Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Brother, we've really struck it rich this time!"

After leaving Dongxi Village, everyone was very happy with their bountiful harvest.

Especially the infantry generals, all of them were all beaming with joy. There was no way around it, the Liangshan infantry had really performed well today, and had made quite a splash!

"This really proves what my brother said last time: 'When the village head falls, Liangshan gets a good meal.' These two village heads from Dongxi and Xixi have made a great contribution to Liangshan."

Yuan Lang was also filled with emotion, recalling the time when he captured Xixi Village a few months ago.

“Dongxi is better than Xixi. Although Chao Gai is a bit ambitious but incompetent, at least he doesn’t oppress the people like Xixi does.”

Ren Yuan was also somewhat moved.

"Brother, after this battle, we'll probably be targeted by local officials in Jeju, and the pressure will be quite high."

Sun An was quite clear-headed. Although he had taken down a commander from Jizhou today, this one commander was not enough to cripple them. On the contrary, if they sent someone again next time, it would probably not be so easy.

“That’s normal. Zhang Shuye from Jeju is a rare and capable minister with some skills. We shouldn’t be too high-profile right now. Once we’ve developed further, we won’t have to be afraid of them anymore.”

Ren Yuan had a good impression of Zhang Shuye.

"Brother, who is this Zhang Shuye you're talking about?"

Sun An found it strange. His brother seemed to admire this man named Zhang Shuye, but he had never heard of him during the battle with the Jeju army today.

"Huh? It wasn't him? Oh... I see!"

Ren was initially surprised, but then quickly realized what was happening.

Zhang Shuye was indeed a great figure in history who defeated Song Jiang.

The problem is, he arrived at the wrong time!

According to historical records, Zhang Shuye was the prefect of Haizhou when he defeated Song Jiang. According to the Water Margin, Zhang Shuye did not become the prefect of Jizhou until the seventy-fifth chapter.

In other words, the person currently in charge of Jeju is not this bigwig.

"I must have misremembered. I knew it. Zhang Shuye's army doesn't seem like the kind that would be easily fooled."

Ren Yuan waved his hand. He had gotten a little confused and almost created a formidable enemy for himself.

How many troops does Jeju Island have now?

Ren Yuan asked.

"According to the confessions of those government soldiers, there were approximately five thousand men."

Sun An seemed to understand that his brother must have mistaken the person. No wonder his brother had given him so many serious instructions before they went down the mountain today. He had thought there would be a fierce battle today!

This Zhang Shuye seems to be a remarkable person; we must be careful in the future.

"Five thousand men... then we don't need to worry too much. With today's gains, the stronghold should keep a low profile for now. We'll deal with Jeju Island after we've developed some more troops."

After clarifying that there were no big shots in Jeju, Ren Yuan relaxed a lot. If Zhang Shuye really was in Jeju now, Liangshan's development would definitely be restricted to some extent, which was not what Ren Yuan wanted to see.

"I'll wait to understand."

"Brother, what about Yuncheng? I think the Yuncheng garrison is only so-so. Should we deal with Yuncheng first?"

Although Yuan Lang's battle against Yuncheng today was also a victory, he fought head-on, and his battalion suffered some losses.

But the battle gave Yuan Lang a lot of confidence. Given enough men, he was confident he could take Yuncheng directly.

"The two commanders of Yuncheng were utterly humiliated by us today, and they lost so many soldiers. I doubt the magistrate of Yuncheng will dare to come again anytime soon. We don't need to attack the city for now. Even if we take it, we won't be able to hold it, and it will only attract the attention of the imperial court. We should just focus on developing our stronghold in the mountains."

Ren Yuan did not agree to attack the city. He was well aware that small-scale skirmishes were fine for now, but if they really went to attack a city, even just a county, they would immediately face the Song army, which was not something Liangshan, with only three battle battalions at present, could withstand.

Taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble; it's better to be more cautious.

“Alright, but brother, I need to select some men from these prisoners of war to replenish my battalion.”

Yuan Lang took a liking to the prisoners of war, especially those from Jeju Island. He felt that they were all veterans and their fighting ability was definitely stronger than that of the new recruits!

