Family practice: all members of the villain

Chapter 407 Gain Time for the Hexi Banquet
November 1332, [-] in the new Yu calendar

Hexi Daocheng, Hou Family Main Hall, Zhaoyang Palace

Hou Yuxiao, who had just returned from Jianye Fucheng, took Hou Yujie and Hou Yuduan to visit Jing Tianyu and his party, and then summoned Hou Yucheng and Hou Yuling together. At this moment, there was no one else in the main hall except the five of them.

Hou Yuxiao waved his hand gently, shielding the entire main hall, then turned to look at Hou Yucheng and asked in a low voice: "What have Jing Tianyu and the others been doing in the city these days?"

Hou Yucheng shook his head and said: "I didn't send anyone to keep an eye on them. They are a bit unusual in keeping a low profile. They stay behind closed doors almost all day, except for...Lian Ningxue!"

Practicing Ningxue?
Hou Yuxiao didn't react at first, but he soon remembered that this was the person sent by the Hedong Alliance to marry the Hou family. Seeing the unusual expression on Hou Yucheng's face when he mentioned Lian Ningxue, he suddenly spoke in a strange tone asked: "What?"

"Lian Ningxue is deliberately approaching me!"

This time, it wasn't just him. Hou Yuling and the three of them all laughed softly. After Hou Yucheng's eyes warned them, the three of them suppressed their laughter and restrained their laughter.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Seeing that Hou Yuxiao's expression was a bit teasing, Hou Yucheng laughed at himself: "I am still somewhat self-aware. I had a relationship with Lian Ningxue ten years ago. This woman is definitely not the kind of character who takes the initiative to stick to others. The reason why she is like this Taking the initiative to approach me, as the eldest brother expected, I am afraid that I want to find out more about the situation in Hexi. I followed what the eldest brother said, without alienating or flattering, and maintaining a lukewarm attitude. She was happy to do so. Didn't give up!"

Upon hearing this, Hou Yuxiao immediately stopped teasing and his expression became more serious.

"The alliance has the confidence to send Lian Ningxue to marry her, which means they have absolute confidence in this woman. When the Taiping Princess Yu Wenqing of the Jin Dynasty arrives in four days, it will probably be the same. The fourth child should be more careful."

"yes, Sir!"

Upon hearing the reminder, Hou Yujie held up his hands and nodded solemnly.

After all, the Lord of Hexi is still Hou Yuxiao. Now that the armies of both sides have settled in Hexi, his attitude as the master is still murky. Now that both sides are eager to make sure, they can only rely on this method.

"To be honest, they can't find out anything from us!"

Hou Yucheng shook his head and looked at Hou Yuxiao with a helpless expression.

As soon as he said these words, the other three people also looked up at Hou Yuxiao, their faces also full of doubts.

It's true that no matter Lian Ningxue or Yu Wenqing, they really can't find out anything about Hou Yucheng and Hou Yujie, because up to now, Hou Yuxiao still hasn't clearly told the four of them Hexi's position.

Of course, Hou Yuxiao clearly told them that Hexi would rebel against the Jin Dynasty.

But while he ordered the four of them to go to Sishui County to find Tongtian Hebo, Hou Yuxiao himself led an army to greet the Jin army that landed southward. At the same time, he also expressed to Tuoba Zun that Hexi would join the Jin. These things, Hou Yujie and Hou Yuduan, But they had all witnessed it with their own eyes, and both Hou Yucheng and Hou Yuling knew it.

450 million troops were placed in Xingnan Mansion. In addition, the 50 Red Flame Army brought back from Xiapi County were also arranged by Hou Yuxiao to go to Xingnan Mansion. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to maintain a distance from the alliance and the Jin Dynasty. , is also a neutral expression.

All in all, with regard to all Hou Yuxiao's current arrangements, not to mention Jing Tianyu and Tuoba Zun who couldn't tell which side he was on, even the four of them were at a loss.

