Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Chief Ren, this is the guest who wants to see you."

Li Chuan led everyone to the location and then went downstairs.

Ren Yuan looked closely and saw two people. One was dressed as a middle-aged scholar, and the other was a giant man who was about the same height as him, or even seemed to be a little taller. The giant man was carrying a large axe.

"Brother! This guy uses an axe just like me! And he's taller than me!"

Mi Sheng followed Ren Yuan out again, and as soon as he saw those giant men with axes, he became very interested.

"Ren Yuan from Liangshan pays his respects to Mr. Wen and greets Brother Bian Xiang."

Ren Yuan patted Mi Sheng, signaling him to bow to Wen Huanzhang with him, and then clasped his hands in greeting to Bian Xiang beside him.

"Chief Ren not only knows me, but also knows Bian Xiang?"

The middle-aged scholar, Wen Huanzhang, was taken aback at first, then smiled:

"It seems Chief Ren has quite the ambition. He knows all the famous figures in the world, doesn't he?"

"I wouldn't dare say that. I have indeed admired Mr. Wen for a long time. Liangshan is currently lacking a talent like Mr. Wen, so I have been paying close attention to him. As for Brother Bian Xiang, he is a very famous figure in the martial arts world!"

Ren Yuan smiled and responded to Wen Huanzhang, while looking at Bian Xiang.

In Ren Yuan's mind, among the generals in Water Margin who used axes, Bian Xiang should be ranked first, followed by Mi Sheng, who was by his side, then Zhou Ang, who later became the deputy chief instructor of the Imperial Guards, and only fourth was Suo Chao, the vanguard.

Bian Xiang came from a wealthy family. He was tall and possessed incredible strength, but Tian Hu didn't know how to utilize it. Although he later became Tian Hu's Grand Tutor, before that, Bian Xiang was Tian Hu's envoy sent to win over the mountain strongholds in various places.

“How dare I, an unknown person, compare myself to Brother Ren Yuan? You flatter me.”

Bian Xiang then realized who Wen Huanzhang was going to visit.

Ren Yuan, the leader of Liangshan Stronghold, is a powerful figure who suppresses three prefectures and six counties with his iron fists and a three-pointed sword.

Moreover, after joining Liangshan, the foundation he laid became increasingly prosperous, earning him a good reputation among the people. Many people voluntarily joined the mountain, making Liangshan's strength grow ever greater. Not long ago, I heard that they even annihilated an entire battalion of the Jizhou infantry with almost no casualties.

Judging from these resumes, Ren Yuan is indeed much stronger than his king, Tian Hu.

No wonder Mr. Wen looks down on his own king. With such a brilliant example before him, it's hard for others to surpass him.

"How can you be considered a nobody? A general of the three armies, yet you're being used as a lobbyist. Does Tian Hu really have that many talented people under his command?"

Ren Yuan felt indignant for Bian Xiang. Indeed, before being appointed Grand Tutor, Bian Xiang was truly destined to be a laborer. Whenever Tian Hu wanted to invite someone to the mountain, it had to be Bian Xiang, because he was the best fighter and could escape even if they couldn't reach an agreement.

If it weren't for Bian Xiang's superior martial arts skills and his vigilance, he would have died several times over.

“Look, Bian Xiang, isn’t what Chief Ren told me exactly the same?”

Wen Huanzhang looked at Ren Yuan with some surprise. "Not bad, Ren Yuan. You have a good eye!"

Now, in Wen Huanzhang's eyes, the importance he attaches to Ren Yuan has been raised several levels.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, this kind of person is bound to accomplish something extraordinary.

"I don't even have a nickname, my brother is really giving me too much credit."

Hearing the praise from the top outlaw in Shandong, Bian Xiang could only manage a wry smile.

Of course he knew he was capable, but the problem was that none of the people who praised his abilities on this trip were his own people. He never received that kind of treatment from Tian Hu.

"It was Tian Hu who buried your talent."

Ren Yuan patted Bian Xiang on the shoulder, "I think Brother Bian Xiang is also incredibly strong. As the saying goes, those with extreme strength hate that the sky has no handle and the earth has no ring. Brother, how about calling yourself 'Hate the Earth Without a Ring' instead?" (Why not 'Hate the Sky Without a Handle'? It's like how Ren Yuan can only be called Optimus Prime and not Megatron. 'Hate the Sky Without a Handle' implies wanting to pull the sky down, which would cause trouble.)

"Hate the land without a ring, Bian Xiang, what a fine name, and it suits Bian Xiang very well. It seems that Chief Ren is also accomplished in literature."

After hearing this, Wen Huanzhang was even more satisfied with Ren Yuan.

“These are just some unrefined words of mine, I hope you will laugh at me, sir. Last night, when I stayed at Huangmen Mountain, I dreamed that today I was drinking and chatting with the God of Literature and the God of War in the mountains. As a result, today I met you and Brother Bian Xiang, one a scholar and the other a warrior, which is exactly what I dreamed last night! I hope you and Brother Bian Xiang can stay a few more days.”

Ren Yuan started bluffing again. Anyway, it's just a dream, and no one else knows what he dreamed about. Everyone wants to be favored, and since Wen Huanzhang and Bian Xiang have come to him, how can he refuse?

"Chief Ren believes in this? Hahaha, then why is Chief Ren not at Liangshan, but at Huangmen Mountain?"

Wen Huanzhang asked with a smile, clearly indicating that this scholar did not believe Ren Yuan's statement.

