I summoned all the famous generals of history in another world.

Chapter 729 Summary of the Liangshan First Faction's Military Strength

"good!"

"Our purpose in sending troops this time is not to achieve a great victory, but to establish our prestige. Mr. Jialiang, please tell us about our plan."

Song Jiang nodded, glanced at Hua Rong with satisfaction, and then tossed the question to Wu Yong, who was standing to the side.

"For this expedition, we can select 15,000 troops, including 3,000 cavalry led by leaders such as Hua Rong, Suo Chao, and Yang Zhi, as a surprise force to launch a surprise attack on the flank of the Hengzhou army."

"The remaining infantry, led by Lu Zhishen, Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, Xie Zhen, and Xie Bao, will face the enemy head-on, but they must not linger in battle. Their main objective should be harassment, keeping the Hengzhou army from having any peace."

"As for Brother Zhang Shun, you will lead the navy to patrol around the lakes, ready to support the leaders at any time and ready to retreat at any time."

Wu Yong gently stroked the fan handle, glanced at the crowd below, and spoke slowly.

In the novel *Water Margin*, the Liangshan heroes at their peak numbered between 6.5 and 12 men.

How do so many people manage to eat, drink, live, and travel?

More than 100,000 men is no small number, and simple financial resources are naturally not enough. The Liangshan Marsh originally consisted of bandits and outlaws, and robbery was their original profession. They relied on robbery to make a living in the beginning.

Later, when they attacked the Zhu Family Village, they didn't touch the original stronghold's people much. The stronghold already had three to five thousand people, and with the six thousand people at this time, Liangshan's forces now numbered around ten thousand. The attack on the Zhu Family Village yielded huge gains for Song Jiang and his men. Not counting other gold and silver treasures, they had 50 shi of grain, more than five hundred horses, and a thousand jin of gold and silver treasures.

Furthermore, because Song Jiang treated the old man Zhongli well, he gained the support of the people of Zhujiazhuang, and Liangshan's reputation spread throughout the country, attracting many loyal and righteous people to join him.

The power of Liangshan expanded further.

Later, when Liangshan attacked Gaotang Prefecture, their total troop strength was no less than 12,000.

It was this battle that made the imperial court realize the powerful force of Liangshan.

At this time, Liangshan was still expanding. When they attacked Zengtou City, the number of troops sent by Liangshan reached an astonishing 20,000, which was comparable to the size of a standard army in a major city at that time.

Later, thanks to the surrendered generals of Huyan Zhuo and those who were recruited and joined him, such as in the battles of breaking the chain of horses, Qingzhou, Huazhou, and Mangdang Mountain, the total number of Liangshan troops reached no less than 30,000 by the time of the grand assembly.

The number is around 30,000 to 50,000.

Then came the imperial court's formal attack on Liangshan. Tong Guan launched two sieges, raising a total of 100,000 troops (more than 40,000 remained after the war), and Gao Qiu launched three sieges, raising a total of 130,000 troops, for a total of 230,000 people, which was no small number!

In the end, Liangshan returned victorious, and after the battle, including the surrendered generals, they had about 100,000 men.

Therefore, the peak of Liangshan's power was between the time they fought the golf tournament and the time they were granted amnesty, with a force of approximately 80,000 to 120,000 men.

Because when Song Jiang and Lu Junyi were sent to quell the rebellion against Fang La after the surrender of the emperor, they each led 30,000 elite troops, plus 5,000 naval troops, making a total of 65,000 men.

However, after being granted amnesty, the Northern Song Dynasty did not give Liangshan a single soldier, but instead sent the Liangshan army to fight against Fang La.

Before the campaign against Fang La, Liangshan had already fought three battles after being granted amnesty: the campaigns against Liao, Wang Qing, and Tian Hu, and had suffered some losses.

In addition, many people were unwilling to submit when the Liangshan army was granted amnesty and left the mountain with money. Furthermore, Liangshan also had relatives and family members. Before the amnesty, Liangshan's army at its peak, including civilians, numbered at least 100,000.

Unfortunately, the Liangshan faction, which was at its peak, suddenly ran into the Hengzhou army under Su Ye's command, even though the Hengzhou army had Taoist soldiers—the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry—and a heavy infantry legion—the Halberdiers.

Needless to say, the result was that nearly 100,000 Liangshan troops, along with the Five Tiger Generals of Liangshan, including Huyan Zhuo and Guan Sheng, and a host of other leaders, were either killed or scattered.

With the remaining forces under Song Jiang's command, including some defeated Liangshan and Yellow Turban rebels gathered along the way, plus the old, weak, sick, and disabled, the total number of men is only about thirty to forty thousand.

"As for weapons and equipment, we Liangshan heroes have always been good at using local materials. We can have craftsmen make some simple spears, broadswords, and harpoons and water arrows suitable for naval use."

"As for cavalry, although we do not have enough horses, we can select some strong mules. Although they are a bit slow, they have the advantage of endurance and are not easy to detect."

Wu Yong continued, then paused and looked at Song Jiang.

When it came to equipment, Song Jiang and Wu Yong exchanged a smile, already having made their plans.

In their minds, the equipment of the Liangshan heroes, including most of the Yellow Turban rebels, was always a major issue.

Among the Yellow Turban Army today, only the thousands or even tens of thousands of loyal soldiers under the command of the Taiping Cult's behind-the-scenes masterminds are fully equipped and well-armed.

Only the Azure Dragon Legion of about 80,000 men, which is currently entrenched in Luzhou and prevents the Great Qian Dynasty from invading, has this kind of treatment. This legion was only formed after gathering the resources of more than a million Yellow Turban soldiers.

Before most Yellow Turban soldiers went to the battlefield, being assigned an iron hoe was considered extremely lucky; the best weapons were mostly wooden or even bamboo weapons.

While the Liangshan faction wasn't as badly off as the ordinary Yellow Turban Army, they weren't much better off either, and iron weapons were still a rarity among the Liangshan army.

But now that Zhu Wen and Jiang Xiaobai want them to be cannon fodder, they naturally have to extract some benefits from them.

"Brothers, we Liangshan heroes have never lacked courage and fighting power, but we are indeed lacking in military equipment and weapons."

"With this expedition, we can demand the best equipment from Zhu Wen and Jiang Xiaobai, including swords, spears, halberds, bows, arrows, horses, and even armor and weapons made by the Mohists."

Thinking of this, Song Jiang immediately understood and spoke up.

"That's right. Now that they need our troops, we can not only demand equipment, but also use that as an excuse to get them to provide logistical support to ensure that our soldiers are not in trouble on the battlefield due to a shortage of supplies."

Wu Yong smiled slightly and replied.

"Furthermore, we also need their promise that once we achieve military merit, they will give us corresponding rewards and territory, so that we Liangshan heroes can truly gain a foothold."

As he said this, he gently stroked the fan handle, his eyes gleaming.

Since the Liangshan faction was destined to be cannon fodder, they naturally had to maximize the lives and interests of their underlings and try to exchange them for something good. Otherwise, how could they justify the sacrifice of those underlings?

The heroes below, though not entirely dissipated in their anger, understood that this was the best course of action. They could only nod in agreement and begin preparations for their campaign.

Zhang Shun and his men were eager to fight, ready to show those who looked down on them that the Liangshan heroes were never pawns to be manipulated!

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