However, with Mengzi leading the way, Peng Fei protecting him, and Professor Man, that old desert guy, accompanying him on the return journey, nothing should go wrong.
After seeing Dr. Ren and the others off, Zhuang Rui allowed Zhongchuan to enter the main hall. Since everything was right in front of him, letting Zhongchuan take a look wouldn't make anything go missing.
After careful consideration, Zhuang Rui realized that Zhongchuan's request was quite complementary to the study of Dunhuang culture and the rise and fall of those dynasties, so it was not something that could be ignored.
After all, nearly three-fifths of the Dunhuang manuscripts unearthed a century ago are now overseas. To conduct a systematic and comprehensive study of them, we still need the cooperation of museums and private individuals who possess Dunhuang manuscripts and artifacts.
After seeing the scrolls, Nakagawa calmed down. He wasn't an expert on Dunhuang culture; although he knew the value of these artifacts, he didn't understand why. ...
"Huh? What's that sound?"
Three days after Dr. Ren and the others left, Zhuang Rui was studying a handwritten copy of the "Ancient Lingbao Scripture" of the Southern Dynasty Celestial Masters sect when he suddenly heard a strange buzzing sound.
"Airplanes, helicopters! Wow, so many helicopters..."
As soon as Zhuang Rui stepped out of the main hall, he saw three green military helicopters circling above the poplar forest.
Chapter 1122 Quicksand Gently Covers the Fragrance of Ink
"Damn, is it going to be this big?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned as he watched the helicopter circling in the sky, searching for a landing spot. This wasn't some American blockbuster like The Scorpion King; why did they have to mobilize the military?
If Zhuang Rui hadn't seen Peng Fei waving at him from a helicopter, he might have thought this was a movie shoot.
"Erdan, Xiaoyan, keep an eye on the books in the main hall, I'm going out to take a look..."
After glancing at Zhongchuan, Zhuang Rui gave an instruction to Erdan and the other man, then ran out of the poplar forest with the helicopter and waved upwards to indicate that the helicopter could land.
"Damn, am I crazy? I'll just wait until they land before coming over..."
The helicopter slowly landed not far from Zhuang Rui. The rotor blades stirred up the yellow sand on the ground, forming a small vortex that enveloped Zhuang Rui completely.
After the helicopter came to a complete stop, Zhuang Rui was practically covered in sand. Not only was his face covered in a layer of yellow sand, but his nostrils and ears were also completely blocked with sand.
Zhuang Rui jumped around on the spot for a while, shaking off the yellow sand, when he saw Peng Fei coming up from the helicopter. He quickly grabbed him and asked, "Hey kid, how did you find this place?"
This vast desert stretches to the north, bordering the Gobi Desert. It is so large that it could easily be called a sea of sand. Moreover, the desert terrain is varied, and even with Mengzi guiding the way from the air, it would be easy to go astray. Therefore, Zhuang Rui did not expect that they would come by helicopter.
According to Zhuang Rui's prior estimate, Peng Fei and his camel caravan would not arrive for another two days.
"Brother Zhuang, didn't I leave you the satellite phone? Just lock onto the signal, and that'll be enough..."
Peng Fei curled his lip, looking down on Zhuang Rui. What era is this? He doesn't even know such basic electronic knowledge?
"You think you know everything? Bring me some water, I need to rinse my mouth..."
Zhuang Rui tapped Peng Fei on the head in annoyance, picked up Peng Fei's military water bottle to rinse his mouth, and then said, "Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss? It's just a regular archaeological excavation, and you even brought out a military plane. Peng Fei, you didn't go looking for my big brother, did you?"
Zhuang Rui thought that Peng Fei was worried about him getting into trouble in the desert, so he borrowed a helicopter from the military. Although it was common for troops to be dispatched to assist in archaeological work, it was not something that ordinary people could do.
Before Peng Fei could answer, a voice rang out behind him: "It's no exaggeration at all. I called this helicopter. Xiao Zhuang, do you know what the discovery of the Dunhuang manuscripts represents?"
"Teacher, you've come too..."
Upon hearing Professor Meng's voice, Zhuang Rui realized that he had wronged Peng Fei. As an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences elected last year, Professor Meng could have requested the assistance of the local garrison in his archaeological work, and it would have been reasonable for him to call upon military helicopters.
