Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

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With everyone chiming in, they quickly shifted all the blame for Liangshan's rise to prominence back to the group.

"Brothers, don't be modest,"

Zhao Yuan said with some emotion, "In short, the fact that Liangshan has been able to develop so much in just two months is all thanks to the unity and hard work of all the brothers!"

"I hope that in the future, everyone on the mountain can continue to work together to strengthen Liangshan!"

As soon as he finished speaking,

The crowd in the hall then clasped their hands and shouted, "With one heart and one mind, let us work together to strengthen Liangshan!"

After everyone finished speaking, they looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Seeing the enthusiastic crowd, Zhao Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

After everyone had laughed and joked for a while,

Zhao Yuan, however, kept a straight face and said loudly,

"Brothers, although Liangshan has grown considerably in the past two months, yesterday, Brother Pei Xuan also pointed out many shortcomings in Liangshan's management..."

Upon hearing Zhao Yuan recount the problems with the mountain stronghold that Pei Xuan had discovered the previous day,

The leaders, realizing the gravity of the situation, instantly tensed up, their previously relaxed expressions replaced by a look of unease.

Zhao Yuan's gaze swept across everyone's faces.

"Brothers, as the saying goes, every country has its laws, and every village has its rules! In the past, when our village had fewer people, we didn't have to worry about some things, but now that the village is growing stronger, it's time to establish some rules!"

"I will follow my brother's arrangements!"

The many leaders of Liangshan responded in unison.

"Pei Kongmu, you may speak."

Zhao Yuan sat down, and Pei Xuan, the clerk over there, stood up, nodded slightly to everyone, took out the previously written regulations, and read them aloud.

"From this day forward, everyone on Liangshan Mountain, including all the leaders, must register their household registration!"

"The household registration in Liangshan is divided into three categories: military households, artisan households, and civilian households!"

......

These are all the topics that Zhao Yuan and Pei Xuan discussed yesterday.

But at the very end, Zhao Yuan added one more point.

"There is no distinction of high or low status among the three types of household registration, and people of the three types of household registration can switch between each other; there is no permanent rule!"

The population of Liangshan stronghold today is neither large nor small.

Dividing the population registration into three categories makes management easier and allows us to focus our efforts on specific tasks.

The reason for adding the last point is...

This was because Zhao Yuan was reminded of the Ming Dynasty, whose rigid household registration system prevented people from changing their household registration status generation after generation.

This led to chaos in the household registration system later on, with military households and artisan households fleeing one after another.

For Liangshan, these are clearly not the problems they need to worry about right now.

However, considering the future, Zhao Yuan still made preparations in advance.

The many leaders in the Hall of Gathering Righteousness listened as Pei Xuan meticulously broke down the population into smaller categories.

Although they weren't very educated, they understood that this kind of detailed breakdown...

Managing counterfeit goods has only benefits and no drawbacks.

They all nodded in agreement, and no one voiced any objection.

After Pei Xuan finished reading the household registration reform,

Zhao Yuan stood up and instructed, "Start preparing for the household registration today. Brothers Du Qian and Song Wan will temporarily serve as Pei Kongmu's assistants and complete the population registration of the stronghold as soon as possible!"

After Du Qian and Song Wan stood up and agreed,

Zhao Yuan looked at the people sitting in the chairs, and then spoke,

"Brother Pei Xuan just spoke about the household registration of Liangshan. Today I want to talk about something else: the seating arrangement of the various leaders on Liangshan and the issue of their duties!"

The Liangshan census was being conducted, and although many of the leaders present knew it was important, they didn't pay much attention to it since they didn't need to be involved.

But now, the seating arrangements and duties that Zhao Yuan mentioned are closely related to each of them.

Everyone quickly held their breath and listened attentively.

"Whether it was during Wang Lun's time or when I first took charge of Liangshan, the stronghold was the same as other outlaw villages, with all the brothers arranging their seats and sitting in the highest chairs!"

Zhao Yuan said slowly, "When the brothers in the mountain stronghold were young, this method was naturally very good!"

