Professor Meng is extremely familiar with the situation here, and his comments are relatively objective. As the saying goes, "You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days."
Even tigers have their moments of rest, let alone these locals who have all the advantages of timing, location, and popular support. The Beiman Mountains stretch for hundreds of miles from east to west; even if you threw three or five hundred policemen in, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference.
Wealth is a powerful motivator. The only way to eradicate tomb raiding is for antiques to become worthless, which would naturally deter people from robbing ancient tombs.
Of course, given the current peaceful and prosperous society, this possibility is unlikely.
Professor Meng pointed to the mountains bathed in the setting sun and said to Zhuang Rui, "In that direction, there are the tombs of more than a dozen emperors from the Eastern Han, Cao Wei, Western Jin, and Northern Wei dynasties, as well as the accompanying tombs of royal family members and ministers, totaling more than a thousand. Unfortunately, from ancient times to the present, only a handful have been completely preserved..."
"Teacher, with the popularization of legal education, I believe people will become more aware of it in the future..."
Zhuang Rui offered Professor Meng a word of comfort, though he himself didn't believe it. The more educated and knowledgeable about the law, the more secretive their actions become. Just like Boss Yu's tomb raiding gang, it took nearly ten years and more to track them down across more than a dozen provinces before they were brought to justice.
"Let's go, let's do our best to protect as much as we can..."
Professor Meng seemed somewhat dejected and turned to walk down the hillside.
For this expert who dedicated his life to the preservation and research of Chinese scientific expeditions and ancient tombs, reality was undoubtedly cruel, much like a ceramics expert watching his beloved antique porcelain being broken piece by piece.
Strictly speaking, the place where Zhang Daniu lives is not even a village. His family leased an orchard on a hilltop and built a house at the foot of the hill. There are no other residents around.
Fortunately, although the mountain road was difficult to travel, it was wide enough. After Zhuang Rui's car chassis bumped against the protruding rocks countless times, it came to a group of houses built of bluestone and bricks.
"Dad, we're back. We've sold everything..."
The car had just come to a stop in front of Zhang Daniu's house when Zhang Erniu jumped out and shouted something that almost made Zhuang Rui bite his tongue. What kind of person is this? Does he still think those antiques were sold?
"You child, how many times have I told you that those dead things are unlucky, but you just won't listen..."
As the voices were spoken, an old man in his early fifties came out of the yard and was stunned to see two cars parked in front of his house.
“Dad, we didn’t sell those things; we donated them to the government. They’re government officials who came to investigate the ancient tomb…”
Fortunately, there was one sensible person among them. After kicking his younger brother, Zhang Daniu explained the situation to his father. Erniu didn't care at all and went straight into a house with smoke coming from the chimney. The silly brother was hungry again.
"Quickly, please come in. We don't have much to offer you, brother. Please don't mind. My wife, please cook extra rice tonight and make soup with the blackfish I caught yesterday..."
Although Old Zhang was a countryman, he was very perceptive and immediately recognized that Professor Meng was the leader. He then led the group into the house.
"Brother, I'm a few years older than you, so please excuse me and call me Old Zhang. Don't be shy, we'll be staying at your place for a while. We'll eat whatever we can find, so don't make us feel like outsiders..."
Professor Meng has a wealth of experience dealing with rural people. With just a few words, he warmed Old Zhang's heart. People should respect each other. From a human perspective, a king and a beggar are completely equal.
However, some people like to stick green onions in pig noses... to show off. They come to the countryside and act all high and mighty, without ever thinking about what their ancestors did for eight generations or more.
After Professor Meng told Old Zhang about his expenses for lodging and food, the old man immediately waved his hands and said, "Brother, you're looking down on us country folk. Rice and flour are free at home, what's wrong with having a few more people to eat? My simple-minded second son eats more by himself than three or four people..."
"Uncle Zhang, please don't be so polite. We need to eat some meat while we're working, so we'll have to trouble you to go to town to get some, right? That's settled then..."
Finally, after being persuaded by Zhuang Rui and others, Old Zhang accepted the two thousand yuan. His hands were trembling at the time. The orchard he contracted was not doing well. It hadn't borne much fruit in the past few years, otherwise his two sons wouldn't have gone out to work.
For dinner, we ate vegetables grown by Old Zhang's family, and then Da Niu's mother killed the rooster they used for crowing.
You know, in the countryside, crowing roosters are highly regarded; it's a courtesy reserved for the most distinguished guests. There was also a rich, creamy blackfish soup, which the staff members who came with Professor Meng praised highly.
Unable to go up the mountain at night, Zhuang Rui and the others worked together to clean up the vacant rooms and the rooms where the grain was stored, which served as their place to stay.
Chapter 887 The Tip of the Iceberg (Part 1)
"You...you've committed a crime!" After tidying up the house, Professor Meng and Zhuang Rui and the others came to the backyard of Zhang Daniu's house. On the ground of the yard, the burial objects that Daniu and his brother had stolen from the tomb were laid out in abundance.
Old Zhang had put up a large light bulb in the yard, which was very bright and attracted a lot of mosquitoes to fly around it, while some landed on the objects in the yard.
