Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

How much damage can an enraged crowd cause?

Anyway, the bodies of Zeng Mi and Zeng Kui were beaten so badly that they were unrecognizable.

Some even took knives and cut off parts of their bodies, saying they wanted to take them back to pay tribute to their deceased family members.

The Liangshan army ignored it and let them do as they pleased.

Shi Wengong was also beaten, but because the Liangshan army said that this person had to be alive, Shi Wengong did not become a corpse.

But when he saw his apprentices being beaten like dogs, fear finally showed in Shi Wengong's eyes!

"I want to see Ren Yuan! I want to see Ren Yuan!"

Shi Wengong didn't want to die, so he shouted to the soldiers around him.

"Shut up!"

The soldiers around him ignored him and stuffed the foot-binding cloth back into Shi Wengong's mouth.

"A scoundrel like you doesn't deserve to see the chieftain!"

……

In Zhongzhai, Zengtou City, Liangshan leaders were constantly coming and going.

“Brother! Zeng Sheng, the youngest son of the Zeng family, along with his father Zeng Nong and several hundred loyal followers, desperately broke through the encirclement to the north. The brothers couldn’t completely stop them. More than a hundred of them escaped.”

Zhang Qing was somewhat disappointed. When Zeng Sheng led his men to charge, they were attacking the weak side of his defensive line. Zhang Qing was at a disadvantage because he was unfamiliar with the terrain, so he was unable to completely stop them.

This made Zhang Qing feel like he had missed out on a great opportunity!

"It's alright. Ma Qituan worked hard, only a little over a hundred people escaped. Even if we include Zeng Nong and Zeng Sheng, Zengtou City is already ruined. Even if they manage to get back to the Jurchens after they break through, it won't make much difference."

Ren Yuan waved his hand. The Jurchens were known for their survival of the fittest. If the Zeng family sent more than 10,000 people back, they would definitely become great generals. But if they sent more than 100 people back, it would be a question whether they could even squeeze into the core group!

Moreover, if they fled north, they would have to cross the territory of the Liao Dynasty. How many of the Zeng family members would be left when they actually returned to the Jurchen territory?

"Take stock of all the grain, horses, weapons, and money in the villages of Zengtou City, distribute the money and grain to the surrounding people, and then set fire to all the villages!"

"Then, let's return in triumph!"

Despite the overwhelming victory this time, Liangshan suffered losses, with over two thousand lightly and seriously wounded and over nine hundred killed, totaling nearly four thousand men.

Although it was a siege battle, and they wiped out more than 10,000 people in Zengtou City and seized a large amount of supplies, it can be said to be a great victory! But this casualty was indeed the largest Liangshan had suffered in recent years.

"Therefore, we cannot be soft-hearted when fighting against alien races, which is why I do not want the prisoners from Zengtou City."

Ren Yuan looked at the battle casualty statistics that had been delivered. It was only because Liangshan was now a large and powerful force that he realized that the casualties of over three thousand to four thousand would have been wiped out by most of the mountain strongholds in the Song Dynasty.

Many of our brothers were injured while cleaning up the battlefield.

"Brother, we've caused such a big commotion in Zengtou City this time, the imperial court will probably take notice of us."

Zhu Wu was somewhat worried.

"I wonder how things are going on with Commander Yang. Otherwise, we'll be in some trouble, since there are even more people living on the mountain."

"I believe in Yang Zhi, and I believe in Guan Zhong. They will definitely be able to provide us with a stable rear area!"

"By the way, any residents near Zengtou City who want to join our Liangshan are welcome. Those who want to enlist in the army will be treated the same as before..."

"We should try to avoid having only one child, right?"

Zhu Wu understood his older brother's way of thinking very well.

"Alright, then I'll leave it all to you."

After explaining things to Zhu Wu and the others, Ren Yuan went to find Lu Junyi.

"Second Senior Brother, are you planning to come back to Liangshan with me, or go back to Daming Prefecture?"

