In the eyes of Xu Xi and Mao Hui, Wang Jing's behavior of hiring civilians to build roads with his own money was extremely stupid. Couldn't he just find an excuse to impose additional corvee labor?

They even secretly let their own tenants serve as road construction workers, with the intention of fleecing Wang Jing and making up for the loss in grain prices with the road construction funds.

Only Xu Si frowned secretly. Based on his understanding of Wang Jing, he felt that things were not that simple.

Xu Si glanced at Xu Xi and Mao Hui, and reminded them, "Be careful. Wang Yuanxu is a scheming man, and he has counselors like Guo Fengxiao and Xun Gongda to assist him. How could he leave such an obvious loophole for us to exploit? In this world, many bargains are not so easy to make."

Xu Xi, however, was not impressed. "Humph, as long as the money is in our hands, can Wang Yuanxu take it back? If he is so shameless, it will be a good thing. If he loses the support of the people of Yanzhou, it will be easy for us to cooperate with him from inside and outside."

Seeing that persuasion was fruitless, Xu Si was too lazy to persuade him anymore, and instead reminded him, "This road must not be built by Wang Yuanxu, otherwise the two places will be connected, and Yanzhou will only become a piece of fish on the chopping board. I have no objection to you sending people to earn wages, but you must secretly delay the construction progress."

Wang Yu, who had been silent the whole time, looked at Xu Si in confusion: "What's the meaning of this?"

Xu Si did not hide it and said directly: "I plan to find someone to demolish the road."

"Demolish the road? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Everyone was shocked. Before this, they had only been thinking about how to delay Wang Jing's project progress, preferably for ten or eight years, to ruin the whole thing.

But they didn't think of confronting Wang Jing directly, otherwise their heads would be twisted off and kicked like a ball.

Xu Si knew what these stupid teammates were afraid of. He despised them in his heart, but he had to fool them and said, "Don't worry, I haven't lived enough. How could I personally go into battle to destroy the road?"

Afterwards, Xu Si briefly explained his plan, which was to secretly contact bandits and robbers to cause trouble for the road construction team.

Xu Si was quite confident about this: "Wang Yuanxu wants to build a road, right? His people are building it in the front, and I will find people to tear it down in the back. Let's see how long he can finish building it."

At any time, it is much easier to destroy than to build.

There are many bandits of all sizes in Yanzhou today, and they will do anything for money.

In the past, Xu Si would have relied on his status and would not have had much contact with these bandits, for fear of being ruined after the truth was revealed.

But now, in order to fight against Wang Jing, Xu Si no longer cares about this false reputation. He plans to secretly contribute money and manpower to persuade the green forest heroes in Yanzhou to cause trouble for Wang Jing.

These people occupy the mountains and act lawless. They don't even know how to write the word "fear", which is a good opportunity to encourage them to become cannon fodder.

Xu Xi was silent for a moment, and then solemnly reminded Xu Si, "Who are you going to target? I'm afraid ordinary bandits wouldn't dare to touch Wang Jing's tiger whiskers."

"If I have to find one, of course I'll find the one with the greatest ability and courage."

Xu Si had obviously found the most suitable candidate, and Wang Yu also thought of who Xu Si was looking for, and was horrified: "You are not looking for those lunatics, are you? Cooperating with them is like seeking the skin of a tiger."

Xu Si had a cold expression on his face: "Even if he is a madman, as long as he is of use, I dare to use him. Moreover, given the current situation in Yanzhou, we don't have many choices. Let's get through the current difficulties first and then slowly make plans."

Yanzhou, Taishan County.

This land had just experienced the baptism of war not long ago, but now it is in turmoil again because of the arrival of someone.

North of Bailong Pond, East Baizhang Cliff

The waterfall rushes down into the stone cave under the cliff, forming a huge deep pool, shaped like a clay jar, several feet deep and wide, with no bottom in sight, as if there is a black dragon about to rush out of it, hence the name Black Dragon Pool.

It is said that poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. Mount Tai is towering into the clouds and stretches for hundreds of miles. Naturally, there will be strong men who take advantage of this precious land and do business that makes huge profits without any investment.

The Taishan bandits were notoriously fierce, powerful and lawless throughout the entire Yanzhou.

Those who live in the Black Dragon Pond are famous among the bandits of Mount Tai and are known as the "Four Bandits of Mount Tai".

