Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Of course, Lao Xiang, you surrendered because you couldn't win, but I made an agreement before we even started fighting. How can that be the same?"

Li Congji looked at Xiang Yuanzhen, and his lips twitched.

"That's true, but who could have imagined that hundreds of thousands of troops could just disappear like that?"

Xiang Yuanzhen let out a long sigh.

The current situation is quite clear: of the hundreds of thousands of troops, some are dead, some are wounded, some have fled, and some have surrendered; they are basically wiped out.

In this situation, it would be a crushing defeat, and upon returning to the imperial court, the person would certainly be held accountable.

Of course, Gao Qiu, as Zhao Ji's confidant, was certainly not the problem, so the only option was to let these military governors take the blame.

Among the group, Han Cunbao and Yang Wen did not have purely bandit backgrounds, so personal relationships would definitely have to be taken into account when punishing them.

The remaining military governors were all from outlaw backgrounds, and that would be the end of them.

"Don't push me! Let me tell you! If it weren't for the fact that it was foot combat, and a sneak attack, I wouldn't have lost to your commander!"

Just then, the sound of cursing came from outside again. Everyone knew from the sound that they were doomed; Zhang Kai had been arrested as well.

Sure enough, not long after, Zhang Kai was brought in. As soon as he entered, he realized, well, he was the only one missing.

"Alright, all nine of us are here now, not one missing."

When Xu Jing saw that Zhang Kai had also been arrested, he admired Liangshan's strength even more.

"I knew it. These brats were trying to recruit us, that's why they captured us alive."

Zhang Kai didn't say much, and sat down next to his good friend Mei Zhan.

"Surrender? Old Zhang, you probably don't know this, but Brother Xu and Old Li had already surrendered before the fight."

Wang Wende was somewhat dissatisfied with Xu Jing for taking Li Congji away ahead of time.

"Brother Xu? That makes sense. Everyone in the underworld calls him Old Ape Xu, so cunning and shrewd. It's not surprising that he did something like this."

Zhang Kai was taken aback, then looked at Xu Jing and Li Congji, who were unharmed, and said he could understand.

"So, when you see that kid Ren later, are you going to surrender?"

Xu Jing asked this crucial question.

“You eat the king’s food and serve the king, Xu Jiedu, if you want to surrender so much, you have really disgraced the heroes of the Jianghu.”

Han Cunbao expressed his dissatisfaction with Xu Jing's actions.

"Young man of the Han family, your grandfather was a prince, and indeed you were living off the emperor's wealth, but I am not. Besides, don't try to pull this 'hero of the Jianghu' act. Don't pretend your grandfather didn't know how Judge Di died!"

Xu Jing wouldn't give Han Cunbao any face.

"You, you're talking nonsense! Judge Di and my grandfather were close friends! When my uncle was stationed on the border, he even recruited Judge Di's eldest son as his deputy! Commander Xu! How can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air!"

When the matter with the Di family was mentioned, Han Cunbao immediately became somewhat angry!

People say that Han Qi's statement, "Only those whose names are called out outside Donghua Gate are true men," and his execution of Jiao Yong despite Di Qing's pleas, were acts of suppression and contempt towards Di Qing.

Han Cunbao had heard his grandfather say that he admired Di Qing's abilities. However, someone had reported that Jiao Yong was embezzling military pay, and Han Qi had just taken office to rectify military discipline. Jiao Yong had run into trouble.

Han Qi had told Han Cunbao that if he had listened to Di Qing's pleas and hadn't executed Jiao Yong, he would have been fulfilling his duty to Di Qing. However, he would have been unable to maintain discipline in his own army.

Because everyone would plead for leniency, Han Qi was unable to carry out his work according to his own wishes. (Of course, this is the Han family's version of events, and is therefore questionable.)

Han Cunbao believed in his grandfather, so he would get angry whenever someone brought it up.

"Hmph, you believe everything your grandfather says, huh? I could say that's just an excuse he made up because he got badly criticized!"

Xu Jing, in any case, did not believe this claim. In his view, Han Qi did not verify whether Jiao Yong had been slandered before beheading him, and did so in front of Di Renjie. This was to establish his authority! It was to show that he looked down on people of humble origins like them!