Behind Professor Meng were several familiar faces to Zhuang Rui, all of whom were renowned archaeology and history experts in China. Zhuang Rui had attended many of their public lectures, so he quickly went up to greet them.
"Alright, enough with the formalities. Xiao Ren said there are still two Buddha statues that haven't been broken open. Let's go, let's go take a look..."
Professor Meng, however, couldn't bear to see them talking. He grabbed Zhuang Rui and pulled him towards the poplar forest, saying as they walked, "Zhuang Rui, this batch of Dunhuang documents spans more than ten dynasties, including the Three Kingdoms, Jin Dynasty, Northern Wei Dynasty, Western Wei Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties, and Northern Song Dynasty. They encompass dozens of disciplines, and the prevalence of handwritten scrolls gave rise to the largest group of calligraphers in Chinese history—the scribes—forming a school of calligraphy—the scribe style. These important discoveries are crucial, whether for dating gaps in history or for filling in some archaeological mysteries. Losing even one of them would be a crime against the country..."
Zhuang Rui was unaware that Professor Meng had received a call from Dr. Ren in Beijing a few days ago, and was so excited that he fell off his chair. He even booked a flight from Beijing to Dunhuang overnight. After hearing the news, the old man couldn't wait a moment longer.
Even with the rare natural landscape of dead poplar forest before him, Professor Meng kept his eyes fixed on the temple and walked straight toward it, having already figured out the direction from the helicopter.
Zhuang Rui was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this. As he walked through the poplar forest with his teacher, he asked curiously, "Calligraphy? I've never heard of it..."
Zhuang Rui knew that most of the scriptures unearthed from the Dunhuang Mogao Caves were handwritten copies, but they were mostly written in clerical and regular script. He had never heard of calligraphy styles like the famous "Slender Gold" style.
"Zhuang Rui, if you calm down and practice your calligraphy when you have some free time, you'll understand the influence of Dunhuang calligraphy..."
Professor Meng shook his head at Zhuang Rui. When it comes to appreciating antiques and jade, Zhuang Rui is definitely a master in China. Due to the excavation of Liu Xiu's tomb, Zhuang Rui has also made considerable achievements in archaeology.
However, Zhuang Rui often makes a fool of himself when it comes to some very basic common sense knowledge. Professor Meng is also puzzled. Zhuang Rui knows nothing about music, chess, calligraphy and painting, so why is he able to identify the authenticity of objects?
Professor Meng was clearly in high spirits and continued, "Zhuang Rui, do you know whose handwriting I found among the scriptures that Xiao Ren smuggled out?"
"Whose calligraphy is this? Did any famous person or relative write this scripture?"
Zhuang Rui really didn't know much about calligraphy. He only knew about ancient calligraphers such as Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Zhang Xu, Huaisu, and Yan Zhenqing. As for modern calligraphers, apart from Jin Pangzi's teacher, Zhuang Rui was completely clueless.
"Of course, just from an oiled paper package, they found thirty scrolls of the Sage of Cursive Script. Damn it, do you know that even among the Dunhuang documents scattered abroad, there are only a few scrolls..."
Professor Meng was clearly very excited, waving his hands as he spoke. Professor Meng had been practicing calligraphy since he was a child. Although he did not have the same status as that master in the calligraphy world, he still had an eye for appreciating calligraphy.
"Zhang Xu? That...that's worth a fortune..."
Zhuang Rui was taken aback when he heard this. He hadn't expected that there would be such a master's handwriting in the Dunhuang documents. Out of habit, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but think about the price of Zhang Xu's works. However, after thinking for a long time, he didn't seem to have heard of Zhang Xu's works being auctioned.
"You...you brat, you're good for nothing..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Professor Meng stumbled, tripping over a withered poplar branch. He stopped and looked at Zhuang Rui, saying, "The 'Sage of Grass' I'm referring to isn't Zhang Xu, but Zhang Zhi..."
Zhuang Rui looked somewhat bewildered and shook his head, saying, "Zhang Zhi? Never heard of her..."
"You... I think you should go back and study with the undergraduates for a while. You don't even know Zhang Zhi..."
Professor Meng was both amused and exasperated by his prized student, and had no choice but to give Zhuang Rui a brief overview of Zhang Zhi's life.
