Southeast Commandery has always been a very special area in the Central Plains. It has the most mountains in the Central Plains, but also very fertile land, making it a major grain-producing area. However, the rugged mountain roads make transportation difficult.
Since ancient times, due to its abundant grain production and its easy defense, this place has been an ideal location for establishing a kingdom. During each period of war, the Southeast Commandery was basically the last piece of land that the imperial court conquered.
Of course, being easy to defend and difficult to attack also means being easy to settle in a corner. Throughout history, very few people who started their uprisings in the southeast have been able to seize the whole country. However, it is a good place to avoid chaos. As a result, although the Southeast Commandery is somewhat remote and not a place for kings and kings, it has attracted many powerful families. Many large families have even set up businesses here so that they have a way out in case of extreme circumstances.
But now, chaos has begun, and this time, it is the Southeast that is the first to give way. In the past, the most stable families in the Southeast during times of turmoil have fled one after another. Even the stubborn natives who have lived peacefully in the Southeast for generations have begun to flee!
Especially after Bishan City, the largest city in the Southeast Commandery, was massacred by the Southern Barbarians, the seven cities of the entire Southeast Commandery could no longer sit still. Families with any means of wealth made up their minds to flee with their entire families. The originally stubborn peasant class in the Southeast also abandoned their lands, and hundreds and thousands of them began to flee from their villages.
Meanwhile, in Yuerong City, one of the seven prefectures in the southeast, Yuchi Feihu, who had been sent to secretly investigate, looked puzzled as he watched the large procession of people from the southeast leaving in carts and carriages.
Accompanying Yuchi Feihu were Shen Shiyi from the Yunzhou Underworld and Shen Lao'er from the Nanyang Underworld.
"Second Brother, what's going on?" Shen Shiyi asked, puzzled. "Why have we been fleeing the whole way here? Aren't people from the Southeast Commandery supposed to be the most attached to their homes?"
Although he was young, he had heard that the Southeast Commandery was too comfortable, which led to a slow pace of life and a leisurely lifestyle. Most of the people did not have the ambition to strive. Even merchants who traveled all over the country, after making some money, preferred to return to their hometown to buy some land and become small landlords, rather than continue to work hard and expand their businesses.
During times of war, this place is always the best refuge for powerful families. So why is it that this time, while other places haven't even started to unrest, there are huge waves of refugees fleeing from the southeast?
"The people of the Southeast feel a strong sense of belonging here because this place once provided them with a sense of security," Shen Lao'er said calmly. "The land here is fertile and mountainous. Although commerce isn't booming, the unique advantages of the land allowed many farmers to make a living from just a few acres of land, and even have some surplus to exchange for clothes and drinks."
"Don't let the fact that this place is often jokingly called 'Little Southern Barbarians' by people from Jiangnan or the capital region fool you. When it comes to the lower classes, there are few places in the entire Central Plains where the farmers live better than here. With a good life, people naturally miss home."
"Then why not?"
"Things are certainly different now," Shen Lao'er laughed. "This place is mountainous, with dense forests and many poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, which is a real headache for traveling merchants. But for the locals, it has provided a livelihood for many hunters, undoubtedly giving many villages another way to make a living. But in this day and age, even a chicken raised in the backyard can turn into a man-eating monster if you're not careful, not to mention those poisonous insects and ferocious beasts in the mountains."
"What was once an advantage has now become a deadly threat. Villagers living closer to the mountains are likely to suffer the most. Now, six months later, the mountains are probably teeming with man-eating monsters. How could they not flee?"
"Then came the invasion of the Southern Barbarians." Shen Lao'er looked south again. "Before, with the Imperial Flying Dragon Army there, those savages in the Southern Wilderness couldn't cross Tiannan Pass at all. But now the Imperial Court is clearly colluding with the Southern Barbarians, and with the reduction of its military strength, the Imperial Court is obviously intentionally leaving the southeast to the Southern Wilderness."
"The southeast has always been easy to defend and difficult to attack, but that was for the people of the Central Plains. Here, the mountain roads are rugged, and the powerful cavalry of the Central Plains is useless here. Heavy infantry cannot make use of their advantages either. In addition, there are many complicated passes and mountainous terrain, which has always made it an extremely unprofitable place. Therefore, in times of war, this place has never been a priority for various warlords to occupy."
