With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Unlike the other lords who were still observing, the Wang family's hall was deathly silent.

Inside the hall, the head of the Wang family sat in the main seat, his face ashen, while the seven or eight people in charge on either side all had solemn expressions.

Such earth-shattering events as communicating with the Northern Xiongnu and betraying Lulong City could not possibly be decided by the patriarch alone. Even if he made the decision, he would need trusted confidants to carry it out. Those present at this moment were all those who knew the truth and those who would carry it out.

"How could the news have been leaked? It's spread throughout Qingyang Prefecture now!" An elderly man with white hair and beard suddenly stood up, his voice filled with anger and panic.

The head of the Wang family slowly raised his head, his gaze dim. "It was probably spread by the Lin family. Other lords knew about it, but at most they would discuss it privately, and then it would gradually dissipate."

We failed to intercept General Lü Fang and were rescued by the Lin family. Now the Lin family has arrived at the Qingyuan Sword Sect, and the imperial court will soon find out and will definitely investigate thoroughly. We can no longer hide it.”

"What? The imperial court wants to know too?" The crowd below the hall was immediately in an uproar, with murmurs rising and falling. Some clenched their fists, while others had sweat dripping from their foreheads.

"What do we do now? What did the master say? Our Wang family only opened the gates of Lulong City and let the Northern Xiongnu in because we followed his orders!" another person asked anxiously.

The patriarch took a deep breath, his voice hoarse, "The master said we must leave Qing County immediately, taking our hideout with us. The reason I've summoned you here today is to decide on the people who will accompany us."

"Leave Qing County?" The people below the hall were taken aback at first, and then fell silent.

They had actually guessed this day would come.

Such a heinous act of treason and collusion with the enemy, once exposed, would result in death and the extermination of the entire clan.

But in order for the survival of their family, they had no choice but to comply.

After all, the conditions offered by that gentleman were an irresistible temptation for the Wang family.

However, no one was willing to admit the reality of abandoning Yang County, which had been built up over a century, and giving up the foundation laid by their ancestors.

"Alright, everyone go back and find the right people. We'll set off tomorrow night," the patriarch broke the silence.

"I wonder how many people can leave?" an old man asked in a trembling voice.

"The master said that there should not be more than a hundred people, and that we must continue south."

The Wang family, having grown for a century and numbering in the tens of thousands, can now only take a hundred with them. The rest are destined to remain in Qing County, facing the overwhelming wrath of the Northern Han court.

At this thought, the elderly could no longer hold back and covered their faces, weeping softly. The suppressed sobs in the hall felt like dull knives cutting into their hearts.

The head of the Wang family pushed open the study door once again, his face still bearing traces of tears.

The scholar-like gentleman remained seated at his desk, a chess piece in his hand, which he gently placed down.

Just as the head of the Wang family stepped in, a black piece was swallowed by a white piece, and a soft "tap" sound was heard on the chessboard.

The head of the Wang family's gaze sharpened as he looked at the captured chess piece, as if he could see the fate of the Wang family at this moment, just like this black piece, which was about to be devoured by the Northern Han court.

"Sir, I have already conveyed your orders to the clansmen." The patriarch's voice was low, weary, and hoarse.

The man raised his eyes and sighed deeply, "Alas, this is all my fault. I never imagined that a mere Lin family could ruin my grand plan."

He never expected Lin Ye to spread the news and make the matter known to everyone.

This was actually quite difficult. General Lü Fang hadn't thought of it. He only wanted to pass on the message to his superiors, but he didn't spread the message or use rumors to arouse suspicion.

In fact, from the moment Lin Ye thought of spreading the news, regardless of whether they were intercepted, the Wang family was already doomed. As long as the imperial court heard the news and became suspicious, the Wang family would be doomed; it was only a matter of time.

Even more unexpectedly, the three top-tier martial artists failed to stop Lin Ye and his group, allowing the news to be transmitted to the imperial court ahead of schedule through the Qingyuan Sword Sect, further accelerating the demise of the Wang family.

The head of the Wang family gritted his teeth. "Sir, you are too kind. The fault does not lie with you, but with the Lin family. If they hadn't been meddling, the news wouldn't have spread so quickly, and the imperial court wouldn't have targeted us so soon."

After a moment of silence, he raised his head, a resolute glint in his eyes, "Sir, I want to stay."

"After they leave tomorrow night, I will lead my army to raze Xiang County to the ground and perish with the Lin family to avenge this grudge."

The man stared at him, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

He could tell that the head of the family was determined to die.

Despite his confidence that as his plan progressed, he would eventually make a comeback.

But faced with the impending carnage, with hundreds of clansmen fleeing south and tens of thousands left behind to die, as the head of the clan, the only thing he could do was to fight to the death and preserve the last shred of dignity for his clan.

"Alright." The man slowly uttered a single word. "I promise you, I will make sure your people are properly taken care of. On that day, Qing County and even the entire Qingyang Prefecture will be returned to your Wang family."

The Lin family disrupted his plans, and he hated them to the core.

The soldiers from Yang County and the other two counties will inevitably join the Northern Han court after the Wang family leader's escape, which will only strengthen the enemy's forces.

Why not let the Wang family patriarch lead this army to fight the Lin family to the death, destroy the Lin family, and both vent our anger and weaken the Northern Han? It would be a win-win situation.

Two days later, the head of the Wang family led an army of five thousand men straight to Xiang County.

Originally, the Wang family controlled three counties and had more than 10,000 soldiers, but the incident happened suddenly, and some of the Wang family members who served as captains had fled south with the master last night.

To avoid arousing suspicion from the Northern Han court and other lords in Qingyang Prefecture, their troops were not mobilized.

At this moment, only five thousand people can be mobilized.

Before the army set off, the head of the Wang family swiftly seized control of Prefect Zhu of Qingyang Prefecture and took him hostage.

They then announced that the Lin family was actually a puppet supported by the Northern Xiongnu, and that the two third-rate strongholds in their possession were secretly provided by the Northern Xiongnu. They were ordered by the imperial court to wipe out the Lin family.

The previous rumors were spread by the Lin family to confuse the public, disrupt Qingyang, and cause the various lords of Qingyang Prefecture to distrust each other, thus creating an opportunity for the Northern Xiongnu to launch another surprise attack. In reality, the Lin family was the Northern Xiongnu's inside man.

Five thousand troops set off from Qing County, passed through Yun County, and headed straight for Xiang County.

At their marching speed, it would take two days to arrive.

The news quickly spread throughout Qingyang Prefecture.

Although the lords had learned of the Wang family's movements, there was still no consensus on "which of the Wang and Lin families was the Northern Xiongnu's internal agent."

Each faction assembled its troops, stood ready, and prepared to launch an attack at any moment.

At the same time, each family began sending communications to their powerful backers or clans, some to the capital of Wuwei County and others to other counties, to gather information and determine their next steps.

After all, they were all lords who controlled their own territories, and everyone had a powerful backer.

Meanwhile, Xiang County has received an urgent report.

On one hand, Li sent several messengers to various lords to seek help, detailing Lü Fang's military situation and his deduction that the Wang family was colluding with the enemy, and asking for their assistance.

On one hand, the Lin family's only communication vessel was launched to transmit this urgent message to Lin Ye, who was far away at the Qingyuan Sword Sect.