This can be said to be the most unique tomb chamber that the archaeological team has seen since the excavation of this mausoleum. Although the area of the tomb chamber is only slightly larger than the other chambers, and it is not paved with gold, the magnificent atmosphere emanating from the entire tomb chamber is far superior to that of other tomb chambers.
The tomb chamber is about five meters high, and the walls and ceiling are paved with whole pieces of white marble, engraved with various scenes and some mysterious symbols. Various items are neatly arranged around the walls.
Near the tomb entrance was a row of weapon racks. Unlike the ornamental weapons inside the golden tomb, these weapons were all deadly. Although the wooden handles of many weapons had rotted, the black and shiny blades of the swords and knives still gleamed with a sharp, cold light.
A hard bow about 1.5 to 1.6 meters long is wrapped with gold and silver threads. The bowstring, made of an unknown material, remains intact after a thousand years.
The simple and elegant bow with its smooth lines seems to be showing those who enter the tomb the splendor of Genghis Khan riding across the grasslands and shooting down eagles with his bow.
Chapter 1189 The Precious Coffin
"A hero unparalleled in life, and still a warrior after death; Genghis Khan has not disgraced his immense reputation..."
Looking at the tomb, which, though not very large, exuded a magnificent aura, Professor Meng couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Although the entire tomb chamber was not paved with gold, the overwhelming grandeur it exuded allowed one to truly feel the boundless ambition of this great emperor.
Genghis Khan conquered the south and the north during his lifetime, never encountering an opponent and displaying his martial prowess across the world. Even after his death, his longbow was hung on the wall, evoking a unique sense of pride and heroism in the hearts of the people.
"An Isfahan carpet, my goodness, how was such a huge one woven? And how was it preserved?"
Dr. Ren's voice suddenly rang out in the tomb chamber, interrupting everyone's remembrance and drawing Zhuang Rui and the others' attention to the carpet placed under the coffin in the center of the tomb chamber.
This carpet not only covered the entire area of the huge coffin, but also extended outwards quite far, occupying a size of fifteen or sixteen square meters.
This carpet, which combines various materials such as wool, cotton, silk, gold thread, and silver thread, consists of vertical lines, horizontal lines, and diagonal lines that repeat to form a central pattern, giving it an exceptionally grand and luxurious appearance.
Although Zhuang Rui majored in archaeology, his business was entirely related to antiques, so he was quite familiar with Persian carpets, which had entered China during the Sui and Tang dynasties. He immediately asked, "Brother Ren, is this the origin of Persian carpets, the Isfahan carpet?"
"Yes, it must be. How... how was it preserved?"
During his doctoral studies, Dr. Ren mainly researched the formation of the Silk Road and its profound impact on the Tang Dynasty and other countries around the world. As one of the most famous commodities on the Silk Road, Persian carpets were also the subject of considerable in-depth research by Dr. Ren Chunqiang.
Isfahan is an ancient city with a long history and rich culture, located on the Iranian Plateau at an altitude of 1,600 meters.
The world’s finest carpets are made in Isfahan and used in Persian palaces, European royal families, the papacy and nobility, either laid on the floor or hung on the wall like precious oil paintings.
The fame of Persian carpets today is largely due to Isfahan, whose carpets are made with the world's finest korkha wool and woven into silk warp and weft threads, and are still considered the best Persian carpets in the world.
The lifespan of a typical carpet is only two or three hundred years at most. Today, carpets from Isfahan dating back to the 16th or 17th century are extremely rare.
At a British auction last year, an Isfahan rug measuring only 60 centimeters by 80 centimeters sold for a staggering six million dollars.
One can only imagine the shock that such a large carpet, found inside a tomb, would cause to the international art collecting world if it were displayed.
"Alright, Xiao Ren, you take charge of dealing with this carpet. The rest of you, focus on preserving these weapons first. Leave the coffins for last..."
Professor Meng was quite disapproving of Dr. Ren's outburst. The value of any item in this tomb chamber was no less than that of the carpet. The reason he hadn't supported Ren Chunqiang in the same way he had supported Zhuang Rui was because his disciple lacked vision.
After hearing Professor Meng's instructions, everyone busied themselves. The gold, silver, and especially the ironware in the tomb chamber had a high probability of oxidation after being sealed for thousands of years. They looked incredibly sharp now, but they might become covered in rust as soon as they were taken out of the tomb.
Zhuang Rui walked to the weapon rack and picked up a saber with a rotten scabbard. He had noticed that the saber contained extremely rich spiritual energy when he was observing the tomb with his spiritual energy.
This is a typical early Mongolian saber. The blade is thinner than modern military sabers, only about two fingers wide, and lighter in weight. The lines are very smooth, and the handle is slightly curved towards the blade. This curved handle makes it easier for the rider to control and less likely to slip out of his hand.
"Xiao Zhuang, come here, try the knife..."
Professor Meng smiled when he saw Zhuang Rui playing with the saber with obvious delight. He then took out a stack of parchment used for wrapping cultural relics and placed it on the ground in front of Zhuang Rui.
