Zhengguo Canal

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The Zhengguo Canal, Zhengguoqu or Chengkuo Canal (郑国渠) is a large canal in China completed in 246 BC by the ancient kingdom of Qin. Built by Zheng Guo, the canal was originally part of a ploy by the king of Han intended to drain the resources of his rival. However the Qin successfully completed the canal and the plan back-fired as it irrigated thousands of square kilometres of additional agricultural land, providing the kingdom with sufficient resources to increase the size of its already massive armies. To this day the land surrounding the Zhengguo Canal is extremely fertile.