Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

Pinghai Navy barracks.

An old general with white hair and beard was sitting in the camp.

There were two large hammers beside him.

This person was none other than Huyan Bao.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man who looked seven or eight parts like him; this was Huyan Qipeng, the current commander of the Pinghai Army.

"Grandpa, what kind of people do you think they are?"

Hu Yanqipeng asked.

They had just received a message by carrier pigeon from the other members of the Pinghai Army, saying that a small team had encountered Japanese pirates outside, but had been rescued by righteous men, and was now leading the righteous men back to the camp.

“In Dengzhou, those who dare to fight against Japanese pirates and possess such high combat power are naturally not ordinary people. If I’m not mistaken, they must be outlaws.”

Old Master Huyan Bao stroked his beard.

"The nearest bandit stronghold is Liangshan Marsh, which has been incredibly prominent in the last year or two. This group must be from Liangshan. The leader should be that guy, the Pillar of Heaven, Ren Yuan."

“Building a mound of Japanese pirate heads is interesting. I’m very interested in this young man named Ren Yuan.”

“Liangshan, I remember now. Not long ago, Qin Ming, the commander of Qingzhou, and Huang Xin, the military supervisor, both died there. Then Murong Yanda had his sister plead for them, and that's why my second brother was transferred there to replace Qin Ming.”

Hu Yanqipeng suddenly remembered that his younger brother, Hu Yanzhuo, had been transferred from Runing to Qingzhou because of Liangshan.

"You believe they really died in battle? Qin Ming's family is all gone; they must have gone to Liangshan."

Hu Yanbao immediately figured out the reason behind the matter.

"It's good that you went up there. At least Liangshan is righteous, unlike this imperial court, which specifically suppresses military men. If it weren't for your great-grandfather's wisdom and your grandfather's wise retirement to protect himself, do you think Pinghai Army could have survived?"

"Hmph, the imperial court is unjust, but Grandpa, our Pinghai Army has plenty of ships. If they really try to cause trouble, we'll just go out to sea!"

Huyan Qipeng also had little affection for the imperial court, after all, his ancestors had almost been wiped out, so it was no wonder he had no goodwill towards them.

"This matter is of great importance; we'll discuss it later."

Hu Yanbao gestured to his grandson not to get so excited.

"Even if we want to leave ourselves a way out, we have to be fully prepared. The ocean is vast, and the Pinghai Army can't easily go to sea, so sometimes we need some friends to help us."

"Grandpa, do you want him to scout ahead for us? Or do you want him to join our Pinghai Army?"

Hu Yanqipeng immediately understood that his grandfather valued the people of Liangshan very much.

"Then we'll have to see what kind of surprise this young man will give me."

Hu Yanbao was eager to see if this person, who could make Liangshan bigger and stronger in such a short time, was really worth it, and he decided to take the gamble!

"General! The righteous warriors have arrived!"

"Let them in!"

Hu Yanbao gestured for Ren Yuan and the others to come in.

"I have long admired the name of General Shuangchui, but I have never had the chance to meet him. Today, seeing the Pinghai Army's disciplined ranks and the general's skillful command of troops, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved."

After Ren Yuan and the others entered, they immediately bowed and greeted Hu Yanbao.

"You must be the leader of Liangshan. You're the only strongman who dares to act like this in Dengzhou."

Hu Yanbao looked at Ren Yuan with satisfaction.

Hmm, not bad build, and he knows his manners. Let's see what he's thinking.

"Wait, you're Lin Chong? You're Hua Rong from Qingfeng Village, right!"

Hu Yanqipeng was also sizing up Ren Yuan. Hmm, he did look very brave.

Then he saw Lin Chong and Hua Rong following behind Ren Yuan!

"Lin Chong, Hua Rong greets the old general and General Huyan."

The two exchanged a smile, then came out to greet Huyan Bao and Huyan Qipeng.

"Young Lin, it's really unexpected that you're still alive."

Hu Yanbao sized up Lin Chong, clearly having heard about Lin Chong's affairs.

“I know what that scoundrel Gao Qiu did to you, and I suppose you won’t be going to the court again, right?”

"So that the old general may know, Lin Chong originally only wanted to serve the country and live a peaceful life, but that old villain Gao Qiu almost caused my family to be destroyed for his own selfish reasons. If it weren't for my junior brother's rescue, Lin Chong would have been a wandering ghost long ago. So, old general, please forgive Lin Chong for not being able to serve in the same court as such a person."

Lin Chong is in a much better mood now, except when Gao Qiu is mentioned, he still gets particularly angry.

"Young man from the Hua family, you're one too?"

Hu Yanbao nodded, then looked at Hua Rong.

"General, my Hua family has been a military family for generations. We were doing well in Qingfeng Village, but suddenly a civil official came and took over the position of the magistrate of the village. He even wanted to kill my whole family. General, I am heartbroken by what the court is doing!"

Hua Rong also stepped forward and said very solemnly.

"So what about you, young Ren? Do you want to establish yourself as king in the Central Plains someday?"

Hu Yanbao went straight to Ren Yuan.

"General, I disdain to bully ordinary people in the Central Plains. I may dislike the Song Dynasty, but I will not disregard the lives of the people. I only hope to leave them a way out so that if the Song Dynasty falls into disrepair in the future, they can find protection here. As for that official, let him do whatever he wants; it has nothing to do with me."

Ren Yuan never wanted to have a large-scale direct conflict with the Song court on Song territory. He would rather use that energy to fight against foreign tribes.

Fighting the Japanese pirates, fighting the Koreans, fighting the Jurchens—isn't that great? Isn't the territory big enough?

“Interesting. You’re the most interesting young man I’ve ever met. So, are you planning to follow in the footsteps of Qiu Ran Ke and go to sea to carve out your own territory? If I’m not mistaken, my Pinghai Army should also be part of your plans, right?”

Hu Yanbao immediately understood, and he truly began to look at Ren Yuan with new respect.

This kid looks big and burly, but I didn't expect him to be so quick-witted!

Sure, sure, it's worth the Huyan family's gamble!

"General, you flatter me. The Pinghai Navy is renowned, and I would never dare to lay a finger on it. I only hope to cooperate amicably with the Pinghai Navy. For example, I could borrow Pinghai Navy ships to enter and exit the areas where the Pinghai Navy is stationed."

Ren Yuan looked at Hu Yanbao and said with a smile.

He was not afraid that Huyan Bao was loyal to the court. In his view, the Huyan family was the most likely family to break away from the Song court.

After all, the hatred of the massacre of their ancestors hasn't been over for very long!

"Well, you've really messed with me."

Hu Yanbao laughed and cursed.

"Aren't you afraid I'll tie you up right now and use you to claim credit?"

"Hehe, old general, let's not beat around the bush. If Pinghai Army makes another contribution, I'm afraid the one on the dragon throne will be restless. With your intelligence, old general, you would never do that."

Ren Yuan smiled. He and Zhu Wu had already analyzed the situation on the way. General Huyan Bao had long been dissatisfied with the Song Dynasty. They could try to win him over, even if they didn't need him to join Liangshan, just making him an ally would be fine.

"Moreover, I believe that cooperation between you and me, General, will only result in a win-win situation."

“My Liangshan can have a stable rear, while the Huyan family can have an ally that is much more reliable than the Song Dynasty.”

"As long as Liangshan stands, the Huyan family will never perish. Old general, would you be interested in this cooperation?"