Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Fellow villagers! Don't worry! Line up one by one, everyone will have money and food!"

Ren Yuan personally stood on the side of the line distributing money and grain to supervise, fearing that someone might embezzle it.

Moreover, he repeatedly emphasized to his subordinates that basic courtesy should be observed when distributing grain, and that the villagers should not be treated as servants to be summoned and dismissed at will.

Throughout the grain distribution process, whenever he saw any of the henchmen scolding the people, Ren Yuan would kick them! Then he would lead his men to apologize and deal with seven or eight people. After that, none of the henchmen dared to put on airs anymore.

Even the chieftain and leaders have lowered their status and treated people kindly. If these lowly lackeys dare to act recklessly, they will be cursed to death.

When each household received the money and grain, they were full of praise and gratitude. Although the cold night wind was still blowing, the manor of Xixi Baozheng was still bustling with activity.

Besides distributing grain to the people, the remaining goods need to be loaded onto trucks as soon as possible and transported back to the mountains.

After all, the commotion they caused was quite significant. If the officials and soldiers of Yuncheng County discovered them, Liangshan was currently not in a position to directly confront them.

"Your Majesty! I have something to say!"

There was a family of seven or eight people. After receiving their money and grain, they were about to leave when suddenly one of the young men ran out, knelt down and kowtowed to Ren Yuan!

"Young man, what are you doing? Get up and speak!"

Ren Yuan was stunned for a day, then quickly called the child to get up.

"Your Majesty! You are such a kind person! I've already thought about giving us money and food! Although I'm young, I'm strong and can endure hardship! I want to live like my fourth brother, to live with my head held high... to hold my head high... yes, that's called holding my head high and having a good time! I don't want to live a life of being bullied and starving anymore! Your Majesty, please take me in!"

The young man did not get up, but instead knelt on the ground and shouted loudly!

The young man's words influenced many people. A moment later, many people came out of other people's homes and knelt down in front of Ren Yuan.

"My lord! Take me in too! I'm not only strong, but I can take a beating!"

"Your Majesty! Me too! I even learned a few things about fighting with sticks!"

"Your Majesty! My brother and I are both willing to join Liangshan!"

……

In no time, people willing to join Liangshan flocked to the mountain, much to the surprise of Song Wan and his men. A rough count suggested there were at least two or three hundred people! That was almost as many as the Liangshan troops who had come down from the mountain!

And most importantly, when these young men said they wanted to go up the mountain, not a single family came out to stop them!

In other words, the people of Xixi Village tacitly accepted that their children would go up the mountain to become strongmen.

"Everyone! Listen to me!"

Ren Yuan was naturally happy to see so many people willing to join the Liangshan bandits, but after all, Liangshan was still a den of bandits, and becoming a bandit was not a particularly honorable thing.

Therefore, there are some things he has to say upfront.

"Although we Liangshan are acting on behalf of Heaven, we are still a gathering place for bandits. Although you can eat your fill and avoid being bullied after joining us, you must know that our line of work is a dangerous business. One wrong move and you could suffer serious injuries or even lose your life. Don't you regret it?"

The kneeling crowd heard Ren Yuan's words, but they merely looked at each other and none of them showed any intention of backing down.

"Your Majesty! We have no regrets! Please accept us!"

"That's right! Your Majesty, a true man's word is his bond, and we will never regret it!"

……

Seeing this, Ren Yuan nodded in satisfaction. What he wanted were people who were sincere in joining!

"Your Majesty, may I say something?"

Just then, two elderly men with white hair and beards suddenly emerged from among the villagers of Xixi.

"Gentlemen, please speak."

These two elderly men looked to be in their sixties or seventies. In this day and age, anyone who could live that long was considered a centenarian. Ren Yuan naturally did not dare to be presumptuous and very politely invited the two men to speak.

Both old men were leaning on canes. When they saw Ren Yuan's actions, they looked at each other, nodded silently, and then took turns speaking.

“My brother and I have lived in this village for over seventy years, and this is the first time we have ever met such a generous and benevolent person as Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty, we are all old, and our lives are destined to be spent toiling in the soil. This magistrate has been bullying us in the village for over a decade or two, and we have tolerated it all, but deep down, we long to get rid of him one day.”

