Archaeologists have excavated a Qin Dynasty military garrison along the northern border of modern-day Inner Mongolia. The site served as a vital link in the early Great Wall defense system under China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Excavators recovered over 100 wooden slips (chudu), which served as the official paper of the time, documenting troop movements, ration distributions, and reports on nomadic Xiongnu sightings.
The garrison features a central command hall and barracks for approximately 500 soldiers. The discovery of these administrative records is particularly significant, as they reveal the high level of bureaucratic control exercised over remote frontier outposts. The slips also detail the logistics of the 'Labor for Silk' program, where soldiers were paid in textile bolts that were then traded with local tribes for horses and livestock.