Chapter 96 Historical Migration to the South

They had no idea that the few words they had just uttered revealed their thoughts.

The past will be completely overturned in the subsequent itinerary.

Not only do they have to touch them themselves every time, but the number of people involved and the number of cultural relics involved are so great that they don't need to worry or be nervous at all; it just becomes a habit.

"Of course I won't let you handle it in person right now. Not only are you worried about damaging it, but I wouldn't trust you to do it either."

Xu Hongze's blunt words made the three of them feel somewhat awkward.

But at least it gave them a safety net, allowing them to receive the cultural relics without having to do so personally. In this environment, how can it not be considered a form of protection?

As Luo Yin listened to Comrade Xu explain the work sequence, she observed the surrounding traces of movement.

She keenly noticed that several senior workers had actually used tools to climb up.

He suspended himself completely in mid-air, his hands bracing against the cliff face, as if only in this way could he truly get close enough to see clearly.

Luo Yin watched the dangerous actions and wanted to say a few words of advice, but then she thought that the people were fine now, and if she spoke rashly, the consequences might be even worse.

"Comrade Xu, are the professors going to take out all the coffins?"

She was really curious about the arrangements; wasn't it said that the village chief had brought them along?

Even if it's not someone's ancestral grave, this action is still too daring.

"Of course not, what are you thinking? We are a professional archaeological team, not some amateur archaeologists. Don't be fooled by the fact that the coffins below look fine on the outside, but many of the ones on top are already rotten and broken, and they will be destroyed before we even have a chance to do anything about them."

"One of our top priorities right now is to record the system information. These are some of the most typical cases of cliff-shaped tombs during this operation, and they are among the best in the country."

He spoke with a raised voice and great emotion. “Furthermore, our primary task is rescue excavation and protection. We help when cultural relics are being destroyed. Our main focus is on the protection of cultural relics and heritage. But as you can see, these unique burial cultures are in crisis. So Mr. Shi and Mr. Zhuang decided to screen them from top to bottom, prioritizing those that are severely broken and exposed. We will not touch those that are well preserved.”

Most importantly, the two elderly comrades became suspicious when they first saw the hanging coffin tombs.

Whose remains are buried in these tombs?

Is there any connection between it and Zhongtiankeng? And what is its connection with the passageway above it?

It even involves those bronze tiles!

These events happened one after another, yet they coincidentally collided. Could they have been mere accidents?

No, it's definitely not an accident.

Despite his cheerful, easygoing, and composed demeanor, Shi Xinrong is actually quite meticulous and traditional. His decades of work experience have taught him that everything must be based on books, data, and information.

When Lao Shi first took a close look at these cave-like cliffside hanging coffins, he knew in his heart that these could not have been made in a short time.

At that time, it must have been supported by the entire family or ethnic group who dug out a cavity and placed the remains inside.

Subsequent events confirmed their findings.

Most of the holes where people hid their coffins showed signs of being artificially dug.

Each hole is uniform in size and shape, as if it was specially made. There are a total of 1,254 holes, but only 845 coffins remain.

That is to say, there are 409 holes that are completely empty.

"Based on the degree of wood corrosion and the traces at the scene, these people were active at least two thousand years ago during the Han Dynasty."

Old Zhuang shared his judgment, and Old Shi beside him nodded in agreement.

"However, we need to find more supporting evidence."

Only then did Xu Hongze mention what they needed to do: conduct a more systematic investigation, and the focus of the investigation, besides recording key information, was to find clues from the already exposed loopholes.

The three of them followed Comrade Xu and worked hard until they finished recording the entire second half.

Then he turned his attention to the area above. Comrade Xu looked around and saw that those who were good at fighting had all gone up, thinking that he couldn't just sit there idly.

So he suggested, "Why don't we go up too?"

“We split into two teams. Xiao Luo and I are in one team, and Comrade Yuan and Comrade You are in the other. Don’t worry about anything else, just check all of these things on the west wall one by one.”

The three sisters listened to Comrade Xu speak so casually, but just looking up at the things hanging there, many of them were so frightened that they backed away.

"No, no, I'm scared."

Yuan Fang, who is usually bold and fearless, admitted that her legs were a little weak and that she was genuinely afraid of heights.

"Comrade Xu, I'm afraid of heights, I really can't."

Yulizhu frowned and stretched her muscles. "Are we just going to climb up with one hand? Are there any safety measures? All I see is a back brace, nothing else?"

Her gaze fell on the two elderly professors, who were surrounded by two bodyguards.

"I can give it a try, but Xiao Luo, maybe you should just forget about it."

“Luo Yin, climbing up is not an easy task. You need to have enough strength and arm strength, and you also need to be agile. You have to try your best before you fall down if you lose your footing.”