The Zhang Zhi mentioned by Professor Meng was a famous calligrapher from Dunhuang, Gansu Province, during the Eastern Han Dynasty.
During Zhang Zhi's lifetime, the slow and undulating clerical script and the independent cursive script with clerical influences could no longer meet people's needs. Zhang Zhi, while inheriting the cursive script, broke away from old conventions and created his own unique style, thus becoming the Sage of Cursive Script. Even Wang Xizhi, the Sage of Cursive Script, had to give way to Zhang Zhi. He once said, "Zhong Yao and Zhang Zhi are truly unparalleled, and the rest are not worth considering." In other words, among all calligraphers throughout history, Wang Xizhi only regarded Zhong Yao and Zhang Zhi with respect.
In the history of Chinese calligraphy, Zhang Zhi and Huaisu stand out one after the other, representing two monumental figures in the flourishing period of cursive script during the Han and Tang dynasties. It can be said that the four masters, Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Zhang Xu, and Huaisu, all traced their lineage back to Zhang Zhi, the first giant in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
However, Zhang Zhi lived earlier than Wang Xizhi and others, so very few of his authentic works have survived. Even on the few foreign manuscripts that are suspected to be handwritten by Zhang Zhi, there is no signature by him. Therefore, people outside the calligraphy world have not heard of him.
While waiting for the military helicopter, Professor Meng roughly sorted through the handwritten scriptures and inadvertently discovered Zhang Zhi's works. At that moment, he treated these authentic works of the master calligrapher with the mindset of a pilgrim.
After introducing Zhang Zhi's background, Professor Meng said with great emotion, "Xiao Zhuang, I'm sure that master in Beijing would die in peace if he saw Zhang Zhi's handwriting..."
Zhuang Rui knew who Professor Meng was talking about. That master was 98 years old this year. Although Zhuang Rui would visit the old man from time to time to help him with his health, his spiritual energy was not omnipotent. The old man's health was deteriorating and he probably wouldn't make it through this winter.
As they were talking, Professor Meng and his group entered the ancient temple. Seeing the ancient books that had been opened and then put back into the oiled paper by Zhuang Rui, Professor Meng quickly put on gloves and began to examine them.
After a long while, Professor Meng raised his head, gently stroking the scroll with his hand, and said with great emotion, "I never expected, I never expected that so many precious cultural relics could be preserved in the yellow sands of the desert. It's truly a case of the shifting sands gently burying the fragrance of ink and paper..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and said, "Teacher, what you said is quite poetic..."
"Xiao Zhuang, I want to thank you. If it weren't for you, I might never have been able to see these Dunhuang documents buried in the yellow sands of the desert..."
As Professor Meng spoke, he actually stood up and bowed to Zhuang Rui, startling Zhuang Rui who quickly stepped aside, waved his hand, and said, "No, teacher, I can't accept that. I discovered all of this with Senior Brother Ren and Xiao Jia..."
"Your names will all be remembered by future generations..."
Professor Meng looked at Zhuang Rui with satisfaction and said, "Alright, everyone, tidy up these scrolls on the ground. Get ready to open the other two Buddha statues and see if there are any more scriptures inside."
Chapter 1123 Sensation
"Teacher, based on the notes left behind by Wang Daoshi, there should be nearly 20,000 volumes of Dunhuang documents inside these two Buddha statues. Tell them to be careful when breaking them open..."
Looking at the hammers and chisels in the soldiers' hands, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but remind Professor Meng that if the cultural relics inside were accidentally damaged, the loss would be incalculable.
"Yes, yes, everyone be careful. These clay Buddha statues are likely made of blue bricks inside. Let's scrape off the surface layer first..."
Professor Meng nodded repeatedly as he listened, then began directing the staff. However, a question appeared on his face as he turned to Zhuang Rui and asked, "Wang Daoshi left notes? Where are they? They weren't among the documents sent out earlier..."
There are indeed some of Wang Daoshi's handwritten notes in the Dunhuang Museum, but these notes have long been studied by many people. Professor Meng clearly remembers that there is no information about these Dunhuang documents that are unknown to the world in those notes. Therefore, Professor Meng thought that Wang Daoshi left notes in the Buddha statues and that Zhuang Rui discovered them.
