It was half a day later when the news reached Elder Hou and others in the New World.
At this moment, Elder Hou and his group, who were waiting for reincarnation in the Underworld of Northern Wolf City, received the news. The faces of the group were extremely solemn, especially Elder Hou, who almost gritted his teeth and said, "The timing was really perfect!"
These seasoned veterans, how could they not see the coincidences?
At this moment, they are at the critical juncture of reincarnation, and each of them has already chosen the family they will be born into. For example, Elder Hou himself has a high spiritual strength and a high status, so he is naturally assigned to one of the four top bloodline families in the Northern Wasteland, namely the second son of the direct descendant of the Heavenly Wolf Zhou Household of the Heavenly Wolf.
The Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf, a royal family of the Northern Yan Kingdom, is a prestigious family that has produced four generations of top marshals. It is the most famous military family in Northern Yan, with a powerful bloodline that has repeatedly been able to rival the top families in the Central Plains. It is renowned throughout the Northern Wasteland. Now, there is only one spot left for the direct bloodline of this family, and Elder Hou is naturally determined to get it.
Is it possible for him to give up the opportunity to go back and handle the bigger picture at this point?
For the first time, Elder Hou was caught in an immense struggle!
Years of political experience told him that if this situation was not handled properly, the Federation aristocratic family structure could be completely broken, or at least split into two factions, with at least half of their forces joining Chen Qing's side. This was the trap Chen Qing had set up.
Unless the older generation goes back now, their prestige allows them to quickly gather those fence-sitters and forcibly suppress Xu Min and his group first, and then appease the lower ranks. Although the rift will certainly remain, at least they can barely maintain the status quo for the time being.
However, focusing on one thing will lead to another. If they go back now, the spot they give up will be taken by someone else, and who would be willing to give it up?
The older men exchanged glances, their eyes filled with calculation.
Elder Hou knew that if he were to step down, the other old folks would definitely find a way to take his place. But if he suggested that the younger generation take over, leaving the older generation to wait for the next batch, would they be willing to do that?
Everyone knows they don't want to!
The idea of selfless dedication often involves hoping others will sacrifice themselves, giving up the best opportunity for personal advancement to maintain the family's overall interests. This kind of thing is most effective when persuading others; when it comes to oneself, those who have reached the pinnacle would never have reached this point if they were truly willing to dedicate themselves.
" Elder Hou, look," one of the elders said, looking at Elder Hou, who had not yet gone to the Reincarnation Pool.
Elder Hou then looked at Zhang Zhengyuan beside him. "What did Elder Zhang say?"
Zhang Zhengyuan was immediately amused. What did that mean? Did they want him to go back and take charge?
Yes, Zhang Zhengyuan certainly has that kind of influence, but on what basis?
He brought almost all of his trusted subordinates with him this time, showing no intention of leaving any backup forces in the Federation. He was taking a desperate gamble. Now, let him go back? On what grounds?
"If the elder is willing to go back and take charge of the overall situation, we are willing." The others quickly reacted, but were interrupted by Zhang Zhengyuan before they could speak.
"Alright!" Zhang Zhengyuan interrupted them directly, "This old man has been through it all. He grew up eating pancakes too. Now that he's this age, his teeth are no longer good enough. He can't eat anymore. He'll be going now."
This time, he didn't even bother to say anything more, and simply waved his hand. "Hurry up, you brats, what are you waiting for? Can't you see we're short-handed?"
He walked straight to the Reincarnation Pool, not even glancing behind him, and entered with his eyes closed.
"Hey, Elder Zhang!"
The group stared wide-eyed, but several other officials nearby immediately glared back. "Do not disrupt the order, or you will bear the consequences!"
"This... this..."
The group of old men immediately gritted their teeth, their faces turning ashen.
Elder Hou shook his head and smiled. That old man is still as annoying as ever.
In fact, he also knew that Zhang Zhengyuan was the least likely person to be persuaded here. He was the only anomaly in the last thousand years to break free from the control of aristocratic families, but he did not create an aristocratic family himself. Many people thought he was foolish at the time, but now it seems that he was not. Only by not having any burdens could he leave so freely.
" Elder Hou, then what about us?" The others looked at Elder Hou tentatively.
Elder Hou shook his head. "The tide has turned; there's no point in dwelling on it."
At this point, he understood: even if he forcibly summoned people back, what difference would it make?
They managed to suppress it, but cracks have already appeared. Can they stay there forever?
Instead of being hesitant, it's better to be decisive. Now that the direct descendants of powerful families have placed their bets on this, let's be straightforward and resolute.
With that in mind, he no longer hesitated and followed Zhang Zhengyuan, stepping into the Reincarnation Pool.
Seeing this from a distance, Chen Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With these old guys' choice made, the situation on the Federation's side is set in stone. If these old guys insist on going back to continue guarding their families there, things will really get complicated this time.
Next spring, war will inevitably break out. Chen Qing has a premonition that this major war will not be a small-scale skirmish like before. Once the war starts, it will likely be a long-term chaotic conflict. Not only do we need to keep up with the current troop strength, but we also need to make more plans for the future.
The emperor of the Xiao Household holds the destiny of the Central Plains. Although the people are not united now, he is still the emperor and occupies the destiny of the Central Plains. Outstanding people with destiny will subconsciously gravitate towards him, and the Yin spirits accumulated by the Ghost Domain forces over the years can also flow continuously.
This powerful combination makes them arguably the strongest war machine in the second version.
I need more high-potential recruits to replenish my ranks, and players are a great option. Almost every player has decent potential, and recruiting most of them to my side is a must.
However, because of this, Elder Hou. He has dismantled their absolute control over the Federation, and they will definitely not let this go. With such a large influx of new players, the world's leader and the strongest Ghost King joining forces, along with the ancient players from the old guilds, are all eyeing him covetously.
Chen Qing really couldn't say how the world would change in the future.
However, he felt that with such a chaotic situation, the person behind it all must have started making moves, right?
With the older generation completely giving up, the outcome of the coup was no longer in doubt.
The aristocratic families reached a collective compromise, the first step of which was to reorganize the parliament.
Several generals from humble backgrounds were selected to join the association and work together to revise the laws of the Central Federation.
Second, it was announced that the so-called Disintegration Program restrictions would be abolished, and no one entering the virtual world would be subject to the installation of the Disintegration Program, nor would there be any more electronic collars that enslave humans.
Third, the number of people allowed to enter the virtual world will be reassessed, and a major examination will be organized. People will no longer be allowed to enter the virtual world based on qualifications, merits, status, or any other messy selection criteria.
The first batch of people to enter the world are selected solely based on their literary and martial skills; this selection is open to the entire Central Federation!
The news caused an uproar throughout the entire Federation.
People outside the Federation were speculating about what had happened to the Central Federation. However, the Western Federation's spies had been wiped out in the last war, so it was impossible to get any intelligence in a short time. Having just suffered a major defeat, they dared not make any rash moves and could only watch anxiously.
Meanwhile, the people within the Central Federation were in a state of jubilation.
Many people know that even if this time it is completely fair and open, the small number of one million spots will not be available to many of them, but at least they have hope and something to look forward to.
Instead of passively listening to a bunch of good news that has nothing to do with you.
While some rejoice, others grieve. After the conditions for the Civil and Martial Selection were announced as non-negotiable, the two groups most affected issued fierce protests.
One is the scion of the Hou family, led by Hou Laosan, who profited from their family's wealth; the other is the infamous Academic Clique of the Central Federation!