The Visionary Blueprint of a New Empire

In the wake of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s unification of China in 221 BCE, the fledgling empire faced a monumental task: integrating its vast territories into a cohesive whole. The emperor’s ambitious vision extended beyond military conquest—it demanded a transformation of the very fabric of the realm through infrastructure. Following the New Year’s grand banquet in Xianyang, the imperial court launched a sweeping campaign to reorganize the empire’s waterways and roads, a project that would reshape China’s economic and social landscape.

Leading this effort were Chancellor Li Si, who oversaw the grand strategy, and General Meng Yi, who coordinated logistical support. Two military leaders, Wang Ben and Ma Xing, were tasked with executing the projects: Wang with integrating roads, and Ma with canal restoration. Both were assigned the legendary engineer Zheng Guo as their advisor, a man revered for his hydraulic expertise. The emperor’s analogy was apt: “Master Zheng is our Sun Bin (the strategist), and you two are our Tian Ji (the generals).”

Yet what seemed a straightforward mission—digging canals and paving roads—soon revealed unforeseen complexities.

The Hidden Challenges of Unification

When Wang Ben and Ma Xing met Zheng Guo at the Ministry of Agriculture, they expected quick directives. Instead, the old engineer fell into a prolonged silence. “Just point, and we’ll strike!” Wang urged. Zheng Guo shook his head. “The difficulty isn’t in the labor—it’s in the haste.”

The emperor, though initially perplexed, recognized Zheng Guo’s wisdom. Summoning him to the palace, Qin Shi Huang unfurled a detailed map of China’s rivers and roads, signaling his readiness to listen. Zheng Guo’s first words stunned the court: “People say canals are hard. But roads? Roads are harder.”

His reasoning was profound: roads were the lifeblood of the state, the veins through which commerce, communication, and control flowed. Ancient legends spoke of the Foolish Old Man who moved mountains for a path—such was their importance. Yet China’s existing infrastructure was a patchwork of disjointed feudal projects, riddled with inefficiencies. Canals and roads often clashed, and regional boundaries had created artificial barriers.

Zheng Guo proposed a radical alternative: a unified, interconnected network spanning the empire. “Ten years,” he estimated. The emperor balked but conceded. Wang Ben, ever the pragmatist, pressed: “How long for the surveys?” “A year,” Zheng Guo replied. With that, the plan was set.

The Engineering Marvels: Dismantling Barriers, Forging Connections

### Breaking the Dikes: Wang Ben’s Campaign

One of the first tasks was dismantling the “river fortifications”—artificial dikes that feudal states had used as weapons. Since the Spring and Autumn period, upstream kingdoms had built barriers to starve downstream rivals of water or divert floods into enemy lands. The Hanshu records one notorious case where Qi, Zhao, and Wei engaged in a vicious cycle of dike-building, each trying to outflank the others, only to see catastrophic floods devastate all three.

Wang Ben’s forces, aided by local laborers, tore down these divisive structures. The public response was overwhelming. Even those who had benefited from the dikes—farmers cultivating the fertile silt—volunteered to abandon their lands for the greater good. The general, moved by their sacrifice, reportedly regretted his own wartime flooding of Daliang during the conquest of Wei.

### Ma Xing’s Canals: Reviving the Arteries of Trade

Meanwhile, Ma Xing tackled the restoration of China’s neglected canals. The most critical was the Hong Canal, a vital link between the Yellow and Huai Rivers. Originally built during the Warring States, it had fallen into disrepair under divided rule. Ma’s forces dredged and widened it, ensuring its role as the spine of the empire’s north-south waterway system.

Other projects included:
– The Tongling Canal in Kuaiji Commandery
– The Miluo Canal in Changsha
– The Qin Canal in Longxi
– The Pipa Ditch in Chen Commandery

By the time the emperor toured the empire in 215 BCE, the results were undeniable. The Stone Inscription at Jieshi celebrated the achievement:

> “The emperor’s might united the lords, bringing peace. Walls were razed, dikes dismantled, dangers removed. The land stabilized; the people, untaxed, found solace. Men till with joy, women weave in order… All dwell in contentment.”

The Legacy: Foundations of a Civilization

The Qin infrastructure revolution was more than an engineering feat—it was a cultural and economic unifier. By erasing feudal divisions and creating a seamless network, the empire enabled:
– Economic Integration: Goods and grain could move freely, stabilizing prices and preventing regional famines.
– Military Mobility: Roads allowed rapid troop deployments, deterring revolts.
– Cultural Exchange: Dialects, customs, and ideas flowed along these routes, fostering a shared identity.

Critically, the projects were executed without burdening the populace with excessive corvée labor—a fact proudly recorded in the Jieshi inscription. This stands in stark contrast to later exaggerations of Qin tyranny.

The Han Dynasty inherited this network and expanded it, but the blueprint was Qin’s. Today, traces of these canals and roads still linger, silent testaments to China’s first great infrastructure revolution—one that bound a fractured land into a civilization.

In the end, Zheng Guo’s decade-long vision proved prescient. The emperor’s impatience yielded to wisdom, and the generals learned that even the mightiest conquerors must sometimes bend to the laws of water and earth.