The next day, it was still dark, with only a faint light, and the sun was still brewing below the horizon.
Madam Yilan hadn't slept last night. She tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. She just lay on the tiger-skin mattress with her eyes closed and dozed off. It was not until this moment that she felt a little sleepy. Just as she was about to take a short nap with her eyes closed, she suddenly heard the sound of war drums beating in the distance.
In the valley, due to the effects of echo and sound concentration, the sound of the war drum was very loud, as if the heaven and earth were being hammered to pieces.
Then, the sound of the war drum came like a signal. Before the lingering sound faded away, "Boom, boom, boom..." countless war drum sounds were heard one after another. For a moment, the sound of war drums could be heard from all directions.
Boom boom boom... Boom boom boom... The whole world was hammered to pieces.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Along with the sound of war drums, waves of shouts and screams came from all directions.
"What's going on?"
Madam Yilan suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes were full of crow's feet and bloodshot from lack of sleep.
"Report! Lord! Something terrible has happened! The Ming dogs secretly occupied several hilltops around last night. The hills are all planted with Ming dog flags. The surrounding hills are full of Ming dogs! I'm afraid there are tens of thousands of Ming dogs."
A southern barbarian Miao came running in to report, his face full of fear.
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Yilan's face turned pale instantly, and her shocked heart seemed to stop beating temporarily.
"Help me up." Mrs. Yilan called.
The maidservant hurriedly stepped forward to help Madam Yilan up. Madam Yilan walked to an open area with her dragon-headed cane and looked around. At this moment, visibility was not high, just hazy, but she could still see that the mountains around the mountain they occupied were full of Ming army flags, people were swaying on the mountains, war drums were beating loudly, and waves of shouts of killing resounded through the world.
Now, the one who is seeing enemies everywhere and feeling panic-stricken has become Lady Yilan.
She saw the Ming army flags on the hilltops in all directions, heard the endless sound of war drums and shouts of killing, and then looked at the swaying grass on the hills, thinking that they were Ming people. She also listened to the whistling wind, thinking that they were the shouts of the Ming people.
Seeing everything in front of her, Madam Yilan could not help but be horrified, and a cold sweat appeared on her back, "Why are there so many Ming people?! Didn't the Ming people only increase their troops by more than 4,000 last night?"
"The insidious Ming people!" Madam Yilan instantly imagined a scene in her mind and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of anger. "Last night they openly increased their troops by 4,000, and under the cover of night, they secretly increased their troops by so many more!"
While Lady Yilan was gritting her teeth and cursing the Ming people for being insidious, the southern barbarian Miao people under her command looked at the Ming army flags on the mountains in all directions, listened to the earth-shaking sound of war drums and shouts of killing, and panic quickly grew.
"Why are there so many Ming dogs?! I don't believe it..." A Miao descendant of the southern barbarians shook his pale cheeks vigorously and murmured.
"Damn Ming dogs! They just rely on their numbers to bully the few! If it's a one-on-one fight, I'll kill them like slaughtering chickens!" The Nanman Miao man next to him cursed indignantly. Although his words were murderous, when he looked at the Ming army all over the mountains in the distance, his eyes were also filled with fear.
"The Ming people occupied the plains, which were fertile lands. The land was so rich that you could get a good harvest just by sowing a handful of seeds. They reproduced there, how could they not do well? Unlike us, we are trapped in the deep mountains and forests, with no land suitable for farming. The prey in the mountains is getting less and less. We have no idea where to get food. How can we reproduce as well as the Ming people?"
Another Miao descendant of the southern barbarians cursed angrily. He had come out of the mountains and followed his leader to Jingnan County to sell animal skins. Along the way, he witnessed the endless rice fields and rich life on the Han plains. That life was simply heaven.
"There are too many Ming people. All directions are occupied by Ming people. They don't even leave us a way to retreat. They want to kill us all!" There was a small leader of the southern barbarian Miao who had a more strategic vision. He observed for a moment and said to the people around him with a serious face.
"At worst, we will both die! If they want to kill us all, I will take two of them with me even if I die!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding Nanman Miao people became like trapped animals, desperate, terrified, yet crazy.
"Aren't the Ming people tired? The war drums never stop!" a southern barbarian Miao asked in confusion.
"I want to tire these bastards to death! Unfortunately, there are too many of them. When one gets tired, the next one will take over..."
The southern barbarian Miao descendant next to him let out a long, helpless sigh.
Yes, there are so many Ming dogs! What should we do? ! The surrounding Nanman Miao people all felt a strong sense of powerlessness.
At this moment, young and strong people were scattered on the mountains in all directions. Each of them was holding a rope, and the rope was either tied to a small tree or connected to several military flags. When the rope was pulled, the trees and flags swayed, just like a group of horses. There were also cowhide drums scattered on the mountains. In conspicuous places, young people were beating the drums. In hidden places, there were goats tied by their hind legs and hung on trees with ropes. Under the goats' front hooves were war drums. The goats were hung upside down and kicked their front hooves wildly, and the war drums sounded... ...
To those who don't know the inside story, looking from a distance, these mountains really do look like there are thousands of troops stationed on them.
"It's about time."
Zhu Ping'an finished the dry food in his hand, drank a bowl of rice soup, stood up and said to Liu Dianli, Han Dianli and others.
"Your Excellency, do you really want to go? Please think twice. The southern barbarians are uneducated and have no benevolence or righteousness... There are tens of thousands of southern barbarians on the mountain. It is too dangerous for you to go..." Qian Dianli advised with a worried look on his face.
"Don't worry, Officer Qian. The Miao people of the Southern Barbarians robbed the southeastern flood refuge area, but they did not intentionally commit violence and injure anyone. This shows that they have left room for this rebellion. Moreover, in the eyes of the Southern Barbarians, I have an army of '30,000'. How dare they do anything against me? In addition, I am an official appointed by the imperial court. I am not only the magistrate of Jingnan County, but also the assistant director of the Zhejiang Judicial and Censorate. Unless they are prepared to face the wrath of the imperial court and the extermination of their race, they dare not touch a hair on my head." Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly and said confidently.
"Your Excellency, as the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand on a dangerous wall. Please allow me to go to the rebel camp on your behalf to persuade the southern barbarians to surrender."
Liu Dianli stood up and clasped his fists.
"Your Excellency, please let me go." Han Dianli also stood up and asked.
"Liu Dianli, Han Dianli, I appreciate your kindness and I believe in your abilities, but your status is not enough to convince the Nanman Miao people. Only if I go can I have enough persuasiveness."
Zhu Pingan shook his head slightly and said firmly.
"Your Excellency..." Liu Dianli and Han Dianli wanted to fight for it again, but were interrupted by Zhu Ping'an.
"It's getting late. You don't need to persuade me anymore, and you don't need to argue anymore. As the magistrate of Jingnan, I have no choice but to take this trip! Besides, your mission is also very important. You will stay in the rear and keep an eye on the camp and the 'army'. Don't let the southern barbarians see through your true intentions. After this trip is successful, I will record a great achievement for you."
Zhu Pingan said with a firm look on his face.