Chapter 164 begins
The morning breeze carried withered leaves, which fell onto the tiled wall, and the old iron gate was covered with white frost.
As the sun peeks out, the fog on the glass slowly dissipates, cutting diamond-shaped fragments into the terrazzo floor.
The police car stopped downstairs at the district police station. Li Chunnan and Political Commissar Guan had just gotten out of the car when the Party Secretary led the district head down the steps.
Li Chunnan was taken aback.
These two, like him, also hold city leadership positions, so their ranks are considered equally high. But since it's just the city bureau sending people to the district to handle a case, there's really no need for these two to come all this way so early and wait here specifically.
In a flash, Li Chunnan strode forward: "Secretary Feng, Mayor Chen!"
"Hello, former director!" After shaking hands, the secretary frowned slightly. "Former director, could you give me a rundown? How serious is the case?"
Li Chunnan was stunned, then laughed and cried: Chen Peng, Chen Peng, I told you to keep it a secret, but I didn't tell you to keep the secret from the Party Secretary and the District Head as well.
Before dawn, they secretly dispatched over a hundred police officers to the district branch. They didn't get out of their vehicles and kept their guns with them. Anyone would have a jolt of fear: what kind of big case has this happened?
The branch office would definitely have to report to the district, and naturally, the district leaders would misunderstand...
"Secretary Feng, this is a case involving cultural relics!"
The two leaders were stunned, looking puzzled: Why such a big fuss over a case involving cultural relics?
Li Chunnan smiled and explained, "The influence of the tombs involved in the case is secondary; the main problem is that this group is too arrogant: despite a high-pressure crackdown for more than a month, the tombs are still being dug up and the artifacts are still being transported out..."
"Secondly, they are transporting illegal contraband: they smuggled over a hundred kilograms of prohibited items and are preparing to meet with other gangs soon. In this situation, anything could happen..."
"Thirdly, it involves murder cases. Over the past ten years or so, there have been no fewer than twenty murder cases suspected to be related to this group..."
Isn't this a typical criminal gang? Just look at these twenty-odd murders, how serious is this?
The secretary paused for a moment: "Where are they?"
"King Kitasato!"
Isn't it still within its own jurisdiction?
Leaving aside the number of deaths that would result from hundreds of kilograms of controlled substances, just consider the nature of the harm and the social impact...
The secretary shook hands again: "Director, you've worked hard, and so have your colleagues... We can't offer much help, but we can provide logistical support... This is Comrade Xiao Yuan, the Secretary-General of the District Government. Please let us know if the officers need anything..."
Li Chunnan thought to himself: Local colleagues are just different; unlike those from state-owned enterprises outside the region, they're completely cold and distant...
After thanking him and saying goodbye, Li Chunnan and the political commissar entered the branch office building.
The corridor was quiet, with hardly anyone in sight, except for two guard posts at the entrance of the command center.
Upon seeing Li Chunnan and the political commissar, he instinctively saluted. The two waved and entered the command center.
Chen Peng was making detailed plans when he heard the door open and instinctively turned around.
Then, with a loud clatter, everyone stood up and saluted in unison.
Li Chunnan glanced around, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably: criminal investigation, special police, public security, patrol, and information... he could understand the existence of these various detachments.
But the supervision and discipline (Discipline Inspection Commission)... Chen Peng, what are you trying to do?
How much anger are you holding in this time?
He returned the greeting and let Chen Peng continue, while the two of them listened in.
The meeting was drawing to a close, and within minutes, each detachment was in position. Li Chunnan gave a signal, and Chen Peng stood up and followed the director and political commissar outside.
"No... Chen Peng, you've gone a bit too far?"
Chen Peng argued vehemently: "Master, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit!"
"What about supervision and law enforcement?"
Chen Peng paused for a moment: "Just in case!"
The bureau chief sighed.
Of course, some circumstances must have existed, otherwise Yu Dahai and the main members of the gang wouldn't have run away so quickly.
