Before this, Ren Xiaosu had never gone anywhere farther west of Fortress 178.
The territory beyond the fortress was not as desolate as he had imagined. As Ren Xiaosu and Zhang Jinglin walked through the wilderness, they even saw a lot of people from the Northwest farming and herding.
Zhang Jinglin explained, "The factories all fall within the protection zone of the fortress. When you traveled here from Stronghold 144, you should've noticed those factories. But farming and herding are still more suitable to be done farther out in the Northwest. The purpose of the outposts' placement is not only to inform the fortress in advance to prepare for battle but also to buy time for these laborers to evacuate."
Ren Xiaosu nodded silently. Fortress 178 was built in a unique environment where there were very few places to farm and raise livestock. Therefore, they had to make full use of whatever land they had to carry out these activities.
