Security and Stability along the Silk Road April, 19, 2021 The Silk Road Journal by Mahika Ming Any society in the world will be stable if its armed forces are strong to protect it. That will eventually result in social development and increased trade due to surplus production. The ancient Silk Road originally was the trade route which took external goods to Great China and vice versa. With trade developed political ties and since many dignitaries took the same route to meet political leaders down the trade route it was also known as the Envoy Road. As per Chinese Archaeological findings, there are records of approx. 1,400 diplomats who had entered Great China through this network long before the western powers came out in the 1500s. During the Han dynasty in 2nd Century BC, military diplomat General Zhang Qian contributed immensely to connect China with the world and to establish law and order in the Northwestern and Western parts of China. General Zhang was a pioneering diplomat who updated the Emperor with valuable information about Central Asia. His contributions laid the foundation for future trade expansions towards the Persian Empire. It can be considered as the beginning of the global trade network which later became known as the Silk Road. General Zhang is a national hero in China who is revered for opening the country to the world creating wider opportunity for trade. General Zhang’s second mission was to establish a route to India and was again sent on a third mission to further develop ties with Central Aisa.