Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

No one knows what Ren Yuan said to Hua Yun at the end of that day.

Anyway, after that day, Hua Yun claimed to have a position, although it wasn't a high one, just ahead of Shi Qian, but at least she was a leader!

Shi Qian didn't care; on the contrary, he even went to congratulate Hua Yun with a smile.

He also stated that he would rely entirely on Miss Hua's protection from now on and would follow her lead without question.

Yes, this is how it was described in the "Biographies of Meritorious Officials" many years later:

"When Yinghou was young, he met the Emperor and Empress, and the three became close friends. Apart from the Emperor, only the Empress could command Yinghou to act." — *Biographies of Meritorious Officials: Biography of Yinghou*

As for Pan Jinlian, she followed Hua Yun around all day. With the care of this sworn sister and being in Liangshan, a place where she didn't have to worry about food and clothing, Pan Jinlian once again released her girlish nature and gradually emerged from the grief of losing her loved ones.

Anyway, there was no proper female leader in Liangshan at the moment, and Hua Yun had an ambiguous relationship with Ren Yuan, so no one cared about the two of them. Therefore, the two sisters were especially happy every day.

This matter was also mentioned in the later "Biographies of Meritorious Officials":

"The wife of the Duke of Qinghe was the empress's adopted sister." — *Biographies of Meritorious Officials: Biography of the Duke of Qinghe*

Ren Yuan couldn't control Hua Yun, so he let her wander around Liangshan and do whatever she wanted. Anyway, Hua Yun was sensible and wouldn't cause trouble for Liangshan.

As for him, he was very busy. He had to personally simplify and improve all the rules and regulations of Liangshan, and he also had to work with Zhu Wu to reorganize the current Liangshan army.

Do you really think being a chieftain is a leisurely job? No way!

The most important aspect was the reorganization of the military, because the military structure of the Song Dynasty was quite complicated.

Ren Yuan clearly remembered what the history book said about the three redundancies of the Northern Song Dynasty: redundant soldiers, redundant officials, and redundant expenses.

The problem of excessive troops was never solved throughout the entire Song Dynasty.

The main reason is that the Zhao family themselves seized power through a military coup, so they thoroughly suppressed military generals, especially those with troops under their command.

They're just trying to seize your military power, and then they'll spend money to hire mercenaries when it comes to fighting.

Liangshan is definitely an armed group at present, so Ren Yuan should learn from the Northern Song Dynasty and avoid the problem of redundant troops in the matter of the army.

After a day of discussion with Zhu Wu, the military system of Liangshan was tentatively set as follows:

Team: Fully staffed with 20 people, commanded by a team leader and a deputy team leader.

Du: Fully staffed with 100 people, commanded by the head of the Du and the deputy head of the Du.

Battalion: 500 men at full strength, commanded by a commander and a deputy commander.

The regiment has a full strength of 2000 people, with the commander being the general and the deputy general.

Army: 6000 men at full strength, commanded by a commander and a deputy commander.

Let's leave it like this for now. We'll adjust it if needed later.

Therefore, the Liangshan forces at present, after reorganization and restructuring, consist of only three battalions, one of which is a naval battalion and the other two are infantry battalions.

These three battalions were later referred to by the Liangshan army as the "Old Three Battalions".

Those who came from the Third Battalion were all pillars of the Liangshan Army.

There are no cavalry units available at the moment because there aren't enough horses...

On the naval camp side, Ruan Xiaoer is currently the commander, and Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi are the deputy commanders.

On the infantry side, the commander of the First Battalion is currently Yuan Lang, and the deputy commander is Mi Sheng.

The current commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion is Sun An, and the deputy commanders are Chen Da and Yang Chun.

As for Ren Yuan himself... sorry, he has no one to help him because he's too busy to manage.

Master Guanghui surprised Ren Yuan even more.

On the day he and Zhu Wu discussed the reform of the Liangshan army, Guang Hui came to find Ren Yuan, carrying his monk's knife.

"Master, is there anything I can help you with?"

“Brother, these two snowflake-patterned iron ring knives are the supreme treasures of our Shaolin Temple’s killing path, and also sharp blades that can cut a hair in two.”

Guanghui gently stroked the ring knife, as if stroking her own child.

"But since following me, I have gone astray in the first half of my life, causing this precious treasure to be tarnished. On that day at Shizipo, my brother not only saved my life, but also enlightened me with his words, making me realize that it was all destined."

“This humble monk has sworn never to stained the Buddhist scriptures with blood. This monk can no longer use this precept knife.”

Ren Yuan was taken aback. What was this all about? If you're not going to use the monk's knife, what are you giving it to me for? Besides, if you're not going to use the monk's knife, what weapon will you use in the future?

“Brother, you are both the leader of the stronghold and my benefactor. This treasure should be entrusted to you for safekeeping. If you find a suitable person in the future, please pass it on to me.”

