Zhuang Rui used to be quite dismissive of this wealthy man's behavior, but now he understands his mentality a bit better. These treasures in the tombs are indeed unique, and if possible, Zhuang Rui would like to acquire them and play with them slowly.
"Xiao Zhuang is right. Only by entering the tomb and thoroughly investigating its structure can we decide how to proceed with the next steps. Let's all share our thoughts..."
Professor Meng deeply agreed with Zhuang Rui's words. Without entering the tomb, everything would be in vain. Without identifying the tomb owner, it would be impossible to determine the entrance to the tomb during its construction, and all subsequent work would be impossible to carry out.
"I agree to enter the tomb..."
"I agree..."
"I agree, but those who go in should be careful..."
"Please have the CCTV staff come in together, and be ready to film at any time..."
As soon as Professor Meng finished speaking, the deputy commanders present expressed their opinions. For them, the inability to enter the tomb in person made them even more eager to find out the identity of the tomb's owner as soon as possible.
After a brief meeting, the list of the first team to enter the tomb for archaeological work was finalized. Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhuang Rui personally led a team of five young archaeologists, including Ren Chunqiang.
In addition, among the first group of people to enter the tomb were two of CCTV's best photojournalists, who would follow the archaeological team to faithfully and completely record the situation at this major excavation site.
These film and television materials will become the most valuable historical documents in the history of Chinese archaeology, and will also serve as factual evidence for future documentaries.
The secret passages within the underground river have been cleaned over the past few days to ensure that there are no poisonous insects or snakes in the narrow passages. Zhuang Rui and his group of eight are now standing at the entrance of the secret passages.
"I'm in the first place, Wang Ji is right behind me, Dr. Ren is in the third place, and then..."
Because the secret passage was very narrow, only allowing one person to crawl forward at a time, Zhuang Rui arranged the order of entry according to the previous plan beforehand.
Chapter 1177 Cleanup
A tomb that extends more than 100 meters underground is unprecedented not only in China but also in the history of world archaeology. Many previous archaeological experiences could not be applied to this tomb, and all the work was carried out by the team through trial and error.
Furthermore, the archaeological team lacks the necessary means and equipment to explore the interior of the tomb. As a result, people outside the tomb can only speculate and infer about the situation inside, and no one knows the actual situation inside.
Therefore, for safety reasons, the first batch of archaeologists who entered the tomb wore not only relatively bulky protective suits, but also oxygen masks and other protective measures.
This decision was made after the command reached a consensus. It should be noted that the tomb is hundreds of meters underground, and it is unknown whether the air inside is circulating. If it is not circulating, then the air that has been underground for thousands of years will definitely undergo some unknown changes, and may even turn into toxic gas.
Just like when the first ancient Egyptian pyramid was opened in modern times, all the first archaeologists who entered the pyramid died tragically. This was known as the curse of the Egyptian pharaohs and was something that Egyptians and archaeologists at the time almost feared.
However, after research and analysis by scientists, the answer to this mystery has been found, and the truth is not what people thought.
Scientists concluded that all the victims died because they inhaled mutated viruses and air that had accumulated from being sealed for thousands of years when the pyramids were opened, rather than from any supernatural event such as a pharaoh's curse.
Therefore, the command center took sufficient protective measures for this entry, not only urgently deploying a batch of protective suits, but also specially airlifting some portable oxygen equipment from the mainland.
To avoid hindering the archaeological team from entering through the narrow passage, this oxygen device was essentially a piece of clothing, only hollow inside, with a tube connected to the oxygen mask worn on the head.
"Damn it, this thing is really uncomfortable..."
Wearing a protective suit underneath and an oxygen suit on the outside, Zhuang Rui found it extremely uncomfortable to wear, even though the underground was damp and cold. In addition, the passage was narrow and he was carrying some tools, making it very difficult for him to climb.
