2.3 The New Frontier: Massive Migration

Meng Tian was not only credited for his two monumental contributions: defeating the Xiongnu's army and the construction of the Great Wall, he is also remembered for building the first China's super highway called“The Great Direct Road of Qin”(秦直道), a road which started from Xian Yang, the then capital of the Qin Empire, all the way up northward to the desert area just outside the Great Wall of Shanbei. It was yet another great man-made project recorded in Sima Qian's Records of Grand Historian:

With the desire to tour the unified country, the Qin Emperor arrived at Jiuyuan and would like to head for Ganquan. (Since the road to Ganquan was not completed, ) the Emperor entrusted Meng Tian to build the road. Meng ordered his soldiers to remove hills and fill gullies to construct a direct road for as long as 400 kilometers. The project, however, was incomplete during his tenure. (Sima 1962)

The project, which started in 211 BCE, was eventually completed five years later. It was altogether 800 kilometers long and 50 meters wide. The“Qin's Direct Road, ”as it is called, originally was used for military purpose, transporting military logistics and soldiers up north to defend the Qin's border. But later it became a super highway for tens of thousands soldiers and civilians to embarked on one of the most grandiose migration in human history. The migration, however, was not a natural occurrence; it was systematic and ordered by yet another powerful Chinese emperor —Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Qin Dynasty, powerful as it was, only survived for 20 years. It was replaced by one of the longest lasting dynasties of China—Han Dynasty(220 BCE-202 CE). The early emperors of the Han inherited the political and administrative apparatus of the Qin, which had divided the entire Chinese territory into 36 prefectures with civil government officials at different levels of the government. But it also inherited the problems of Qin, the most troublesome being the cost of defending the northern border against the assaults of Xiongnu — the Mongols. In 127 BCE, Emperor Wu dispatched his generals to launch a large-scale military expedition in the northern border of Shanbei, and decisively defeated the Xiongnu army. Like the military campaign led by Meng Tian more than 100 years earlier, the military victory over the enemy did not provide a guarantee for the security for the local people as well as for the central government. In fact, the short-term peace secured by Meng Tian lasted only a couple of decades. Once Xiongnu recovered from its temporary defeat, the border wars resumed. And it was extremely costly to send and station a large army at the northern border with scarce resources, especially food and other logistics. To solve the problem once and for all, Emperor Wu made a dramatic move by establishing a system called“Tuntian, ”a system that has proven extremely effective both militarily and logistically. Moreover, the system and its practice have far-reaching historical consequences that have determined the culture of the area for millenniums.

“Tuntian”was an agricultural system supported by military forces. Initially, it started by having combat soldiers that stationed at the border areas engaged in farming so that they could become self-reliant. The soldiers were later joined by their families that began to settle at the border on permanent basis. This is military“tuntian”since most of the participants were soldiers. Later on at the order of Emperor Wu, the system was expanded to civilians. It is estimated that as many as 600,000 civilians, including the large number of refugees, moved northward to join their predecessors to settle there. In the meantime, a judicial prefecture was set for the area called“Shuo Fang, ”meaning north. In the desert of current Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region just inside the crumbles of the Great Wall lie the ruins of ancient county seat of“Shuo Fang. ”One can barely see the crumbled city walls buried in the blowing sand. However, more than two thousand years ago, this was the place where tens of thousands of people of both Han and Mongols lived side by side. It was the place for different cultures to meet. Since the defeat of Xiongnu in 127 BCE and the establishment of the“Shuo Fang, ”peace finally arrived for the locals for several centuries thanks partially to the earlier military campaigns launched by Emperor Wu and partially the“Tuntian”system that guaranteed the stability and security of the border residents on both sides. The civilians who came to the northern border brought with them the know-how of farming, and they were able to apply their knowledge and skills of agriculture to the vast steppe where the soil was fertile. At the same time, their lives were also enriched by the nomadic culture where they learned to raise subject animals such as sheep and horses. The once fierce battleground turned into a breeding ground for cultural harmony, which greatly stimulated the development of local economy and trades. Markets mushroomed throughout Shanbei, where Han and Mongol merchants busied themselves with goods needed by people on both sides. The flourishing development of the region was evidenced by the excavation of numerous artifacts between 2004 and 2008 when the construction of a major railroad was underway. Among the artifacts were mural paintings and stone tablets which depict lives of the locals, including farming, ceremonies of dancing and banquets, legendary animals like blue dragons and white tigers and people of different social status. One of the mural paintings shows the life-style of a government official, presumably on his way to some place. The head ware on his head indicates the rank during the Han Dynasty, which is also illustrated by his escort behind him and a carriage driver in front of him. What interested archeologists is the carriage in the middle with two large wheels and an umbrella to provide shade for the official. His carriage is sandwiched by two other carriages with the one in front only showing the wheels and the one behind drawn by a black horse. The two galloping horses are so vivid that they were the personification of the life-style of the time.

The implementation of the“Tuntian”system triggered the rapid development of agriculture, commence and trade, all of which had far-reaching consequences for the development of local culture. First of all, the system provided a guarantee of sufficient food, not only for the soldiers that stationed at the border but also for the locals as well as for the new migrant farmers, most of whom lost their own land due to the incessant wars. It gave the new settlers land for them to till and feed their families. Second, it greatly promoted the trade. Unearthed tablets from the region show the flourishing markets where traders of different ethnical groups were busy buying and selling. Just outside the Fortress of North Garrison stand the crumbled city walls of“Kuan Gong, ”an ancient city that witnessed the hustle and bustle of markets. The city was built for several purposes. First, it was for Xiongnu to pay their tributes to the successive emperors of both Qin and Han Dynasties; second, it was also used as markets for the people both inside and outside the Fortress to exchange merchandises. Finally, the system, while guaranteeing the stability and security of the settled life, accentuated the racial harmony in lieu of racial hostility that had plagued the people on both sides of the Great Wall. Even though the peace that had perpetuated for more than a century finally ceased and wars broke out again, the people who had live side by side for more than a century developed a better understanding with each other, and the racial harmony that had instilled in them could not be severed.