Although sandy soil is prone to collapse, it is also easy to excavate.
After we had gathered all the materials, the monkeys started digging a tunnel.
He opened four holes in a row before choosing a direction, and his figure quickly disappeared on the ground.
When monkeys dig tunnels, they usually reinforce the tunnel with soil inside, and only a small amount of soil comes out.
However, this method is clearly not feasible in this sandy soil. Even when monkeys are digging holes, they are very careful, let alone tamping down the tunnel.
While the monkey was digging the tunnel, we were also pulling our travel bags behind him with ropes to help him clear away the dirt.
Xu Le stood beside me, helping to pull the rope, and said with emotion, "I originally thought that tomb raiding was just about digging up the grave mound and finding the coffin. I didn't expect it to be so complicated. If it weren't for your help, we would have really run into trouble."
"It's too early to say anything now. The soil here is soft, and the sandy ground itself is a natural barrier against burglaries. The environment below is also not optimistic. Whether we can open the tomb within the time limit is still unknown!"
As I was speaking, the bell on the rope began to shake violently.
Sensing this unusual frequency, I immediately changed the subject: "The monkey's in trouble down there, everyone come and lend a hand to pull him up!"
After we finished speaking, the group grabbed another rope and quickly pulled the monkey up.
The monkey emerged from the tomb-raiding tunnel, stretched its limbs, and shook its head at me: "After digging the tunnel diagonally, we dug up a stone slab. I initially thought it was a coincidence, so I dug horizontally for a while, but the result was the same! The side of the tomb facing the river is completely blocked by stone slabs! It seems they really put a lot of thought into preventing theft."
"The stone slab you dug up wasn't for preventing theft, but for waterproofing. When this tomb was built, the upstream river channel must have been blocked first, a deep pit was dug for construction, and then a tall stone wall was built on the side closest to the river to prevent water from seeping into the tomb!"
Looking at the hole dug by the monkey, I felt a little melancholy: "The person who chose this feng shui spot probably didn't expect the river to dry up, let alone think that someone would rob a tomb in the water, because the Qing Dynasty didn't have such technology, and the tools weren't capable of allowing people to dig underwater for a long time."
"What the person who designed the tomb was thinking is not important; what is important is that this wall has indeed caused us a lot of trouble."
The monkey sat on a nearby rock and lit a cigarette: "I just dug a hole at an angle, and there are already signs of it collapsing. If I continue digging down the stone slab, I'll definitely be buried inside! Even if I manage to dig the hole, there's no way to open the stone slab! I don't think this tomb can be opened by manpower!"
The advantage is that this place is deserted, so we can bring in a loader, dig a large pit along the river, and then use explosives to blast the stone slabs apart. That would save us a lot of trouble!
"Leaving aside whether the surrounding mountain roads are even suitable for transporting machinery in, even if they were, there simply wouldn't be enough time!"
After listening to the monkey's story, Xu Le immediately became worried: "We only have three hours left. Should we try our luck again and see if we can find any other graves?"
"That's easier said than done! Although this place isn't a no-man's land, it's still sparsely populated. Apart from these places with amazing feng shui, even if there are graves in other locations, we wouldn't be able to find them in a short time. Moreover, graves set up in such places are probably already abandoned and level with the ground."
The old man finally turned his gaze to me: "Young brother, I can see that you are a master who is hiding his true abilities! If you have any other methods, I hope you will not hesitate to teach us. In this year's Five Immortals' Succession Competition, our Hu family really cannot afford to lose again!"
"Finding the dragon is easy, but breaking the dragon is difficult! Although we have confirmed that there is a large tomb here, due to its age, the tomb has been buried deep underground, along with the remains of the above-ground structures. In theory, it should not be difficult to open this tomb. We just need to clear the soil covering the ground and observe it slowly. But the time you have given us is too tight."
Seeing that the old man and Xu Le were both staring at me, I thought for a moment and said, "The best course of action now is to find the mute's hut in order to open this grave as quickly as possible."
Seeing that I really had a solution, Xu Le nodded repeatedly: "Where is this mute people's home? I'll arrange for someone to go find it right away!"
I smiled and said, "The mute hospital is right at our feet."
The old man was also slightly taken aback: "Underfoot?"
"The location we are in is the dragon vein of the Qing Dynasty. The tombs of ancient princes and nobles are large tombs, which are different from ordinary tombs. They are not only complex in structure, but also have very strict anti-theft measures."
The underground palace is the core of a tomb. For the tomb owner, it is a place to put the coffin and burial objects, but for tomb raiders, it is a treasure room. All tomb raiders are headed for this place!
During the burial, the coffin and burial goods were carried into the underground palace via a special passage—the legendary tomb passage! The tomb passage has a sloping facade and leads directly to the burial chamber. Finding this passage means you've already succeeded halfway in tomb raiding. The "mute courtyard" I mentioned is where the entrance to the tomb passage is located.
I knew that the old man and Xu Le were both laymen, so I explained to them: "The entrance to the tomb passage is sealed immediately after the burial is completed. The craftsmen make various disguises so that it is difficult for people who do not know the inside story to find the entrance. Moreover, the craftsmen in charge of this process are often killed after the construction is completed."
The imperial tombs and royal tombs of the Qing Dynasty were generally modeled after the Ming Dynasty, with a Ming Tower and a square city below it. At the center of the south side of the square city, there would be an arched gate, also known as the "Ancient Cave Gate".
Passing through the ancient cave gate, there is a blue brick archway, which is generally 33, 66, or 99 feet long. Beyond the blue brick archway is the "Crescent Moon City". This so-called city is actually a small courtyard named for its crescent shape. The "Dumb Courtyard" I mentioned is another name for the Crescent Moon City.
The entrances to the tomb passages of imperial or royal mausoleums are usually located in Crescent Moon City. Because this place is too important and hides too many secrets, the craftsmen must be mute! In addition, the muteness here refers not only to the craftsmen, but also to the courtyard itself. Once construction begins, no one will enter it, just like an inconspicuous mute in the complex.
Generally, a screen wall is erected on the north side of the "Mute's Courtyard." The entrance to the tombs of most Qing Dynasty imperial family members was located beneath this screen wall, symbolizing a north-facing orientation and the enduring stability of the empire. If we can find the "Mute's Courtyard" on the land beneath our feet, perhaps we still have a chance to try.
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