"Stand at attention! Look to the right!"
"First company to the left, second company to the right, surround the entire Kong family estate; not a single fly can escape!"
"Third company, break down the door and charge in. Capture everyone from the Kong family. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
A major from the Beiyang Army issued the orders.
"Yes, Commander!"
The company and platoon leaders responded in unison.
This infantry battalion was the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 11th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army.
Their orders were to fully cooperate with the operations of the Intelligence Bureau.
"General, the arrangements have been made!" the major reported to Major General Li Qian.
"Good, let the brothers move out!" Major General Li Qian replied.
"Yes, General!" the major responded.
Immediately, a large number of Beiyang soldiers began to take action.
Two infantry companies surrounded the Kong residence.
They even set up heavy machine guns and mortars outside.
Another infantry company began to charge the door.
Even though the Kong family's gate was already closed, it was shaking and on the verge of collapse under the relentless battering of the soldiers wielding the ram.
Inside the Kong residence, the entire family was thrown into a panic, like headless flies.
The high-ranking members of the Kong family were even more terrified.
They never expected that the Beiyang Army would dare to directly attack them!
After all, they were the Kongs! The descendants of Confucius! The leaders of the scholarly community!
Did the Beiyang Army and the Li family dare to do this, positioning themselves against all scholars?
"What should we do? What should we do?"
"These soldiers are nothing but brutish devils! We should never have provoked them!"
"We haven't even received the benefits from the court yet, and now we've put the entire Kong family at risk! What are we going to do?"
Although they had initially followed the Qing court's orders to resist the Li family's rule in Shandong, this had gained the consensus of all the high-ranking members of the Kong family. But now, they couldn't help but start blaming each other.
The current head of the Kong family, the Yansheng Duke Kong Lingyi, was especially terrified.
He was just a six-year-old child.
In the past, he was respected because of his status.
But now, all he knew was that the Kong family was likely doomed. Those terrifying soldiers would kill them all.
"Alright, everyone, don't panic. We are the Kongs, the descendants of Confucius. Do you think Li Hongzhang and his son would dare to defy the heavens and harm us?" Kong Xiangrong said, surprisingly calm.
The other high-ranking members of the Kong family were filled with doubt.
They believed that their identity as descendants of Confucius might not be enough to protect them anymore.
"Bang!"
At that moment, the gate of the Kong residence was smashed open.
Beiyang soldiers charged in directly.
The gathered servants of the Kong family immediately scattered in all directions.
Many of them had been holding various weapons, ready to resist.
But at this moment, those weapons were thrown to the ground.
These servants were not fools. As subordinates, how could they risk their lives for the Kong family?
"What do you want? This is the Kong family! You barging in here is a great disrespect to Confucius!" Kong Xiangrong shouted angrily.
But those soldiers had no respect for Confucius whatsoever.
They were soldiers, only knowing to obey orders.
Forget about Confucius; as long as the orders were given, even if the King of Heaven came, they would still have to answer to the weapons in their hands.
"Clang!"
A series of sounds of rifles being cocked echoed, and the dark muzzles were aimed at Kong Xiangrong and the high-ranking members of the Kong family.
These pampered individuals had never seen such a scene!
One by one, they were so frightened that their legs went weak, collapsing to the ground.
"What... what do you want?" Kong Xiangrong stammered.
"The Kong family has colluded with the Manchus, recognized thieves as fathers, betrayed the nation, and disgraced the descendants of the sage. The Beiyang Army Command has ordered the confiscation of all Kong family assets. All members of the Kong family are to be arrested. Any resistance will be executed on the spot!" Major General Li Qian directly announced the command from the headquarters.
"What? You want to confiscate our property?"
"How dare you? We are the descendants of Confucius!"
"We are the leaders of the scholarly community; you are making enemies of scholars!"
The members of the Kong family knew very well that they were completely finished.
The glory of the Kong family had been buried in their hands.
Unwilling to accept their fate, they began to scream and shout in despair.
"Bang!"
Major General Li Qian struck Kong Xiangrong with the butt of his rifle, causing his head to bleed.
Instantly, the high-ranking members of the Kong family were so frightened that they resembled quails, not daring to utter another word.
Subsequently, all members of the Kong family were arrested.
Meanwhile, the Beiyang Army confiscated the entire Kong family estate.
A large amount of gold, silver, and jewels were brought out, including gold bricks and silver ingots buried underground by the Kong family.
Not to mention, the Kong family owned hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Qufu and its surrounding areas.
Now, all of this land was confiscated.
At the same time, the Beiyang Army, in cooperation with the Intelligence Bureau, launched actions against other families in Shandong that had colluded with the Qing court.
These families, like the Kongs, were all subjected to confiscation and extermination.
Anyone who dared to resist was shot on the spot, which greatly intimidated others.
When this news spread, it immediately caused a stir throughout the world.
Especially among countless scholars, they vehemently condemned the Li family and the Beiyang Army, viewing them as their sworn enemies.