Three nights later, Fang Er and over forty men quietly arrived in Xingyang.
The two from the Ministry of Works were merely spokesmen for the two major families; since Fang Er had decided to act, he was determined to uproot these families and give them no chance to breathe.
They captured a night watchman and used silver to bribe him, learning the location of the Zheng family's main branch.
It was in the northwest corner of Xingyang county, a manor, where the Zheng clan's ancestral temple was said to be.
At midnight, in front of the Zheng manor's gates, Fang Er, along with Zhu Zi and Zhao Hu's team, appeared at the main entrance.
The vermilion gate was over three meters high, its copper studs gleaming under the torchlight.
A cannon was placed on the official road in front of the Zheng manor, its muzzle aimed directly at the gate.
Fang Er and his men were waiting for something.
Soon after, with a deafening roar, flames erupted from the Zheng manor.
Cries from maids and house guards echoed endlessly.
"Who dares to run amok at my Zheng family!"
An enraged roar echoed from within.
The Zheng family head was in bed with his concubine, engaged in indecent activities, when a violent explosion startled him, causing him to lose his arousal.
He quickly donned his clothes and emerged from the room, only to see flames engulfing various parts of the estate.
He hastily summoned a house guard to inquire about the cause.
"What's going on? Where did that sound come from? Why are there fires everywhere?"
"Master, it's bad! Many things were thrown from outside the courtyard, and they exploded!"
The house guard said to the Zheng family head in a panic.
"What is to come has finally arrived. This old man has waited for you!"
The Zheng family head's eyes gleamed with ferocity, and he then said to the house guard, "Go to the outskirts of the city and notify the second young master, tell him to bring the army back!"
Upon hearing this, the house guard hurried towards the back gate. However, he didn't anticipate that all the exits, large and small, of the Zheng manor had been secured by Fang Er's men.
As the house guard stepped out of the back gate, Liu Meng, who was waiting there, shot him in the head with a firearm, rendering him unconscious.
"Heh heh, the firearms the young master created are truly effective!"
Liu Meng poked the house guard on the ground with his firearm, confirming he was dead.
The Zheng family head heard the gunshot from the back gate. Although he didn't know what made the sound, he was certain the back gate was blocked.
He immediately gathered all the house guards and charged towards the main gate.
"Damn it, I want to see who is so blind as to dare provoke my Zheng family!"
The gatekeeper, seeing the master emerge from the inner courtyard with his men in a grand procession, quickly opened the Zheng manor's main gate.
Fang Er was leaning against the cannon, arms crossed, a blade of grass in his mouth, his eyes filled with ferocity as he watched the Zheng family members stream out from the gate.
"Who are you people, daring to commit such outrages here! Do you know where this is?"
The Zheng family head recognized Fang Er as the leader of the group at first glance.
"Oh? Then tell me, where is this place?"
Fang Er gritted his teeth and asked the Zheng family head.
"This is the ancestral land of the Zheng family, one of the Five Great Clans! Speak! Who sent you? Aren't you afraid of having no place to stay in the entirety of the Great Tang!"
The Zheng family head roared at Fang Er.
"We're here to beat up your Zheng family! Zhao Hu, fire the cannon!"
Fang Er said, patting the cannon and stepping aside.
"Heh heh, young master, just watch!"
Zhao Hu grinned wickedly, picked up a torch, and ignited the cannon's fuse.
Boom!
In the quiet night, the tremendous sound awakened people sleeping within a mile's radius.
A bright flame flashed at the muzzle of the cannon.
A six-pound iron ball roared from the barrel and shot towards the Zheng manor's gate.
Several Zheng family servants standing at the gate were instantly blown to pieces by the iron ball. Without stopping, the iron ball passed through the crowd and slammed into the screen wall behind the Zheng family gate.
Thud!
Spiderweb-like cracks immediately appeared on the screen wall, and it then collapsed with a rumble.
"This! This! What is this thing!"
The Zheng family head stared at the unfolding events, dumbfounded. He couldn't comprehend how that dark, ominous object possessed such immense power.
"It's a demon!"
"Mom, I want to go home!"
"What in the world is this!"
The Zheng family servants who were not hit by the iron ball, seeing their former comrades dead from the cannonball, were all terrified.
Fang Er watched everything unfold without a trace of mercy.
Zhao Hu was satisfied with the shot he had fired. Seeing that the Zheng family members were all stunned, he began to clean the cannon barrel as if no one were around, reloading it.
"Esteemed young master, may I ask how my Zheng family has offended you? Is there perhaps a misunderstanding?"
The Zheng family head, worthy of his status as a member of a prominent family, quickly calmed himself. Suppressing his fear and anger, he spoke to Fang Er in a fawning manner.
"I forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Fang, and the Emperor bestowed upon me the name Fang Anzhi. I am the one who presented the salt refining method. Do you understand now?"
Fang Er said calmly.
"Young Master Fang, it's a misunderstanding, a true misunderstanding! The attack on your residence was done privately by that scoundrel Zheng Yuan, and it has nothing to do with the main branch of my Zheng family! How about this, Young Master Fang has had his fill of anger. I, Zheng, am willing to offer a large sum of silver as compensation. Please, Young Master Fang, show mercy. After all, my Zheng family is one of the Seven Great Clans, and even the Emperor must give us some face. Let's let this matter rest today. What do you say, Young Master Fang?"
The Zheng family head, gazing at the dark cannon barrel, had no thought of resistance. He only wished to survive and spoke to Fang Er with a mix of soft and hard tactics.
"Heh heh! It's too late to say anything now! Zhao Hu, what are you waiting for?"
Fang Er glanced at Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu quickly fired another shot.
With a bang, the cannon fired again.
The iron ball flew over the collapsed screen wall and directly into the Zheng family courtyard, followed by screams.
The Zheng family head seemed to realize something and said to the servants behind him, "This thing cannot be rotated casually. Go around it and kill them!"
The Zheng family servants, upon hearing this, gained some courage. Dozens of them, armed with swords and sabers, prepared to go around the cannon and charge towards Fang Er and his men.
"Is it really that simple? Zhu Zi, fire!"
Fang Er cast a sideways glance at the Zheng family head and said to Zhu Zi.
"Form ranks, raise your firearms!"
At Zhu Zi's command, the ten Fang family guards behind him quickly divided into two lines, five men per line.
From Chang'an to Xingyang, it was only over 400 kilometers, a distance of 800 li, which could be covered on horseback in two days.
Fang Er and his men had traveled for three days. Besides traveling, Fang Er had also taught them basic firearm drills and combat methods.
Although time was tight and their movements were not very proficient, they were adequate for dealing with these house guards.
"First rank, fire!"
Zhu Zi gave another command.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The five men in the front rank pulled the triggers simultaneously.