Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 473 - 228, the Enchantress is so vicious!

In the year 1322 of the New Yu Era, on the third day of the tenth month, nightfall

In the main hall of the Hou Mansion in Wanyang County, the lights were brightly shining.

Hou Yujie, Hou Yuduan, and Hou Yuling were standing around the main table, which was usually where Hou Yuxiao sat. With Hou Yuxiao absent, none of the three took the seat but stood to one side instead, gazing at the sand table on the table, their expressions flickering repeatedly.

The sand table was none other than a complete depiction of Xingyuan Road in Xuzhou, Guangling, and the prefectures of Lingyuan and Junkang. On the map of Guangling Prefecture, Gu Tianyun’s forces were split into two groups - one large in scale, engaged in fierce battle with the Demon Sect’s army at Longguan Prefecture; the other, smaller in size, stationed in the prefectural city to resist the hundred thousand Monastic Soldiers of the Brahman World Purifying Army. The approximate troop strengths in various other county cities were also marked out on the sand table.

"With the Lu Family overseeing the rivers, Gu Tianyun must be aware of the Holy Church’s eighty-three hundred thousand troops crossing the river. Apart from the five hundred thousand Silver Armored Army and the two hundred thousand Jinjia Army under his command, there’s also Bailu Academy’s one hundred thousand Qingyang Army and Leiyin Temple’s one hundred thousand Earthshade Monastic Soldiers, totaling nine hundred thousand troops. In both quantity and quality, they are far superior to Zhan Taiqing."

Zhan Taiqing’s two hundred thousand Brahman World Purifying Army had been divided in half, with one part bypassing Lingdong Prefecture to attack Yuyang. The strategy of dividing their forces was too obvious. It’s no surprise that Gu Tianyun could see through it, but the risk he took in leading his troops to strike directly at Long Guan... that’s truly audacious!" Hou Yujie commented with a slightly mocking tone as he looked at the sand table.

Hou Yuling, who was just beside him, sneered upon hearing this, "It’s not bravery, it’s foolishness! The original stance in this battle was Yongzhou on the offensive and Xuzhou on the defensive. He simply had to wait with nine hundred thousand troops from the three Holy Lands, and if Great Jin did not send additional forces, Zhan Taiqing would never have found an opportunity no matter what.

But he thought himself clever, believing he saw through Zhan Taiqing’s strategy of dividing her forces and led his troops directly to Long Guan, completely reversing the situation to Xuzhou on the offensive and Yongzhou on the defensive. With just a little more careful observation, anyone could see that to the west of Longguan Prefecture was only the Tongtian River. If preparations had not been made in advance along the river, Zhan Taiqing leading the troops westward in retreat would be a death sentence.

How could Zhan Taiqing, as astute a woman as she is, commit such a foolish act!

The twenty thousand troops of Great Jin have been lying in wait by the river for over half a month. The Xuzhou Army has been fighting in Long Guan for two days and two nights. With such a situation and still daring to pursue to the riverside, if Gu Tianyun does not react in time, the whole army could very well be buried at the mouth of the Tongtian River!"

Read 𝓁atest chapters at fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm Only.

"After all, Gu Tianyun is one of the four great Sword Chiefs of Xuzhou. Zhan Taiqing’s tactics don’t seem very clever, and yet he failed to notice, not just him, but there are also two great scholars at Bailu Academy. How did none of them see this through?"

Hou Yujie shook his head and, along with Hou Yuling, turned his gaze toward Hou Yuduan. In matters like this, Old Fifth’s thinking was always clearer than theirs.

"Gu Tianyun, your loss is well deserved!"

Hou Yuduan drew in a deep breath after stating those words, then said in a low voice, "Zhan Taiqing sending a hundred thousand Brahman World Purifying Soldiers to take Yuyang was, in itself, an overt scheme.

If Gu Tianyun were to divide his forces to aid them, the army of Long Guan Prefecture would be spurred into action and attack the Xuzhou Army stationed in Lingdong Prefecture. Those hundred thousand Brahman World Purifying Soldiers would also turn around and attack Lingdong Prefecture from both front and rear together with the Demon Army of Long Guan.

If he chose not to aid them, then those hundred thousand Brahman World Purifying Soldiers would cause chaos in the hinterlands of Guangling Prefecture, either attacking other Empty County Cities or directly targeting the Prefecture City. Even if Gu Tianyun disregards the other county cities, he still has to protect at least the Prefecture City; thus, he would always have to divide his forces."

After considering those words for a moment and coming to an understanding, the two drew a sharp intake of breath. Hou Yuling’s eyes flickered as she said in a soft voice, "Zhan Taiqing’s goal is not just to force Gu Tianyun to divide his forces but also to indirectly reveal that the Demon Army dares not confront Xuzhou directly in battle, which can be seen as showing weakness to the enemy. Gu Tianyun, holding the sacred Military Classics that form a 400,000-strong elite, is overall stronger than the Demon Army. Naturally, he led his large forces straight to Long Guan, and with that move, Zhan Taiqing’s ploy to bait the enemy deeper has succeeded!"

"Not only that..."

Hou Yuduan lightly pointed to Longguan County City on the sand table and continued, "Gu Tianyun isn’t a fool. If he overcomes Long Guan too easily, he will certainly sense the trickery. Zhan Taiqing’s real cunning is in her actual defeat - with seventy-three thousand of the Demon Army’s fighters battling bloodily for two days and two nights. Such intense resistance, plus nearly twenty thousand soldiers nearly dead, would make anyone, not just Gu Tianyun, unsuspecting!"

Twenty thousand soldiers...

Hou Yuling and Hou Yujie exchanged looks, their pupils filled with an unmistakable shock. Those twenty thousand plus soldiers, all of whom had achieved between five levels of body refinement and ten levels, including some martial artists from the Gang Qi Realm, Zhan Taiqing was callous enough to sacrifice them all just to lure the enemy deeper...

"Complacency breeds from thorough preparation, and the often-seen are not doubted. Gu Tianyun, commanding nine hundred thousand troops, plus the Lu Family forwarding him information, felt as if he had the Demon Army at his fingertips, inevitably leading to his carelessness. Coupled with Zhan Taiqing’s willingness to use two hundred thousand troops as bait, with such decisiveness, it would be unjust for him not to lose!"

"Lose?"

Hou Yujie questioned, "Not necessarily. The ready Great Jin elite of two hundred thousand, along with the fifty thousand of the Demon Army, total seven hundred thousand troops. Even if Gu Tianyun’s losses at Long Guan Prefecture are comparable to those of the Demon Army, he should still have at least seven hundred thousand troops left. With a not so large difference in numbers between the two sides, how can the Demon Army possibly annihilate them in one fell swoop?"

Hou Yuduan shook his head and drew a circle around the entire map of Guangling Prefecture City on the sand table, speaking with a grave tone, "Of course, they can’t annihilate them in one strike. However, once those two hundred thousand elite soldiers of Great Jin make a move, even if Gu Tianyun detects it beforehand, he could only retreat to Long Guan. Consequently, all of Xuzhou’s military forces currently in Guangling Prefecture will be rendered immobile."