Chapter 24: The Three Ruan Brothers Join Liangshan

"Would you dare to take the position of Liangshan naval commander?"

Ren Yuan's words left the three Ruan brothers stunned. Did they hear that correctly? Liangshan? The leader of the Liangshan navy?

"Brother, surely you are joking with us?" Ruan Xiao-wu was so agitated that he could barely hold his bowl. Was this for real? Did their brother come all this way just to ask them to be naval commanders?

"Brother, you don't know this, but although the three of us have some ability, no one has ever recognized it. Otherwise, we would have pledged our loyalty and spilled our blood for them long ago!" Ruan Xiao-er looked equally incredulous. He had been ignored for years, and his heart had long since grown cold, which was why he had married and settled down early. He never expected that the new chieftain of Mount Liang would want him to lead the navy!

Ren Yuan poured a bowl of wine and said, "I will not hide it from you three brothers. On land, my stronghold has myself, as well as brothers like Yuan Lang, Song Wan, Du Qian, Zhu Gui, and Zhu Fu, so I have no worries there. But the Liangshan stronghold is surrounded by water, and currently, the Liangshan navy lacks a hero capable of standing alone. I have been searching desperately for such men. In truth, I have long intended to invite you three to join us, but I feared you would not be willing to cast aside your clean reputations for the life of an outlaw. If you will forgive my boldness, I invite you today to take your seats in my stronghold. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiao-qi slammed the table! "Brother! We have been waiting for those very words!"

Ruan Xiao-wu struck his chest and shouted, "Why would we be unwilling? We have been stifled here for far too long. Our skills are no worse than anyone else's—why shouldn't we live a free and spirited life like you?"

Seeing his younger brothers speak their hearts, Ruan Xiao-er did not hesitate. He stood up and said to Ren Yuan, "If you are willing to take us in, we offer our lives to you. Should we ever harbor a second thought, may we be struck by lightning!"

"Good, good, good! This is a wonderful thing! Let us drink another bowl!" Ren Yuan was overjoyed. He had expected the Ruan brothers to refuse, thinking they might not want to turn to a life of banditry since they had no criminal records. He never imagined they would agree so readily.

Yuan Lang was also astonished. His brother was truly miraculous; how did it feel as if everything were within his grasp? Yet, upon reflection, it made perfect sense.

On one hand, the three Ruan brothers were desperate to change their circumstances, longing for the carefree life of "drinking wine from large bowls, eating meat in thick slices, and dividing gold and silver by the scale." On the other hand, Ren Yuan was eager to solve the shortage of talent in his stronghold, thirsting for skilled naval officers to join his ranks. How could these two groups, finally meeting in this humble village cottage, not spark a sense of mutual admiration?

"Come, bring it in." Delighted, Ren Yuan gestured for his sailors to bring the items forward.

"Brother, what is this?" The sailors brought over a large chest. Ren Yuan signaled for Ruan Xiao-er to open it. When he did, he saw it filled with sparkling, pure silver!

"Silver! So much of it!" Ruan Xiao-wu could not believe his eyes. He was a man who frequented village gambling dens, but he had never seen so much at once!

"The rules of Liangshan are that every new chieftain who joins the mountain receives five hundred taels of silver as a settlement fee. For the three of you, that is fifteen hundred taels," Ren Yuan explained with a smile. Yuan Lang nodded in confirmation.

"Brother, you are truly righteous. From now on, the three of us are yours to command! Our lives belong to you!" The three brothers looked at each other and knelt to kowtow. It was the first time in their lives they had felt such respect, and it filled these loyal men with immense gratitude.

"Get up, quickly. We are brothers; there is no need for all this bowing. It only creates distance between us!" Ren Yuan finally felt a heavy stone lift from his heart. With the naval commanders secured, the navy itself would not be far behind.

He knew the Ruan brothers were men of character and ability—even in the original legends, they were renowned heroes. Ruan the Second had died with great dignity, refusing to be captured during the southern campaign. Ruan the Fifth had also fallen in battle, true to the saying that a warrior’s fate is to die on the field. Only Ruan the Seventh had survived to the end, though he was later framed by villains; yet, he maintained his optimistic spirit, retiring to care for his mother.

Looking at these three "dragons of the water" drinking merrily, and thinking of their fates in the original story, Ren Yuan secretly vowed: In this lifetime, I will never let these brothers repeat those tragedies. Let those tragic tales of the Liangshan army remain buried in memory alone!

"Brother! Drink!"

"Right! Let’s drink!"

With their hearts laid bare, all barriers between them dissolved. They drank, ate, and shared tales of the underworld, discussing the previous night’s raid on Xixi Village.

"Brother, you are truly righteous to stand up for your men. Coming to Liangshan was the right choice! I only regret we didn't join sooner; otherwise, we would have given that local magistrate a taste of our blades last night!" Ruan Xiao-wu said, filled with admiration for Liangshan and regret for his late arrival.

"Do not worry, Fifth Brother. Once you are on the mountain, there will be plenty of opportunities to deliver justice for Heaven!" Yuan Lang comforted him, seeing their genuine desire to make a mark.

"Exactly, Fifth Brother, why are you more impatient than me?" Ruan Xiao-qi teased. In truth, he was just as eager to join the Liangshan men in their quest for justice.

Only Ruan Xiao-er, after hearing the full story, frowned slightly: "Brother, it seems the stronghold is indeed in urgent need of a navy. In our village, we have many skilled men on the water. Since you value us so highly, I beg your leave for a few days. We three can certainly recruit a force of two or three hundred men to take up the mountain!"

"You can raise a force yourself, Second Brother?" Ren Yuan was shocked—an unexpected bonus!

"Of course. We know all the fishermen in this village, and they are all capable men. If we three speak to them personally, we guarantee we can bring you a full troop!" Ruan Xiao-er said with great confidence.

"If others are willing, it would be wonderful to join us in our righteous cause! We shall drink fine wine, wear silk, and share in the gold and silver together! But Second Brother, at Liangshan, we pride ourselves on mutual loyalty. If those men do not wish to come, you must not force them." Ren Yuan added a word of caution; he did not want anyone forced into his ranks.

"Don't worry, Brother, I understand." Ruan Xiao-er knew what he was doing. Ruan Xiao-wu and Ruan Xiao-qi nodded in agreement.

Yuan Lang was stunned. Just like that, they went from gaining three commanders to gaining three commanders plus an entire naval fleet! And this fleet would be no smaller than the one the stronghold currently possessed. They had come to buy fish, and now they were bringing the fishermen themselves—they wouldn't even need to buy fish anymore! His brother was truly a god-like figure. He decided he would write to Mi Si immediately upon his return; he couldn't let his good brother miss out on such a great opportunity!

"Good, then I shall await the good news from you three brothers back at the stronghold!"

The sound of clinking cups and laughter filled the air once more. The Ruan brothers, the naval commanders of Liangshan, had finally found their rightful place.