Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 366: 191. Bloody Massacre (Part One)

"Rest assured, Young Master Hou, the sixty thousand troops have all been properly arranged. As soon as the reinforcements from Wanyang County arrive, we will surely catch them by surprise!"

As one of the three Commandants of Xingnan Prefecture and a clan relative of Prefectural Governor Peng Yuhu, Peng Yucheng was certainly a figure of some standing in the Prefectural City. However, his tone carried a hint of respect when he replied to Hou Yuduan.

In truth, given his own status, Hou Yuduan did not qualify to be addressed as 'Young Master', neither by birth nor by martial arts level.

Yet Peng Yucheng did so anyway, and with genuine conviction!

Four days ago, his Master had instructed him to take fifty thousand troops and leave Wanyang County to follow Hou Yuduan's command. At that time, Peng Yucheng had reservations; after all, the glory of conquering a city was just before him. Being asked to leave at such a critical juncture to take orders from Hou Yuduan, who was only in the Gang Qi Realm, did not sit well with anyone.

Two days prior, he and his troops had joined up with the ten thousand men of the Hou Clan. Acting with the intention of following his Master's orders, he initially looked down on Hou Yuduan, despite being actively cooperative. At first, he failed to see the strategic merit and thought the Hou Clan intended to lead their combined forces to attack Longxiang County or Yangping County.

It wasn't until their army reached Wanglong Mountain and Hou Yuduan had them look for suitable ambush locations that Peng Yucheng suddenly realized the plan. He was a leader of soldiers himself and could connect the dots as soon as he was given a hint. Seeing the larger tactical situation, he understood everything in an instant.

The strategy to surround but not attack Wanyang County meant reinforcements from other counties of Guangling Prefecture were sure to come. Ambushing the reinforcements on their way, not only would they avoid the losses associated with attacking Wanyang County, but they could also maximize the elimination of the living forces from other counties in Xuzhou.

Upon grasping this, Peng Yucheng held profound admiration for Zhan Taiqing, but when he considered that the strategy was proposed by Hou Yuxiao, his view of the Hou Clan shifted at once.

If that was merely an initial change of heart toward the Hou Clan, then the days spent with the three Hou brothers completely transformed his perspective on the Hou Clan.

The first to leave a deep impression was Old Fifth, or Hou Yuduan. Despite having only a Gang Qi Realm martial arts level, he was unflappable in the presence of a Grandmaster like himself, showing not the slightest sign of discomfort. His demeanor was graceful and mannerly, his conversation reflecting the air of a Confucian Scholar—Peng Yucheng would never have believed that this man hailed from a small Prefectural City under the jurisdiction of Xingnan Prefecture if they had met elsewhere.

Then there was the robust Second Elder, Hou Yucheng. Although hot-tempered, he took meticulous care of the ten thousand Hou soldiers; from their martial arts practice to their physical health, he attended to everything. His insights into military formations and combat were no less than his own, revealing a great talent for leading troops.

Just from these aspects alone, it was clear that Second Elder Hou Yucheng was far from as simple as he appeared on the surface.

As for Fourth Elder Hou Yujie, whose demeanor leaned towards the gentle, Peng Yucheng felt that he might actually be the strongest among the brothers. Especially noteworthy was the shining sword at his waist—Peng Yucheng suspected it might well be a Spiritual Artifact.

Including the family head, Hou Yuxiao, who was reported to have Grandmaster Realm cultivation, and even more astonishing, Peng Yucheng had just learned that none of the five brothers was over thirty years old...

A Warrior of the Gang Qi Realm under thirty, even in the Holy Land, would be considered a promising sect member to nurture, let alone Hou Yuxiao, who could possibly serve as a True Disciple there.

And from what he had gathered, not so subtly, in addition to these four, the third daughter of the Hou Clan far off in Tongling, Hou Yuling, also had reached the Gang Qi Realm.

Could such individuals really be the scions raised by a third-class power?

Peng Yucheng came from the Peng Family of Yuetai Prefecture, a renowned first-class family within the Xiayuan path, and precisely because of his family background, he understood all too well how terrifying it was for a clan to have so many exceptional young members at the same time.

With a Grandmaster Realm expert like Hou Yuxiao, plus these fifty Warriors of the Gang Qi Realm, and over ten thousand Martial Artist Sect Members who had achieved at least five levels of body refinement, the current Hou Clan actually already qualified to ascend to second-class status.

He had made sure to gather this information on his journey. Now the masters of Tongling were the Hou Clan, and the Hou main force was joining them to attack Xuzhou. That Hou Yuxiao could offer advice to Zhan Taiqing meant that the Hou Clan's relationship with Zhan Taiqing was undoubtedly good, indicating that, once this war concluded, the Hou Clan's promotion to a second-class power was a certainty.

In this context, even if Zhan Taiqing hadn't ordered it, Peng Yucheng knew to show courtesy to Hou Yuduan. Though he himself was a Commandant of Xingnan Prefecture, he would not want to offend a second-class power so easily, especially since they had close ties with Zhan Taiqing.

"The messenger left on the fourth day of the eighth month, so Longxiang County should receive the news by no later than the fifth day of the eighth month. Assuming they set out immediately upon receiving it, they will need, at most, four days to arrive here, which means by tomorrow morning, during the hour of the rabbit, at sunrise. Please, Commander Peng, issue an order to have the soldiers dismantle their tents tonight and extinguish all fires, remaining silent to avoid startling the enemy."

"Good, I will go down and notify them now!"

Peng Yucheng nodded and leapt down.

Although Peng Yucheng had taken a humble stance, Hou Yuduan spoke with great politeness. This wasn't due to their martial prowess; after all, Peng Yuhu was a Commandant of Xingnan Prefecture, and if he was following his commands now, it was only by order of Zhan Taiqing. Hou Yuduan was keenly aware of this, and a courteous attitude was more conducive to collaboration. Otherwise, making someone uncomfortable could jeopardize the upcoming battle.