Why did Qin Shihuang not conquer the black land of Northeast China, but instead wanted to take over Lingnan, a land of malaria?

The Qin Dynasty’s policy of expanding the empire’s land was based on the productivity at that time and guided by the form of agricultural production. It can also be said that according to the social productivity and agricultural production patterns at that time, the Northeast was not suitable for agricultural production at that time. It can also be said that the social productivity at that time basically had no ability to develop the Northeast. For a piece of soil that cannot be developed, there is no need for the empire to expand.

The so-called Jiangnan is the area in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. During the Qin Dynasty, it was a civilized area and has been developed to a large extent. The development time can be traced back to the Huangdi era.

The so-called Jiangnan is the area in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. During the Qin Dynasty, it was a civilized area and has been developed to a large extent. The development time can be traced back to the Huangdi era.

The Qin Dynasty not only destroyed the Chu State, but also obtained Jiangnan. Then it continued to advance southward, conquered Baiyue, and added Lingnan to its territory. Due to terrain reasons, whether it was Jiangnan or Lingnan, there were still very few areas that could be developed during the Qin Dynasty, and this was the case until the Southern and Northern Dynasties. There are very few places that can be developed, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. The hilly areas can be developed, and the banks of large and small rivers can be developed. Because it is a hilly area, transportation is relatively difficult, and there is no way to connect waterways in various places. Compared with the Central Plains, transportation in the south is still very poor, and the ability to concentrate manpower and material resources on large-scale development has become increasingly weak. The comprehensive development of the south was not basically completed until the Southern Song Dynasty.