The gunfire within the Kong mansion did not last long. Just as the Prefect finished recounting the events, it was over inside.
One by one, members of the Kong family were escorted out.
"My Lord, apart from those who resisted and were killed, everyone else is here!" Wang Xuance saluted.
"Which direction is Kong Family Manor, and how far is it from here?" Fang Er asked the Prefect, ignoring the escorted Kong family members. These were, at most, mere pawns!
Upon hearing this, the Prefect quickly replied, "Reporting to the Duke, it's ten li north of the city."
"Zhang Yitong, I guarantee your wife and children will die a terrible death!" Suddenly, one of the Kong family members, seeing the Prefect's betrayal, glared at him and yelled.
*Bang!*
Fang Er directly fired a shot.
"Noisy!"
"Let's go!"
Saying that, he walked towards the west gate.
Exiting the west gate, everyone boarded the hovercraft again. Under Zhang Yitong's guidance, they entered the Yishui River and headed north.
From standing on the city wall, he had already felt the hovercraft was imposing, but only now, on board, did he realize how ignorant he had been.
The hovercraft, lifting off the ground, blasted high-pressure air from its underside onto the water, stirring up a large amount of mist, making it look like they were soaring through the clouds.
Everything on the ship was unfamiliar to him, but he dared not ask or speak.
He simply continued his task of guiding the way honestly.
After traveling on the river for a while, the fleet left the Yishui River and sailed east for about two li before spotting a manor.
This was Kong Family Manor.
The manor was built against the mountainside, and judging by its scale, it housed no less than three to five hundred households.
Calculating the normal number of people per household, there must have been at least over a thousand people.
The arrival of the hovercraft quickly alerted the people in the manor.
Before long, able-bodied men rushed out carrying swords, spears, and clubs.
"Everyone, disembark! All Kong family members, surrender immediately!"
At this moment, the tragic state of the thousand brothers flashed back into his mind, and Fang Er immediately issued the order to capture.
The Heavenly Fire Army, the Yan Yun Cavalry, and the Special Operations Team disembarked in succession, forming a long line and advancing towards the manor.
"Duke of Shenyang is here by imperial decree to apprehend you! All Kong family disciples, surrender immediately, or face execution!" Guan Chang, walking at the forefront, held an AK47 and issued a warning to the people of the manor.
But as soon as he finished speaking, someone from the manor shot a signal arrow into the sky, and then all the able-bodied men instantly turned and ran back into the manor.
Guan Chang was about to give chase when Fang Er stopped him.
"Wait!"
As expected, soon after, countless figures appeared on the mountain behind the manor.
These people were all dressed as mountain bandits, wielding swords and weapons, rapidly descending along the mountain path.
"The Kong family! This is no longer just about monopolizing public opinion; they even dare to harbor bandits!"
"Hovercraft number one, rocket launchers, target the bandits on the mountain, prepare!"
"Yes!"
These three hovercraft, unnamed and simply designated one, two, and three, responded quickly to Fang Er's command.
"Twenty-two 140mm units!"
"Report! Rocket launchers are ready!"
"Fire!"
"Yes!"
Li Da on the hovercraft enjoyed this method of attack. Compared to the bows and arrows he previously favored, it was much more exhilarating.
Watching the moving bandits on the screen, he abruptly slammed his right hand, which was on the fire button.
*Boom boom boom boom boom~~~*
Twenty-two rockets soared into the sky, trailing long flames, and flew towards the bandits at extreme speed.
The commotion of the launch startled the bandits, and then they saw a swarm of rockets descending upon them from the sky.
This was the first official appearance of rockets; no one knew what these things were.
However, the power of cannons had long been spread throughout the land. These rockets, with even greater noise than cannons, were clearly not ordinary weapons.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
Someone among the bandits shouted.
But the speed of the rockets gave them no time to escape.
*Boom boom boom boom boom~~~*
As the rockets landed on the mountain, balls of fire erupted.
Trees and rubble flew everywhere, and countless bandits were thrown high into the air by the explosion's blast wave, only to fall heavily.
The scene created by the rockets was like the descent of the thunder god.
The entire mountainside trembled slightly, and then a large amount of rocks began to slide down, crashing towards Kong Family Manor below.
"Landslide!"
Everyone in Kong Family Manor saw this scene. The sound of the explosions made it impossible to ignore.
In the largest residence within the manor, a middle-aged man, looking at the rolling rocks, broke out in a cold sweat and frantically yelled at his servants.
"Quick! Carry the Patriarch and escape! Escape outside the manor!"
"Sir! We can't escape! The officials have blocked the outside!" A servant had already collapsed on the ground.
"Officials in front, landslide behind!"
"There is nowhere to escape!"
Seeing the servant's cowardly demeanor, the middle-aged man seemed to have found an outlet for his frustration. He drew the gentleman's sword from his waist and thrust it directly into the servant's chest!
Then, he fiercely looked at the other trembling servants around him.
"What are you all standing around for! Hurry and bring out the Patriarch!"
The servants dared not delay any longer. They rushed into the house in a panic and carried out a one-legged old man.
This old man was the Patriarch of this branch of the Kong family, Kong Zhinan. Due to his limited mobility, he had to be carried around.
Kong Zhinan looked calmly at the middle-aged man and said, "Huiqing, do not panic. Judging by the commotion, has that rogue Fang come looking for us?"
The middle-aged man was Kong Huiqing, who had gone to Yangzhou to collude with the Yangzhou Prefect Zou Wenxin. He was a branch of the Kong family in Langya Commandery, the next in line to be the Patriarch!
How fierce Kong Huiqing had been towards his servants just now clearly showed how flustered he was inside.
"Father! That rogue Fang has indeed arrived. He is now leading a large army outside the manor, we must leave here quickly!"
At this moment, the family members from the back courtyard, carrying large bags and bundles, rushed to this side, looking at Kong Zhinan in a state of utter helplessness.
"Master, what do we do? What do we do!"
"Come, move that stone table!"
Kong Zhinan pointed at the stone table in the courtyard.
The servants quickly went over and moved the stone table aside, and under Kong Zhinan's command, they also removed the stone slab beneath it.
There, it turned out to be a secret tunnel!
"Let's go! This tunnel leads out of the manor!"
This tunnel was the last lifeline for the Kong family members at this moment. Everyone eagerly jumped in.
Shortly after walking through the tunnel, they heard the rumbling sound from above.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Fang's cannons are truly loud!"
"What a pity, what a pity. It's not so easy to take this old man's life!"
Under the torchlight, Kong Zhinan looked smug.
"Father, this is not the sound of cannons; it's a landslide!" Kong Huiqing, no longer flustered, said to his father with a smile.
Sun Zhinan heard this and was instantly stunned.
"Landslide?"
*Puff~~~*
Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of black blood!
"Rebellious son! Rebellious son! Why, why didn't you mention the landslide earlier! This tunnel leads directly into the mountains!"
*Puff~~*
As soon as he finished speaking, Kong Zhinan spat out another mouthful of blood and stared blankly at the cave wall.
"It's over, it's over, everything is over!"
"This is not a tunnel at all!"