"Alright, let's see how Genghis Khan's weapon compares to my Dingguang Sword..."
Zhuang Rui agreed and carefully gripped the hilt of the saber with his gloved right hand. Although the wooden hilt, originally inlaid with various gems, had rotted away, there was still an iron bar hilt remaining.
"Ha!"
Zhuang Rui let out a muffled shout, raised the knife high above his head with his right hand, and slashed fiercely at the pile of parchment paper stacked high on the ground.
"clang……"
The sharp blade flashed an arc in the light, silently slicing into the parchment. Then, due to inertia, it struck the ground with a crisp sound.
"Holy crap, that was fast!"
Zhuang Rui was surprised by how fast the saber was. He quickly pulled it out of the pile of paper and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the blade was undamaged. If the artifact had been damaged due to this experiment, it would have been an extremely serious archaeological accident.
"A divine weapon, a truly divine weapon!"
Before the people in the tomb could recover from what they had just witnessed, an old man in the command post a hundred meters above Zhuang Rui and the others started gesturing wildly and shouting excitedly.
It's important to know that ancient steel smelting technology was far less advanced than modern technology. However, for some reason, many weapons passed down from ancient times are extremely sharp, incorruptible, and indestructible. What substances were mixed in with them remains unknown even with modern technology.
However, very few such divine weapons have been unearthed. Like Zhuang Rui's Dingguang Sword, even if they exist, they can only be used for some optical tests and cannot be handed over to these experts for long-term research. Therefore, there has always been a lack of related research items.
The old man was an expert in the study of ancient cold weapons. He was so excited to see that the weapon from a thousand years ago was still so sharp that he wanted to reach into the screen and grab the saber.
Professor Meng heard the command post's shouts through his earpiece and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Old Li, calm down. There are so many weapons; you'll have plenty to study..."
Putting everything else aside, just by looking at the carpets and weapons in this tomb, one can tell that all the items placed here represent the pinnacle of craftsmanship that could be achieved in Genghis Khan's time.
Every item here is probably a rare and unique piece, meaning that there is no other item in the world that is the same.
After witnessing the sharpness of the thousand-year-old saber, the staff in the tomb were very excited. However, when maintaining and tidying up these cultural relics, they became even more gentle, because a careless mistake could damage hundreds of millions of items.
After more than five hours of work, all the artifacts placed outside the tomb chamber had been preserved. Even the carpet that was exposed outside the coffin was carefully maintained by Dr. Ren, who lay on the ground.
Seeing that everyone was exhausted, Professor Meng clapped his hands and said, "Alright, everyone, take a rest. These items will be kept in the tomb for now, and transported out after the coffin is opened..."
Zhuang Rui walked over to Professor Meng, who was standing in front of the enormous coffin, and asked, "Professor, are we about to open the coffin? This thing is not easy to open..."
The coffin, including its foundation, is 2.12 meters high. It is impossible to open it from the ground. A ladder must be used to lift the lid from several directions.
However, this requires a prerequisite: finding the mortise and tenon joint of the coffin. Professor Meng had been observing the coffin earlier, trying to determine the position of the mortise and tenon joint.
"Hmm, that should be about right..."
Professor Meng nodded and pointed to the head and tail of the coffin, saying, "There are eight mortise and tenon joints, but there are no gaps at the joints. A pry bar can't be inserted at all. I'm afraid it will damage the coffin. Alas, what a pity for this fine Phoebe zhennan wood..."
Looking at the coffin, which was as hard as iron, beautifully shaped, and shimmered with golden light under the sun, Professor Meng shook his head repeatedly. The coffin lid alone was a precious cultural relic worth tens of millions.
It is well known that Phoebe zhennan wood is resistant to decay and insects, does not feel cold to the touch in winter, has a warm and soft texture, and has delicate and clear grain. It has always been a royal item. For example, the Phoebe zhennan Buddhist shrine in the Yonghe Temple in Beijing is one of the three treasures of the temple.
Even the famous Emperor Qianlong, known for his perfect virtues, had a bad reputation for using Phoebe zhennan wood. Back then, Qianlong took a fancy to the Phoebe zhennan wood in the Ming Tombs, so he used the repair of the Ming Tombs as a cover to dismantle the best materials to build his own mausoleum.
Historical records do indeed show that Emperor Qianlong repaired the Ming Tombs and transported back a large amount of materials from the Ming Tombs, including Phoebe zhennan wood. Zhuang Rui personally witnessed this when visiting the Qing Dynasty imperial tombs, and saw that the building materials of the Qing Tombs contained a large amount of Phoebe zhennan wood from the Ming Dynasty.
Because Phoebe zhennan wood was already on the verge of extinction by the end of the Ming Dynasty, there are virtually no new pieces available on the market now. Even if there are, they are all antique items. Therefore, its market value is comparable to that of small-leaf sandalwood furniture.
"Teacher, this tomb has been open for too long. I think we should open the coffin."
