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Southeast County, in the Central Plains, has always been a very special area, with the most mountainous terrain in the Central Plains yet also possessing very fertile land, making it a major grain-producing region. However, the rugged mountain roads lead to difficulties in transportation.

Since ancient times, because its internal grain production was abundant enough and it was easy to defend but hard to attack, it easily became an ideal place for self-rule, and during times of war, Southeast County was typically the last territory the Imperial Court would bring under control.

Of course, being easy to defend and hard to attack means that it is prone to isolation; of those who had ever risen up in arms from the Southeast, very few had ever managed to seize control of the whole country.

But as a haven during times of turmoil, it was an excellent place, resulting in Southeast County, despite its remoteness and not being the land of the powerful, still attracting many noble families.

Even many great families had set up their businesses here, convenient for retreating under extreme circumstances, at least having an escape route to speak of.

But now, chaos had begun, and this time... Southeast County was the first to fall, with the usually stable Southeast families fleeing one after another. Even the stubborn natives who had lived securely on this land for generations had started to evacuate en masse!

Particularly after Bishan City, the largest in Southeast County, suffered slaughter at the hands of the Southern Barbarians, the seven cities of the county could no longer sit still.

Any family with a bit of wealth had made up their minds to flee with all they had, and the originally resolute peasant class of the Southeast also abandoned their own lands, with hundreds upon thousands starting to escape from the villages.

At this moment, in Yuerong City within Southeast County, watching the massive exodus of vehicles large and small carrying the people of Southeast out of their homes, Weichi Feihu, who had been sent to secretly investigate, wore a puzzled expression.

Accompanying Weichi Feihu were Shen Eleven from Yunzhou Hell Ruler and Second Elder Shen from Nanyang Hell Ruler.

"Second brother, what in the world is going on?" Shen Eleven asked in bewilderment, "Why is everyone fleeing all along the way here? Isn’t it said that the people of Southeast County are the most homesick?"

Though young, he had heard that because of the excellent environment in Southeast County, the pace of life here was generally slower, more leisurely.

Most citizens lacked ambition, and even merchants who had ventured afar would, after making some money, prefer to return to their hometowns to buy some farmland and become small landlords rather than continue to struggle and grow elsewhere. ..

Whenever there was turmoil, this place was the safest haven for the major families. Why, then, when the other regions had not even started to experience chaos, was there a massive wave of refugees fleeing from the Southeast?

"The homesickness of the people from the Southeast comes from the times when this place could give them enough stability," Second Elder Shen stated calmly, "The land here is fertile, and with many mountainous areas, commerce may not be prosperous, but thanks to the unique advantage of the land, many local farmers can fill their bellies with just a few acres of land, and even trade the surplus for some clothing, wine, and whatnot. "

"Don’t be fooled by the people from Jiangnan or Capital City who joke about this place being like a tiny Southern Barbarian territory.

If we’re talking about the common folk, you’d be hard-pressed to find many places in the Central Plains where the farmers live better than here.

With good days to live, naturally, people here are homesick for this place. "

"Then... why still..."

"It’s because things are different now..

." Second Elder Shen said with a smile, "There are many mountains here, with dense forests, poisonous insects, and fierce beasts, which are a headache for traveling merchants, but for the locals, they support many hunters, undoubtedly giving many villages an additional source of livelihood.

But in this era, even the chickens raised in the backyards might turn into man-eating monsters if one is not careful, not to mention the poisonous insects and fierce beasts in the mountains. "

"What was once an advantage has now become a deadly presence. Those villagers living close to the forest are the most terrified. Now that half a year has passed, I’m afraid the mountains are filled with man-eating demons. How could they not flee?"

"Then there’s the invasion of the Southern Barbarians.

.." Second Elder Shen looked towards the south, "Previously, with the Imperial Court’s Flying Dragon Army in place, the savages from the Southern Wilderness couldn’t cross over Tiannan Pass, but now the Imperial Court clearly has a collusion with the Southern Barbarians.

Moreover, with the military forces drawn back, it’s obvious that the Imperial Court intends to give up the Southeast to the Southern Wilderness. "

"The Southeast has always been easy to defend but hard to attack, but that’s against the Central Plains People.

Here the mountain roads are rugged, the strong cavalry of the Central Plains are useless here, and heavy infantry can’t leverage their strengths.

Moreover, with numerous complex passes and mountainous terrain, it’s always been a very unprofitable place.