Ying's son Sun Guan, An'nu Wu Dun, Lu'er Yin Li, and the leader of these four, Haozhi Changxi!
"Oh, today we have a distinguished guest dressed in silk clothes coming to our Black Dragon Pond. This is really a rare thing."

Chang Xi, with his face full of pits and pits, revealed an ugly and ferocious look. He sat on the stone seat like a big and strong wild boar, exuding a savage and cruel aura from head to toe. He looked at Xu Si with fierce eyes and ill intentions: "Mr. Xu, you are so honored to be here. I wonder what advice you have for me?"

Xu Si took off his windbreaker hood, his expression even colder than the cold wind outside, and said solemnly: "Chang Xi, I came to Black Dragon Pond because I have something for you to do."

Yin Li, who had a bad temper, drew his sword and chopped it on the table. The blade penetrated deeply into the wood. "You want us to do something? You clearly want us to die!"

Even Sun Guan, who usually had the most peaceful temper, glared at Xu Si with a very unfriendly expression at this moment, and said in a cold tone: "Xu Congshi, who is Qi Hou? Do you think we have never heard of his reputation of Huangyu Liedao? To put it bluntly, even you dare not provoke such a ruthless person, let alone people like us in the mountains?"

"The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Everything in this world has a price, and I can offer you a price that will make your heart beat."

Xu Si's eyes flickered. As a native of Yanzhou, he knew the nature of the Taishan bandits best.

Each of these people possesses unique skills. Not only are they very capable, they are also very courageous.

He said that he didn't dare to provoke Wang Jing, but he just wanted to raise his own value and ask for more benefits through this means.

Sure enough, when Xu Si offered a price they could not refuse, they were tempted and stopped talking nonsense about how Marquis Qi was invincible.

Xu Si took out a map and handed it to Chang Xi: "With this, I believe your actions will be smoother."

"Yanzhou Feng Shui Map!"

Not only Chang Xi, but also Sun Guan, Yin Li and Wu Dun, all began to breathe heavily.

They were bandits and robbers. Although they drew their own maps, those maps looked more like children's doodles. How could they be compared with the feng shui maps drawn by the government using massive manpower and resources and professional surveying techniques?
In terms of precision and accuracy, the difference between the two is far greater than that of a million miles.

Now Xu Si has given them a detailed geomancy map of Yanzhou. With this thing, won't they be able to come and go as fast as the wind and do whatever they want in Yanzhou in the future?

However, Chang Xi was able to become the leader of the four bandits in Mount Tai and live happily under the government's siege until now. Naturally, he was not a fool. After receiving the geomancy map, he said to Xu Si: "Mr. Xu, let's be frank. I will only harass the road construction team and will never confront Qi Hou head-on. If there is any difficulty, we will withdraw at any time."

"can."

Xu Si did not say much. Now that the deal was done, he did not stay any longer. He turned around and left Black Dragon Pond and started his journey home.

After he left, the four bandits gathered in the Juyi Hall and began to discuss countermeasures.

Yin Li was a chatterbox. He had long been annoyed by Xu Si's condescending attitude, so after the others left, he was the first to curse: "What the hell? This grandson is just pretending. If it weren't for the money, I would have chopped off his dog head with a knife."

Sun Guan turned his gaze towards Chang Xi and said in a serious tone: "Do we really want to follow Xu Si's instructions and provoke a ruthless man like Marquis Qi?"

Chang Xi grinned: "Why, baby, are you scared?"

Sun Guan said with a stern face: "Brother Xuan Gao asked a famous scholar in Xuzhou to help me choose a courtesy name. From now on, don't call me Yingzi anymore. You can call me Zhongtai."

"You even gave him a courtesy name? Haha, you think you've made a name for yourself just because you sound so elegant? Don't forget that we come from the outlaws. In the eyes of the noble families and the wealthy, we are worse than pigs and dogs." Chang Xi was obviously very dissatisfied with the fact that Sun Guan had given him a courtesy name. He stared at his face with wolf-like eyes and sneered, "We are thieves once and we will be thieves for the rest of our lives. This is our fate and cannot be changed."

Then Chang Xi mocked Sun Guan again: "What brother Xuan Gao, you are talking about the slave bandits, right? Haha, after agreeing to borrow troops to save my father, he went up the mountain with us to become a bandit, but he killed the official here and turned around to join another official. It's really nonsense."

