Abstract: Situated at the periphery of the Qin imperial administrative system,Qinling County possessed no inherent advantage for facilitating communication between the Yuanxiang and Bashu regions.Its establishment as a county served primarily strategic purposes—to secure control over the You River waterway and project imperial authority over former Chu subjects and un-subjugated indigenous communities in the Wuling area.Within the county,rugged terrain limited inter-township travel,making the You River the principal artery connecting its three townships.The route Qinling–Youyang–Chongxian–Lingyang–Linyuan functioned both as the postal circuit for official documents within Dongting Commandery and as the main transportation corridor linking Qinling to the commandery seat.At Linyuan,this local network intersected with the empire's primary communication lines,providing Qinling with reliable access to other commanderies and counties.By integrating remote counties such as Qinling into a comprehensive road network,the Qin state ensured the efficient transmission of administrative directives and interregional communications,thereby consolidating its unified,centralized rule.

Key words: Liye Qin bamboo slips, Qinling County, transportation, document administration