But how reliable would it have to be to tip someone off on the spot?
Well, just in case, we'll be just in case. We've already brought it all along.
Li Chunnan handed him a cigarette: "What if Lin Sicheng guessed wrong, and they didn't find the grave or catch the person?"
"I admit my mistake and accept the punishment!" Chen Peng said without hesitation. "After the punishment is over, I'll continue doing things my own way!"
Li Chunnan and the political commissar exchanged a glance.
In crucial moments, this kind of courage is essential: right or wrong is secondary; the key is whether you dare to make a decision. The worst thing is to be indecisive and wavering.
That's why the political commissar said: Chen Peng has a lot of shortcomings, but he is brave and capable of fighting, and he can hold his own, which is enough.
Li Chunnan nodded: "How are things arranged on-site?"
"Checkpoints have been set up at every key point, and police have been deployed in all four directions... If we get any information about Lin Sicheng, we can surround Nanli Wang within five minutes! Xu Nianqin's gang is also under close surveillance and can be arrested at any time..."
Where is Kobayashi?
"At the district government building in Fenghuangzui. Director Liu Xin and Deputy Director He Zhigang of the Cultural Relics Bureau, along with other key personnel, are all there, ready to negotiate with China Construction at any time..."
Li Chunnan was taken aback: "Everything's here?"
Chen Peng nodded: "Everything is here."
No wonder the district leaders attached so much importance to it.
Looking at it this way, the Cultural Relics Bureau is also furious, probably even more so than Chen Peng.
Thinking back to yesterday, I was just there to buy soy sauce, so I didn't feel much. But what about the beating that Director Liu Xin and He Zhigang got from the leaders of China Construction?
I'd be furious too if I were in that situation...
He nodded: "You can arrange it!"
...
The oiled wooden utility poles pointed askew to the sky, and withered cabbage leaves lay scattered across the barren fields.
Half of the greenhouse had been demolished, leaving only a lone section of rammed earth wall. Suddenly, a whirlwind swept up, sending the torn plastic sheeting flying everywhere.
Three cars pulled up to the side of the road, and seven or eight people got out, carrying all sorts of tools.
A small excavator followed behind, swaying and rocking.
Lin Sicheng stood at the foot of Huangzipo and looked out: to the north, Furong Lake shimmered and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was bathed in the morning light.
To the south, Zhongnan Mountain and Wanhua Mountain are on the left and right respectively, with Taiping Valley (a large valley) winding southward in the middle, resembling a coiled dragon.
If there truly is a dragon vein in Qinling, then the path leading down from Taipingyu to Chang'an is one of them. Chang'an is the dragon's head, and the part south of Sanyaopo is its spine.
During the Tang Dynasty, many princes, princesses, and dukes were buried in this area. However, because it was so famous, there were too many large tombs. The Tang capital Chang'an was annexed seven times, and this dragon vein was excavated seven times.
These included An Shan, Huang Chao, Li Keyong, Li Maozhen, and Zhu Wen. So, forget about the tombs, not even a coffin board remained.
The branch that originates from Mount Wutai in the south, follows the Hao and Yu rivers down to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, is a branch of the main dragon vein that has been excavated seven times.
Because of the protection of the main dragon vein, more tombs have been preserved on this branch dragon vein. At least those that Lin Sicheng knew of included: the lineage of Wang Shao, Duke of Changle County in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Pillar of State in the Sui Dynasty, and Duke of Wei.
And the lineage of Dou Jiao (Li Shimin's cousin) from the Tang Dynasty, the lineage of Li Yong (later deposed), the Crown Prince Zhuangke during the reign of Emperor Wenzong of Tang, and the Wei clan of Jingzhao.
Among them, there are at least 1,500 or 1,600 tombs of the Wei family dating from the Sixteen Kingdoms period to the Tang Dynasty.
Later, members of the Fan family from the Northern Song Dynasty, the Huang and Liu families from the Southern Song Dynasty, the Wu family from the Yuan Dynasty, and the lineage of the Prince of Qin from the Ming Dynasty were also buried there.