The person mentioned by Sun Guan and Chang Xi was actually Zang Ba.

However, their attitudes towards Zang Ba were completely opposite. Sun Guan agreed with Zang Ba's behavior of choosing the right tree to roost in, while Chang Xi regarded Zang Ba as a villain who did not keep his word.

Xuan Gao is the courtesy name given to Zang Ba by his elders, which implies that he is upright and has lofty aspirations.

However, "Nukou" was the nickname given to Zang Ba when he became a bandit in Mount Tai.

Just from the name, one can tell that Sun Guan and Chang Xi have different views on Zang Ba.

Now Zang Ba has taken refuge with Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, and is fighting for him on the battlefield to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Xuzhou.

Tao Qian was not as timid as he was portrayed in the novel. In fact, he was quite talented when he was young. After he was selected as a talent, he served as magistrate of Shu and Lu counties, governor of Youzhou, and counselor. Later, he followed the Left General of Chariots and Cavalry Huangfu Song to fight against Beigong Boyu and served as the Lieutenant of Yangwu. Later, he followed Zhang Wen to conquer Han Sui and Bian Zhang and made many military exploits.

It can be seen from his resume that he is by no means a gentle scholar, but a decisive and iron-blooded warrior.

In the fifth year of Zhongping, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in Xuzhou, and Tao Qian was appointed governor of Xuzhou by the court.

As soon as Tao Qian arrived in Xuzhou, he immediately appointed Zang Ba, a native of Taishan who had fled to the East China Sea, and his sun Guan as generals. As a result, the Yellow Turban Army was defeated in one battle, and the remaining Yellow Turban Army was forced to flee Xuzhou.

After the Yellow Turbans were defeated and fled, Tao Qian presented a memorial to the emperor, appointing Zang Ba and Sun Guan as cavalry commanders and ordering them to station in Kaiyang, the capital of Langya Prefecture, and garrison the north of Xuzhou.

At the same time, Tao Qian was also quite skillful in governing the interior. He promoted military farming and restored production, which calmed the people of Xuzhou and restored its former prosperity.

Not only that, Tao Qian also actively cracked down on bandits and paid attention to people's livelihood, showing the demeanor of a heroic ruler.

Chang Xi had long been dissatisfied with Tao Qian. He knew that Sun Guan must have come on Tao Qian's behalf this time, so he spoke with disdain: "Haha, you've been an official for so long, are you coming back to be a thief again? Or do you want to persuade me to be like you, with a leash around my neck, and serve as a guard dog for Tao Gongzu?"

Wu Dun and Yin Li remained silent. Sun Guan had already defected to Tao Qian together with Zang Ba, and now he suddenly ran back. This matter was indeed a bit strange.

As Chang Xi expected, Sun Guan came back today to persuade the other three bandits to surrender to Tao Qian together.

Although Chang Xi's scolding was very unpleasant, Sun Guan held back for the sake of the overall equity situation. He looked at Wu Dun and Yin Li, intending to persuade them first: "Annu, Lu'er, Envoy Tao has a strong character and great ambitions. Now that troubled times have arrived, it is the time for a man to make achievements. Don't you want to follow the hero and gain fame?"

Sun Guan looked at his two former companions with burning eyes.

Because he was a thief before, he naturally knew what Wu Dun and Yin Li were thinking.

Given a choice, who would want to become a bandit and live a life of blood and knives?

"You have a golden opportunity right now. Lord Tao is in need of talents. As long as you lead your people to join him, you will be promoted to the rank of captain. If you can make military achievements, you will be given titles for your wives and children. Do you really want to stay in the mountains and be bandits forever?"

Wu Dun and Yin Li were both somewhat moved by what Sun Guan said, and their eyes began to wander.

As Sun Guan said, being a thief in the mountains seems to be free and easy, and even the emperor can't interfere. But only those who have really lived in the mountains know how difficult the living environment is.

There is a shortage of water, food and medicine. When we are sick, we dare not go down the mountain to seek medical treatment. We can only bear it. Whether we live or die depends on God's will.

Those who are tough will survive.

If you are not strong enough, when you die you will be thrown down the mountain and eaten by wild dogs, without even a burial place.

Of course, the most uncomfortable thing is that life in the mountains is hard. Even they cannot marry and have children. After all, it is difficult to raise children. You can't let your son become a thief, right?
There were frequent gunfights, internal strife, intrigues among gangs, and even blockades and encirclements from time to time by the government. This kind of life was really not a life for human beings.

