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I suspect that Xiedu, taking 79 days to complete, won't be any less challenging than Metatax, which takes 56 days. So, it depends on the pace at which a person is used to playing. If we're talking about "just completing" it, then Xiedu is much easier, yes.
Added 3 minutes later
Maxuta's campaigns are also quite masochistic, but you can brute-force your way through them with sheer persistence. The level of technical skill required from the player is lower, which is understandable, considering it's from 2001-2002.