Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

Lin Chong cried for quite a long time.

When Lin Chong first started crying, Ren Yuan waved to signal the surrounding henchmen to leave. After all, Lin Chong would be an important leader of the stronghold in the future, so it was better to have less of this little dark history.

It took about two or three incense sticks to burn before Lin Chong stopped crying.

As Ren Yuan had predicted, after the fight and the crying, although Lin Chong still looked somewhat melancholy, he no longer seemed so negative.

I feel like I've recovered somewhat.

"I've made a fool of myself in front of my junior brother."

Lin Chong was a little embarrassed. He wiped his eyes, raised his head, and tried hard not to let the tears fall.

"What joke? We're all brothers! We're family, no need for formalities."

Ren Yuan also released Lin Chong. This brother must have been holding back for too long to act like this.

"Someone! Someone!"

"What are your orders, Chieftain?"

Upon hearing Ren Yuan's shout, the servants nearby rushed back.

"My senior brother is here today, I'm so happy! Do you have a slaughtered lamb ready? Let's roast it! My senior brother and I will have a good drink together!"

"Yes, Chieftain!"

"Junior brother, there's no need for that..."

After recovering, Lin Chong remained somewhat reserved, and was interrupted by Ren Yuan before he could finish speaking.

"Senior brother, I still prefer your domineering appearance from just now. Please recover."

"I've already said, this is just like home, why are you being so polite with your junior brother?"

Lin Chong smiled and agreed. This was his junior brother, so there was no need to be too polite.

While waiting for the roasted lamb, Ren Yuan pulled Lin Chong to sit in a pavilion by the Golden Beach. It was a very nice place to sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake.

"Senior brother, what do you think of the scenery of my Liangshan Mountain?"

"This is a paradise on earth."

Lin Chong sighed deeply, unsure whether it was for the sake of the Song Dynasty or for his own sake.

"Then you should stay here peacefully, senior brother. The chair with your name on it on Liangshan has been prepared long ago. You can't refuse it."

Ren Yuan said with a smile.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you again, Junior Brother."

Lin Chong originally intended to go up the mountain, but Chai Jin was unaware of the master-disciple relationship between the two, so Lin Chong hesitated before going up the mountain, fearing that he might be harmed.

Now that it's the junior brother's stronghold, it's perfectly reasonable for the senior brother to come and help, to boost its prestige!

"Junior brother, how did you become the leader of Liangshan?"

The roast lamb was served, and Ren Yuan, undeterred by the heat, tore off a leg of lamb for Lin Chong with his ruthless iron hand, then picked up a leg for himself and began to gnaw on it.

That battle was quite taxing; I need to replenish my energy.

"Senior brother, you don't know, but I was originally a sumo wrestler. If I hadn't met Master, I probably would have been destined to wrestle in the ring for the rest of my life."

Ren Yuan swallowed the mutton in his mouth and said.

"Is wrestling a good job? Not at all. It's all about entertaining those high-ranking officials and nobles. If you do it well, you get more money; if you do it poorly, you don't even get money for medicine."

"Junior brother is unwilling. The Song Dynasty is rich, but why are all the rich officials and nobles the only ones who are rich? We common people can only barely make ends meet."

"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny? Senior brother, with all your skills, you can only be a coach. Gao Qiu, that good-for-nothing who only knows how to play Cuju, actually became a Grand Commandant? Where is justice? Since this world is unjust and unstable, I might as well smash it to pieces and then rebuild a bright and peaceful world!"

Ren Yuan dared to say these things to Lin Chong, naturally not worried that Lin Chong would disagree. As someone who had been deeply hurt by the Song Dynasty court, Lin Chong was naturally quite moved after hearing them.

Moreover, this era emphasizes the importance of heaven, earth, ruler, parents, and teachers. As a member of a school of thought, this bond between school and teacher is extremely important.

"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny... Junior brother, your ambition... Master..."

"Don't worry, senior brother. The Song Dynasty is very large, and I know what I'm talking about. I'm just saying this to you." Ren Yuan swallowed another piece of meat.

"Moreover, my Liangshan is still very weak. At this time, we should build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring ourselves kings. In my opinion, we should have at least one or two hundred leaders and hundreds of thousands of capable soldiers before we turn against the Song Dynasty. Right now, it's too early."

"Senior brother, I know what I'm doing."

Hearing Ren Yuan's words, Lin Chong felt much relieved. He had been worried that his junior brother was a brainless fool who only knew how to fight head-on and was even willing to disregard the lives of his men, only wanting to indulge his own desire to be king. (In a certain place in Hebei, the burly Tian Hu sneezed, thinking to himself, "Which little lady is thinking of me now?")

"Junior brother, do you intend to seek amnesty in the future?"

Lin Chong suddenly asked seriously.

"Accept amnesty? What kind of amnesty is that? Senior brother, I don't feel much of a sense of belonging to this court. There may be some good people in the court, but look at the majority of them, they are a bunch of scheming and despicable people. Is there any need to be loyal to such a court?"

"I cannot possibly give all my hard work and these brothers to that incompetent court as fish on a chopping block."

"Besides, the Zhao family's rule over the country was illegitimate to begin with. Every time Master Chai mentions these traitors in the family, he really wants to grind his teeth to dust. They did the first thing, so they can't blame others for doing the fifteenth!"