For a moment, no one said much, and the atmosphere between them became somewhat awkward.

"Seniors, what are you doing?"

When Ren Yuan arrived here with Xu Guanzhong, Xiao Jiasui, and others, he saw the nine military governors in this awkward situation.

“Young Ren, you’ve finally arrived. These old guys are still trying to save face and can’t figure it out. As for the Han family kid, I’m arguing with him about his ancestor and Judge Di.”

"Oh, this is Old Li, he's with me."

When Xu Jing saw Ren Yuan, he went up to him and briefly explained the current situation to him.

"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Xu. Senior Li, welcome, welcome."

Ren Yuan was very polite, giving Xu Jing plenty of face, and at the same time giving Li Congji, who was still somewhat uneasy, a sense of security.

“Chief Ren, Old Xu thinks so highly of you, so you must have something special. I trust his judgment.”

Li Congji quickly stated that he had agreed to surrender.

"Thank you for your trust, Senior Li."

Ren Yuan offered Li Congji a few more words of encouragement, then turned to look at the remaining seven military governors.

Of the remaining seven people, apart from Han Cunbao who stubbornly refused to make eye contact with Ren Yuan, the others avoided eye contact with him.

After all, they were seniors, and now they've been caught by a junior; they're losing face.

"Yang Jiedu, you can leave now."

But just when everyone thought that Ren Yuan was going to recruit them, Ren Yuan suddenly spoke up, and his first words were to let them leave!

"Me, me?"

Of the nine military governors, only one was surnamed Yang, and that was Yang Zhi's eldest nephew, Yang Wen.

Yang Wen, who had been keeping a low profile and trying to minimize his presence, was incredulous when he heard this. He raised his bound hands and asked in surprise.

“Yes, Commander Yang, you are from Tianbo Mansion, as are my brother Yang Zhi from Liangshan. You are related by marriage. My brother Yang Zhi just asked me for a request, which is to let you go back.”

"To plead for you, my brother gave up all his merits this time, and even has to bear the punishment of dozens of lashes from the Liangshan Military Law Division!"

"Chief Ren, are you serious?"

Yang Wen really didn't expect this.

Actually, Yang Wen was quite shocked when he realized that his skill in the Yang family spear technique was not as good as that of his uncle when he fought Yang Zhi.

How could I, who has lived so many more years than my uncle, be unable to defeat him?

Just as he was about to be captured, his uncle, with a quick movement of his gun, closed the distance between them and whispered to him:

"Don't worry, I will definitely plead with the chieftain to let you go."

Then Yang Wen was knocked off his horse.

At the time, Yang Wen was still not quite convinced, because he didn't know what Yang Zhi's status was in Liangshan.

Surprisingly, the plea actually worked!

"Why would I lie to you? Yang Zhi should already be serving as a military judge in my Liangshan Military Law Office."

Ren Yuan looked at Yang Wen, his tone firm.

“Tianbo Prefecture is currently in a weak position, and you are probably the one who has the best official standing. I also respect the reputation of the old commander, and with the help of Brother Yang Zhi’s pleas, Commander Yang, you can leave now.”

Yang Wen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that his life was no longer in danger; indeed, blood ties were very important.

But he immediately became nervous again.

"Chief Ren, will my uncle be alright?"

"Oh? You actually have a conscience. I thought you wouldn't care about Brother Yang Zhi's life or death. But this also proves that Yang Zhi's judgment was correct. It wasn't wrong of me to let you go."

Ren Yuan gave Yang Wen an approving look. Very good. He didn't leave immediately but took the initiative to show concern for Yang Zhi. It seems that Yang Wen is someone you can get along with.

"You don't need to worry about his safety. He is an important general in our Liangshan cavalry. At most, he will receive a beating and go back to recuperate for a while."

"But what about you, Commander Yang? What will you do once you return to the court?"

"Gao Qiu's entire army has been wiped out. You return alone, facing Zhao Ji's questioning. What will you do?"

Ren Yuan's words left Yang Wen speechless.

Yes, what will he do if he goes back alone?

Just then, Yang Wen felt someone tug at his clothes from behind.

When he turned around, he found Han Cunbao looking at him.

The meaning in those eyes was:

"Brother Yang, lend me a hand!"