The tombs of lower-ranking officials after the Tang Dynasty, as well as those of unknown local powerful families, are even more numerous. It's no exaggeration to say that if you just followed this line and dug blindfolded in the direction of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, you could find about ten tombs every hundred meters.
Therefore, it was indeed difficult for him to find Zhang Anshi's tomb, but if Lin Sicheng were to search for official tombs, he could find dozens or even hundreds of them on this branch.
Even if limited to the kilometer or so between Institute 067 and Huangzipo, he could still find five, six, seven, or eight...
After pondering for a moment, Lin Si asked Zhao Da and Zhao Er to take the divination sticks, and then looked north.
A pickup truck sped by, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of us.
Several men jumped out of the vehicle, wearing hard hats and badges indicating they were from a certain China Construction company's command headquarters. As soon as they got out, they glared at the excavator with cold expressions and demanded, "What are you doing here?"
Captain Gao, from the Provincial Institute of Archaeology and one of Tian Jie's subordinates, flashed his badge: "Someone reported that an ancient tomb has been discovered here. We've come to investigate!"
Then, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment's Technical Brigade flashed his badge and said, "Please cooperate!"
The people at the command post were all stunned.
Is the Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics and the Municipal Public Security Bureau jointly handling the case?
But that's secondary.
The key point is that their company's command center is located in this area, and the demolition teams below are pushing and demolishing every day, but they have never discovered any ancient tombs. So why are these people coming to explore for ancient tombs?
Looking at it now: it's a barren field, with only a few broken ditches, a greenhouse wall, and a few sections of telephone poles. What ancient tombs are there?
The leader stared at him for a long time: "Comrade, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"Are you kidding me? We need to investigate first!" The technical team leader put away his badge. "Comrades, we hope you won't hinder our investigation!"
The leader was stunned by the single sentence, "obstructing the investigation."
He was about to say something when his eyes bulged again.
A handsome young man, who looked like a college student, took a compass out of his bag.
With a gentle flick of his fingertips, the compass spun like a windmill. After almost a minute, when the compass and needle had come to a stop, he took a few steps to the left, then a few steps to the right.
After circling around for a while, Lin Sicheng stopped, looked at the spire of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, then turned back to look at Huangzipo and Taipingyu at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain.
"picture!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Xiuneng handed over several drawings, and Lin Sicheng picked out the one from the Ming Dynasty.
At first glance, it looks like an incense table with an incense burner on it.
"Sitting in the empty space, facing the vast expanse, high in front; the Bancang River flows backwards, like a dragon riding a bow. The waters converge in front, forming a straight line, while the waters in front of the Xue River lie like a sleeping bow..."
"The terrain resembles a phoenix, with the Xun Peak standing alone!" Lin Sicheng pointed to Huangzipo, then turned and pointed forward, "The Mingtang is like the palm of a hand, where wealth and honor are abundant... Wealth gathers and fortune is bestowed, leading to a sixth-rank official position... This should be the Yuan Tomb. Thirty meters ahead, that's it!"
The safety helmets stared wide-eyed: Are you police investigating a case or Taoist priests sending off a funeral?
They even brought out a compass? And started chanting sutras...
Why does it feel like they're here to cause trouble?
They were definitely there to cause trouble, and of course, there are complete police reports and dispatch records.
As for where the grave is, we don't know yet; we'll have to find it now...
It wasn't just a few safety helmets; Gao Zhangyi (the archaeological team leader), the criminal investigation team leader, and even several experts from the municipal cultural relics bureau who were with the team all found it somewhat comical.
First, the order of reporting the case first and then looking for the grave seems a bit inappropriate: what if we can't find it?
Secondly, Lin Sicheng's method of finding tombs involved holding a feng shui compass, stepping in the seven-star pattern, and chanting incantations.
It's just like in the countryside, where a feng shui master is consulted to perform acupuncture for a burial...