Upon hearing this, Yuchi Feihu nodded slightly. He had studied military strategy and had a basic understanding of the terrain of the Great Jin Dynasty. Although the Southeast Commandery was rich in grain, its complex terrain made transportation difficult, far less convenient than the Jiangnan and Northern regions where waterways could be used to transport grain. Occupying it was not very worthwhile, whether for crossing the border or for establishing a grain production base.
Therefore, this place has always been one of the last areas to be recovered after the unification of China by the imperial court.
Second Master Shen continued, "On the contrary, the Southern Barbarians are different. Their barbarian soldiers are best at mountain warfare, climbing complex terrain and leaping over mountains as if on flat ground. They are also skilled at night raids. Without the Tiannan Pass, how could the people of the southeast possibly resist them? Now, the Southern Wilderness is still as wild as ever, and they have even committed massacres. Any aristocratic family with a bit of foresight would not survive."
"I see." Shen Shiyi has become much more low-key now, and has long lost his former arrogance. Although he died tragically in the Nanyang Incident, it unexpectedly made him the Lord of the Underworld in Yunzhou. Having obtained such an important position, this once arrogant young man now feels like he is walking on thin ice. After all, those who sit on equal footing with him are his experienced elder brothers from the Shen Family. This makes him want to prove himself, but he is also afraid of being looked down upon.
Therefore, he became much more composed in his words and actions.
"Our lord's choice of the Southern Wilderness as our opponent, as Jiangnan's first external expansion, is indeed a relatively prudent decision."
Standing on high ground, Shen Lao'er looked at the fleeing citizens inside and outside the city and said in a low voice, "The imperial court is weak, but its strength after withdrawing its troops is unpredictable, because you don't know if they can create something in a short time using the Ghost Temple. The Xiao Household emperor has the backing of the ancient times and should not be underestimated."
"The forces in the north are complex and should not be used forcefully. As for the southeastern seas, they also have the Dragon Palace Inheritance. For the past six months, they have been under tight blockade, and our spies have not even been able to get close. Launching an attack rashly would be extremely risky."
"Moreover, Jiangnan is different from other places. You've seen the risks when Ziyue annexed West Sea back then, so you should know that Jiangnan's proactive expansion carries a double risk."
Shen Shiyi nodded upon hearing this. Although the incident half a year ago mainly involved the Liuzhou Underworld, all seven Underworld were present at the time for the sake of safety, and all the Underworld Ghost General were temporarily reassigned. He was fortunate enough to witness the spectacle at that time.
The entire barrier was opened. Although the evil spirits in the West Sea were not as tightly surrounded as those in the capital, there were still millions of evil spirits roaming outside. After the barrier disappeared, the evil spirits that reacted were overwhelming. If the Underworld had not set up many Dragon Palace formations in advance, the defenses would probably have been breached immediately.
Fortunately, the West Sea was recovered quickly enough that time; otherwise, if it had been delayed for a few more days, the number of evil spirits that came upon hearing the news would have been in the hundreds of millions!
The Yin-Yang Road has existed for many years, and the number of evil spirits accumulated there is probably more than a hundred times that of the human population. Among these evil spirits are terrifying beings that are tens of thousands of years old. Although they have no effective organization, they are still extremely frightening even when they rush around recklessly.
Shen Shiyi still remembers that scene.
Now that the Lord has returned and greatly strengthened the magic array structure, no one can be sure whether it can sustain a large-scale expansion war.
Xu Hu and the rest of the Battle God Army were all eager to fight, but the greatest pressure came from the Underworld system, which rarely participated in wars.
Facing countless evil spirits, the mortal realm is for offense, while the Underworld is for defense.
The task of the Underworld in Yunzhou this time was to buy enough time for the warriors of the mortal realm to launch their attack. To be honest, Shen Shiyi had no confidence in this.
We must now figure out the current situation in the southeast, how long it will take to conquer it, and what the specific strategy is.
The imperial army has already abandoned the southeast. Theoretically, their only opponent is the barbarians of the Southern Wilderness. However, now that the southeast is mountainous, it is questionable whether they can successfully take it down against the barbarian soldiers of the Southern Wilderness who are most skilled in mountain warfare.
This time, we must also investigate thoroughly whether there are any deadly entities hidden along the Yin-Yang Road in the southeast.