Chapter 250 Excavating a Tomb in Half a Day
The drill rod was pulled out of the ground, the shovel was disassembled, and nearly five meters of soil were clearly visible.
The top layer is nearly 30 centimeters of silt, mixed with green grass and leaves, followed by a layer of topsoil and intermittent layers that are nearly one meter thick. Below that is another layer of subsoil that is more than two meters deep.
The soil is silty loess mixed with a few gravels, clearly formed by mountain torrents. Logically, this type of soil should have existed up to the prehistoric geological layers.
Strangely, at about three and a half meters, red soil with white and black spots suddenly appeared, a full half meter thick.
Moreover, it was extremely hard, like a stone. Even a piece the size of a thumb couldn't be pried open with force.
Upon closer inspection: the white material is lime, the black material is brick rubble, and the red material is a mixture of yellow clay and black pottery clay.
Isn't this a mixture of soil, clay, and sand?
Sun Jiamu fiddled around a few more times, and when he reached the bottommost layer, he paused for a moment, and then stopped moving completely.
Wang Qizhi leaned forward to take a closer look: the fist-sized chisel tube was wrapped around a round stone rod about half a meter long, with seven layers in the middle, no more, no less. Coincidentally, each layer was the same thickness, with the seams adding nearly seven centimeters.
He picked it up and gently broke it apart, revealing seven round stone cakes. Upon closer inspection, Wang Qizhi's pupils constricted slightly: on the front of each stone cake was the head of a sika deer.
The deer's head, the antlers of a sika deer, its head held high... the more Wang Qizhi looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
As expected, the deer should also be carrying a blade of grass in its mouth. This is called a "deer carrying grass brick," which is only used in one place: on the tomb wall or the tomb roof!
Moreover, it only flourished after the Tang Dynasty and before the Yuan Dynasty. In between, wasn't it precisely the Song and Jin Dynasties?
With the addition of the upper layer of rammed earth, if this weren't a tomb chamber, Wang Qizhi would have dared to gnaw on these bricks and eat them.
Looking at Sun Jiamu again, he stared at a few deer-patterned bricks, as if frozen in place.
Wang Qizhi sighed inwardly: Were you shocked?
Don't assume that just because Sun Jiamu is from Beijing and is the director of the Cultural Relics Bureau, you can compare them side by side. Even if his knowledge is higher, it's not by much.
When Wang Qizhi was searching for the Zhang Anshi family tomb, wasn't he just as shocked? As for Sun Jiamu, even if he was a little better off, he wasn't much better off.
Conversely: on such a vast hillside, there are hardly any signs, not even many trees. But if Lin Sicheng said there was a tomb down there, does that mean there really is a tomb down there?
He said the top of the tomb was about 3.5 meters from the ground, exactly 3.5 meters. He said the top of the tomb was 1 meter thick, exactly 1 meter, with an error margin of no more than 10 centimeters?
He said this is a tomb from the Song-Jin period. Is this a tomb from the Song-Jin period?
It gives the impression that Lin Sicheng has X-ray vision...
After a long moment of stunned silence, Sun Jiamu asked with a strange expression, "Feng shui?"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Feng Shui!"
Sun Jiamu couldn't understand it no matter how hard he thought about it: "No... is feng shui really that magical?"
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: To be honest, it's nothing special, just following the clues and figuring things out.
Of course, the premise is that you know enough and can integrate and apply what you've learned to other situations.
To be honest, this thing is actually quite useful, at least for helping tomb raiders find graves—they're almost always right. If you can learn it to the level of Lin Sicheng, then great, you're guaranteed a life of comfort: either you'll have more money than you could ever spend in several lifetimes, or the government will provide for you for life…
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "During the Jin Dynasty, Guo Pu wrote the 'Burial Classic' and the 'Qing Nang Classic,' laying the foundation for the theory of feng shui burial. During the Tang Dynasty, Yang Yunsong wrote the 'Shaking Dragon Classic' and the 'Doubting Dragon Classic,' and from then on, the theoretical system of dragon vein burial was fully formed..."
"Whether it's Guo's school or Yang's school, both take stars, mountains, and water as their core. That is, 'find star peaks on high places, observe the water's flow on flat ground.' What are stars? Observe the sun and moon during the day, and observe the nine stars (the Big Dipper plus Bi and Fu) at night. What are peaks? Mountains..."
Lin Sicheng pointed to Longmen Mountain, then gestured around to the flat slope in front of it: "The terrain here isn't actually that complicated. Anyone with a little knowledge of Feng Shui can see it: the mountains on both sides gradually slope down, like cicada wings lightly covering the ground. Combined with astrological elements, the *Qing Nang Jing* calls this terrain 'Cicada Wing Sand,' which signifies shelter from the wind. A mountain peak forming in front of this sand is considered moderately auspicious..."
