Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Deputy Commander, are we just leaving like this? Abandoning the Western Army?"

Han Shizhong walked very fast, with his personal guards following closely behind. They all felt that Han Shizhong was walking a little too fast this time.

"Haven't you realized yet? General Zhong is preparing to surrender."

Han Shizhong's tone was very pleasant.

"General Zhong? He... he wants to surrender? Surrender to whom?"

The guard was a little confused at first, but when he saw Han Shizhong's face, he immediately understood!

"Deputy Commander, you...you can't say..."

"That's right, Commander Zhong has wanted to attack Western Xia for a long time. What he just said meant that he wanted us to send people over!"

Han Shizhong had a smile on his face.

"If the commander knew, he would be overjoyed! This is a general!"

"If His Highness knew, wouldn't he burst out laughing?"

"But Deputy Commander, General Zhong didn't just say he needed supplies and troops, he also..."

Before the guard could fully process what was happening, after talking for a long time, he suddenly understood.

Yes, the grain, soldiers, and supplies were all provided by Dayi. Then the Zhong family army used these things to fight against the Western Xia. So, isn't that Zhong family army the Dayi army?

"But Commander Zhong said he would attack from the west..."

"Isn't General Huyan also fighting against the Japanese pirates? If Commander Zhong is capable of fighting, I think the prince would support him to fight all the way to the west."

Han Shizhong wrote a letter to Lu Zhishen as quickly as possible and sent it directly by carrier pigeon.

……

And as he expected, in less than two days, Lu Zhishen's camp received his message.

"General Zhong... he's about to surrender!"

After reading it, Lu Zhishen was quite moved. Even after leaving the Western Army for so many years, he would still think of the two commanders at times.

"That's good. Otherwise, Master, you would still have to think about how to get General Zhong to surrender. Now it seems that you don't need to."

Ren Yuan nodded repeatedly as he read the letter Han Shizhong sent back. With this, Lu Zhishen's last worries should be gone.

Guan Sheng and his men had already conquered the entire Liao territory and were stabilizing the situation there. Ren Yuan dispatched Yuan Lang, Yang Zhi, and Hu Yanzhuo to the western Song border to wait for them.

He himself, along with Lu Zhishen, Lin Chong, and Zhe Kecun, led a large army to the Western Song Dynasty. Zhao Huan, being pragmatic, sent a message to Ren Yuan via carrier pigeon and urgent dispatch after taking control of Zhao Ji, clearly indicating his intention to surrender.

“Brother, ever since Zhao Ji used the Western Army to establish this so-called Western Song Dynasty, I have been worried about him, fearing that the Western Army would be destroyed in his hands.”

Lu Zhishen said that if all the brave men of the Western Army were to be lost, it would be a great pain for him.

"Now that General Zhong is willing to surrender, as long as Zhao Huan has no ulterior motives, General Liu Fa should not hold out any longer."

Zhao Huan said that he had granted the old general leave for one or two months, but it was unlikely that he would be allowed to return to the court.

Ren Yuan thought about it and realized that if that was the case, then only the Yao family, who were still not quite sure of the situation, remained. That wouldn't be a big problem. A wise person knows when to yield, and the Yao family probably wouldn't jump out at this time to try and shake the tree.

"Junior brother, what should we do after the Western Army surrenders?"

Lin Chong was slightly worried.

“Most of the Western Army are locals. If we move them to another place, I estimate that few would object. But if we keep them here, the Western Army may become a powerful clan after a few generations.”

As Ren Yuan's chief bodyguard, Lin Chong is now increasingly considering the interests of Ren Yuan and his descendants when thinking about problems.

"Master, what do you think?"

Ren Yuan did not express his opinion first, but looked at Lu Zhishen.

"The Western Army has been in these places for so many years, and it has indeed shown signs of becoming a powerful clan. But brother, I can vouch for them. There is absolutely no one in the Western Army with any ill intentions."

"It is far better to incorporate the Western Army than to scatter them or disperse them to other places."

Lu Zhishen is now the commander-in-chief of the Dayi Infantry. He is also considering the overall interests of Dayi. However, on the issue of the Western Army, Lu Zhishen inevitably has some bias, which is only human nature.

“Senior brother, it’s not that we don’t trust the Western Army. With you, Senior Brother, and Commander Zhong and others here, the Western Army is naturally fine. But what I’m talking about is several generations later. In fact, the Song Dynasty has already given the Western Army the beginnings of a powerful clan.”

Lin Chong sincerely told Lu Zhishen that he always addressed Lu Zhishen as "senior brother" when they first met, which was also a way of remembering Lu Zhishen's kindness back then.

Lu Zhishen knew that Lin Chong was criticizing the matter, not the person, so for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

"Master, senior brother, it's alright, don't worry too much about it."

Seeing that his two generals were troubled by this problem, Ren Yuan smiled and spoke up to smooth things over.

"Old Master Huyan in the east is doing quite well against the Japanese pirates, isn't he? If Commander Zhong and the brothers of the Western Army are truly willing, then I will support them in marching into the Western Regions!"

"The Western Regions have been lost for many years; it's time to take them back!"

"Western Regions..."

Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong's eyes lit up. That's it! After conquering Western Xia, the next step west would lead to the Western Regions!

Back in the glorious Tang Dynasty, the Western Regions were an inseparable part of the Central Plains! Since they were lost before, they should be taken back now!

"That's good. The Western Army should fight in the Western Regions! I think both Commander Zhong and General Liu would be very willing."

Lu Zhishen suddenly stopped worrying. He was genuinely concerned that Ren Yuan would break up the Western Army and incorporate it into the various brothers' teams. Although there was nothing wrong with doing so, the Western Army would be gone, which would leave them with some regret.

Having just surrendered and been routed, the morale of the Western Army will likely plummet.

"Yes, Master, reply to General Zhong and tell him that as long as he can fight, I will give him as much food and supplies as he needs!"

"Your Highness, I am also capable of conquering the Western Regions."

Zhe Kecun also joined in at this time, saying that he could handle such a large undertaking in the Western Regions.

"You too?"

Ren Yuan looked at the young Zhe Kecun and, suppressing a laugh, asked:

"Do you think you're a better fighter than Commander Zhong and General Liu?"

"That's not what I meant. But Commander Zhong and the others are getting on in years and it's time for them to enjoy their retirement. As young people who came from the Western Army, I have an unshirkable responsibility to fight against the Western Xia and later the Western Regions!"

Zhe Kecun said that times have changed, and the future belongs to young people.

Of course, on the other hand, although Zhe Kecun gained Ren Yuan's appreciation after coming to Yiguo, he didn't have any particularly outstanding achievements. As the head of the Zhe family, he still had to consider the Zhe family's interests.

"Alright, then this time you go back and reorganize your brother's lineage first, and then report to Commander Zhong."

Ren Yuan agreed to Zhe Kecun's request. In his view, it was indeed necessary to bring up some young people to lead the campaign against Western Xia.

If Han Shizhong and Zhe Kecun can shine with the brilliance that history rightfully belongs to them in this battle, that would be a wonderful thing!

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Zhe Kecun was thrilled to receive the promise and was already planning how he would give Zhe Keqiu a good scolding when they met!

See? This family got the job right! Follow me and I can conquer the Western Regions, how about following you to Zhekeqiu?