September 16, 1061
The autumn harvest was progressing smoothly, but the war was not going well.
The great Song Dynasty may have been bleeding, but it was not defeated. Looking back now, the war had been going on intermittently for nearly fifty years. This was an outcome we had not anticipated, and it was also an epic composed of a series of interconnected miracles.
Our economy has long been in a state of wartime production. Our barracks have long been schools for training new troops, learning new tactics, and using new equipment. With periodic rests amidst fierce fighting, we have discovered that we can sustain combat for longer than we previously imagined. We have been repeatedly tempered in blood and fire, becoming incomparably sharp.
But what worries me is that the enemy does the same thing.
The new successor of the An Dynasty is not so steadfast in his support for us. Neither the Xia Dynasty in the north, the Tian Dynasty in the west, nor the Lan Dynasty in the south are willing to acknowledge our legitimacy. Fortunately, those treacherous, stubborn, and selfish false kings are also experiencing internal conflicts and cannot unite against us as they did at the beginning. The An Dynasty can also keep our attention at bay.
Alas, our nation is in peril, adrift in the storm.
After being transferred back to Meijing City from "Big Pot"—they named it after the chaotic mess it was in—my garrison was moved to the former arena. Those who don't live here should consider letting us stay in the safer upper areas; the lighting here is too poor, instead of converting the former residences of those heretics into military camps.
...
The former residence of evil spirits and heretics, converted into a military camp?
Chen Jing was overjoyed, at least he knew where he was. However, the diary still did not record a map of the place or an emergency exit, nor did it record what kind of protective measures or mysterious forces were here.
"The duration of this war in this world is so much longer than in the world before I transmigrated. It's a bit unusual..." Chen Jing thought. In the world before he transmigrated, the First World War lasted only 4 years, from 1914 to 1918, and the Second World War lasted only 6 years, from 1939 to 1945.
The war in ruins lasted for a century! During that time, apart from the Song Dynasty, not a single country was destroyed.
The war in the ruins is a fact, a historical fact. Generally speaking, it's difficult for someone living in a certain world to question the past that has already happened in that world, because existence itself has its reasons. But Chen Jing still remembers the history of another world.
Suppressing the chaotic speculations in his heart, Chen Jing glanced at the Mingguang incense stick, which had shortened again, and decided to continue flipping through it. This time, he slowed down, wanting to glean some insight into the environment from the occasional snippets of daily life that the incense stick had noted down.
April 21, 1062
The environment in the sealed area has been rather strange lately. No, it should be said to be very strange.
Master Mei of the Meijing Taoist Temple contacted me. He wanted to convert the original sacrificial site into a ritual venue. I reported this to the King of Miracles and obtained permission.
Besides him, a group of former hunters—the hunter organization 'Workshop'—also came here. Their last large-scale operation can be traced back to 994. Everyone thought that they were doing nothing but creating new weapons, but perhaps things are not that simple.
...
What is the connection between Meijing Taoist Temple and Meijing Dojo in Ash City? Hmm... both the temple master and the dojo master share the surname Mei, are they from the same lineage?
Sealed Land… Is this what the diary's owner, “Su Fa,” calls this place? What is sealed here? Chen Jing wondered.
Judging from what he reported to the Miracle King, he must have a very high status here, as a military officer, yet he lives in a military camp not far from ordinary soldiers.
Chen Jing continued reading to the next entry in the diary.
April 30, 1062
The moonlight outside the window is beautiful.
...This diary entry contains only this one paragraph.
The moonlight outside the window... Chen Jing looked at the window drawn in chalk on the rock wall.
"I didn't expect Mr. Su Fa to be so good at finding joy in hardship and to have such a literary temperament... I didn't see this quality in his previous diaries."
Chen Jing wanted to continue scrolling down, but then he suddenly thought of something.
"The sealed site, wait..."
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