Kong Zhinan's family, oblivious to their fate, burrowed into the tunnel, but those in the manor had nowhere to escape.
Under the threat of the rocks behind them, they were forced to flee the manor with their families towards the outside.
At this moment, the Skyfire Army had already spread out like a net, catching everyone who emerged.
The landslide continued for a full half hour before peace was restored. The once majestic peak had a significant chunk missing from its summit to mid-slope. The rocks that should have been there were now scattered throughout Kong Family Manor.
"Reporting to the Duke, we've captured a total of one thousand three hundred and forty-two Kong family rebels!"
After no more escaped the manor, Wang Xuance counted the prisoners and reported to Fang Er.
"Was the patriarch of this branch captured?" Fang Er asked with a chilling voice.
Wang Xuance shook his head. "No, the Kong family members claim they haven't seen Kong Zhinan and his son, Kong Huiqing."
"Not only them, but even the servants of their household haven't been seen."
"Leave five hundred men to guard here. The rest of you, follow me into the manor to search!"
"We want them alive, or their bodies if dead!"
"I want Kong Zhinan and his son's heads to commemorate our fallen brothers!"
With that, Fang Er walked directly towards Kong Family Manor.
After relaying the order, Wang Xuance quickly led the special forces to pursue him.
Hao Daniu, along with five hundred brothers, and the Yan Yun Eighteen Riders also hurried to follow.
Meanwhile, the Prefect Zhang Yitong was searching among the captured individuals for his wife and children who had been forcibly brought there.
The section of Kong Family Manor closest to the mountain was completely buried in rubble, while the outer areas were almost unharmed.
The soldiers of the Third Regiment charged into the houses one by one, not overlooking any suspicious corner.
In front of the main Kong family residence, a brought-over Kong family descendant pointed at the tightly shut grand gate, stammering.
"Sirs, this, this, this is where the main branch resided."
Zhou Yanxi cast a questioning glance at Fang Er. Upon seeing him nod slightly, he stepped back a few paces, used his momentum to run, and directly leaped over the courtyard wall, then unlatched the gate from the inside.
"Search!"
"Yes, Duke!"
A hundred soldiers filed in, venturing deep into the courtyard to find traces of Kong Zhinan and his son.
The entire courtyard, the half closest to the mountain, was riddled with holes from the falling rocks, and the rooftops were also tattered.
After searching both the front and back courtyards, not only were there no living people, but not even a single dead body was found. However, there were several birdcages on the ground, and the birds inside were still hopping around lively.
Wang Xuance looked at the furnishings in the courtyard with confusion, feeling something was amiss.
Just then, he seemed to hear a sound from under his feet. He quickly stopped his companions who were walking nearby, crouched down, and listened carefully to the faint sounds.
"Bang!"
"The tunnel to the mountains, why didn't you say so earlier!"
"Bang!"
"You old imbecile, you guarded everything from me, and now are you happy?"
"A tunnel? I think this is a grave pit you prepared for our entire family!"
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"
After a while, the sounds gradually faded. He suddenly stood up from the ground and pointed at the ground beneath him.
"Search carefully below!"
"There's a tunnel underneath! Find the entrance!"
With this clue, everyone's spirits lifted. Those captured outside were just minor figures; Kong Zhinan and his son were the ultimate targets.
Wang Xuance's voice also attracted the attention of the Yan Yun Riders and Fang Er.
With more people, it was easier to work. Soon, someone pointed at the moved stone table and said.
"Look quickly, that stone table clearly shouldn't be in that position!"
Setting aside feng shui, the arrangement of the courtyard should at least appear comfortable to people. But after the stone table was moved, it clearly gave an awkward feeling.
With this discovery, the entrance to the tunnel was soon revealed.
However, the entrance at this moment was already blocked by rubble.
With everyone working together, it took less than an hour to clear the blocked tunnel entrance.
Similarly, the sound of clearing the rubble from the tunnel entrance also alerted Kong Huiqing inside.
He glanced at Kong Zhinan and instantly made a decision. He drew a dagger from his waist and said fiercely.
"Old man, don't blame me. For such a major event, someone has to step forward!"
Kong Zhinan's face had already turned into a pig's head. His eyes, swollen to mere slits, looked at his son in terror.
"You, you, what are you going to do!"
"Do nothing! You colluded with bandits and died to avoid punishment!"
After Kong Huiqing finished speaking, a sinister smile appeared on his face, and then the dagger in his hand instantly stabbed out, piercing Kong Zhinan's chest.
"Rebellious, rebellious, rebellious son!!"
Kong Zhinan felt a chill throughout his body, and his strength rapidly drained. In a short while, he lost his breath.
The surrounding Kong family servants and relatives were all shocked by this scene.
"Young master, you actually killed the old master!"
Kong Huiqing withdrew the dagger and then made another astonishing move.
Just as everyone was frozen there, he quickly stabbed and killed the two servants beside him.
"What are you looking at! If they don't die, none of us will have a chance to live!"
Kong Huiqing glared at everyone as he shouted, then reinserted the dagger into the wound in his father's chest and made some arrangements.
"Let's go!"
Having done all this, he snatched a torch from a servant and quickly ran towards the other end of the tunnel.
Now, all he could hope for was that the exit was not blocked by rubble.
When Wang Xuance and his men came down, they didn't walk far down the tunnel before seeing Kong Zhinan's corpse with his eyes wide open in death, as well as the two servants dead beside him.
"This old thief, with a missing leg, could still kill two subordinates and then commit suicide?"
"Why don't I believe this at all?"
After examining the bodies, he quickly discovered the wrongness of the situation.
One could only say that Kong Huiqing's methods were too clumsy.
After Wang Xuance's grumbling, he pressed his ear against the tunnel wall. The others saw this and quickly stood still, afraid of making any sound that might affect his judgment.
A moment later, Wang Xuance pointed ahead in the tunnel and said, "There are people ahead, chase!"
While they were busy below, the Third Regiment soldiers in the Kong residence were also not idle. The Kong family's warehouses were found!
Inside were boxes upon boxes of bamboo slips and ancient books, filling six storehouses!
In addition, there were a full ten storehouses of wealth and jewelry!
"This damn family is just a branch!"
Not to mention anything else, this wealth alone shattered their long-standing facade of benevolence and aiding the people.
"All inventory, take it and load it onto the ships!"
Fang Er threw the worm-eaten ancient books back into the box and waved to the soldiers behind him.
"The poor have no books to read, yet the Kong family would rather these classics be eaten by worms than take them out to enlighten the masses. How afraid were they of anyone replacing the Kong family's monopoly on knowledge?"