Therefore, after hearing the conditions offered by Sun Guan, Wu Dun and Yin Li were ready to accept the invitation without much thought.

However, when they were about to make up their minds, Chang Xi slammed the table in anger. With a loud bang, the stone table broke into pieces under his powerful palm force. This move scared Wu Dun and Yin Li.

Chang Xi was furious and yelled, "What's wrong with being a thief? If you hadn't followed me to become thieves, you would have been buried in the ground and left only your skeletons! Now you are dreaming of following a wise leader. Why, just because life is a little easier, you have forgotten your origins as a thief?"

Chang Xi had a look of disappointment on his face. He pointed at the noses of Sun Guan, Wu Dun and Yin Li and said harshly: "Who are we? We are fucking thieves! Have you forgotten why you became thieves in the first place?"

Sun Guan's family was persecuted by the government and was eventually forced to become bandits. If it weren't for Chang Xi's secret care, he would have died long ago.

Therefore, even though Chang Xi scolded him so harshly, Sun Guan still did not get angry, but sighed: "Boss Changba, I haven't forgotten. But there are good people and bad people, and there are good officials and bad officials. Xuzhou Governor Tao Gongzu has great ambitions and is known for his benevolence. He is indeed a rare wise leader in troubled times. More importantly, he doesn't care about our backgrounds."

Sun Guan spoke sincerely, but Chang Xi did not believe a word he said: "Are you kidding me? Are there still good officials in this world? Unless the sun rises from the west!"

All of Chang Xi's family members died because of the government's evil policies, so he was extremely hostile to the court and believed that all the powerful and wealthy deserved to die. Even though he secretly cooperated with Xu Si, he did not regard Xu Si as an ally, and they were just using each other.

The country and society of the Yanhan Empire, which had existed for 400 years, had now become irreversible, with refugees everywhere and the world in chaos. During this time of turmoil and change of regime, Chang Xi, who had been rampant in power, naturally began to become ambitious, and all he thought in his mind was, "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different races?"

If others can be the emperor, why can't Chang Xi be it?
In Chang Xi's eyes, working for others is not as satisfying as being the master of one's own business.
With this in mind, Chang Xi regarded Wu Dun and Yin Li as his subordinates. He shouted at them, "Yingzi said Tao Qian was a good official, so you really believed it? And even if Yingzi was telling the truth, just because he is a good official now doesn't mean he will be a good official in the future. What if one day he doesn't need us anymore and despises us as thieves? What will happen then?"

There are too many fellow outlaws who accepted the government's amnesty and then died inexplicably.

Chang Xi's words quickly made Wu Dun and Yin Li worried again. They originally wanted to accept Sun Guan's invitation, but now thinking about it carefully, they really felt that it was not very reliable.

Sun Guan felt helpless when he saw this. He originally wanted to bring a few more partners back to contribute to his lord Tao Qian's career and thus get a chance to advance himself.

As a result, he was blocked by Chang Xi and ultimately failed to accomplish his goal.

Chang Xi saw that he had stopped Wu Dun and Yin Li, and a smug expression appeared on his face: "Don't always think about relying on someone. The world is in chaos now. If you want to make a name for yourself, why do you have to rely on others and look at their faces? We have knives in our hands. If we want fame and fortune, can't we go and get it ourselves? Why do we have to beg for mercy from the powerful and eat the food given out of pity?"

These words really touched the hearts of Wu Dun and Yin Li, stirring up the wildfire in their hearts.

Born in troubled times, they also want to carve out a world of their own.

"Boss Changba, you are right. There is no point in working for others. If you want to fight, fight for your own future!"

Wu Dun raised the knife in his hand, his eyes burning with fire, and it was obvious that Chang Xi's words had aroused his fighting spirit.

Yin Li also grinned, his smile was creepy: "That's right, we can do it ourselves, why should we work hard for others?"

Seeing this, Chang Xi laughed out loud: "This is my good brother. Working hard for others is not as satisfying as working hard for yourself!"

Sun Guan shook his head helplessly. His persuasion failed and he could only return empty-handed.

However, Chang Xi called out to Sun Guan: "It's a rare opportunity for you to come here, but you have returned empty-handed. How are you going to report to Tao Gongzu when you go back?" (End of this chapter)