…
boom--
Four o'clock in the morning.
Just as the sky was about to awaken, a drumbeat startled all the sleeping creatures.
The sound of drums resounded through the sky.
It seemed to pierce through the clouds, reaching high into the sky from the direction of Quedongzhai, and spreading in all directions.
It was this drumbeat, resembling a war drum, that startled the Han people who were staying at the Miao people's home, awakening them from their dreams.
Everyone was terrified, not knowing what had happened.
But just as they all got up to see what was going on, an even more astonishing drumbeat rang out from the Black Crow Village.
boom--
The sound of drums shook the heavens and earth, spreading in all directions, seemingly in response to the sound from Quedong Village.
The ground trembled as well.
After Lin Bei and Su Qian reunited, they remembered the instructions the Miao grandmothers had given them before they got drunk the night before.
"Oh no, I forgot! Hurry up, we need to get to Que Dong Village ahead of time."
"Yes, yes, we need to hurry over there to find our location. Once Master Mu and the others appear, we must cheer for the Black Miao branch."
"Why is this such a large-scale operation? Have I been transported to an ancient battlefield? Is a war about to break out?"
boom--
This was the seventh deafening roar echoing through the night, earth-shattering, seemingly emanating from the Miao village to the east of Heiwu Village.
boom--
The ninth war drum sounded, but it was a little further away; it must have come from the Miao village on the northern hill.
boom--
boom--
boom---
…
In less than five minutes, more than eighty war drums responded, coming from different directions.
Each drumbeat was followed by an inspiring bugle call.
The sound of this bugle is very similar to the bugle calls used in ancient military campaigns.
boom--
boom--
…
Three minutes later, all 108 heavy drumbeats had been delivered.
The furthest one is in the direction of Balong Ancient Village.
The Han people did not know why the Miao people's war drums possessed such overwhelming power, but...
After all 108 war drums had been sounded in response from Que Dongzhai, two more drums sounded in succession.
Immediately afterwards, all the Miao villages in different locations simultaneously struck their own village war drums.
"boom--"
The resounding war drums, mixed with the blowing of hundreds of horns, shook the heavens and the earth.
Centered on Quedong Village, all the Miao villages within a radius of at least 30 kilometers have become active.
The resounding drumbeats shattered the approaching dawn.
Tianfeng County, the entire county town was also awakened.
The county government building, a six-story structure, was brightly lit up within minutes.
According to historical records, the last time 108 Miao war drums sounded simultaneously was more than 200 years ago.
The Miao people of Qianzhou at that time could not bear the exploitation and oppression of the Qing government, and in order to resist the violent requisition of grain, they launched dozens of uprisings of varying sizes.
The last time, the leader of the Heiwu Village tribe at the time led the Miao people in another uprising, claiming that the "Miao King" had appeared to him in a dream.
The uprising in Heiwu Village quickly gained support from hundreds of Miao villages of all sizes, including Quedong Village and Balong Ancient Village.
The Miao people swept through Guizhou Province with overwhelming force, passed through Hunan Province, and marched northward with unstoppable momentum.
However---
Unfortunately, the Black Crow tribe leader died of illness during the war.
The Miao people had no choice but to retreat to Qianzhou.
The war drums of that year numbered 108.
The Miao people in eastern Guizhou number in the hundreds of thousands.
Meanwhile, the hundreds of Miao villages in Quedongzhai have at least 30,000 to 50,000 young and middle-aged Miao people.
If something were to happen, the entire Great Xia Dynasty would likely be shaken.
Fortunately, the county head and magistrate had already been notified by the two chieftains of Que Dongzhai and Hei Wuzhai, otherwise they would have been scared half to death by the sound of 108 war drums.
Even so, the county head and county magistrate reported to the city government immediately and ordered all the hat police officers in Tianfeng County to rush to the Miao village to maintain security at all entrances and exits.
The city government had already received the provincial governor's call, because the provincial governor was in Quedong Village last night.
The commotion at Que Dongzhai was far more spectacular than anyone had imagined.
One hour later---
A white tinge appeared on the eastern horizon, and all the entrances to the Miao village were guarded by fully armed police officers.
Han Chinese who want to watch the Miao people's drum-stepping festival must strictly abide by the rules and must not disrupt Miao customs or cause an uncontrollable situation.
The city's top official, who had already arrived at Akang's village, was in a real bind when he received an urgent report from below that at least five thousand Miao people from Balong Ancient Village were heading to Quedong Village with firearms to participate in a sacrificial ceremony.
Balong Ancient Village is the last gun-wielding tribe of the Great Xia Dynasty. They are allowed to possess firearms, but today too many Han people have come to watch the Drumming Festival. If something goes wrong, not only will their municipal government be affected, but the provincial government will also be in trouble.
It was at this moment that the Miao holy maiden called.
In the phone call, the Holy Maiden hoped that the city and county governments would not allow government soldiers to get too close, and even more so, not to bring government weapons into the sacrificial area of the Miao people's Drumming Festival, so as to avoid misunderstandings.
The muskets and Miao knives of the Miao people are now only used for sacrificial rites.
With the saintess's assurance, the mayor felt much more at ease.
Even so, the government still dared not be careless, after all, the two major branches of the Miao people, the Black Miao and the Green Miao, were too fierce in the uprising a hundred years ago.
"Reporting to the mayor, the provincial governor has instructed that our government must never have any conflict with the simple and honest Miao people!"
"The provincial governor also said that starting today, the next three days will be the Miao people's Drumming Festival, which is a cultural custom. My family must collect and record the videos."
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