About twenty-two hundred years ago, Emperor Cheng of Ch'in conquered the kingdoms of Han, Sung, Yen, Yueh, Chan, Ch'i, Chou, Chao, Ch'u, Wei, Wey and Lu.
In the north, Mongols attacked Chinese towns and villages. They also killed the people and stole from them. A man was taken in by the guards, caked with mud and torn clothes. They dropped him before the emperor Ch'in Shih Huang Ti. "What have you got to say", boomed the king. "Sire", cried the tired man. "The Mongols have raided many towns in Wei. My village has been destroyed and I have escaped". "Those Mongols must be stopped!", roared the king in anger. "Soon they will conquer us and we will be defeated", cried the emperor's oldest son. "How shall we save ourselves?"
They all decided to build a great wall that no one could get over. The emperor started to take men and force them to work on the wall. No man wanted to do it, but they had to or they would be killed or flogged. Thousands and thousands of men were put to work on the wall. They built it with stones, and if they couldn't find stones, they had to pound down dirt, but it was hard, back-breaking work, and if they didn't work fast enough, they were whipped. Day after day, workers made large bricks from clay. These were fitted to the wall. Every one hundred yards the workers were told to build watchtowers two stories high. Now they would see if the Mongols were coming, and warn the others by lighting a fire made with wolf dung. This way, the smoke was more clear for the soldiers to see. The great wall grew slowly up and down the mountains and hills. After ten years of working, the wall was complete. The emperor came to see and he was overjoyed. "We are saved at last!", he cried.
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