"As long as you can get them to go to you willingly and sincerely, I won't interfere. Sun An, you too, just say if you need any additions. The rest of them will be put into labor camps and made to work for the mountain stronghold."

Regarding the incorporation of prisoners of war, Ren Yuan said it was up to them, as long as they could manage them. Just don't come crying to them later if anything goes wrong.

"Brother, what does this labor camp mean?"

Mi Sheng didn't quite understand.

"Labor reform, labor reform means labor reform. Since you've come to attack my Liangshan, how can you not atone for your sins by doing labor properly?"

"Hahaha! I see! Brilliant!"

Ren Yuan's words elicited cheerful laughter from everyone, as if he had told a particularly funny joke.

But what Ren Yuan was thinking was:

"It's no use, we need to quickly start tutoring classes for the bandit leaders. Even those in labor camps can't understand it. The average level of education among our leaders is indeed limited!"

Are you suggesting we turn it into Liangshan Culture Limited Group in the future?

No, no, no, Ren Yuan doesn't want to!

The group chatted and laughed as they returned to the mountain. At Jinsha Beach, they happened to run into the navy escorting prisoners of war. They laughed and joked for a while longer before happily returning to the main village.

It is worth mentioning that after returning to the main camp, half of the more than four hundred prisoners of war were children from poor families. They immediately expressed their willingness to join Liangshan, which naturally made the infantry generals very happy. After this battle, the strength of Liangshan's infantry not only did not decline, but became even stronger!

Those who were unwilling to surrender for the time being were organized into a prisoner-of-war camp, currently under the supervision of Guanghui, the head of the military law department, who was responsible for various physical labor tasks in the mountain stronghold.

Of course, after this great victory, rewards and banquets were naturally indispensable. Following Ren Yuan's strategy of "low-key development," the various Liangshan factions largely disappeared after this battle, causing the cities of Jizhou and Yuncheng to temporarily set aside their concerns about Liangshan.

The reason is simple: although they suffered a defeat, Liangshan did not threaten the safety of the city or the local officials, which shows that they also knew the rules.

If you know the rules, everyone will be easy to talk to, and as long as you don't report the defeat, the court won't blame you.

As for the loss of troops, it's alright. The imperial court doesn't really investigate this anyway (the verification of troop numbers in the late Northern Song Dynasty was really poor...). The number of troops is still reported, and the military pay is still paid. It's perfectly reasonable for the local officials to collect the military pay for those who didn't lose their troops on their behalf!

Especially the current governor of Jeju, although he suffered a defeat, he was very happy at the thought of being able to receive the salary of a battalion of soldiers every month for free!

So, he temporarily stopped worrying about Liangshan.

This made Ren Yuan sigh that the corruption in the Song Dynasty court was almost beyond redemption.

Of course, from the perspective of a bandit chief, Ren Yuan could only say, "The magistrate of Yuncheng County and the prefect of Jizhou, you are truly good neighbors of the Great Song Dynasty!"

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye. Thanks to the fame of this battle, Liangshan has attracted more people to the mountain. In addition to the people who surrendered from the prisoner-of-war camp, Liangshan now has the organization of four infantry battalions!

The First Infantry Battalion, with a full strength of 500 men, was commanded by Red-faced Tiger Yuan Lang.

The 2nd Infantry Battalion, with a full strength of 500 men, was commanded by Sun An, the Dragon Slayer.

The 3rd Infantry Battalion, with a full strength of 500 men, was commanded by Saihu Chimisheng.

The 4th Infantry Battalion, with a total of 380 men, was commanded by Deputy Commanders Chen Da (Leaping Tiger) and Yang Chun (White Flower Snake).

Other naval units, scout battalions, and prisoner-of-war camps also performed their respective duties and continued to develop!

That day, just as Ren Yuan was planning his next move in Dazhai, a henchman suddenly rushed in from outside carrying a small roll of letter paper:

"Report! Chieftain! A scout from Shi Family Village has sent an urgent message by carrier pigeon! Instructor Wang is in trouble!"

"boom!"

Ren Yuan slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face filled with disbelief.

"What did you say? Instructor Wang is in trouble?"

its not right!

Wang Jin, how could something have happened to you??

It's not mentioned in Water Margin!