“Junior brother, I really want to go to Liangshan with you again, but I’ve been away for so many days, and your sister-in-law is all alone at home. She must be missing me.”

Lu Junyi laughed heartily.

"By the way, you haven't met your sister-in-law yet, have you? Next time you come to Daming Prefecture, come stay at my residence, and I'll give you a proper welcome!"

"Second Senior Brother, it's not very convenient for me to be a junior brother, but you can come to the gates of Liangshan anytime. Master will always be on the mountain, so you can visit him more often during festivals."

“Junior brother is right. Next time, I’ll bring your sister-in-law to visit Master in the mountains. Master didn’t even attend my wedding back then!”

Lu Junyi had a beautiful impression of his wife.

Seeing this, Ren Yuan felt even less comfortable telling him directly that his wife and his steward would have an affair in the future. (Ren Yuan was unaware that Li Gu had already raided the house.)

“Senior brother, you can’t go back alone. How can a dignified Master Lu go home alone? Here’s what we’ll do: you can pick a few people from my personal guards to go with you. That way, you can look after each other on the way. Besides, they can be your confidants in the future, people you can absolutely trust.”

"Junior brother, this..."

Lu Junyi hesitated for a moment, wondering if this was a bad idea.

"Second Senior Brother, if you consider me your junior brother, then don't refuse. Senior Brother, think about it, besides Xiao Yi you mentioned, who else in your household is an absolute confidant? Although my status as junior brother can't openly help you, it can still bolster your prestige."

Ren Yuan's attitude was quite firm, mainly because he was genuinely afraid that Lu Junyi would end up in a situation where "the eldest son had taken the medicine" scenario.

"Alright, I've actually gotten along quite well with a few of these guys these past few days, so I'll borrow them from you, junior brother."

"What are you saying? Senior brother, just say who you've taken a fancy to."

Lu Junyi didn't stand on ceremony. Putting everything else aside, his junior brother's personal guards were indeed all very useful!

So he directly ordered eight people he was close to.

"Your task now is to protect me, your second senior brother, and receive your monthly salary..."

Ren Yuan was about to do some ideological work with the people Lu Junyi had chosen when Lu Junyi interrupted him:

"Brothers, when you come to my Lu residence, all you need to do is listen to me. I will double your salary and cover all your food and lodging."

Lu Junyi generously stated, "You are my junior brother's people, so I certainly won't treat you unfairly."

"Second Senior Brother, you truly deserve to be the richest man in Daming Prefecture. Alright, let's do it this way. Your share of the salary in the stronghold will be given directly to your families every month. Just consider it as an official business. You can take turns returning to the mountain to visit your families once every three months."

Ren Yuan said, "Second Brother, you can be quite thoughtful sometimes!"

The guards who were named were initially reluctant, but after hearing the chieftain's words and the treatment they received at Lu Junyi's residence, they had no complaints.

Triple pay (Lu Mansion + Liangshan), little work, room and board included, and time to visit family—this job is worth it!

"We will obey the chieftain's orders!"

After resolving this matter, Ren Yuan felt a little relieved. The army stayed in Zengtou City for a few more days before setting off back to the mountains.

Shi Wengong, sitting in the trap cart that Zeng Su had built, was escorted back to Liangshan.

Lu Junyi, along with the eight former guards, took the route back to Daming Prefecture.

Before leaving, Ren Yuan specially erected a monument on the original site of Zengtou City! He then placed the heads of Zeng Tu, Zeng Mi, Zeng Suo, and Zeng Kui beneath the monument. He then addressed the people who had come to bid farewell to the Liangshan army:

"Fellow villagers, Zengtou City no longer exists! If anyone still wants to collude with the enemy and betray the country, let them see this stone tablet! Let them see what will happen to them!"

The inscription on the stone tablet reads:

Foreigners and their lackeys died here!

Every single character on it was personally carved by Ren Yuan using a knife instead of a pen!

But what Ren Yuan didn't expect was that, hundreds of years later, this monument would become a famous local tourist attraction...