Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Brother, are the Koreans making you so worried?"

Xiao Jiahui was somewhat surprised to see Ren Yuan's serious expression.

It's just a small Goryeo, isn't brother worrying too much?

"I find this land rather strange. You see, how strong the Han Dynasty was back then, yet Lelang County only covered half of the entire peninsula; the Sui Dynasty had so many elite troops and generals, yet they failed to conquer the entire Goryeo Peninsula; the same goes for the Tang Dynasty. Although Emperor Taizong of Tang won in terms of the results of the war, he ultimately had to withdraw his troops here."

Ren Yuan gestured on the map.

"So, Lao Xiao, it's not that I don't have faith in you, but this place is indeed a bit eerie, so it's best to be careful."

“Brother, you’re right, but you’ve forgotten a big problem.”

Xiao Jiahui patted Ren Yuan on the shoulder:

“Brother, they were fighting Goguryeo, and they have nothing to do with the people of Goryeo today.”

“I would be more serious if it were Goguryeo, but Goryeo, forget it.”

Xiao Jiahui's words were also domineering, reflecting her absolute confidence in herself.

"That's what you said."

Ren Yuan nodded after hearing this.

Indeed, Goguryeo and modern-day Goryeo are not the same thing. The people on this land in the past didn't even know who their ancestors were, yet they still complained every day, which is truly speechless.

"Guanzhong, how much do you know about Goryeo right now?"

Ren Yuan asked Xu Guanzhong.

“Brother, Lao Xiao, Goryeo is indeed stronger than the small countries we are dealing with on Kyushu Island. Conservatively speaking, they have at least 200,000 soldiers.”

Hsu Kuan-chung also shared the information he had obtained on the map.

"Among them were 100,000 of the most elite troops, stationed in the northern border of Goryeo, along with what Goryeo called the Great Wall, to defend against the Liao Kingdom and the Jurchens."

"Of course, judging from the current situation, they are also waiting for an opportunity to attack Baozhou of the Liao Kingdom."

"Within their own borders, they can mobilize around 100,000 troops. If an emergency occurs, they can easily raise another 100,000 troops."

"The most important point is that, unlike the Japanese pirates, after the founding of the Goryeo Kingdom, it has always learned from the culture of the Central Plains and continuously strengthened itself. The current king's surname is Wang and his given name is Yu. Brother, Lao Xiao, can you guess what his courtesy name is?"

Wang Yu?

Ren Yuan was slightly taken aback when he heard the name.

He vaguely remembered this person; he was the sixteenth monarch among the thirty-four kings of Goryeo, with the temple name Yejong.

Generally speaking, the temple name Ruizong is not considered auspicious; a son who is stronger than his father is usually posthumously honored as Ruizong.

However, this King Yu can be considered a wise ruler in the entire history of Goryeo. He attached great importance to Confucianism and had particularly close exchanges with the Song Dynasty.

In any case, Zhao Ji must have liked him quite a bit, otherwise he wouldn't have later elevated Goryeo's diplomatic rank to the position of "Guoxin".

But what his name was, Ren Yuan really forgot.

Xiao Jiahui also shook her head, indicating that she was not familiar with this person.

"His courtesy name was Shimin, the Shimin of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin."

Xu Guanzhong gave the correct answer.

"Shimin? Does he even deserve it?"

Xiao Jiahui was delighted when she heard this.

"This Wang Yu is no ordinary man. Does he have the ambition of Emperor Taizong of Tang?"

Ren Yuan was also taken aback when he heard this.

Goodness, Shimin, the King of Goryeo, wow, that sounds pretty impressive!

Zhao Ji, how could you have such a good relationship with someone who has the same ambition as Li Shimin? Aren't you really afraid that the Goryeo people will join forces with the Liao or Jurchens to attack the Song Dynasty?

"I think he does."

Xu Guanzhong also laughed; clearly, Wang Yu's calligraphy had made everyone a little uneasy.

Five years ago, in order to enhance the national strength of Goryeo, the King of Goryeo established the Seven Schools at the Imperial Academy.

"Seven Abodes? What's that for?"