These burial objects are mostly terracotta figurines. From the glaze that has not yet completely fallen off, it can be vaguely seen that these should all be painted figurines. There are fifty or sixty painted figurines with different shapes and none of them are the same.
Professor Meng was deeply saddened. If proper protective measures had been taken, perhaps the colors on the terracotta figurines could have been preserved, but that was no longer possible.
"Xiao Ren, Xiao Zhuang, look around and see if there are any bamboo slips or jade knobs or similar items..."
In fact, the most valuable thing is not the gold and silver jewelry. For archaeologists, the seal that can prove the identity of the tomb owner is the most important thing.
The Han Dynasty was not too far removed from the Qin Dynasty, so it is highly likely that some ancient books and scriptures that have been lost to the world today could be unearthed there, which would be priceless treasures.
However, bamboo slips are not easy to preserve. In many large tombs, only traces of decay can be seen on the bamboo slips, and very few actual artifacts are unearthed. Some tombs have yielded bamboo slips of Sun Tzu's Art of War, but unfortunately, they are also incomplete.
"Teacher, no, there are only these terracotta figurines and some silverware, but no owner's seal or stamps..."
After a thorough investigation, Zhuang Rui and Ren Chunqiang were unable to find any clues about the owner's identity. These terracotta figurines were common burial objects in Han Dynasty tombs and did not prove anything.
"Da Niu, how many tomb chambers did you excavate in total?"
Professor Meng pondered for a moment. There were only a few dozen burial objects, which was far from the imperial tomb he had in mind. Not to mention an imperial tomb, even the tomb of a minister would have dozens of times more burial objects.
"A tomb chamber? What's a tomb chamber?"
Da Niu didn't quite understand what Professor Meng was saying.
"That's where the coffins are placed..."
Zhuang Rui offered a suggestion from the side.
"Oh, there was only one. Erniu and I broke through two stone doors and found a coffin. Besides the coffin, there were only these things. It took us several trips to get it out..."
Da Niu recalled the scene and suddenly said, "Oh right, when we broke through the first stone door, we also found two dead bodies. Their clothes were tattered, and only bones remained..."
"What a disobedient thing you are! I'll beat you to death..."
Zhang Daniu's words infuriated Old Zhang, who grabbed a broom and chased his son all over the yard. This momentarily dispelled the chill that Zhang Daniu's claim of discovering skeletal remains had brought to everyone.
"That bastard! How can you just wander into a grave? Erqiangzi from the east end of the village dug up a grave, and he ended up covered in rashes and died before he could even get to the hospital!"
Even after being persuaded to stop by Zhuang Rui and others, Old Zhang was still trembling with anger, pointing at his two sons and cursing them.
"Old Zhang, it's alright. After thousands of years, even if there's something in the tomb, it won't matter anymore. But you must teach your son well, and he must never do such a thing again..."
Professor Meng also offered some advice to Old Zhang, saying that he had excavated many ancient tombs and encountered countless traps and hidden weapons.
Poisoning is quite common in tombs, but the toxicity usually dissipates over time. Traps filled with sharp weapons and boulders placed above passageways pose a greater threat to tomb raiders.
“Da Niu, come here, tell me again how that tomb was discovered, and what was inside…”
Upon seeing these things, Professor Meng had a hunch that the Da Niu brothers had not discovered the real tomb chamber; perhaps they were merely at the entrance to the treasure mountain.
"Nothing much happened. When I was gathering herbs, I saw a cave peeking out from behind some vines, so Erniu and I climbed in to take a look. After walking three or four meters, we came across a stone door. Erniu used an axe to chisel it open, and there was a passage. Ugh, the smell inside was awful... We waited outside for a long time before daring to go in. After walking about ten meters further in, there was another stone door. Two dead bodies were found there, but we don't know how they died. After opening that stone door, we saw all this..."
Although Da Niu was more sensible than Er Niu, his words were still vague. However, Professor Meng's face showed joy. Based on his understanding of Han tombs, the Da Niu brothers had only discovered the tip of the iceberg of this burial site.
Professor Meng was incredibly excited, wishing he could go to the tomb site right now to take a look. After forcing himself to restrain himself, he said to Zhuang Rui and the others, "Alright, sort and organize the items. The local garrison will be here tomorrow; have them take them to the local cultural relics department first..."
Zhuang Rui wasn't very good at this kind of work. He watched as Ren Chunqiang and the other staff members skillfully labeled and categorized each item, finishing in just over half an hour.
After a long day of travel and working overtime that evening, everyone went back to their tidied rooms to sleep after finishing their tasks. ...
The crowing of roosters in the distance heralds the start of a day's work in the countryside. A light mist drifts through the mountains, while smoke rises from the village at the foot of the mountain. The sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking fill the air, creating a picturesque rural scene.
"Zhuang Rui, what's wrong? Didn't you sleep well?"
When Zhuang Rui came out, Dr. Ren was washing up by the hand pump in the yard, while Professor Meng was practicing Tai Chi at the yard gate, and Er Niu, that simpleton, was following along with him with great enthusiasm.