The secret passage was originally dug out by those craftsmen. Its width is similar to that of a regular tomb raider's tunnel. In addition, the terrain has changed slightly over the past thousand years. When the secret passage was first discovered, some places were already so narrow that only a fist-sized opening remained.
If the passage hadn't been widened during the recent cleaning, Zhuang Rui and the others wouldn't have been able to enter at all.
Fortunately, the secret passage was only about thirty meters long. After moving in like a ground rat for four or five minutes, Zhuang Rui was blocked by a one-meter square bluestone slab.
Zhuang Rui was prepared for this. He immediately stretched out his hands and wedged a crowbar into the gap between the bluestone slab and the soil. With a forceful pull, the bluestone slab trembled slightly.
Although technology is advanced now, due to the limitations of the conditions, Zhuang Rui can only use primitive tools such as crowbars, which are the most suitable tools in such a tomb.
After several days of investigation, especially after discovering the stone slab blocking the way, the archaeological team also determined that this secret passage was not a tomb robber's hole, but a "backdoor" left by the craftsmen who built the mausoleum. However, why has no news about this mausoleum been released to later generations? Did those who left a way out escape? These questions will only be answered with further investigation.
Above Zhuang Rui's body, a camera was pointed at the bluestone slab in front of him. The experts in the ground command center watched the screen intently. When they saw the bluestone slab loosen, a cheer erupted in the command center.
"Xiao Zhuang, be gentle. We don't know where the stone slab is in the tomb. Don't pry it off and damage what's inside..."
An old expert's voice came through Zhuang Rui's earpiece. For archaeologists, even a piece of wood fragment in a tomb has value for analysis and research. This old expert did not want to cause any damage to the tomb when entering.
"I understand, Mr. Qi, don't worry..."
Zhuang Rui answered into the earpiece, but inwardly he was somewhat dismissive.
Zhuang Rui knew that the bluestone slab weighed several hundred kilograms and was more than a meter above the ground, making it impossible to open the tomb intact.
Moreover, this tomb is just a burial pit for cattle and horses, filled with their bones. It has little value for research and verification, and any damage would be insignificant.
While verbally agreeing with Elder Qi, Zhuang Rui didn't hold back at all, and even increased the force of the crowbar. After loosening the soil under the stone slab, Zhuang Rui jammed the top edge of the stone slab, and with a sudden burst of force, the entire bluestone slab fell backward.
"Hey, be gentle, I told you to be gentle..."
"Yeah, young people are so clumsy..."
"Stop talking, just take a look inside..."
Zhuang Rui's move greatly displeased the veteran experts at the command center, but these old men in their seventies and eighties were helpless; they couldn't go down there themselves, so anything they said would be in vain.
However, most people in the command center focused their attention on the tomb chamber behind the stone slab. The powerful spotlight above Zhuang Rui's head formed a beam of light, illuminating the tomb chamber, which had been sealed for thousands of years, through the hole pried open in the stone slab.
Just as the stone slab hit the ground, a thick layer of dust rose from the tomb chamber. Visible dust swirled in the chamber, mixed with the bones of cattle and horses that had been struck by the stone slab.
"Everyone be careful, make sure your oxygen suits don't get torn..."
Zhuang Rui gave instructions through the earpiece next to his mouth. He hadn't expected there to be so much dust in the tomb. However, this also indicated that the tomb was extremely well-sealed, and there probably had been no air circulation for thousands of years, which was why the dust had fallen to the ground.
Although Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy detected no dangers such as traps or hidden weapons, he didn't know if the dust could spread any viruses. If they were to repeat the mistake made by the pyramid archaeologists back then, he would have no one to cry to in regret.
After warning the archaeologists behind him, Zhuang Rui carefully threw the crowbar into the tomb chamber. He dared not be careless at all. He first stuck half of his body out of the hole, then used his hands to support himself and carefully placed his feet on the ground.
After entering the tomb, Zhuang Rui first cleared a space on both sides of the skeletal remains on the ground below the entrance. Among these remains were many sharp objects, and he was afraid that they would be stepped on by the people behind him.