"Ahem, alright, alright, someone's coming down from up there."

Comrade Xu quickly interrupted them, lest they say anything more, in case even he himself felt uneasy about what they were talking about.

Let's wait for the people who went up to come down and explain the situation so they can make preparations.

The group's descent was both chaotic and hilarious; aside from some bumps and bruises, they landed safely.

Fortunately, with the help of Captain Huo and the others, Lao Zhuang and Lao Shi staggered a few steps, constantly rubbing their waists and gasping for breath, deeply aware of their advanced age.

Someone nearby took a look and found that he had twisted his waist.

There's nothing seriously wrong, but you should be careful. I suggest you don't go up there.

“There are still hundreds of unchecked in that area, in that row. I think the clues and evidence must be in there,” Old Shi said confidently to the crowd.

"Indeed, based on the existing discoveries, these people carried out their work in a very planned manner, trying to keep each corpse as dignified as possible, and some even had burial goods attached."

Even though their identities are not yet confirmed, this hypothesis might broaden the scope of speculation.

"Let's make a bold assumption: suppose that two thousand years ago, a tribe wandered here, but unfortunately, something happened in the tribe and people fell ill and died one after another. In order to preserve the fire, they planned to bury these people in mid-air before leaving this place."

"Judging from the appearance alone, these coffin marks are definitely no more than a year apart."

What could cause so many deaths and injuries in a single year? Could it be disease, or a natural disaster?

"Mr. Zhuang, how did you obtain these pieces of evidence?"

Yes, could it be from the outer coffin? But that doesn't prove anything.

Zhuang Yongtao squinted and looked carefully at the sky, as if he were making eye contact with the people of that time. "This is actually not difficult to judge. Just as we speculated, a group of people came to various places more than two thousand years ago and occupied this place."

"So, logically speaking, what would the average person do?"

The comrades around him looked at each other and then said, "Although we don't know the whole picture, generally speaking, when we arrive in this isolated place, the most important thing is to settle down properly, cultivate the land, build houses, and make a living."

“That’s right. From what we’ve heard today, this place is a great place to live in seclusion. It has mountains, water, and fields. As long as you live well, you’ll definitely be fine.”

"But based on the dozens of skeletons that Jia has examined so far, there is no external damage, so it is believed that the cause is disease."

"As per Mr. Shi's request, we have examined all the existing ropes and other remaining items and determined that they were all left at the same time and have not changed for many years since. There are not even any traces of daily worship around the bottom of the cliff."

This speaks volumes: what circumstances would prevent any worship activities from taking place around a burial site?

According to the rules passed down from their ancestors, regardless of ethnicity or tribe, such matters are taken very seriously.

Their words drew everyone's attention, instantly piquing their interest.

And coincidentally, they made another bronze discovery in a nearby temple.

Combining the time period, dynasty, and special artifacts, a once-existing ethnic group reappeared in their minds.

Ancient Qiang people!

"Could these people all be members of the Han dynasty who migrated south?"

"Yes, that's very likely!"

Several people who brought this up looked at Elder Shi and Elder Zhuang, and seeing that their expressions were normal, they knew that they had the same guess.

"Assuming these people are indeed the ancient Qiang people, then the focus of our investigation is clear." Zhuang Lao addressed the crowd with an unusually serious tone. "Colleagues, the ancient Qiang people migrated south, and their last written records only briefly mention them in the ancient Ailao Kingdom. If we can find their existence in this region through historical traces, I think our contribution will be no less than that of discovering the No. 1 shipwreck."

"Comrades, the opportunity is right in front of us, and we must seize it!"

"Clap clap clap~"

Shi Xinrong led the applause, "That's right, Teacher Zhuang is absolutely right. I think we can leave our tasks here for a few days. If that's not enough, we need to go back and inform them, explain things to Lao Xia, and then find a few more people to come over."

They are currently lacking in equipment, manpower, and food.

“Okay, leave this to me.” Hosen agreed immediately.

After the mobilization slogans were quickly shouted, everyone, now energized, took on several roles.

Even Sister Xiaofang was getting excited, saying she wanted to go up and try it, but in the end they persuaded her not to.

"Comrade Yuan, we need your help with the rest of the way too. Let us handle these."

“Yes, Sister Xiaofang, I’ll go with you. If you get stuck up there, it’ll be hard for us to get you out.” Luo Yin glanced at the way the girl was climbing up using both hands and feet and felt that she still had to persuade her.

Yuan Fang thought about it and realized she was right; she had just been carried away by her emotions.

Looking at it a few more times, her eyes started to feel dizzy again, so she quickly lowered her head.