"Brother, I really don't understand what you are going to do."

"Now we seem to be offending both sides, but in fact we are offending both sides."

"Before Hexi's position became unclear, Jing Tianyu and Tuoba Zun must have been very polite to us. Just now, the eldest brother said that there will be a banquet in four days, and Tuoba Zun will also come. Jing Tianyu didn't respond at all, and even offered to attend the banquet. This Obviously, they are worried about us defecting to Jin Dynasty, right?"

"Of course, according to what we saw in Xiapi County, even if the Jin Dynasty went south this time, the total number of troops was at least more than 800 million, even if there are not tens of millions. The military strength is already better than that of the Hedong Alliance. If we fall to the Jin Dynasty again, then this If there is a battle in Hexi, the Alliance will be at risk!"

"When we were in Xiapi County, Tuoba Zun learned that Jing Tianyu was in Daocheng, and he immediately agreed to my elder brother's invitation. By accident, we in Hexi became a hot potato."

"It's only for a short period of time. Once the position is clear, the situation will change."

………………

Of course, to say that all four of them are confused is not necessarily the case.

Except for Hou Yucheng, Hou Yuling, and Hou Yujie who were full of doubts in their words, Hou Yuduan on the side had an increasingly calm expression. Seeing that Hou Yuxiao did not speak, he opened his mouth first to clarify the confusion for Hou Yucheng and the others.

"Second brother, third sister, fourth brother, don't worry, we definitely have a stand!"

With Hexi's current strength and status, he is simply not qualified to wander between the Jin Dynasty and the Alliance. He also has no confidence to watch the fire from the other side like the New Moon God Sect. Only by choosing one side can he get a chance to survive.

But at the same time, choosing one party also means completely offending the other party.
Hou Yucheng and the other three are all aware of these things.

Their confusion was mainly due to Hou Yuxiao's series of arrangements. He showed goodwill to both sides and at the same time arranged all 500 million troops in Hexi Province in Xingnan Prefecture. He also held a banquet in Daocheng and invited people from both sides. What on earth did he want to do? .

"Brother, whether it is Dajin or the Alliance, as long as it is your decision, we will fully support it. Brother should know this.

I think that if we want to go to one side, we should make arrangements as soon as possible. Otherwise, when the Jin Dynasty and the alliance are more prepared, our bargaining chips will be less and less, and we have to be prepared. These two will... ... secretly connect! "

The other three people who heard Hou Yujie's words all frowned, and even Hou Yuxiao, who was standing at the top, looked a little gloomy.

This may sound a bit unbelievable at first. After all, Dajin and the Alliance are enemies that are about to go to war. The idea of ​​secretly communicating with the enemy is a bit alarmist, but if you think about it carefully, it is not impossible.

The alliance has 700 million troops, and the Jin Dynasty has more than 800 million troops. This adds up to 500 million troops who have traveled long distances to Hexi. They are not here for sightseeing. The supplies of so many troops are consumed every day, but there is a huge amount of supplies. Hexi's position has been vacillating Maybe, they will have to be dragged along like this, which will waste a lot of time, manpower, and material resources, which is also a huge loss.

The problem is that they don't dare to unilaterally break up with Hexi. If they do this rashly and push Hexi towards the other side, that is the way to death. So if Hexi keeps vacillating like this, both sides will definitely have to find a way. By then , the best way is to communicate secretly with these four words Hou Yujie said.

The Jin Dynasty and the Alliance must fight each other in Hexi. If possible, they all hope that the Hou family will turn to them. After all, the Hou family has an army of 500 million, including 200 million elites from the Holy Land. This power cannot be underestimated.

But if Hexi continues to be like this, it will be torture for both parties. They are worried that Hexi will fall to each other, and they will be dragged by Hexi so that they will not be able to fight. one.

That means the two families join forces to destroy the Hou family first!
Not to mention, for both companies, this is the safest way to deal with it.

