Complex sentence: The difficult terrain had made it ideal of the hideout of bandits, which had plagued the local region for more than a century, and by the end of 1949, the local bandits were led by Shi Xingzhou (师兴周).
Split into simpler sentences: The difficult terrain made it ideal as a hideout for bandits, which had plagued the local region for more than a century. By the end of 1949, the bandits were led by Shi Xingzhou (师兴周).