"There are so many mosquitoes! It's only May, where did all these mosquitoes come from?"
Zhuang Rui rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He had spent the entire night fighting mosquitoes. He wondered if it was because his flesh smelled so good that the mosquitoes were all coming to him, while Hao Long had slept soundly.
Old Zhang, who was chopping wood to prepare breakfast, heard Zhuang Rui's words and quickly came over, saying apologetically, "Young man, mosquitoes come early in the countryside. I'll fumigate your room with mugwort this afternoon, and there won't be any mosquitoes tonight..."
Hearing their conversation, Professor Meng put down his fist, walked over, and said with a smile, "Hehe, Zhuang Rui, there are a lot of mosquitoes in the mountains, sometimes even in winter. Our country is considered to be in a better situation. I once went to the Amazon rainforest for scientific research and saw with my own eyes the overwhelming swarms of mosquitoes that bit a cow to death..."
"Mosquitoes killed a cow?"
If these words hadn't come from his mentor, Zhuang Rui would have thought it was a fantasy. How could a mosquito bite through a cow's thick hide?
"Zhuang Rui, what the teacher said is true. You have to be careful when you're on a field trip. Getting bitten by mosquitoes can easily cause all sorts of diseases..."
Dr. Ren taught his junior colleague another trick. Despite his high doctoral degree, Dr. Ren had extensive experience in wilderness survival. Ancient tombs are usually located in farmland and forests, where there are many mosquitoes, snakes, and rats. It is essential to master some wilderness survival knowledge.
"Alright, buddy, come on over and have some breakfast..."
As the group was chatting, Old Zhang shouted.
For breakfast, we had sweet potato porridge and some pickled radish from Old Zhang's own home. It tasted great, and the whole pot of porridge was eaten clean by the group.
After finishing his meal, Professor Meng made a phone call and waited for another half hour. Three locals, along with five armed police officers, arrived at Old Zhang's house.
After introductions, it was revealed that the locals were all staff members of the local cultural relics department. One of them, surnamed Wu, was the director of the local cultural relics administration bureau, and he was in his forties. The others were young people.
The armed police were led by a second lieutenant platoon leader named Wei Qiang, who was responsible for the on-site protection of the archaeological excavation. Several armed police officers carried tent packs on their backs, and they would stay near the archaeological site for the night.
Once everyone was present, Professor Meng assigned tasks. Feeling uneasy about leaving the courtyard full of antiques unattended, he said, "Xiao Wu, you and Xiao Zhao stay here and notify your county to send someone to take these things back for safekeeping. These two young men can come with us up the mountain. Also, have someone stationed here. If any more artifacts are unearthed, they must be properly preserved immediately..."
When Professor Meng saw Director Wu's pot-bellied appearance, he knew that this man would definitely not be able to accompany him to the cemetery, so he simply put him in charge of logistics.
"Professor Meng, don't worry, I will make sure everything is arranged properly. Xiao Liu, please follow Professor Meng's instructions..."
Upon hearing that they didn't need to go up the mountain, Director Wu nodded repeatedly and called over a rather clever-looking young man to accompany the expedition team into the mountains. ...
"Xiao Zhuang, I didn't realize you were so strong despite your refined appearance..."
After breakfast, the group prepared to go up the mountain. Zhuang Rui carried forty or fifty kilograms of things on his back without seeming to be struggling at all, which surprised Professor Meng and the others.
As they thought, Zhuang Rui must be used to a life of luxury, given his good family background and wealth. However, they were surprised to find that the other members of the archaeological team, who often worked in the field, were not as strong as Zhuang Rui.
However, this made Professor Meng even more satisfied. Although scientific research work sounds mysterious, it is very tedious and boring. Moreover, it requires one to travel through mountains and valleys in deserted places all day long and must be able to endure hardship.
"Hehe, I'm naturally strong, this weight is nothing to me..."
Zhuang Rui walked in the middle of the group, with the Da Niu brothers leading the way. They were now considered unofficial members of the archaeological team, earning 100 yuan a day, so they worked very hard.
Beiman Mountain is not steep, but its terrain is undulating, like a coiled dragon. Following the paths that were either worn out by mountain people or tomb raiders, the group gradually entered the deep mountains.
Chapter 888 The Tip of the Iceberg (Part 2)
Professor Meng was extremely familiar with the distribution of tombs in Beiman Mountain. When passing some places with tombstones, he would often stop to explain to Zhuang Rui and others whose tomb it was. After walking three to five kilometers, Zhuang Rui's ears were filled with many famous names.
Many tombs have now been protected, with walls and barbed wire erected around them. However, it's hard to say how effective these things are; at least Zhuang Rui can easily step over them with a hand and a leg.
Listening to Professor Meng's explanation, walking in this quiet mountain forest is like walking through the long river of history, where one after another, famous figures have settled.
Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty who wrote "When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much of the past do we know?", Yan Zhenqing, the famous calligrapher of the Tang dynasty, Du Fu, the poet saint, and Lü Buwei, the powerful prime minister of Qin at the time, all rest in these vast mountains.
"Teacher, isn't the tomb of Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, located in the mountains?"