Guanghui handed the monk's knife to Renyuan, then put his hands together, clasped them in prayer, and recited a Buddhist mantra.

"Um, Master, are you putting down your butcher's knife?"

Ren Yuan was a little unsure. Was this double-bladed monk, or rather, this bitter monk, about to ascend to heaven at any moment?

"I have laid down the knife in my hand, but not in my heart. This world is in chaos, and I still need to cut off my karma and protect life. I still want to lend you a hand in your great cause."

Guanghui smiled and looked more relaxed after putting down the knife.

"As for weapons, if the stronghold has good iron, brother, just make me an iron rod."

Hmm? Ren Yuan suddenly felt something was off.

You are a wandering ascetic, also called a pilgrim, with a hairband on your head, and you call yourself a bitter ascetic. You also wear a rosary made of human bones, and now you want to use an iron rod?

Master Guanghui, you're playing the roles of the Bitter Monk, Sun Wukong, and Sha Wujing all at once! Are you playing three roles all by yourself?

How about we have Wu Song use that tiger skin to make you a tiger-skin skirt in the future? Consider it a trade for your monk's knife?

"Master, aren't you most famous for your swordsmanship? Will you be able to manage with an iron rod?"

"Brother, have you forgotten that I am a Shaolin disciple? Shaolin disciples may not be good at other things, but they are definitely good at staff fighting."

Guanghui explained with a smile that he didn't learn double swords as soon as he entered Shaolin. Staff techniques are a basic skill of Shaolin!

"Brother, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. You and the strategist can continue your discussion."

"Wait a minute, we were just talking about the reorganized infantry. The Second Infantry Battalion is currently commanded by Sun An. Would you be willing to be its deputy commander, Master?"

Ren Yuan asked him directly.

“Amitabha, brother, let Chen Da and Yang Chun be the deputy commanders. This humble monk’s abilities are not quite suitable.”

"Actually, the master is better suited to other things."

Zhu Wu also came out at this time, holding a stack of papers in his hand.

“Brother, we’ve already established these military laws, haven’t we? Master is a man of strong character, so he’s perfect for being the head of the military law department. We happen to have some extra people besides our three battalions, so let’s allocate a hundred of them to form the military law department. Let Master take charge of military law and supervise the various departments. The rest of the people can go to the reserve battalion for training, and we can expand the department when we have more manpower in the future.”

Zhu Wu had also given it a lot of thought, after all, Liangshan still needed to consider its future development, and a reserve camp was necessary.

"I think it's a good idea, Master. What do you think?"

Ren Yuan thought about it and thought it was a good idea. Guang Hui was good at managing military law, so it was suitable for him! If they could rescue Pei Xuan and bring him up the mountain later, then the military law of Liangshan would definitely be ironclad!

“Amitabha, then this humble monk shall first accept the position of head of the military law department.”

Guanghui probably felt that the Military Law Department was a good fit for him, so he agreed.

As for Shi Qian, Ren Yuan arranged for him to establish a scout battalion. He could choose the men himself, and once he had selected them, he just needed to report back. After all, Shi Qian was a professional at gathering intelligence.

Let professionals do what they're good at!

This is Ren Yuan's philosophy on personnel management.

So after a few days of reorganization, it was clear that the morale of the Liangshan troops had been boosted once again.

Mi Sheng's elderly mother even came to thank Ren Yuan, saying that she never dreamed that one day her son would become a deputy commander.

"Don't worry, Mother. The best is yet to come. In the future, Mi Sheng will not only be the deputy commander, but also the commander!"

Seeing the happy look on Mi Sheng's mother's face, and looking at Mi Sheng's simple and honest smiling face, Ren Yuan was filled with emotion.

He became even more determined in his beliefs.

We must ensure these brothers survive! We absolutely cannot act rashly!

Build high walls, store up plenty of grain, and delay declaring yourself king.

……

"Brother, brother, what are you thinking about?"

Shi Qian's voice startled Ren Yuan awake. He looked around and realized he was actually at the bottom of the Golden Sand Beach.

"I wasn't thinking about anything. Just about recent events."

Ren Yuan felt a little apologetic, realizing he had actually been daydreaming.

"My brother has indeed been working hard lately... But is it because his brother-in-law is coming soon that he's feeling a little uneasy?"

At first, Shi Qian was concerned about Ren Yuan, but later, his tone completely changed.

"Brother-in-law? Who's that? Did you get married?"

Ren Yuan's mind didn't process it for a moment.

"Brother, are you out of your mind from exhaustion? Who were we supposed to be picking up today?"

"If I remember correctly, it's Hua Rong."

Ren Yuan thought about it and realized he must be right.

"Isn't it obvious whose brother-in-law this is?"

Shi Qian grinned wickedly and took off running!

"Shi Qian, don't you dare run away..."