“But now there are already more than twenty leaders and brothers, and there will only be more in the future. If we still follow the old rules and arrange the seating order, then the brothers behind will have to be in the twenties or more. Brothers, think about it, does such a seating arrangement sound good to others?”

As soon as Zhao Yuan finished speaking,

The people in the Hall of Gathering Righteousness then began to discuss among themselves.

Especially those like Tang Long and Han Bolong, who already had a rough idea that their seating arrangement would be at the back.

The thought of other bandit leaders introducing themselves as "Big Boss," "Second Boss," and so on...

When it came to his own situation, he was described as "I am the twentieth-something leader of Liangshan," which immediately made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

Outlaws are naturally concerned with their reputation.

In that case, let alone listening...

Even just opening one's mouth is somewhat embarrassing...

Chapter 138 The Hall of Gathering Righteousness, where everyone assigns their duties

The expressions on the faces of the people in the Hall of Gathering Righteousness varied.

Lu Zhishen rubbed his bald head and agreed, "Brother, you're right. This does make things a bit awkward for the brothers who are at the back of the line."

"It's not just embarrassing; if status is determined by seating order, then those in front can freely interfere with the work done by those in lower positions?"

Zhao Yuan said with a stern face, "As Liangshan grows stronger, there will be more and more duties and responsibilities in all aspects, and they will become more and more detailed. If we determine status solely by seating order, it may damage the harmony among the brothers, and the management of the stronghold will inevitably become chaotic in the future."

"Brother, since you've already thought of this problem, you must already have a solution. Just tell us directly."

Lu Zhishen looked at everyone and said, "Everyone will definitely support me!"

“Brother Commander is right. Brother Zhao, just give the orders and we’ll do as you say,” Ruan Xiaowu added.

The others nodded in agreement.

Seeing everyone's support, Zhao Yuan didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly.

"That's right. I plan to set up six departments in Liangshan, namely Personnel, Revenue, Rites, Military, Justice, and Works, to manage various affairs, just like a government office."

“Each department will have a supervisor, and all brothers will be assigned to their respective departments according to their duties. I wonder if all brothers are willing to do this?”

“According to my brother, aren’t we essentially officials?” Bian Xiang laughed heartily. “I think that’s a good idea!”

"These are not official titles; strictly speaking, they are only clerks. After all, Liangshan only has this many people. If we give each of you brothers a high-ranking official title, it sounds impressive, but what use is it?"

Zhao Yuan assured everyone, "However, I can assure you all that I will eventually make you all high-ranking officials and generals!"

"Brother Zhao's approach is indeed quite good,"

Sun An spoke up, saying, "When I was with Tian Hu earlier, I saw that the scoundrel was secretly recruiting soldiers and preparing to rebel. He only had six or seven generals and three to five thousand soldiers under his command, yet he had already obtained a bunch of official titles such as prime minister and general. The bandits who joined him did not think about how to do their jobs, but only knew how to compare their official titles with each other!"

"How can one achieve great things by acting in this way!"

As he spoke, the man, who had been at Liangshan for over two months, rose and went to the center of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, bowing to Zhao Yuan.

"I was also desperate before, which is why I wanted to take refuge with Tian Hu. Later, I followed Brother Zhao to Liangshan. After hearing this arrangement today, I see that this is how one should do great things! I, Sun An, am also willing to join Liangshan! I hope Brother Zhao will accept me!"

"Brother Sun An, please rise!"

Zhao Yuan quickly helped him up, then laughed heartily.

"I've been waiting for Brother Sun An to say these words for a long time, and today they've finally come!"

Seeing Sun An formally declare his intention to join Liangshan, Qiong Ying, who had been thinking with her head down for a while, suddenly stood up and walked to the center of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness.

"Brother, I want to join Liangshan too! But you have to promise me one thing."

"Just tell me, I'll agree to anything!" Zhao Yuan nodded with a smile.

"This matter is a secret; I will tell my brother about it privately later,"

Qiongying shook her head, and then followed Sun An's example, bowing and paying her respects.

Sun An and Qiong Ying, although they had been on the mountain for many days,

However, neither of them had previously stated their intention to join Liangshan, and even though the other leaders got along well with them, there was always a sense of distance between them.