"Huh? Teacher, didn't Senior Brother Ren tell you?"
Zhuang Rui was taken aback upon hearing this, then pointed to Nakagawa, who was sitting in the corner of the hall and ignored by everyone, and said, "Teacher, that Japanese man is a descendant of the Japanese explorer Yoshikawa. He came to Dunhuang after discovering the notes and pictures left by Wang Daoshi while sorting through his ancestors' belongings. Senior brother also knows about this..."
"Uh, I haven't had a chance to ask yet..."
Professor Meng smiled somewhat awkwardly upon hearing this. When he saw the Dunhuang documents that Dr. Ren and Peng Fei brought out from the desert, especially the handwritten scrolls by Zhang Zhi, the master of cursive script, his attention was immediately focused on them.
Later, when the helicopter arrived, he rushed over here, and Professor Meng and his students didn't communicate much, so they naturally didn't know the role that Zhongchuan played in this archaeological excavation.
Zhuang Rui smiled and shook his head, then told Professor Meng about Zhongchuan's situation. Of course, he also mentioned that he had promised Zhongchuan that he could send people to participate in the Dunhuang research. As for whether the professor agreed, that was none of Zhuang Rui's business.
"Is that how it is?"
After listening, Professor Meng pondered for a moment and said, "Dunhuang culture has been developing for decades, and there are scholars in Western countries and Japan who specialize in its research. Its influence is spread all over the world, and it's not just China... Well then, I agree to this in principle, but it still needs to be reported to the higher authorities. Also, if the Japanese side wants to join the research, they need to do so under the guise of official cultural exchange and show their sincerity..."
Professor Meng's sincerity naturally refers to the more than 10,000 Dunhuang documents obtained from China by the Japanese side. These materials should be quite complementary to the research on Dunhuang culture in China. In this way, it is impossible to say who loses and who gains.
Moreover, Professor Meng is an open-minded person. He doesn't care much about the fact that Japanese explorers bought Chinese national treasures cheaply in the early 20th century, and he doesn't have much ill will towards Yoshikawa.
Because if the environment and location were different, even Professor Meng himself would definitely take advantage of such a good deal. Imagine if you had the opportunity to buy a batch of priceless cultural relics at a low price through legitimate means without breaking the law or committing a crime, would you do it?
Given the country's weakness and the chaotic times at that time, as the saying goes, antiques are valued in prosperous times and gold is valued in chaotic times. These rare ancient books were not valued by the Qing government and the warlords at the time, so it's no wonder that foreign explorers took them out of China.
Some people may not agree with this view, but it is indeed human nature. The main problem is that many people find it hard to accept the loss of Chinese cultural relics. If it were the Chinese who were plundering foreign antiques, we would probably find some psychological balance.
"Thank you, sir. I will bring out all the Dunhuang documents in my family for research, and I can also persuade others to do the same..."
Upon hearing Yan Xiaowei's translation, Nakagawa was overjoyed and bowed deeply to Professor Meng. At this moment, he no longer had any desire to possess these cultural relics; he was already satisfied with getting a share of them.
Professor Meng waved his hand and said, "Well, the relevant departments will handle these matters with you later. No need to thank me. Art knows no borders, and culture also needs to be exchanged and shared..."
"Why doesn't the British Museum engage in some kind of exchange with us and return the items?"
Zhuang Rui muttered to himself.
"The brickwork has been opened; there's something inside..."
Suddenly, a shout of surprise came from the archaeological staff on the Buddha statue's pedestal. Professor Meng, forgetting about Zhuang Rui, rushed over immediately, his nimble movements belying his nearly seventy-year-old age.
"Slow down, don't water it, the dust is okay..."
"Okay, two people go in, and you two put two planks under the platform..."
“Be careful, how are you doing this? Put on your gloves, and have two people lift it up and put it on the cart…”
When the opening was wide enough, Professor Meng began to give instructions. Seeing the neatly wrapped Dunhuang documents in oil paper, the old professor's face was full of excitement.
The equipment brought from the helicopter was much better than the facilities carried by Zhuang Rui and others. Soon, two alloy plates were placed on the platform, and two trolleys moved back and forth carrying the scriptures inside the Buddha statue.