor is still in power, I think it’s not a bad thing for the Yao family to bet on the court. After all, every dynasty needs one or two families that are loyal to the death, and these families will most likely be able to survive in the new dynasty because of their loyalty.”

"But now that the Crown Prince has ascended the throne... Brother Yao, my information is that after Tokyo was captured by the Yi Kingdom, the Crown Prince broke through the encirclement of the Yi Kingdom's army all by himself and returned to the court."

Zhe Keqiu looked into Yao Pingzhong's eyes.

"Brother Yao, you are a veteran in the army, and your bravery surpasses mine. Tell me, could you do it?"

"Even I might not be able to break through the encirclement of the chaotic army alone and then travel hundreds of miles back to the court."

Yao Pingzhong said that he was well aware of his own abilities.

"Right? Even you might not be able to do it. What about the Crown Prince? Does that mean the Crown Prince is stronger than you?"

"Brother Zhe, you mean, the Crown Prince, he..."

Yao Pingzhong was greatly alarmed. If that were truly the case, wouldn't the Song Dynasty be...?

“Brother Yao, I didn’t say anything. You deduced those things yourself. I’ve said what I needed to say. Now it’s up to you and your two uncles to decide.”

Zhe Keqiu interrupted Yao Pingzhong and gestured for him to leave. Yao Pingzhong understood that this was not the time to argue, so he immediately took his leave and went home to report to his two elders. It is said that the lights in Yao Xiong and Yao Gu's room remained on all night.

In contrast to the Yao family, who were still unsure of what to do, the Zhong family, who were on high alert at the Western Xia border, were much calmer.

"Brother, why don't you go down and rest for a while?"

Holding the letter, Zhong Shizhong arrived at the front line, intending to replace Zhong Shidao for a while.

"A letter has arrived from the capital?"

During this period, Zhong Shidao devoted all his energy to fighting the Western Xia, and he completely ignored the situation in the capital behind him.

How strong was Zhong Shidao, who was single-mindedly focused on fighting the Western Xia? During this period, he won seven battles and drew one, without a single defeat, and captured several strongholds and cities on the Western Xia border.

The Western Xia people went mad. They couldn't understand why the Zhong family would suddenly launch an attack on the border, and why the fighting was so fierce. They had no choice but to retreat dozens of miles from the border to avoid the enemy's advance.

"The Emperor abdicates, and the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne."

The answer from the seed master was also very simple.

"mess."

Zhong Shidao was clearly not satisfied with this news.

"There's another piece of news."

Zhong Shizhong raised the letter in his hand and said to Zhong Shidao:

"Brother, Lu Da has sent a letter."

"Lu Da?"

Zhong Shidao was somewhat surprised.

"I thought he would write back, but I didn't expect it to come so soon."

"After all, Yi State has already destroyed Liao State, which is indeed faster than we expected."

Because of Lu Zhishen, Zhong Shizhong already had a certain goodwill towards the Yi Kingdom. In addition, destroying the Liao Kingdom was also one of Zhong Shizhong's dreams, so now he found the people of the Yi Kingdom even more agreeable.

"He wants us to surrender?"

Master Zhong asked.

"No, that's not it. Lu Da said he hasn't seen us in a long time and wanted us to come to his place to rest."

Zhong Shizhong said with a smile.

"What about the Western Xia?"

"Lu Da said he will never forget the Western Army in his life, and he will uphold the Western Army's ambition to destroy the Western Xia. After we rest at his place, he will personally lead his men to wipe out these Tanguts..."