Lin Sicheng turned around and pointed to the gorge in front of the slope: "The waterways are hidden on flat ground, branching and converging like shrimp whiskers. In the 'Hanlong Jing,' they are called shrimp whisker water, which is good for gathering qi. A stream forms in front of the water, which is also considered moderately auspicious... And whenever a stream forms, there is a gentle slope in front of it, like a carpet extending, hence the name carpet lip, which is also moderately auspicious..."
"Three of the three is considered the best, which should be an auspicious location for a dragon's lair. But unfortunately, the soil on the mountain is loose, with sparse grass and few trees. Heavy rains inevitably cause flash floods, which in turn cause the mountain to collapse and landslide. In feng shui, this kind of terrain is called a broken mountain shape, which signifies the decline of the family's fortunes... Similarly, even a feng shui master with a little knowledge can see this."
"When the two elements combine, the so-called auspicious location ceases to exist; at most, it becomes a mediocre location. Forget about nobility; at most, it brings minor wealth, but not for long, and it will decline after three generations. As such, high-ranking officials and nobles would certainly look down on this place, and commoners neither understand nor can afford to hire sorcerers. Therefore, even if it is used for burial, it will only be for landlords and wealthy families."
However, for any burial to ensure longevity, it is essential to counteract the "breaking mountain evil" (a concept in Feng Shui), and a Feng Shui arrangement must be created. There are only a few Feng Shui layouts that can counteract this evil, and the best of the best are no more than three. Regardless of the type, the cemetery cannot exceed twenty paces in circumference, and the burial chamber cannot exceed three paces in circumference (one pace is 1.5 meters). The burial chamber must be at least six feet above the ground and must be either circular or octagonal. After burial, neither a mound nor a tombstone is erected…”
“Even the orientation of the tomb chamber, the height of the coffin, the level of the tomb top, the thickness of the rammed earth, and the types and quantities of funerary objects are all predetermined… Therefore, the side chamber must contain nine funerary objects each of gold, wood, and clay, arranged according to the positions of the sun, moon, and seven stars…”
"For all metals, there must be coins, mirrors, tripods, and furnaces. For all earth, there must be porcelain, pottery, jade, and stone. For all wood, there must be swords, talismans, paper, and figurines..."
Lin Sicheng explained things in a simple and logical manner, and Sun Jiamu suddenly understood.
It seems so simple: it's nothing more than using feng shui principles to determine the terrain, the suitable burial site for certain individuals, and the advantages and disadvantages of burying them there. It also involves figuring out how to avoid and eliminate the disadvantages.
Just like solving a math problem or working out a formula, you deduce the conclusion based on the given conditions, and it doesn't feel that difficult.
But upon closer inspection: it's not that simple.
If it were that simple, tomb raiders would be everywhere. Why risk life imprisonment or even being punished by death to search for official tombs or imperial mausoleums?
Just find any mountain, knock down a few small tombs of landlords and rich people, and you can still make enough money to last several lifetimes without taking too much risk.
Just like Lin Sicheng said, if this is a Song Dynasty tomb, then the nine metal artifacts and nine earthenware artifacts would definitely still be intact. They don't need to be sold at too high a price; four or five hundred thousand for one piece, how much would ten or more pieces cost?
It's seven or eight million! How much does a courtyard house in Beijing cost?
Besides, even if you haven't eaten pork, haven't you seen a pig run?
Sun Jiamu excavated at least 80 or 90 ancient tombs that had been looted and required emergency treatment. Each one was a site that the tomb raiders had painstakingly searched and painstakingly located.
Moreover, finding the tomb site alone was far from enough; they also had to locate the tomb passage and, more importantly, the burial chamber. They absolutely had to check the records again and again, examine the terrain repeatedly, and drill with a Luoyang shovel over and over again.
Sometimes, months are spent searching without any results. If the exact location of the tomb is ultimately undetermined, the only option left is to dig a tunnel, or even use explosives.
It's a rough job, very noisy, extremely labor-intensive and time-consuming, and involves a huge element of luck. You might not hit the target even once out of ten attempts.
Unlike Lin Sicheng, who could simply look around from the mountaintop, then point and drill down to the very center of the Golden Summit after descending the mountain.
Isn't this exactly the same as those two times that our local peers have been talking about and praising?
The first time, he plunged the spade into the ash pit, and the second time, he circled the mountain and drew the layout of the kiln.
He may not know anything about tomb raiding, but after a lifetime of exploration and archaeology, surely Geng Jiamu knows something about this?
He finally understood: Lin Sicheng was intentionally downplaying the difficulty, which was why it sounded so simple. In reality, finding this tomb was no less difficult than finding an underground ruin in a barren, unmarked wasteland.
To put it simply, it boils down to two words: professional, even to the extreme...
After pondering for a while, Sun Jiamu let out a long sigh: A talent!
No wonder Deputy Director Wu was so eager to get him into the Archaeology Department.
Unfortunately, everyone has their own ambitions.
In a flash, Sun Jiamu frowned again: We've found it, but how do we excavate it?
We cannot simply dig up a perfectly good tomb based on the statement: "There is porcelain down here, most likely Song Dynasty white porcelain."