After clearing the open space, Zhuang Rui first took the camera from Wang Ji and transmitted the footage from the tomb chamber to the ground command center.
"This...this is a burial pit..."
"That's right, it should be an animal burial pit. Human bones wouldn't be this large..."
"Using a burial chamber instead of a buried funerary pit is very rare in China..."
Upon seeing the footage transmitted by Zhuang Rui, the experts in the command center immediately began analysis. The bones of cattle and horses were easy to identify, and the experts quickly reached a conclusion.
Animal sacrifice was a very common practice in ancient times. Even slightly well-off families would bury chickens, ducks, geese, and the like with their livestock. However, most of these animals were simply buried in pits, and very few were buried in separate tombs.
In places like the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, there were also live animals buried alive. However, as mentioned above, they simply dug a large pit, pushed the animals into it, filled it with soil, and then trampled the ground down with galloping horses. That was all.
However, the appearance of this sacrificial burial chamber is easy to explain, because this tomb itself is very special. It was not excavated from the ground, and it would be difficult to use conventional sacrificial burial methods, so a burial chamber was used instead of a sacrificial pit.
While the experts on the surface were analyzing the images, the underground archaeological team was also busy. After all eight people entered the spacious tomb chamber, a ventilation duct connected to the outside exhaust fan was brought in by the last archaeologist to enter the tomb chamber.
Since each person's oxygen supply can only last for about two hours, according to the previous plan, after each tomb chamber is cleared and the structure of the objects inside is determined, the air environment must be purified.
Of course, if bamboo slips or woven silk items are preserved in the tomb, they must be preserved first. Although air will flow in when the tomb is opened, conditions are limited at this depth of 100 meters underground, so this is the only way to handle it.
"Tao Yun, Jin Cheng, you two piece together a complete animal skeleton and take it out. The rest of you, clear these remains to the east corner of the tomb chamber. Dr. Ren and I will search for the tomb entrances to other chambers. Let's split up and get to work..."
After everyone had entered, Zhuang Rui began to arrange the work.
Although Zhuang Rui is relatively young, he has earned his position as deputy commander-in-chief for a reason. During the past few days of preparations, many of his suggestions have been adopted, and he has established sufficient authority.
Under Zhuang Rui's arrangement, the archaeological team members performed their duties and got busy. The two best photographers from CCTV pointed their cameras with strong lights at the tomb chamber, not missing a single corner.
Of course, Zhuang Rui did find the tomb door leading to the other burial chamber, but due to time constraints, after finding the tomb door, everyone left the burial chamber and did not rush to conduct an investigation.
For the next week or so, the underground archaeological team's work did not progress very quickly, because the several tombs near the secret passage were all funerary tombs. Although they were not of great archaeological value, they were particularly troublesome to clean.
Chapter 1178 Status
The burial chambers near the secret passage were mostly animal burial chambers that received little attention. Perhaps that is why the craftsmen who built the tomb were able to easily create an escape passage.
But man proposes, God disposes. These craftsmen painstakingly dug out such a hidden escape route, never expecting that they would never have the chance to enter it. The day the tomb was completed was the day they would perish.
These animal burial chambers are not of great research value, but they are quite difficult to clean. Due to terrain limitations, they have to be transported out in batches, which slows down the progress of the archaeological team's work.
Moreover, during the transportation process, every effort must be made to ensure the integrity of the remains, because this underground tomb is very likely to be built into an underground palace in the future, becoming a tourist attraction like the Ming Tombs.
As part of the mausoleum, the remains of cattle and horses, which have already turned to dust, will be restored here in the future to give people a true historical imprint.
As archaeological excavation progressed, it was discovered that the burial chambers in this underground tomb were all adjacent to each other, unlike some other large tombs where there are long passageways between the two chambers. This, however, brought many conveniences to the excavation work.
For two whole weeks, the archaeological work was suspended in sorting out and excavating the tombs around the secret passage. There were a total of eight burial pits, only one of which was filled with ceramics and has relatively high research value.