So in times of war, it’s never been a priority for the Feudal Lords to conquer first."

Standing nearby, Fei Hu nodded slightly at the words.

He had studied military strategy and was familiar with the general geography of Great Jin.

Southeast County, although rich in grain production, was not as convenient as Jiangnan and the North, which used waterways for grain transportation.

Occupying it, whether for advancing beyond its borders or as a grain production base, wasn’t very cost-effective.

Therefore, it has always been the last place to be reclaimed by the Imperial Court after achieving great unification.

Second Elder Shen added, "On the contrary, the Southern Barbarians are quite different.

Their barbarian soldiers are the best at mountain warfare, climbing complex terrains, crossing mountains as if walking on flat ground, and they are expert in night raids.

Without the barrier of Tiannan Pass, how can the people of the Southeast withstand them?

Now that the wild nature of the Southern Wilderness is unchanged, and they have even committed acts of city slaughter, what family with any foresight would remain there? "

"I see...." Shen Eleven had become much more low-key nowadays and had long lost his former flamboyance.

Although he had died tragically in the Nanyang incident, he unexpectedly became the Hell Ruler of Yunzhou.

Holding such an important position made this once flamboyant young man tread on thin ice, for he was now sitting on the same level with his brothers from the Shen Family, who had a wealth of experience.

This made him want to prove himself, yet he feared being looked down upon by others.

Therefore, he had become much more reserved in his words and deeds.

"It was indeed a relatively prudent decision for His Majesty to choose the Southern Wilderness as the opponent for Jiangnan’s first act of expansion," he remarked.

Second Elder Shen stood on high ground and said with a deep sigh as he watched the citizens fleeing the city, "The Imperial Court may seem weak, but after consolidating its military force, its strength is actually unpredictable, for you do not know what they could create from the Ghost Temple in a short time.

Emperor Siao, with the backing of the ancient times, is not to be underestimated. "

"The powers to the north are complicated and should not be dealt with force. As for the two seas in the Southeast, they both have Dragon Palace heritages. For the past half year, the blockade has been tight, and our spies can’t even get close. To strike rashly...the risks are immense."

"Moreover, Jiangnan is different from other places. You have also seen the risks when Zi Yue annexed the West Sea. You should know, Jiangnan’s initiative to expand its territory carries a double risk."

Upon hearing this, Shen Eleven nodded. Although the Nanyang incident from half a year ago mainly involved the Lyuzhou Hell Ruler, as a precaution, all seven Hell Rulers had gathered, and all Hell Ghost Generals had been temporarily deployed. He was fortunate to witness that grand spectacle.

The entire barrier opened. Although the evil ghosts of the West Sea were not as dense and impenetrable as those in the direction of the Capital City, there were still a million evil ghosts hovering outside.

If it weren’t for the many Dragon Palace Arrays that the Hell Rulers had laid out in advance, the defense could have been broken through instantaneously with the barrier’s disappearance.

It was also fortunate that the West Sea was reclaimed quickly enough; otherwise, if it had dragged on for a few more days, the evil spirits rushing to the news might have reached the hundreds of millions!

The Path of Yin and Yang had existed for many years, and the accumulated number of evil spirits might be more than a hundred times that of the human population.

Among these evil spirits, there are terrifying beings that have existed for more than ten thousand years.

Though lacking in organization, their frenzied charges are nonetheless a fearsome force.

That scene was one that Shen Eleven still remembered to this day.

Now that His Majesty had returned and had greatly reinforced the array structures, even so, whether it could withstand a large-scale expansion war was uncertain to everyone.

Xuu Hu and the members of the War God Army were eager and ready, but the greatest pressure was on their Hell system, which rarely engaged in warfare.

They had to face hundreds of millions of evil ghosts. While the earthly realms waged offensive battles, the Hell system was in charge of defense.

To secure enough time for the warriors of the earthly realm to push forward was the task of the Yunzhou Hell system this time, and to be honest, Shen Eleven had no confidence in this....

Now it was imperative to clarify the current structure of the Southeast and determine how much time it would take to conquer it, as well as the specific strategies involved....

The Imperial Court’s army had already abandoned the Southeast. Theoretically, their only opponent should be those barbarians from the Southern Wilderness.

But now, in the mountain-rich Southeast, facing the barbarians who were most adept at mountain warfare, the question was whether they could successfully take control.

And then.... This time, they also needed to investigate whether there might be some fatal beings existing on the Path of Yin and Yang in the Southeast.