Map of the Qin Empire and its neighbors in 210 BCE
"In earlier times the First Emperor of the Qin, relying upon his might in battle, gobbled up the whole world, seized the other warring states, and united all within the four seas into a single domain, winning as great distinction as the rulers of the Three Dynasties of antiquity. And yet he would not cease his warfare there, but wanted to go on and attack the Xiongnu.
His minister Li Si reprimanded him, saying, 'It is impossible. The Xiongnu have no fixed cities or forts and no stores of provisions or grain. They move from place to place like flocks of birds and are just as difficult to catch and control. Now if we send parties of lightly equipped soldiers deep into their territory, our men will soon run out of food, and if we try to send provisions after them, the baggage trains will never reach them in time. Even if we were to seize control of the Xiongnu lands, they would bring us no profit, and even if we were to win over their people, we could never administer and keep control of them. And if, after we had won victory, we were to massacre them, this would hardly be a fitting action for a Son of Heaven, who must act as a father and mother to the people. Therefore we would only be wearing out the strength of China in an attempt to have our way with the Xiongnu. Surely this is not a wise policy!'
But the First Emperor would not listen to his advice and sent his general Meng Tian with troops to attack the barbarians. He extended the borders of the empire 1,000 li, establishing the frontier along the Yellow River, but the land he won over was nothing but brackish swamp, unfit for the cultivation of the five grains.
After this the young men were called up from all over the empire and sent to guard the northern frontier along the river. The troops spent over ten years fighting in the wastes and wildernesses, where they died in untold numbers, and yet they were never able to extend the empire north beyond the Yellow River. Surely this was not because there were not enough fighting men, or because their weapons and equipment were insufficient. Rather it was because the circumstances made any other outcome impossible.
At the same time the whole empire was ordered to rush fodder and grain to the soldiers. Shipments were sent from as far away as the provinces of Huangzhui and Langya along the seacoast, but by the time they had been transported to the northern frontier along the Yellow River, no more than one picul out of an original thirty bushels remained. Though the men worked the fields as hard as they could, they were unable to supply enough provisions, and though the women wove and spun, they could not produce enough tents and hangings for the army. Soon the common people were exhausted; there was no surplus left to feed the orphans and widows, the children and the old people; and the roads were filled with dead and dying. This was why the empire turned in revolt against the Qin.
Later, when Emperor Gaozu had won control of the empire and was working to bring the border areas under control, he heard that the Xiongnu were gathered north of the valley of Dai and decided to attack them. His imperial secretary Cheng Jin advised him against this, saying, 'It is impossible. It is the nature of the Xiongnu to swarm together like so many beasts, and to disperse again like flocks of birds. Trying to catch them is like grabbing at a shadow. In spite of all Your Majesty's noble virtue, I fear that any attempt to attack the Xiongnu will only lead to danger!'
But Emperor Gaozu did not heed his advice. Instead he rode north to the valley of Dai and, as Cheng Jin had feared, was surrounded by the enemy at Pingcheng. He regretted deeply what he had done and forthwith dispatched Liu Jing to conclude a peace alliance with the Xiongnu, and from that time on the empire was able to forget the sorrows of war.
It is said in the Art of War: 'He who raises an army of 100,000 must spend 1,000 pieces of gold a day.' The Qin was forever calling together armies and sending its soldiers into the field, 200,000 and 300,000 of them. But although they won distinction by overpowering armies, slaying generals, and taking the Shanyu prisoner, such victories served only to insure the hatred of the enemy and deepen their resentment; in no way did they compensate for the expense which they cost the empire. Any policy which empties the treasuries and arsenals and exhausts the strength of the common people merely for the purpose of having one's way with foreign nations is hardly a sound one.
It is not only our generation which finds the Xiongnu difficult to conquer and control. They make a business of pillage and plunder, and indeed this would seem to be their inborn nature. Ever since the times of Emperor Shun and the rulers of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, no attempt has ever been made to order or control them; rather they have been regarded as beasts to be pastured, not as members of the human race.
Now Your Majesty does not observe how the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties managed to preserve their rules for so long, but imitates only the mistakes of the recent past, which is a source of gave concern to me and of tribulation and trial to the common people."
-Sima Qian (quoting Zhufu Yan's letter to the Han Emperor sometime around the years 134-126 BCE), Records of the Grand Historian (translated by Burton Watson), page 194 II
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| Map of the Qin Empire and its neighbors in 210 BCE. |
Source:
Quote:
Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian (translated by Burton Watson), page 194 II
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