Among the stories surrounding the Qin wall is that of Meng Tian. When the emperor died, his close ally Meng Tian was told to commit suicide by his successor. The crime was not specified. Meng lamented at first, but after a long time he came to this conclusion: from Lintao or Liaodong, he built defences which `cut through the veins of the earth.'
Having determined his crime, Meng swallowed poison and died. In fact, later Chinese scholars have demystified Meng's death. They say it was because he did little to further the cause of the common people or promote peace and harmony.
