The eastern end of the Silk Road developed somewhat slower than the western end of it due to the turbulence created by the warring tribes and the states trying to gain a new foothold in the region or to protect the existing one. In China of the time, the “Warring States” period was brought to an end by the powerful Qin state, which unified China and formed, under the ruthless warlord Qin Shi Huangdi the Qin Dynasty. The harsh reforms forcefully introduced to bring the conflicting individual states together may seem too brutal now. Yet, they worked, and some say well. The unification of the language and culture and standardization of the administrative system had long-lasting positive effects. The forced reforms (some are still employed even now) had produced the desired results and often, above the expectation. The newly shaped country was booming rapidly, becoming an empire. The capital of the newly unified state was set up in Changan, which quickly developed into a large city, known presently as Xian. A new age of prospering (the level that had not been seen before) descended on China, and China was ready to protect it fiercely. The Chinese Wall was and still attesting to that. The wall was needed to protect the land from the uninvited, illegal, and often aggressive aliens that streamed in individually and in caravans. The physical barrier was the only logical answer. All those people wanted to take part in prosperity, and not too many sought to offer loyalty. Loyalty raised a big question. The wall was the only alternative left after diplomacy failed time and time again. These were not the refugees one would like to help, but the flag carrying invaders one would want to avoid.
The overpopulated and extremely aggressive Xiongnu tribe had frequently been invading the northern borders of China and especially, during the “Warring States” period. That was a long period of instability and endless tragedy. The simple peasants suffered from both sides almost equally being squeezed beyond the limit. Xiongnu existed to fight and fought to exist. They did not produce anything valuable and lived only at the expense of the others. The bloodshed did not amount to much and did not pay if the gain was on the other end of the spear. Xiongnu preferred rape, pillage, and murder to agriculture, art, and crafts. That was not in their blood. For them, war often was the favored state of affairs. So, they killed for profit, and they were ready to die if luck was on the other side. That happened too. The Mastery of Martial Arts was a better provider for them than the Mastery of Agriculture and the crafts for the others. The killing was a well-paying craft for them. Xiongnu came, saw, and conquered, and all the neighbors had either to accept it or to fight back and even more fiercely than the Xiongnu. Considering the opposition, that was not easy at all. Xiongnu was very good at fighting. And, history teaches us that Xiongnu won more often than lost. That was a tough period for the region and its people. Wars always brought famine and famine had brought sicknesses and epidemics. With the help of Xiongnu, society and civilization were not moving forward, but sideways at best.
The frequency of these attacks and the raw savagery of it were rapidly increasing, forcing the fragile Chinese government to find a more permanent solution to the defense issues. The more modern military and much better fortifications were needed, and fast. The northern states had been trying to counteract the attacks by building the defensive border walls that were more like single fortifications spread out over a long distance. Those walls had to hinder the overgrowing invaders and to warn of their approach well in advance. That often helped, and many attacks were diverted and even prevented. The Xiongnu preferred not to fight and often to go back if the greater force was on the other side. Now, due to the walls, it was possible to assemble and deploy where it was needed. The early warning system that incorporated many types of signals and human intelligence allowed to master a superior force to combat the invaders quickly and move it around. Under the Qin Dynasty, in an attempt to subdue the constantly warring Xiongnu tribe a drive to join the previously built sections of the protective wall was successfully initiated. The “Great Wall” of China, at the immense expense to the Chinese people, was born as the result of this campaign. When the Qin Dynasty collapsed in 206 B.C., after only 15 years of ruling, the unity of China was preserved by the Western Han Dynasty, which continued to build up the Wall. Wall held it all together. Possibly, that saved China as a country.
In the constant struggle for survival in Central Asia, many alliances were sought, forged, broken, fought out, and paid for. Friendships and betrayals were on everyday agenda of all tribes, ethnic groups, and nations. Huge territories were conquered, pillaged, liberated, and conquered again. The trickles of blood often became streams and even rivers. The entire tribes perished being killed, driven away or enslaved. Who could count them all if we often do not know who was there in the first place? All we have is a few pieces of the puzzle, and we don’t even know how that puzzle supposed to look like. The history was full of empty holes that did not offer any information or even a slight knowledge that could be used to build on. All we know for sure that death was visiting this region as often as the sandstorms and it was staying longer. And, regardless of the odds, life continued along the Silk Road, prospering. People were born there, grew up, did something that maybe even now is still there, and passed away, leaving the Silk Road to the next generation. It was the main artery linking India, Persia, and China, and feeding both ends. It lasted for thousands of years and was not about to roll over and die because of some new hardship. The road and the people of the road were strong and healthy, and they saw so much hardship before. The Silk Road, that’s where life pulsated reflecting developments in all countries and in every tribe along the way.
In the West, the mighty Greek Empire was taken over by even more powerful Roman Empire. That changed the requirements and the type of commodities influencing the trade under the new people. Metals, gold, precious and semi-precious stones, jade, onyx, bronze objects, rare wood, porcelain, ceramics, tea, spices, and fabrics were continually moving to the east and to the west. The artifacts, delicacies, exotic animals, slaves, traveling craftsmen, adventurers, and mercenaries regularly went in one direction or another. Oils, wine, carpets, glass, fur, leather, lacquer, iron, medicine, drugs, chemicals, smelling essences, ivory, out of the ordinary plants and the silk moved cautiously in all directions. And, soldiers jealously guarded its progress. Many of these goods were bartered for others along the way, and objects often changed hands several times. The trade moved along, and money was made.