"Sir, you may not know this, but when I first became a disciple of my master, I almost choked to death on a steamed bun. Ever since then, I've sometimes dreamt of supernatural things. For example, the reason I came to Huangmen Mountain this time is because a divine being told me in a dream that if I wanted to continue developing Liangshan, I couldn't miss the Four Spirit Generals of Huangmen Mountain. So here I am. And guess what? There are four heroes on Huangmen Mountain! What a coincidence! We were just talking about joining Liangshan!"

Ren Yuan was spouting nonsense with a sincere expression. There was no other way; in an era when belief in ghosts and gods was still quite strong, this trick was really effective!

Ren Yuan even thought that if the original Water Margin didn't have the so-called 108 Demon Stars setting, given Song Jiang and Wu Yong's personalities, they could have carved a stone tablet from the sky for themselves.

It's just using ghosts and gods to fool people, anyone can do that, and Ren Yuan's version is even more reasonable and logical.

"Oh, I didn't know that was the saying?"

Wen Huanzhang's initial disbelief turned into partial belief.

After thinking about it, he realized that he and Bian Xiang had indeed come temporarily, not specifically for this purpose, and Ren Yuan was unlikely to know about it. Therefore, the so-called "meeting in a dream" explanation seemed to make some sense.

"Hahaha, I can vouch for that. My brother came to Huangmen Mountain yesterday and that's exactly what he said. It really shocked the four of us brothers."

Following Ren Yuan were four generals who looked spirited, and the leader of them smiled and spoke after hearing this.

"I wonder who this good man is?"

Bian Xiang was also somewhat surprised when he spoke up.

"Haha, they are naturally the four spirit generals of Huangmen Mountain in my dreams. Come, Mr. Wen, Brother Bian Xiang, let me introduce you to the four leaders of Huangmen Mountain."

Ren Yuan stepped aside and introduced the two of them very seriously:

"The first of these four heroes is named Ou Peng. His ancestral home is Huangzhou. He is a military household guarding the Yangtze River and is skilled in both naval and land warfare! Because of some conflicts with his superior, he had to abandon his post and flee to the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) and become a bandit. Over the years, he has earned the name Moyun Jinchi (摩云金翅, meaning 'Soaring Cloud Golden Wings')."

When Ou Peng heard Ren Yuan say that he had made a name for himself, he was visibly shaken and looked at Ren Yuan with even more admiration.

"This hero's surname is Jiang, given name Jing. His ancestral home is Tanzhou, Hunan. He was born into a family that failed the imperial examinations. After failing the exams, he abandoned literature for martial arts. He is quite resourceful, proficient in arithmetic, and can calculate thousands of numbers with the utmost accuracy. He is also skilled in wielding spears and clubs, and in arranging troops. Therefore, people call him the Divine Calculator. Mr. Wen, you and Brother Jiang Jing should have a good exchange."

Jiang Jing was indeed dressed as a scholar, and he bowed to Wen Huanzhang.

"I have long admired your reputation, senior. I look forward to your guidance in the future."

"Not at all, not at all. I have long heard of your reputation as a fortune teller, and seeing you today, I can confirm that it is indeed well-deserved."

Ren Yuan watched the two scholars exchanging pleasantries, smiled slightly, and continued:

"This brother's surname is Ma, given name Lin. His ancestral home is Jiankang, Nanjing. He was originally a small-time vagrant. He plays double iron flutes and is skilled with a large rolling knife. When he is playing, a hundred or so people cannot get close to him. Therefore, everyone calls him the Iron Flute Immortal."

Ma Lin chuckled and stepped forward to bow, saying, "In front of you brothers, I am nothing. I am afraid that even a hundred or so people cannot get close to me. I hope you two brothers will give me more guidance in the future."

"This last brother's surname is Tao, his given name is Zongwang, his ancestral home is Guang Prefecture, he comes from a farming family, he is skilled with an iron shovel, he has a lot of strength, and he can also wield a spear and a knife, so people call him the Nine-Tailed Turtle. Moreover, Brother Tao is proficient in construction, and this time I invited him to Liangshan to entrust all the construction and fortifications of Liangshan to him."

Tao Zongwang was a bit simple-minded; after listening to Ren Yuan's words, he patted his chest:

"Brother, don't worry. I can't speak for other things, but when it comes to building fortifications, I'm second to none."

Later generations even composed a poem, "Xi Jiang Yue," to praise the Four Spirit Generals of Huangmen Mountain mentioned by Ren Yuan:

"Strong and robust with boundless power, moving swiftly like a soaring bird, with golden wings reaching the clouds, it is the first among the Huangshan heroes."

He regretted his failure with the writing brush in his youth, but devoted himself to studying strategy and tactics. He was a genius in algorithms and military tactics, a man of both literary and military talent.

The iron flute's sound split the mountains, the bronze sword's dance startled the gods, and Ma Lin's appearance became even more ferocious, surpassing all others on the battlefield.

Zongwang is as fierce as a tiger, his shovel ruthless, and his nine-tailed tortoise possesses superhuman strength; they are all heroic leaders.

"Mr. Wen, Brother Bian Xiang, these are the four heroes of Huangmen Mountain. It truly fulfills my miraculous dream."

Ren Yuan's explanation was so airtight that Bian Xiang was still thinking about it.

Could it be that I really am the Star of Martial Arts?

"Then congratulations to Chief Ren for getting his wish. I also have a small request. I wonder if Chief Ren can grant it?"

"Mr. Wen, please speak."

Wen Huanzhang looked at Ren Yuan's sincere face, smiled, patted Bian Xiang beside him, and said:

"Bian Xiang and I would like to visit Liangshan Stronghold. I wonder if Chief Ren would be willing?"

"It's what you wish for!"

Ren Yuan was overjoyed. He couldn't miss out on these two talented individuals, one skilled in literature and the other in martial arts. Now that they were on Liangshan, he decided to stay there permanently!