Of course, no one dared to utter a sound. Because both Chen Peng and He Zhigang had emphasized more than once from yesterday to this morning: today, they would follow Lin Sicheng's lead completely. Even if it involved taking a dump, if Lin Sicheng suggested testing it, they would test it first…
While pondering, Lin Sicheng found the key point and asked Zhao Da and Zhao Er to step down.
It's like a steel pipe, about the thickness of a thumb, with a drill bit at the bottom and half-empty above.
It plunges down, the tip sinking into the soil. Then it pulls the rope, drilling with a "whoosh."
This area used to be farmland, and the soil was quite loose. After drilling about ten times, the probe was submerged up to the handle.
Then I tried the second one, but it was much slower, and slower still. I drilled about halfway through, but it just wouldn't turn any further.
"carry!"
Lin Sicheng uttered a single word, and the two brothers lifted the drill rod.
Without being told, the three accompanying experts gathered around.
But after just one glance, all six pupils suddenly contracted: What is this?
Is this some kind of ghost?
The first section was alright: the soil was brownish, interspersed with plastic film and corn roots, clearly indicating it was topsoil.
Below that is loess, which is the normal stratum below cultivated soil.
But in the third section, near the tip, the soil suddenly turns whitish. And at the tip itself, the soil becomes gray?
When you look at it again after it sticks to your hand, the whitish stuff is a mixture of lime slurry, glutinous rice soup, fine sand, and yellow soil, while the gray stuff is brick powder.
Seemingly incredulous, the three experts even took a small amount and tasted it. Then, they all turned their heads and stared intently at Lin Sicheng.
Could it be that a house was built underground?
After a while, the three of them turned around again: That's right, it's wasteland.
Looking down again, it was true: a broken irrigation ditch, with raised field ridges beside it, and corn stubble on the ground.
Forget about bricks or wood chips that seem to be from a tomb; there wasn't even a single stone to be found.
But Lin Sicheng took the compass, turned it around, chanted a few sutras, and then stretched out his fingers and gestured a few times, and found a tomb?
Oh right, Director Chen also mentioned that Lin Sicheng observed the stars and drew a feng shui diagram yesterday...
But if tombs were so easy to find, what would be the point of having an archaeological institute and archaeological teams?
Just as he was finding it unbelievable, Lin Sicheng waved his hand and said, "Dig!"
Then, with a "gurgling" sound, the excavator drove over.
Zhao Xiuneng opened his bag and took out an incense burner, yellow paper, red silk, firecrackers, and a bottle of wine.
Several people wearing hard hats realized what was happening and stood in front of the excavator.
"Wait, what are you going to dig up?"
"Of course it's to survey and excavate ancient tombs ahead of schedule..." Captain Gao smiled, "It's also for your own good, so that we can finish the survey sooner and avoid delaying the construction period."
What a load of crap!
If you take a look, do you think we should stop work immediately, or will it cause even more delays?
Besides, there isn't a single stone or brick in sight. How can you say there's a tomb when there isn't?
The lead worker, wearing a hard hat, jumped onto the excavator's tracks: "No, you can't dig..."
The criminal investigation captain's face turned cold: "Comrade, don't obstruct our investigation!"
"Who's getting in whose way? Get this straight, we're China Construction..."
The safety helmet pointed at the criminal investigation captain and sneered, "If you want to dig, then get the province to issue us a document!"
I'll give you a massage...
The criminal investigation captain grabbed a walkie-talkie: "Come down!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than, with a loud crash, eight or nine young men jumped out of the Jinbei van behind the two off-road vehicles.
He had a buzz cut, a muscular build, and sharp eyes.
"Throw it over there and take control!"
At a single command, several helmets were pinned to the ground before they could even react.
A cacophony of wailing and howling erupted: "I'm going to sue you..."
The criminal investigation captain snorted, then turned around and looked at Lin Sicheng with a smile: "Teacher Lin!"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Begin!"
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