Editing Sacred Eight (section)

==History==
During the early decades following the establishment of Sun Dynasty Laeral, the empire faced threats of foreign invasion from numerous directions. While Emperor Sun Liang's conquests subdued the [[Haemin]] satrapies to the north and the rival Hejun kingdom to the southwest (notably through the Conquest of Miaoshi in 1538), the territory known as Cheyu (modern-day Corday, Sarene, and Felliere provinces) was inhabited by hostile Cheyu nomads, referred to as barbarians in contemporary texts. From the Cheyu territory, clans of nomadic raiders would threaten the farmlands around [[Jinyu]] and even the outskirts of [[Miaoshi]], which held immense significance as the home of the [[Minjian Faith]]. They would typically seek to steal herds of grazing livestock, food, and portable valuables. 

As the territory's low-lying and marshy terrain favored the agile Cheyu raiders while rendering it unprofitable for farming, the emperor sought instead to neutralize the threat of Cheyu raids by constructing defenses along the western bank of the Espoir River.

Aging after twenty years on the throne, Emperor Sun Liang, on the occasion of his birthday in 1548, named eight of his trusted generals as feudal lord of eight baronies along the Espoir River's western bank and the plains to the south, in the "Sacred Eight" Proclamation. In return for title and the right to rule these territories as feudal lords, these 'Sacred Eight' would maintain fortified strongholds and cohorts of at least 80 mounted soldiers apiece. 

The eight sacred baronies (namely: Far Eastern Qiuhuan, Eastern Qiuhuan, Central Qiuhuan, Northern Qiuhuan, Western Qiuhuan, Eastern Fudong, Central Fudong, and Western Fudong) served as an effective method of deterring Cheyu raids. In writings on the Sacred Eight, they are typically portrayed as heroic wartime leaders and models of martial prowess.