Ren Yuan wasn't quite sure, so he immediately asked.

"These seven schools of learning are the best knowledge we have brought from our Great Song Dynasty. Then we put their Goryeo name on them and made them our own."

"The first study room is called Lizhe Study Room, where we study the Book of Changes; the second study room is called Daipin Study Room, where we study the Book of Documents; the third study room is called Qingde Study Room, where we study the Book of Poetry; the fourth study room is called Qiuren Study Room, where we study the Rites of Zhou; the fifth study room is called Fuying Study Room, where we study the Rites of Dai; and the sixth study room is called Yangzheng Study Room, where we study the Spring and Autumn Annals."

"These six schools are specifically for training officials for Goryeo. They have trained quite a few in the past five years. And most importantly, although they are learning from us, these six schools claim to be learning the ancient classics of their country."

Xu Guanzhong's first action after joining Liangshan was to fight Jeju Island with Yang Zhi. From that moment on, he knew that Liangshan would eventually have to fight against Goryeo, so he kept collecting intelligence on Goryeo.

You wouldn't know unless you searched, but once you do, you'll find that the Koreans really have no shame. Things they learned from the Central Plains, they just put it another way and call them their own!

"Shameless enough."

Upon hearing this, Ren Yuan exclaimed, "Good heavens! This shamelessness is exactly the same as the people on this land in my previous life! It's an ancestral skill of stealing!"

"Old Xu, there are only six. Isn't there still one left?"

Xiao Jiasui shared Ren Yuan's opinion of the other six members of the "Zhai" (a group of unscrupulous thieves). However, he noticed that Xu Guanzhong had omitted one "Zhai"—wasn't it supposed to be seven?

"The Seventh Hall is special. It is the Martial Arts Hall, also known as the Lecture Hall. It specializes in teaching martial arts and military strategy from the Central Plains. Oh, and not only from the Central Plains, but also from the Liao people."

Xu Guanzhong has quite a few feelings about the seven scholars of Goryeo.

"Therefore, these seven scholars, skilled in both literature and martial arts, have cultivated a large number of capable talents for Wang Yu over the past five years."

"Brother, did you know that among the 100,000 elite troops in the northern border of Goryeo, 20,000 are elite cavalry! The kind where each soldier rides two horses!"

"Old Xiao, did you hear what Guan Zhong said? Given the situation in Goryeo, if we Liangshan rashly go up there, we'll suffer losses."

Ren Yuan stated that his decision not to attack Korea first was a wise one.

"And there's another thing that's rather troublesome."

What Xu Guanzhong was most worried about was not the enemies on the Korean mainland.

“Brother, the Koreans are different from the Japanese pirates. Many of them understand Chinese. As soon as we land, we will be recognized very quickly.”

"The current King of Goryeo has a good relationship with the Emperor of Zhao Song. They will definitely send someone to inform the court. If the court investigates, they will find out that it is our Liangshan that is attacking Goryeo. Then our Liangshan Marsh will probably be besieged."

Yes, this is a very important question. Ren Yuan was not afraid of the Japanese pirates crying to Emperor Huizong when he attacked Kyushu, but if news of attacking Goryeo leaked out and attracted Emperor Huizong's attention, Liangshan would suffer a great loss under the double attack.

"Old Xu, brother, you're overthinking it. It won't be that easy for the Koreans to send a message to the Song Dynasty!"

Xiao Jiahui smiled after hearing this.

"First, we have Jeju Island, which can serve as our first line of defense against the transmission of information from the Korean sea."

"Secondly, even if they come ashore, as long as they dare to leave Shandong, we will arrest them one by one."

"Third, Du Fei has successfully infiltrated the government as Gao Kan and is still working in the Privy Council. If the Koreans send letters or messages, just have him secretly intercept them!"

"Fourth, although there are still 100,000 soldiers in Goryeo, they are scattered. Their elite troops in the north can't return for the time being. Let's attack the south first! Seize a route! Then move from south to north and wipe them out!"

"I want to see if this Wang Shimin of Goryeo can defeat me, the legendary Pharmacist of Liangshan!"