Today, the two of them made their intentions clear and officially joined Liangshan. From now on, they can truly be considered family.

"Since none of you brothers objected to what I just said, I will now announce your future duties. Remember your respective affiliations and don't make a mistake in the future."

Seeing the enthusiastic atmosphere in the Hall of Righteousness and that no one seemed to object to canceling the seating arrangement, Zhao Yuan continued,

“There are not many brothers with official positions on the mountain now, so we will not set up an official clerk position for now. I will arrange the division of duties among the brothers, as well as the rewards and punishments for their merits.”

"The Ministry of Rites can be temporarily suspended, but the private school will have to be built on the mountain sooner or later, and this matter must not be forgotten!"

"Du Qian was in charge of the Household Registration Office, responsible for all expenditures related to household registration, finances, and grain in Liangshan."

"The Ministry of Justice is headed by Pei Xuan, who is responsible for supervising and punishing all military discipline and laws on Liangshan Mountain."

"The Works Department was headed by Song Wan, with Tang Long and Meng Kang as its leaders. The three of them were responsible for the construction of the various strongholds of Liangshan, as well as the manufacture of ships, weapons, and armor."

"The Military Affairs Department is headed by Lin Chong, with Lu Zhishen as the deputy head. They are responsible for all matters related to the training of soldiers on Liangshan Mountain, as well as sending troops into battle."

"All infantry and naval commanders, garrison commanders, and intelligence gathering leaders shall be placed under the jurisdiction of the Military Affairs Department!"

"Taking advantage of this household registration survey, we will select four more districts, totaling 480 regular soldiers, from among the disaster victims who have joined Liangshan. Together with the three districts from before, we will have a total of seven districts of soldiers to be responsible for going out to fight!"

"..." Because the mountain stronghold was temporarily short of horses, all units were composed of infantry.

"First Army Commander: Zhao Yuan; Deputy Commander: Jiao Ting."

"Second Infantry Commander, Lin Chong."

"Lu Zhishen, the Third Infantry Commander."

"Sun An, commander of the Fourth Infantry Corps."

"Xu Ning, commander of the Fifth Infantry Corps."

"Sixth Infantry Commander, Bian Xiang."

"Deng Fei, the captain of the 7th Infantry Corps."

“Then select three hundred and sixty naval soldiers from the three capitals, and assign them to the three Ruan brothers to be in charge of naval warfare in the mountain strongholds and water transport.”

"In addition, select another team of female soldiers, led by Qiongying, to be responsible for security patrols in the mountain village residential area."

“Select another two hundred garrison soldiers, to be led by Hu Sanniang, to be responsible for guarding and patrolling all parts of the mountain stronghold.”

"Zhu Gui is the leader of intelligence gathering for the mountain hotel, and Zhu Fu is the deputy leader. The two are responsible for intelligence gathering for hotels in various locations."

"Shi Qian was the leader of the mountain stronghold's intelligence gathering team, and Han Bolong was the deputy leader (Li Zhao). The two were responsible for quickly traveling around to gather intelligence."

"In addition, Liangshan also has a branch camp in Yinmachuan, and all the soldiers in the branch camp are under the command of Yang Lin!"

This division of duties clearly shows that the Military Affairs Department has a large number of personnel and is extremely powerful, while the other departments are merely supporting roles. This is an unavoidable situation.

Today, Liangshan is more like a military stronghold than a town.

After hearing their assigned duties, most of the people nodded in satisfaction.

Even Hu Sanniang was not dissatisfied. Although she was quite capable, in order to hide her identity and not implicate the Hu family village, she should try to go down the mountain as little as possible.

That's why Zhao Yuan assigned her the position of guarding the mountain stronghold.

Only Qiongying pouted, looking somewhat unhappy.

She also wanted to lead a large army to fight in other battles.

However, considering her young age, not even reaching the age of marriageable age, Zhao Yuan naturally wouldn't allow her to freely engage in battle!

Chapter 139 Upholding Justice

Since that day in the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, when Zhao Yuan announced the abolition of seating arrangements and the division of labor based solely on duties,