Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 413: 207, Two Little Thieves

With the establishment of the cabinet system, the core high ranks of the Hou Clan were essentially determined. Due to Hou Yuduan holding the position of Commander in two of the Hou Clan's Nine Departments, there were only eight individuals in total.

Hou Yucheng, Hou Yuling, Hou Yujie, Hou Yuduan, Li Sanyun, Bai Yunfan, Liu Jianghong, Nie Xinchuan, and Gao Cheng, the eight great Commanders, together with Hou Yuxiao, made up nine members of the cabinet. They could almost make decisions on every affair, large and small, within the Hou Clan at present.

"Alright, the day is getting late. The nine departments should go and perform their duties. More than thirty thousand martial artists within the clan, as long as their cultivation meets the standards, must henceforth assume roles within the nine departments. Today is the fifth of September; I give you ten days to fill the ranks of your subordinates. The details regarding the treatment of department personnel have been issued by Old Fifth, and you can find him for more information."

"Yes, Family Head!"

The crowd respectfully bowed to Hou Yuxiao and only then realized that the sky had completely darkened; this meeting had indeed taken a whole day.

Despite feeling a wave of fatigue, the crowd felt quite encouraged, especially those like Li Sanyun who had been appointed as Commanders.

If they had previously regarded the Hou Clan only as a mountain to lean on, or a choice made out of necessity,

then after today's meeting, or rather, after the establishment of the family cabinet system, they all felt a strong sense of mission, and their sense of belonging to the Hou Clan had greatly increased.

The crowd bid farewell to Hou Yuxiao and left the main hall. Hou Mansion, which was originally the Yamen of the Sword Control Bureau, was more than capable of accommodating thousands of people and had long been prepared for their accommodation.

Hou Yucheng, Hou Yujie, and Hou Yuduan didn't move in tacit agreement as they watched others leave. Second Elder and Fourth Elder immediately began to harshly reprimand Hou Yuduan.

"Old Fifth, how could you possibly turn your elbow outwards!"

"What kind of Soul Ensnaring Soup have people like Li Sanyun fed you, Old Fifth?"

......

Hou Yuduan had obviously anticipated this, and in a gentle voice said, "Second Brother, Fourth Brother, let me ask you both a question. Compared to the end of last year, right before the Zhaoyang Disturbance, has there been a significant change within the Hou Clan now?"

Perhaps it was Hou Yuduan's gentle voice that calmed the emotions of Hou Yucheng and Hou Yujie significantly.

After pondering for a moment, Hou Yujie responded to him.

"Of course, it's been a huge change. To describe it as rapid as a day covering a thousand miles wouldn't be an exaggeration. So what?"

"Why such a big change?"

"Contending against the Mountain Sword Sect, defeating masters on the Tiger List, killing Cheng Yue, dealing with Ding Dian, advancing to First-Class, planning in the Prefectural City, cutting down the ninth Sword God, finding a way out amidst the demon disturbance... Which one of these things wasn't led by Big Brother with all of us working together, Old Fifth? Do you dare deny it?"

Hou Yuduan, not expecting Hou Yujie to list so many events, fell silent for a moment before saying, "Of course I don't deny it, but I ask you, after the disturbance caused by demons, if it weren't for the Gao Family's three brothers leading the remaining five thousand Mansion Army, could we have successfully ousted Fan Longhe and Gui Yutang;

During the two ambush battles at Wanglong Mountain, if it weren't for the Holy Church's fifty thousand Mansion Army, would we have enough strength to ambush Longxiang and the reinforcing troops from Yangping prefecture on our own;

If it weren't for the incorporation of the Medicine Dust Sect and three Second-rate forces into our Hou Clan, and their genuine commitment of manpower, along with the Gao Family's three brothers leading the remaining five thousand Mansion Army to join the Hou Clan, by now we wouldn't even be able to muster a thousand martial artists with at least five levels of body refinement, fit to serve as soldiers!"

Hou Yucheng and Hou Yujie were left speechless.

"I say this not to deny Big Brother's role. The development of the Hou Clan to today's level, Big Brother is indispensable and irreplaceable. But the question is, do we only want to develop to the current level?

Since the end of last year, the most significant change within the clan has been the explosive increase in martial artists, from less than a thousand to now over thirty thousand. If we want to continue to grow and strengthen, there will be an endless stream of outsiders joining us. If we still hold on to the idea that the Hou Clan is just the clan of us five, then it is destined that the Hou Clan won't go far.

Looking at the Holy Lands of the world, those formed as a family, as of now there's just Qinjian Villa in Jizhou, and even Qinjian Villa internally is divided into the Zhao, Li, and Qin families, which are the three strongest families in the world today.

Even among these three great family factions, there are many non-family members!"

Upon hearing "Qinjian Villa" and "Zhao Clan," a subtle discomfort appeared on the faces of Hou Yucheng, Hou Yujie, and even Hou Yuxiao, who had remained silent on the high platform. A hint of cold light simultaneously flashed in the depths of their eyes.

Hou Yuduan also noticed this, so he paused before asking them in a low voice, "If we want to grow and even become a powerful faction like the Zhao, Li, and Qin families, then a family reform is inevitable.

Even the mighty Sword Chief Gu Tianyun, when faced with the Demon Sect's army of 170,000, could only hole up within the city, showing that the power of one individual is ultimately limited. Whether it's Big Brother or the four of us, no matter how strong we are, can we be stronger than thousands of troops?

Today, only the Medicine Dust Sect, West Cloud Escort Agency, Bai Clan, and Hongdao Gang—four Second-rate forces—have joined the family, and the family's jurisdiction covers only two prefectures, nine counties, and eleven cities;

One day, if the Hou Clan becomes strong enough to absorb Second-rate, or even First-Class forces, and the family's influence expands to include an entire prefecture, an entire circuit, several circuits... or even an entire province, can just the five of us manage such a vast territory?"