* 何以战国时期的游牧部族如此不堪一击呢?一是游牧经济的脆弱无法像农耕经济那样承载大量人口,游牧人在人数上处于劣势;二是游牧人不但人少,那时候还一盘散沙,四分五裂。“蛮貊分散,各有党众,莫能相一,是以燕赵能得意焉”(《盐铁论•伐功》)。分散的游牧人自然敌不过有着更高级、更严密的组织和动员能力的华夏诸国。正是由于在战国时代的惨痛教训,游牧人为了应对农耕国家的压力开始统一起来了。在美国人类学家巴菲尔德看来,匈奴帝国的形成与秦汉的统一差不多发生在相同时间绝不是偶然,他在《危险的边疆》一书中提出,历史上中国的统一与分裂往往与蒙古草原的统一与分裂相伴相生。其原因就在于当南方出现一个统一的农耕国家时,游牧人也不得不联合起来与之较量(巴菲尔德著,袁剑译:《危险的边疆:游牧帝国与中国》,江苏人民出版社,2011)。
* 匈奴能用来与交换汉朝物品的只有畜产。但是畜产是活的、会动的,无法像农人谷仓里的谷物那样有效地储存。游牧的自然环境有着更多的不确定因素,一个本来衣食无忧的游牧家庭,会因为一场突如其来的天灾而损失其大部分牲畜,陷入赤贫。因此游牧人在心理上永远觉得畜产没有足够的盈余,自然也无法与汉朝维持长期、稳定的贸易(王明珂:《游牧者的抉择》,广西师范大学出版社,2008)。
* 对于历史上游牧、农耕文明之间的冲突,我们不能苛求古人能像今天的人类学家与历史学者那样发现历史表象下的生态本相。然而,也应该看到,由不同文化之间的误解而产生的不信任与偏见也是中国两千多年来始终与蒙古高原的游牧部族处于紧张状态的重要原因。正如札奇斯钦教授在其著作《长城沿线的和平、战争与贸易》一书扉页上所引用的苏格兰作家托马斯 卡莱尔的话所说的:“有句话说得好,所有战争都是由于误解”(All battle is well said to be misunderstanding)。而他的这本书也是献给那些由于彼此之间的误解,在游牧-定居边界上受苦和死亡的人们的。
About the game:

USA as a world power? In E-Sim it is possible!
In E-Sim we have a huge, living world, which is a mirror copy of the Earth. Well, maybe not completely mirrored, because the balance of power in this virtual world looks a bit different than in real life. In E-Sim, USA does not have to be a world superpower, It can be efficiently managed as a much smaller country that has entrepreneurial citizens that support it's foundation. Everything depends on the players themselves and how they decide to shape the political map of the game.
Work for the good of your country and see it rise to an empire.
Activities in this game are divided into several modules. First is the economy as a citizen in a country of your choice you must work to earn money, which you will get to spend for example, on food or purchase of weapons which are critical for your progress as a fighter. You will work in either private companies which are owned by players or government companies which are owned by the state. After progressing in the game you will finally get the opportunity to set up your own business and hire other players. If it prospers, we can even change it into a joint-stock company and enter the stock market and get even more money in this way.

In E-Sim, international wars are nothing out of the ordinary.
Become an influential politician.
The second module is a politics. Just like in real life politics in E-Sim are an extremely powerful tool that can be used for your own purposes. From time to time there are elections in the game in which you will not only vote, but also have the ability to run for the head of the party you're in. You can also apply for congress, where once elected you will be given the right to vote on laws proposed by your fellow congress members or your president and propose laws yourself. Voting on laws is important for your country as it can shape the lives of those around you. You can also try to become the head of a given party, and even take part in presidential elections and decide on the shape of the foreign policy of a given state (for example, who to declare war on). Career in politics is obviously not easy and in order to succeed in it, you have to have a good plan and compete for the votes of voters.

You can go bankrupt or become a rich man while playing the stock market.
The international war.
The last and probably the most important module is military. In E-Sim, countries are constantly fighting each other for control over territories which in return grant them access to more valuable raw materials. For this purpose, they form alliances, they fight international wars, but they also have to deal with, for example, uprisings in conquered countries or civil wars, which may explode on their territory. You can also take part in these clashes, although you are also given the opportunity to lead a life as a pacifist who focuses on other activities in the game (for example, running a successful newspaper or selling products).

At the auction you can sell or buy your dream inventory.
E-Sim is a unique browser game. It's creators ensured realistic representation of the mechanisms present in the real world and gave all power to the players who shape the image of the virtual Earth according to their own. So come and join them and help your country achieve its full potential.

Invest, produce and sell - be an entrepreneur in E-Sim.

Take part in numerous events for the E-Sim community.