"Don't worry, it's not Hexi that Dajin and the League want to deal with the most. Besides, it's not that simple to get the two of them to join forces, so they won't do it unless it's absolutely necessary."

Hou Yuduan first spoke to reassure everyone, then looked at Hou Yuxiao and asked softly: "At the banquet four days later, Tuoba Zun and Jing Tianyu will either win over or frighten me, Hexi. Brother, I want to win some more at that time." time?"

………………

Hearing the words "buying time", Hou Yuxiao's pupils condensed slightly, and he immediately looked at Hou Yuduan. Seeing his eyes, Hou Yuxiao immediately understood that the fifth child should have guessed his intentions.

He wanted to try Hou Yuduan again, his mind moved slightly, and he asked deliberately:

"What time do you want?"

Hou Yuduan saw Hou Yuxiao's temptation, thought for a moment, raised his head and looked at Hou Yuxiao, and whispered three words.

"Xingnan Mansion!"

"What Xingnan Mansion? Didn't eldest brother put all the troops there?"

"Buy time for Xingnan Mansion, what do you mean?"

"Brother, Lao Wu, what riddles are you playing?"

Sure enough, I know, I am worthy of being the fifth child...

Hou Yuxiao sighed in his heart. Looking at the still confused Hou Yucheng and the other three, he did not give any explanation. It was not that he did not trust them, but that the methods of the Holy Land were really unpredictable. At the moment, the Jin Dynasty and the alliance were all in Hou Yucheng. He and Hou Yujie had people around them. If he accidentally revealed it, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

"Prepare for the banquet in four days. When the banquet is over, you all will know my plans. There is no need to rush these days, go down!"

Hou Yucheng and the others hesitated for a moment, then nodded respectfully and left.

Since the eldest brother didn't tell them, it must be reasonable. They would know it when it was time for them to know it. Seeing how Lao Wu had just played riddles with Hou Yuxiao, it was obvious that he had seen something in advance. The three of them suddenly felt a little bit in their hearts. Hou Yuduan could tell that he was not convinced, but they couldn't.

Obviously, after going down, in addition to arranging the banquet for four days later, the three of them also continued to think about the meaning of the riddle just now with full of questions, and to buy time for the army of Xingnan Mansion. What time should they buy?
………………

In Daocheng, Hexi, the news that the Marquis Mansion hosted a banquet for Jing Tianyu and Tuoba Zun at the same time has already spread a lot. People in the entire Daocheng, or in other words, people in Hexi, are paying close attention to the banquet.

Tens of millions of troops from the Great Jin Dynasty entered Jianye Prefecture, and seven million troops from the Hedong Alliance entered Zhaoyang Prefecture. These two events have long been spread in Hexi, and now even ordinary people know about it, so Many people knew the purpose of this banquet.

The Jin Dynasty is advancing eastward in the north and is already at war with Qinjian Villa. The alliance has also sent millions of troops across the river to support it. Everyone knows that it is the first battlefield of the Jin Dynasty. Now Hexi will become the second battlefield. Some warriors with sharp eyesight, and even ordinary people, understand in their hearts.

At this juncture, it was obvious that Hou Yuxiao, the Lord of Hexi, was hosting a banquet between the two families and was about to make a choice between the two families. How could a person from Hexi not pay attention to such a thing?
After all, Hou Yuxiao's choice is related to the future situation of the entire Hexi.

The power of the Jin Dynasty is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. As early as the news of the Jin Dynasty going south, there were already many voices in Hexi that fell in favor of the Jin Dynasty. This was not only among the people in Hexi, but also among the people under the Hou family. , there are quite a few.

These people also knew in their hearts that voices are voices. As long as Hou Yuxiao, the Lord of Hexi, did not make a decision, Hexi's position would become unclear. This caused their attention to this banquet to reach a very crazy level.