The ceramic burial pit discovered by the archaeological team is actually the tomb chamber filled with Song Dynasty ceramics that Zhuang Rui had previously focused on. The dazzling array of Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain almost led many archaeological experts to believe that it was the tomb of a Song Dynasty emperor.
Porcelain is fragile and cannot be treated like the remains of cattle and horses. Moreover, porcelain will fade due to changes in oxygen levels when exposed to air in a sealed tomb, so it must be given timely care immediately.
Therefore, Zhuang Rui and his group spent most of the past two weeks in this tomb chamber. The discovery of exquisite Song Dynasty porcelain pieces further heightened people's expectations for this tomb. ...
"Zhuang Rui, why are you walking the horses again? The teachers are all waiting for you. Hurry up, they're all waiting for you..."
Zhuang Rui rode Zhui Feng at breakneck speed from afar when Ren Chunqiang suddenly appeared beside the road, forcing Zhuang Rui to pull on the reins, causing Zhui Feng to rear up.
"Brother Ren, I work sixteen or seventeen hours a day, and this is the only time I can relax. You all know that..."
As the deputy commander of the archaeological team and the leader of the on-site archaeological work, Zhuang Rui's responsibilities are much greater than those of ordinary staff members.
While others work eight hours a day, he has to stay inside for a full sixteen hours. Moreover, some on-the-spot decision-making authority is also delegated to Zhuang Rui, which makes Zhuang Rui very miserable. He has never been so dedicated to managing his own company.
As Zhuang Rui said, apart from sleeping four or five hours a day, he would only ride the Chasing Wind to relax. After two weeks, the soldiers on duty within a radius of dozens of kilometers were very familiar with the man and the horse.
Zhuang Rui jumped off his horse, patted Zhui Feng's rump, and the extremely intelligent Zhui Feng sneezed before walking to the front of Zhuang Rui's wooden house, bending down and closing his eyes to rest.
Due to the unique geographical conditions of this archaeological expedition, it is very likely to last for a long time. If we take into account the plans of some architectural experts who have recently arrived, the projects derived from this expedition may last for three to five years.
So in just two short weeks, two rows of small wooden cabins have been erected along the once empty riverbank for the experts to rest in, since not everyone can get used to living in tents.
As the deputy commander of this archaeological expedition, Zhuang Rui was also allocated a wooden cabin. To be honest, these wooden cabins, which were actually built of solid wood, were much more comfortable to live in than the damp and cramped tents.
The meeting was held inside the tent. When Zhuang Rui entered, the huge tent was already full of people. In addition to the commanders and deputy commanders of the archaeological team, there were several professors from the School of Architecture at Peking University and two leaders from the National Tourism Administration.
When Zhuang Rui entered, Professor Wu from Peking University was talking to him. Professor Meng, who was sitting at the head of the table, waved to Zhuang Rui and said, "Xiao Zhuang, come, sit down first, and listen to Professor Wu's opinion on this mausoleum..."
Everyone has witnessed Zhuang Rui's work over the past two weeks. Not only has he worked tirelessly, but his decisive actions on several occasions have also prevented major losses in the archaeological work. His rich experience is comparable to that of some veteran scientific research experts.
When they were opening the tomb chamber containing ceramic burial objects, the problem arose with the groove under the stone door, making it impossible to push open. Moreover, the stone door was 50 centimeters thick, and even using tools to chisel it open would take a lot of time.
So one of the staff members of the underground archaeological team suggested using explosives to shatter the stone door and open it.
Since the previous tombs had contained animal funerary objects, if the next one was also like that, blasting was not an option. After discussion, several experts on the ground agreed to this plan.
However, Zhuang Rui, who was underground at the time, expressed strong opposition and rejected the plan in his capacity as deputy commander-in-chief. In the end, he pried open the bluestone slabs on the ground, opened the stone door slot, and pushed it open.