Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Leader, we are very close to Liangshan."

On the official road, Wang Qing's vanguard was hurrying towards Liangshan.

As the vanguard, he was under considerable pressure this time. In order to gain more credit, Wang Qing ordered the entire army to march quickly.

With such a fast pace, logistics couldn't keep up, and when that failed, Wang Qing had no choice but to return to his old profession—borrowing grain.

Whom did they borrow from? Naturally, from the people along the way.

Back when Wang Qing was in Huaixi, he borrowed grain from the people quite often, so his men are quite adept at this now.

Of course, he was also surprised along the way. The number of people around him had visibly decreased. In many villages, there were only some elderly people left, and seven or eight out of ten houses were empty. They could not borrow much at all!

Wang Qing was particularly anxious about this, so he gave the order: ignore everything else and break into the people's houses! As long as you can collect something!

Since Wang Qing said so, how could his subordinates possibly hold back?

Although they have been recruited and are now government troops, how long have they been government troops? At heart, they still have the style of strongmen!

Since the boss said we can steal it, let's steal it!

As a result, even the homes of villagers with their doors tightly shut were not spared. Wang Qing's men kicked open the doors and looted the things the villagers had not taken with them!

Those villagers who didn't leave fared even worse; these people looted everything without leaving a single thing behind!

"This is my last bit of food! Let go! Aren't you government troops? How can government troops do this to us!"

"Sir! This cow is my only means of survival! You can't take it away!"

"Let go! Let go of me! We can't give you this money!"

……

Some elderly people were unwilling to leave their homes and still harbored illusions about the imperial court, so they did not evacuate. As a result, they are now in big trouble.

Wang Qing's men didn't bother with politeness; their approach was straightforward: "Rob!"

What? You won't give it to me?

If you don't give it to them, don't blame them for being impolite! If you're lucky, you'll only get scratches from being dragged on the ground; if you're unlucky, you'll end up with a bloody head, or even broken arms and legs.

"Heavens above! Are these really government troops? Liangshan has been here for so many years, and they've always treated us with utmost courtesy! They would never do something like this!"

"And now the government troops are actually robbing us! What kind of world is this! Who are the officials and who are the bandits?!"

Some elderly people who had their belongings stolen were furious and wanted to argue with them, but before they could even say two words, they were kicked to the ground by Wang Qing's men.

"Shut up, you old bastard! I used to be a bandit too!"

Yes, they weren't lying; they really were bandits back then!

"I'm now the vanguard of the imperial court! This time I'm here to wipe out Liangshan! Give me the spoils, and only after I've eaten and drunk my fill will I help you eliminate these Liangshan bandits!"

"So don't be reluctant. You're supporting the government troops and contributing to the Song Dynasty. It will be recorded in your family genealogy!"

This is the phrase that Wang Qing's men love to use. Sure enough, after being granted amnesty, this excuse works for everything!

"Officials are worse than bandits! Officials are worse than bandits!"

The elderly people whose belongings were stolen were helpless; it was their own fault for not evacuating in time!

This can be considered as asking for trouble.

"General, I think we can't keep robbing like this."

Although Zan Tongmei was a surrendered general from Tian Hu's side, he currently has the highest martial prowess in Wang Qing's army, so he also has a certain degree of influence within Wang Qing's army.

Seeing the soldiers looting so fiercely, Zan Tongmei felt rather uncomfortable.

"But we don't have enough supplies. If we don't do this, what do you think we should do?"

Wang Qing knew that Zan Tongmei had only recently joined his cause and was not yet a staunch supporter. Furthermore, since he needed Zan Tongmei as an ally, he answered all of Zan Tongmei's questions.

"General, although we don't have enough supplies, we can't just loot like this! We have money, right? We can buy them!"

Zan Tongmei knew that Wang Qing was rich; he could take a million strings of cash without hesitation. How could Wang Qing not be rich?

"Buy? Old Zan, did you guys buy things like this when you were with Tian Hu?"

Wang Qing directly countered with a question.

"No, no..."

Zan Tongmei shook her head helplessly upon hearing this.

How could Tian Hu possibly buy it? Tian Hu would fight even harder to snatch it!

"But General, we are government troops now! How can government troops do this?"

Zan Tongmei said he didn't understand!

"Old Zan, do you think the government troops won't loot?"

Wang Qing patted Zan Tongmei on the shoulder.

"Isn't that right? If government troops rob things, aren't they bandits?"

Zan Tongmei expressed her incomprehension.

"Then you are really too naive. Let me tell you, it has been quite common for government troops to rob things since ancient times."

"My father-in-law is an even better thief than I am, and his men are even more ruthless when it comes to robbing!"

"These people were lucky to run into me. If it had been my father-in-law, they would not only have had all their belongings stolen, but they might not have even survived!"

“Although I, Wang Qing, am not a great man, I would never do something like killing innocent people and claiming credit for it! Besides, after I robbed them once, they had nothing left. Without anything, my father-in-law couldn't rob them anymore, so they should be thanking me!”

Wang Qing tried to find a reason for himself, but his reason was particularly convoluted. Although Zan Tongmei was very skilled in martial arts, he was tricked by Wang Qing!

"General, you mean... we're helping them by doing this?"

Zan Tongmei asked somewhat uncertainly.

"That's right! You finally understand!"

Wang Qing said earnestly:

"From now on, just observe these kinds of things, and ask as few questions as possible."

"Can……"

Zan Tongmei felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Leader, isn't this Zan Tongmei on our side?"

After Zan Tongmei left, Teng Kui and Teng Kan also came over.

"You two should also restrain your men and stop robbing so ruthlessly. You should at least leave some food for the common people."

Wang Qing glared at the two men, seemingly blaming them for their incompetence.

"Leader, these peasants are all very poor. It's not that we don't want to keep them, but if we leave them anything, then we'll really have nothing left to ourselves!"

Teng Kan gave a wry smile, mainly because he hadn't expected the people to be so poor!

"Then you all need to be more restrained and avoid any deaths. If anyone is injured, give each person a few strings of cash for medicine."

"Don't worry, Alliance Leader, we know this. That's what we in Huaixi used to do when we were in a hurry. I think it's a good idea!"

Teng Kui patted his chest to indicate that there was no problem.

"We're about to enter Liangshan territory, so everyone be more alert."

Seeing this, Wang Qing didn't say anything more, since everyone knew about the robbery.

"Leader, do you think Liangshan will take the initiative to come down and fight us?"

"It's hard to say, but you should be prepared at any time!"

"Yes!"

Wang Qing's army continued to advance, and shortly after they entered Liangshan territory, suddenly, at a corner, a series of cannon shots rang out!

Along with the sound of the horn, Wang Qing also heard a very familiar voice:

"Liangshan territory ahead! Outsiders, please detour!!"