Moreover, it is not just the people of Hexi. There are countless forces in the world, and there are countless forces who want to know the news in advance. How Hexi chooses will affect the outcome of this war and will also affect the pattern of the world. Under this situation, originally Hexi Daocheng, which was losing people rapidly due to the war, suddenly became extremely lively.

Warriors from all states and forces in the world, even people from many holy places, as well as people from Hexi, frantically flocked to Daocheng, trying their best to inquire about the news about this banquet. A meeting with the maid responsible for hosting this banquet would cost a high price of 5 taels of silver.

Although the Hou family had tried their best to block the news and avoid outside attention, it was inevitable that someone would leak the news. Seeing this, the Hou family simply stopped covering up the matter, and instead announced it generously and even hosted a banquet. Of course, the people from many forces who came to inquire about the information must at least be prefecture-level forces.

In this way, the banquet that was originally just for Tuoba Zun and Jing Tianyu turned into a grand event with hundreds of guests. Even Hou Yuxiao did not expect that there would be so many forces gathered in Hexi at this moment.

November 1322, 21 in the new Yuli calendar
On the day when the banquet officially started, there was a huge crowd of people in the Hou Mansion. Zhaoyang Palace had already been decorated magnificently. Each of the guests held invitations and took their seats early. Hou Yuduan was responsible for receiving them at the door. Hou's Baiyuwei , Black Feather Guards, and all warriors from the upper and lower sects were all mobilized to ensure safety. Before the banquet even started, there was already a grand feeling of guests from all over the world gathering.

"That's the Hou family's White Feather Guards, tsk tsk, they are all at the Grandmaster level!"

"After all, he is the personal guard of the head of the family, Hou Yuxiao. It is not surprising that he has such a level of cultivation."

"The head of the Hou family is now in the martial arts sub-sage realm. He doesn't need any personal guards. They are probably equivalent to servants around him."

"This is a wealthy family! The master, the servants, tsk tsk..."

"The Black Feather Guards are the elite around Fourth Master Hou Yujie, and they are also at the Grand Master level."

"There are also many masters at the master level among those who go to the Hou family. The number of masters at the Hou family's master level has far exceeded that of ordinary heaven-level forces. I'm afraid they are not far behind those in the Holy Land, right?"

"Innocent, how much is this? The 500 million troops of the Hou family are still in Xingnan Mansion. What I have shown you is only a small part. I estimate that the masters of the Hou family are not as good as those of the Jin Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty." The New Moon God Sect and other holy places may not have as many as him."

"How can this......... be so strong?"

"It's a joke, otherwise how could they destroy Leiyin Temple?"

"The most wealthy family in the Holy Land is not made up!"

………………

In the Zhaoyang Palace, the warriors from all the major forces in various states were all frightened when they saw the warriors coming and going from the Hou family. Even the people from the heaven-level powerful forces were shocked by the strength shown by the Hou family. No, that's right. The members of the Holy Land were somewhat shocked at this moment.

"White Feather Guards, Black Feather Guards, Shangxiahoumen, these four are the Hou family's elites, but the strongest one in Hou's hands is definitely the 500 million army of Xingnan Mansion. The four troops in front of us are already so terrifying, then Isn’t the Hou family’s 500 million army stronger?”

This is the common thought in many people's minds at this moment.

After having this idea, even when facing ordinary servants of the Hou family, their postures became much more humble and respectful.

"Emperor Tuoba of Youye and Princess Taiping Yu Wenqing have arrived!"

"Hedong Alliance General Jing Tianyu has arrived!"

Two high-pitched voices sounded outside the palace, signaling the beginning of the banquet. Everyone in Zhaoyang Palace immediately stood up and quietly turned their heads to look outside the palace door.

Two groups of people walked in at the same time from outside the palace door, which was spacious enough.

Seeing these two groups of people, all the guests in Zhaoyang Palace looked a little horrified.

(End of this chapter)