Volume 1, Chapter 18: The Prince of Qin Plans to Expand into Kidnapping

Chen Xiaodao was stunned. He turned his head to look at the Prince of Qin, and the first sentence that came out of his mouth nearly made Li Jize cough up blood.

"Which mountain is Liangshan? Forced onto Liangshan? Is there food on that mountain?"

Li Jize: "..."

Good grief! He had forgotten that in this timeline, there was no master named Shi Nai'an to write *The Water Margin*.

Li Jize looked left and right to ensure no one was paying attention, then leaned into Chen Xiaodao's ear and whispered a few words. At first, Chen Xiaodao’s expression was normal, but as he listened, his brows knit tighter and tighter. Soon, he was left agape, completely dumbfounded.

He stared at Li Jize in disbelief. Was this really the Tiance General of the Great Qi Dynasty? A dignified Prince of Qin, how was this any different from treason?

"What? Old Chen, are you scared? Don't have the guts?"

Under Chen Xiaodao’s intense gaze, Li Jize showed no shame; without even a change in his complexion or heart rate, he retorted.

Hearing this, Chen Xiaodao rolled up his sleeves with a "do-or-die" expression. "Prince of Qin, there is truly nothing I, Xiaodao, wouldn't dare to do. Isn't it just kidnapping? Tell me! Who do you want to snatch?"

One moment he was full of courage and high spirits, but the next...

"The current Chief Councilor! Ye Xianggao!"

When Li Jize tossed these seven words out as if they were nothing, Chen Xiaodao nearly collapsed to his knees. He must be mad! He had to be insane!

Kidnap the current Chief Councilor? Rumors in the streets said the Prince of Qin had been stripped of his military power by the reigning Empress because his achievements were too great, and he had gone mad from the shock. Chen Xiaodao had been skeptical, and through his recent interactions, he found Li Jize to be a decent man. How could people say he was crazy?

But now, hearing that he was being asked to kidnap the Chief Councilor, Chen Xiaodao was certain: he wasn't just mad; he was possessed! Stimulated too severely by the Emperor, he had become deranged, wanting to take revenge on society, the Empress, and all the court officials. And he didn't start small—he went straight for the biggest target besides the Emperor himself.

Seeing Chen Xiaodao stare at him in silence for a long time, Li Jize frowned, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Why did he value this "three-surname slave" Chen Xiaodao the most among so many refugees? Wasn't it precisely because this fellow was bold enough to do the outrageous?

If he backed down on this, wouldn't all of Li Jize’s long-laid plans be for nothing?

"What? Old Chen, are you afraid? If you are, then let’s treat today’s words as writing on sand—one wipe and they’re gone. Let no one mention this again, how about that?"

Li Jize used a reverse-psychology tactic to see how Chen Xiaodao would respond. If he truly backed down, it meant he had misjudged his man—someone not worth using.

After the initial shock, Chen Xiaodao heard the Prince’s question and sneered, "Prince of Qin, I, Chen Xiaodao, have long been a rebel against the court! A traitor among traitors, shunned by all under heaven! It was you who gave me a place to stay. Besides..." He glanced at the refugees training not far away, his face hardening. "I know that without food and silver, the brothers will return to living hand-to-mouth. To survive, to have a mouthful of food, what is there that we wouldn't dare to do!"

Yes, that final sentence held the most weight. To survive, what wouldn't they dare to do? Did they not see the rebel armies blooming across the Great Qi? If the common people were already revolting because they couldn't survive, what was a little kidnapping and extortion? At worst, it was just death!

Li Jize nodded. He immediately discussed the details and execution process with Chen Xiaodao, then told him to pick a few brave brothers who were willing to commit kidnapping.

At first, these "brave" refugees heard that the Prince of Qin was summoning them for a task that might cost them their lives. Grateful for his shelter in these chaotic times, many warriors eagerly signed up. However... when they heard the job would literally cost them their heads, they began to murmur and develop splitting headaches. If they were the type to do "head-severing" work, they would have joined the rebel armies or become mountain bandits long ago! Why would they have wandered and fled all the way to the capital just to beg for food?

Watching them go from fierce to terrified, Chen Xiaodao felt embarrassed for Li Jize. After holding it in for a long time, he looked at Li Jize and, biting the bullet, tentatively asked, "Prince, perhaps... I should go find some brothers from the underworld to do this?"

Chen Xiaodao was merely offering a way out, but who in the underworld would dare take a job kidnapping the Chief Councilor?

Li Jize rolled his eyes at the crowd of refugees. They would do this job whether they liked it or not!

What did "forced onto Liangshan" mean? Now that they knew his secret and were asked to kidnap the Chief Councilor, did they think they could just quit? Not so easy!

Li Jize’s face turned cold, and he gave Chen Xiaodao a meaningful look.

"Brothers, since you do not wish to take this task, I will not force you! However, for the sake of more refugees having food to eat and for the safety of others, please stay here for a few days. If I succeed, I will naturally let you go. If I fail..."

Li Jize didn't finish his sentence, but combined with Chen Xiaodao’s fierce expression, the implication was clear: you won't be living much longer!

Chen Xiaodao had escaped the army after killing his superiors multiple times; it took not only courage and ruthlessness but also wisdom. He was incredibly sharp. The moment the Prince gave him the look, he understood. He didn't just play along with the "big stick"—he added the "carrot."

"Think of us, honest farmers who never did anything wicked, yet ended up with our homes destroyed and families dead! Meanwhile, those corrupt officials have concubines by the dozen and bellies full of fat. Damn it! Brothers, if you don't want to do it, fine, but for the sake of the other refugee brothers, Xiaodao asks here: you must keep this a secret!"

Good man! The two of them sang in harmony. To go meant a potential death sentence, but if they succeeded, there was silver! Especially Chen Xiaodao’s last words—they were highly incitive.

Think about it: these bachelors who ran here didn't just pop out of rocks. Who didn't have parents? Where were their parents? Where were their wives and children? Either they starved to death when the famine struck, or they didn't survive the long flight. Before, they could only blame bad luck—it was "the will of heaven."

But now, Chen Xiaodao’s words struck home: why should the officials have concubines and full bellies? Why did they and their families have to starve?

Damn it! It must be because those beasts were greedy! They were the ones who indirectly killed their families!