"But Your Majesty, the court is unjust! We work hard all year round, and most of our harvest is taken away by these village headmen and their cronies. So many families suffer from hunger all year round. And those scoundrels' children are used to bullying others in the village. They have killed more than twenty villagers for no reason!"

"Your Majesty, although Liangshan has rid our village of a scourge today, who knows if other village leaders will continue to harm people in the future! We are old and don't have many years left to live, but these young men are still young! We can't just let them accept their fate like this!"

"We know what Your Majesty is worried about, but please take them up the mountain. Everyone has their own destiny and fate, and we can't blame others. We only ask that Your Majesty treat them well after they get up the mountain."

"Your Majesty is so benevolent; it seems that becoming an outlaw is not a long-term solution. If Your Majesty were to grant them amnesty and obtain official positions in the future, these young men could also have a better future and would no longer have to suffer the hardships we have endured! Your Majesty, I bow to you here and beg Your Majesty's mercy! Please take them up the mountain!"

As the two old men spoke, they were about to bow down, but Ren Yuan refused and quickly stepped forward to help them up.

"Gentlemen, since that's the case, rest assured, I'll take them up the mountain! They can also bring their families if they wish!"

"I, Ren Yuan, guarantee with my life that once they join my Liangshan, they will have no worries about food and clothing! As for the future, as long as I, Ren Yuan, live, I will provide them with benefits every day! Let them strive for a better future!"

"Very well, Your Majesty is a capable man. On behalf of the young men of Xixi, I thank Your Majesty!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The two old men held Ren Yuan's hands tightly; this time, they were truly relieved.

Those who wanted to join Liangshan were naturally overjoyed, especially since Ren Yuangang had just said that they could bring their families, which made them even more excited.

"Yuan Lang!"

"What are your orders, brother?"

"Go and compile a list of all those willing to join us on the mountain. From now on, they will also be members of Liangshan!"

"Order!"

Yuan Lang's face lit up with joy. He had just received a large sum of money and provisions that night. If he could get another three hundred strong young men, this trip down the mountain would be a huge success!

"Song Wan!"

"What are your orders, brother?"

"Hurry up and distribute the money and grain to the villagers! Load the rest onto the trucks and transport them back to the mountain village!"

"Don't worry, brother! If you lose even a single grain of rice, you can hold me responsible!"

Song Wan also made a solemn pledge that the money and provisions this time would be the most solid guarantee for the development of the stronghold!

Moreover, the two of them clearly saw that when the village head was killed, although the villagers felt gratitude towards the Liangshan people, it was only gratitude, and they did not have much of a sense of closeness.

Once the chieftain distributed money and provisions, everyone regarded Liangshan as their savior! Not only did they become close to them, but they also brought their families to join them on the mountain!

Yuan Lang, in particular, counted that there were 368 strong men who had come up the mountain! And all of them were working in the fields. These strong men only needed a little training to become combat-ready!

At the very least, these people are stronger than the old and weak who are currently staying in the mountain stronghold!

Moreover, more than a hundred families came up the mountain together, and the total number of Liangshan people suddenly exceeded one thousand!

In the present Song Dynasty, a stronghold with more than a thousand men is definitely a large stronghold!

"By the way, Chieftain, what should we do about the village head's household, which still has some servants and concubines who haven't committed serious crimes?"

A leader came over and asked Ren Yuan.

"The ringleader has been eliminated, so the rest will not be implicated. Each of those servants will be given ten lashes, two strings of cash for travel expenses, and they will be sent out of Xixi Village, never to return. If they disobey, they'll be told to wash their necks and wait to see how sharp the blades of Liangshan are!"

"As for the village head's concubines, their ancestors left them two hundred acres of fertile land. Here is the land deed; return it to them. Warn them not to harm anyone in the future, and they'd better forget what happened today. If they're not afraid of death and want to seek revenge against Liangshan, then we'll wait. Next time we meet, we'll show no mercy!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Lang, Song Wan, and the others burst into laughter.

"Brother is truly benevolent. But rest assured, brother, if these people are ungrateful and cause trouble again, you won't need to lift a finger. We'll personally chop off their heads and send them to you!"