Everyone says to respect the dead, but even in this modern era, archaeological excavations have never been conducted this way. Just look at how much criticism Director Guo received for deliberately excavating the Dingling Mausoleum.
Just then, Lin Sicheng squatted down, flipped through the bricks one by one, and finally picked up the bottom one and looked at it for a long time.
Then he sighed and said, "Teacher, let's call the police!"
Call the police? Call the police for what reason?
Wang Qizhi was completely bewildered and exchanged a glance with Sun Jiamu. Then, they both seemed to realize something: This tomb had already been robbed?
Otherwise, why would Lin Sicheng call the police?
Subconsciously, the two stared at the brick in Lin Sicheng's hand, glanced at it a few times, and then looked at the other bricks.
It seems... there's no difference?
What did Lin Sicheng base his judgment on that the tomb had been robbed?
As if sensing their thoughts, Lin Sicheng laid out the bricks one by one: "Actually, there are differences: when the tomb was first dismantled, the top six bricks were a lighter color, close to brownish-red, while the bottom one was close to blackish-brown... This is because the bottom bricks have been in an oxygen-rich environment for a long time, and the iron in the tomb bricks has oxidized to iron(III) oxide (black)..."
"The iron in the other six pieces exists stably in a divalent state in an oxygen-deficient environment, so it is initially yellow. When it is suddenly introduced into an oxygen-rich environment, it oxidizes rapidly, transforming into ferric oxide or magnetite in a very short time. The color changes from yellow to red, then from red to brown, then from brown to black, and finally becomes brownish-black. So at first glance, it still looks exactly the same..."
"Actually, there are subtle differences: with long-term oxidation, the volume of iron oxide is larger than that of the original iron element, which leads to increased internal stress in the brick. The internal clay structure has already slowly decomposed, leaving it in a fragile state with only a superficial appearance, and it will break at the slightest touch..."
However, the sudden oxidation of these six pieces only alters their chemical structure; the original molecular structure doesn't change that quickly, so the internal stress doesn't change much, and the hardness remains very high…
As he spoke, Lin Sicheng held a brick in each hand and rubbed them together. With a gentle touch, the brick dust on the bottom brick fell off in small amounts, but the other brick remained exactly the same as before.
Surprised and doubtful, Sun Jiamu also picked up a piece and tried to scratch it with his fingernail. Not only did it not leave any powder, but he couldn't even make a mark.
They glanced at Wang Qizhi and then looked at each other in bewilderment.
They both understand the principles of this line of work, but they only know the facts, not the reasons behind them.
If you ask them to explain, they certainly know it's due to the sudden exposure to oxygen. But what are second-order and third-order iron?
But then again, isn't this something we've learned in books?
But to be honest, not only the two of them, but even Huang Zhifeng, who was in charge of the experiment, was probably completely baffled when asked.
Because it's impossible for a person to store all the knowledge in their brain and be able to recall it whenever they need it.
But conversely, how do we explain someone like Lin Sicheng?
Surprised and confused, Lin Sicheng had already taken out his phone. He first contacted Tan Wu and asked him to call the police on his behalf. Then he called Gao Zhangyi and asked him to send two teams over.
After about an hour, the two groups arrived at the edge of the canyon, one after the other.
Tan Wu was accompanied by police officers who only inquired about the situation and took two statements.
Gao Zhangyi led an archaeological team, laborers, and two small excavators.
I've seen machines used to excavate ancient tombs before, but this is the first time I've ever dug three meters deep in one go.
Only two staff members were left on duty. Sun Jiamu called over all the other experts to observe the proceedings on-site.
In no time, the small hillside was filled with people.
Two excavators moved forward side by side, one removing the top of the tomb and the other searching for the tomb passage. Both operators were experienced, and they worked quickly, shoveling around the two red flags that Lin Sicheng had planted.
After digging for about half an hour, someone suddenly exclaimed, "A tomb raider's tunnel?"
The others all turned around: next to the red flag representing the tomb passage, about a meter deep, a round hole suddenly appeared.
It's not large, about fifty or sixty centimeters in diameter, just big enough for one person to fit inside. But it's perfectly round, and the walls are extremely smooth, clearly dug out by human hands.
Upon closer inspection, several fine grooves can be seen on the cave wall, which are clearly the grooves worn by the ropes used to hang people and transport burial goods.
After taking a look with a flashlight, Lin Sicheng ordered the excavator to continue construction, but fearing that it might collapse the tomb passage, he reduced the depth of the machine's operation to two meters and made its movements much smaller.
The other side remained unchanged.
Another hour later, the excavator reached the required depth of three meters and entered the pit. Gao Zhangyi then organized laborers to excavate manually.
Even with a pit only four meters in diameter, more than ten people taking turns digging it still didn't slow down.
After about half an hour, having dug down about half a meter, the soil suddenly appeared.
A group of experts looked at each other.
They now understood how Lin Sicheng had managed to excavate the Guduo Village site within half a month.
He can excavate a tomb in half a day... At that speed, who can be faster than him?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
