Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

The events at the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament quickly spread throughout the world!

The common people all know that Ren Yuan of Liangshan, along with some Liangshan heroes, has captured Suzhou City from Fang La!

The so-called Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament not only failed to continue, but instead devolved into a chaotic melee!

Moreover, the Ming Cult suffered heavy losses in this battle, and the public was very enthusiastic about discussing it!

Of course, as the discussion went on, the rumors started to get a bit outrageous:

"Hey, didn't the Ming Cult have a lot of Dharma Kings present back then? How did they still lose?"

Inside a restaurant, diners are chatting.

"Don't even mention it! You have no idea how powerful the Liangshan heroes were when they stormed in. It was like gods descending to earth! The Ming Cult's Dharma Kings and wandering monks couldn't stop them at all!"

Some diners seemed to know some inside information and started spouting nonsense.

"That's right, let me tell you, I was in the restaurant right next to the arena that day, and I witnessed their battle firsthand. The Ming Cult even summoned the Yellow Turban Warriors and the Golden Armored Gods!"

"That's amazing! How did you lose?"

Some diners were very curious.

"The heroes of Liangshan are even more powerful! They can summon wind and rain, thunder and lightning, and they turned all the Yellow Turban warriors into charred remains!"

"My God, is Liangshan really that powerful?"

Sure enough, people listen with great interest to this kind of nonsense.

"Yes, especially their Chief Ren. I saw it clearly that day. With just a wave of his hand, Chief Ren summoned a divine dragon! The dragon roared and made the Ming Cult members unable to stop it!"

"Oh my god, but, but dragons, this isn't just..."

Some diners looked up and pointed to the sky. Although they were chatting, there were some things that were still difficult to say.

"So what? This world has long been filled with heroes, it's just that some failed beforehand. And can't those who succeed be chosen by fate?"

"Brother, you can't say things like that..."

Such rumors certainly didn't just happen in one restaurant, especially in the Jiangnan region. These rumors spread rapidly from Suzhou to the surrounding areas!

Of course, these rumors are not found through official channels.

Even the reports submitted to the imperial court presented a different version of the situation in Jiangnan:

Fang La and other Ming Cult rebels gathered in Suzhou and caused chaos. General Zhang Shuye, commander of the eastern route, seized the opportunity and personally led a large army to attack Suzhou, inflicting a major defeat on the Suzhou bandits! The Ming Cult rebels were severely weakened! They retreated to Hangzhou!

Yes, this is the official version; this is how the Suzhou prefect wrote it.

He had no choice but to write it this way; the swords of Liangshan were right in front of him!

Moreover, if the imperial court were to find out about the relationship between the Suzhou prefect and the Ming Cult, he would be finished.

Therefore, after Liangshan flexed his muscles and indicated that he would not tell the imperial court about his problem, the prefect of Suzhou decisively chose to cooperate with Liangshan's operation.

Of course, giving the credit to Zhang Shuye was something Liangshan and Zhang Shuye had agreed upon beforehand.

When Emperor Huizong learned of this news, he was overjoyed! At the grand court assembly, he even gave Zhang Shuye special praise:

"Look, everyone! The victory at Suzhou! The Ming Cult has suffered heavy casualties! Zhang Shuye truly deserves to be called a pillar of our Great Song Dynasty!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! It is because of Your Majesty's wisdom that Lord Zhang Shuye was able to achieve such a great victory in Suzhou! With Your Majesty here, our Great Song Dynasty will surely prosper forever!"

Gao Kan immediately came out to flatter Zhao Ji. Although he had not yet received any specific information, upon hearing this so-called great victory report, he was convinced that this was something his own Liangshan had done.

So at this point, all he needed to do was one thing: bewitch Zhao Ji! Praise him! Flatter him! Make him lose his bearings!

As expected, under Gao Kan's leadership, although the ministers did not yet know the specifics of the battle in Suzhou, they all expressed their praise for Zhao Ji!

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! With Your Majesty here, these petty villains are utterly no match for you!!"

"His Majesty is a man of both literary and martial prowess! He is a blessing to our Great Song Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty is wise, and Lord Zhang is valiant. Our Great Song Dynasty's northern expedition against the Liao dogs is just around the corner!"

……

Hearing the praise from his ministers, Zhao Ji was very pleased. He even thought that his elder brother was no better than him back then.

"My lords, after court today, none of you shall leave. A banquet will be held in the palace to celebrate Minister Zhang's achievements!"

"As for attacking the Liao people, let's discuss that later. After all, we just fought the Ming Cult, and the soldiers are exhausted and need a good rest!"

Zhao Ji said that celebrating victory was fine, but fighting the Liao people was out of the question. It was good that everyone was living together peacefully like this!

"His Majesty is compassionate towards the people and loves his soldiers like his own children! This is a blessing for all the people of the world!"

Gao Kan has been in the capital recently. He hasn't done anything else, but his ability to praise people has improved very quickly. His skill in speaking eloquently is becoming more and more impressive!

In addition, his quick wit and ability to always be the first to respond to a question drew criticism from many ministers.

This young master Gao is more suited to be a lackey than his father!

Of course, despite the complaints, it didn't stop everyone from flattering Gao Kan. However, some who looked down on Gao Kan secretly glanced at Cai Jing, wanting to see what the Grand Tutor's attitude towards Gao Kan would be.

Surprisingly, Cai Jing did not react to Gao Kan's behavior at all, as if he tacitly approved of it.

why?

That was because Gao Kan asked the village for some good things, and then took the initiative to go to Cai Jing's door and give them to him.

Yes, the gifts they sent were the jewels and other valuables from the birthday tribute that was stolen years ago...

Because Gao Kan took the initiative to make overtures and expressed that he only wanted to be the emperor's lackey and did not want to interfere too much in the affairs of the court, especially not to compete with Cai Jing for power, Cai Jing temporarily reached an agreement with Gao Kan.

At least, Cai Jing found Gao Kan much more pleasing to the eye than Tong Guan.

"Zhang Qing."

After enjoying the flattery from his ministers, Zhao Ji suddenly called out to Zhang Kegong.

"Wei Chen is here."

Zhang Kegong stepped out from the crowd.

"Zhang Shuye, I remember you are your cousin?"

"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case."

Zhang Kegong bowed. He was actually very happy when he heard that his cousin had broken through Suzhou, because this would mean that his cousin could be transferred to the imperial court!

"Hmm, your Zhang family is truly remarkable. You and Uncle Zhang, one a scholar and the other a warrior, it's quite a story."

"Alright, let's give him a major commendation this time! Once he has completely quelled the Ming Cult, we'll summon him to the capital!"

"On behalf of my elder brother, I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

Zhang Kegong was very happy, but he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

……

Liangshan, in the courtyard of Zhou Tong's residence.

Old Buddha Wang wore heavy leg chains, and his fingers had been carefully bandaged.

He sat at the stone table in the courtyard, feeling somewhat uneasy.

At this moment, Zhou Tong, carrying a large teapot, strolled out of the house, followed by Ren Yuan and Yue Fei.

"Brother Zhou, what's going on...?"

After being defeated at the martial arts tournament, Wang Gong Laofo was disrespectful to Zhou Tong for a while in a fit of despair, but he regained his politeness once he was put on the Liangshan prison cart.

After all, if you act arrogantly on someone else's turf, you'll suffer the consequences!

Old Buddha Wang, he's not stupid.

Zhou Tong, holding up a large teapot, calmly said:

"There aren't many people left from the old days. Come on, have some tea with me, and let's chat..."