Under normal circumstances, Zhuang Rui might have felt sorry for the precious Phoebe zhennan wood, but considering the crystal coffin inside and the Imperial Seal of the State that embodied years of Chinese imperial culture, he wouldn't feel bad even if he dismantled the entire exquisitely crafted coffin.
"Alright, prepare to open the coffin..."
Professor Meng is a decisive person. Relatively speaking, the protection work for this archaeological excavation has been done to the best of its ability. A little bit of damage is within acceptable limits.
Chapter 1190 The Flow of Time
"This thing is really hard..."
Under Professor Meng's "guidance!"
Zhuang Rui stood on the ladder and used tools to cut several slots in the huge golden nanmu coffin for inserting a crowbar.
Of course, Professor Meng was only pointing out the general location. The place Zhuang Rui chose was definitely the best position for the mortise and tenon joint. However, the nanmu wood was too hard. Even with modern tools, Zhuang Rui was exhausted and covered in sweat.
Eight portable alloy ladders, each 1.5 meters tall, were placed on either side of the coffin and at both ends.
The people standing on the ladder were all among the strongest men in the archaeological team. Zhuang Rui was no exception, Dr. Ren was also standing on a ladder with a crowbar, and even Peng Fei was called down to participate in the coffin opening operation.
"Everyone, get ready..."
Professor Meng directed the operation from below, "After I count to three, you all exert force upwards simultaneously, understand?"
"I understand..."
The eight people standing on the ladder were all somewhat uneasy. The bold ones were about to meet Genghis Khan, who had left a deep mark on world history, while the majority were excited and thrilled.
As for the timid ones, they feared that a hidden arrow might suddenly shoot out from inside the coffin, in which case they would become a sacrificial victim to this Mongol Khan a thousand years later.
Compared to the other tense staff members, Peng Fei was quite relaxed and joked with Zhuang Rui: "Brother Zhuang, your dream was really accurate. Not only did you find the Mongolian old ghost yourself, but you even dragged your brothers along to meet him. What bad luck, what bad luck..."
Zhuang Rui, holding a crowbar, wedged it into the slot and said with a smile, "Peng Fei, you better keep your mouth shut. This is an emperor, after all. Be careful he doesn't come back to haunt you later..."
"Pshaw, if I lived in that era, Genghis Khan wouldn't even exist. I wouldn't be afraid even if he jumped out right now..."
Peng Fei chatted nonchalantly with Zhuang Rui, not caring at all about this person who had been dead for a thousand years and had long since turned into bones. Peng Fei had even seen corpses that were half-rotten and covered in maggots back then, so he didn't care about this kind of scene at all.
"Damn it, Peng Fei, can you just shut up? You're deliberately trying to disgust people."
Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei's conversation finally made the people around them unable to bear it any longer. You have to understand, they were in a tomb chamber. Although these were all scientific researchers who had experience opening coffins, none of them wanted to find a half-rotten corpse after the coffin was opened.
"Alright, everyone concentrate, and remember to apply force evenly later..."
Professor Meng interrupted their conversation, feeling somewhat disappointed in Dr. Ren. As a scientific researcher, one should face any situation with composure.
"One, two, three, open the coffin!" At Professor Meng's command, the eight people standing on the frame simultaneously pressed down the crowbar with both arms.
"Click...click...squeak...squeak..."
Although the coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood was exceptionally sturdy, it eventually loosened under the simultaneous force applied to the eight mortise and tenon joints. After a series of piercing creaks, a crack slowly appeared in the coffin.
The wooden tenons of the coffin were much longer than those of ordinary furniture. When the coffin lid had risen about two inches, the tenons were still not completely separated. Professor Meng hurriedly shouted, "Don't stop! Push harder! Push harder! We'll pry it up soon..."
"Snap!"
After a loud thud that made everyone's hearts tremble, the coffin lid finally detached from the outer coffin, revealing a gap the size of a fist.
During the opening of the coffin, both CCTV reporters came to the tomb chamber. However, the height of the coffin prevented them from filming the scene inside immediately. The two brothers held their cameras high, desperately trying to point the lenses at the gaps in the coffin.
"Don't rush to film. Xiao Yang, get four ropes. Zhuang Rui, use the ropes to tie the coffin lid shut, and use a crowbar to lift it down..."
Although Professor Meng was also very excited, he still remembered the steps for opening the coffin. He then proceeded to arrange things in an orderly manner. Five minutes later, the coffin lid, which was about three meters long and about two and a half meters wide, was finally moved to the ground.
After the coffin was lowered, Zhuang Rui quickly climbed up a ladder nearby, Professor Meng followed suit, and of course, the two photographers were also there.
Peng Fei and Dr. Ren reacted quickly. While others were still rubbing their shoulders, the two of them each took a ladder. By the time the others realized what was happening, all eight ladders were already occupied.
"My God, how... how can someone lie down like a living person?"
Just as the group climbed the ladder in roughly equal order and looked into the coffin, a CCTV reporter suddenly let out a scream at the back of the coffin and fell off the ladder.