Ren Yuan truly felt no sense of belonging to this court. He genuinely looked down on the current Emperor Huizong of Song. To be honest, when others said that Emperor Huizong was the reincarnation of Li Yu, the last ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Ren Yuan thought it made a lot of sense. They were both artists, and as long as they weren't emperors, they would definitely be artists.

Moreover, back then, Zhao Da and Zhao Er humiliated Li Houzhu quite a bit. Zhao Da still had some shame, but Zhao Er directly insulted his wife and even drew it!

If Emperor Huizong of Song was indeed the reincarnation of Li Yu, then Ren Yuan can only say that karma is a wheel, and retribution is inevitable. The Northern Song imperial family deserved it!

"Is Master Chai very close to our mountain stronghold?"

Lin Chong had unknowingly started using the term "our mountain stronghold".

“As you know, senior brother, we have business dealings. Maintaining an army requires money. I have a few businesses here, but without Master Chai’s help, they wouldn’t be easy to run.”

"I see."

Lin Chong then understood why Chai Jin had been so eager to bring him to Liangshan—it was a kind of investment!

"Senior brother, I see some worry and indignation between your brows. Are you worried about your sister-in-law?"

"how do you know?"

Lin Chong was shocked. Indeed, after venting his emotions, Lin Chong had come to his senses and naturally thought of his wife and father-in-law in Tokyo.

"The stronghold is located outside Tokyo City, and there are scouts stationed there as well. I just sent a message by peregrine falcon, instructing them to enter the city tonight and make sure to inform Instructor Zhang, his sister-in-law, and his senior brother that they are safe and sound. I bet that Gao Yanei will spread rumors that his senior brother is dead and then use that to pressure his sister-in-law."

"That bastard!"

Lin Chong couldn't contain his anger as soon as he heard Gao Yanei's name.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I will definitely not let this person off the hook, and we will also settle the score with Gao Qiu!"

“Junior brother… I thank you in advance, but the Gao family is very powerful and favored right now. Our stronghold is no match for them. Let’s put this grudge aside for now, put our heads on their necks, and take our revenge in a few years.”

Lin Chong was genuinely concerned for his junior brother. Although he didn't know how many men Liangshan had, managing such a large stronghold must be difficult for his junior brother. He couldn't let his personal grudges affect the entire stronghold.

"Senior brother, you're just too kind, that's why you get bullied."

Ren Yuan filled Lin Chong's bowl with wine, and Lin Chong felt a mix of emotions.

Firstly, this senior brother is indeed a good man. He didn't demand that the stronghold immediately avenge him just because of his relationship with him. Moreover, he understood the situation and prioritized the greater good.

Secondly, this senior brother does sometimes go too far in being tolerant, no wonder he gets bullied.

"We can put the deep-seated hatred aside for now, but we can have some interest. We can't take Gao Qiu's head, but we'll take Gao Yanei's limbs for now. Leave the affairs of the capital to me! There's no time today, but I'll set off for Tokyo in the next day or two to bring my sister-in-law and the others back for my senior brother! So that your family can be reunited!"

After Ren Yuan finished speaking, he downed the entire bowl in one gulp.

Upon hearing these words, Lin Chong's tiger-like eyes couldn't help but redden again.

He left his seat and, without saying a word, knelt down before Ren Yuan.

"Senior brother! Senior brother, what are you doing? If Master finds out, he'll punish me!"

Ren Yuan was startled. He quickly put down the wine bowl with one hand and reached out to help him with the other.

But Lin Chong was particularly determined. He knelt down with all his might, and in his haste, Ren Yuan was unable to lift him up with one hand. He had to endure Lin Chong's kneeling!

"What merit or ability do I, Lin Chong, possess? Yet, I have always been helped by benefactors along the way. Now, I am at my wit's end, but fortunately, Heaven has smiled upon me and, through the bond of our sect, allowed me to join my junior brother! From now on, I dare not seek any fame or position, but only hope to serve as a humble soldier under my junior brother's command. I will fight to the death for my junior brother, and I will not hesitate to sacrifice myself for him!"

"Senior brother, you're too kind! Get up quickly."

Ren Yuan forcefully helped Lin Chong up and looked at him, saying...

"You are my senior brother, always will be! I, Ren Yuan, swear to the heavens today that from this day forward, I will never again settle for less than my senior brother in this life!"

After hearing this, Lin Chong burst into tears again. With such a junior brother, Lin Chong had no regrets in this life!

(Two things to note: First, in official historical records, only Yue Fei is a disciple of Zhou Tong. All the others are characters from various novels and storytelling performances; there's no definitive answer. This book follows my own setting, arranged by age, and currently there are only four: Lin Chong, Lu Junyi, Ren Yuan, and Yue Fei. I have a separate plan for Shi Wengong; he's not included in this book! Friends who keep mentioning Shi Wengong, what's your obsession? Just because other novels or fanfiction portray him, do I have to include him too? Let me emphasize again, Shi Wengong is not included in this book!)

(Secondly, for those who want to make a cameo appearance, just leave your character's name, nickname, and place of origin. As for special requirements, such as background or martial arts skills, I'll explain that I won't use them if they don't contribute to the plot. Cameo characters are only used to advance the story; they won't be given much screen time. At most, they'll appear in one storyline. It's unlikely that a cameo character will have their own separate chapters.)