Except from a report by a Loulan merchant to her supplier in Khotan:
The green banners of the Middle Kingdom are a common sight here, escorting their caravans. Middle Kingdom merchants have no fear of bandits! Though some of us fear the soldiers almost as much: they are a surly, undisciplined lot, and it is better to keep your distance. But things may be improving: they have been less troublesome since supplies of vegetables from the north have been delivered to their encampments…