Live Appreciation, Congratulations to Brother

Chapter 405: Make an oath
A week later, Gong County, Yibin.

Matang Village.

"Brother Yang, wake up, we're here!" Chu Ziqiang gently patted the passenger seat of Zhang Yang.

"Are we here yet? It's so fast." Zhang Yang woke up from his dream as he spoke.

As soon as he finished his treasure appraisal work in Handong Province, he was officially issued a document by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and was recruited to southern Sichuan.

Zhang Yang got up too early, still suffering from jet lag and very sleepy.

But there is no other way. Now that the Chu family is the creditor, Lao Chu strongly hints that Zhang Yang should come over and accompany Xiao Chu. It is really difficult to refuse.

Especially when Zhang Yang himself is very interested in hanging coffins.

Throughout the five thousand years of Chinese history, many ethnic minorities in the south have actually had the custom of hanging coffins.

For example, Baiyue, Qianyue, Liaoren, etc.

But the most famous ones are the Bo people’s hanging coffins in southern Sichuan and the boat-shaped hanging coffins in southern Fujian.

Xiao Chu strongly recommended Zhang Yang to come and take a look. With Zhang Yang's understanding of ancient Chinese culture, he would definitely be able to find something different. It might be the largest archaeological discovery in China in the 21st century.

Chu Ziqiang's words were very exaggerated and seemed funny at first sight. However, it was difficult to refuse such hospitality, so Zhang Yang came anyway.

"Is that the hanging coffin there?" Zhang Yang asked, looking at the cliff behind the farmland in the distance.

Looking from a distance, the cliff over there is about a hundred meters high. Except for some shrubs on the top, the surroundings are bare.

On the cliff vertical to the ground, you can see many wooden piles, and there are many "small squares" placed on the wooden piles.

That is the hanging coffin and the wooden stakes used to fix the coffin.

When a normal person sees these coffins, the first reaction is: How did you get them up there?

In fact, the reason why the hanging coffin is mysterious is indeed because:
Hundreds of years ago, or even thousands of years ago, how did the Bo people, whose productivity was very backward, drive wooden stakes into the cliffs, and how did they hoist the nanmu coffins weighing thousands of kilograms to the cliffs hundreds of miles high?
This theme can be filmed in "Into Science" for at least 5 episodes.

But in the mouth of the local village chief, it was explained in one sentence:

"This is what Zhuge Liang taught us."

"Ah? Is that Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms?" Zhang Yang looked at the village chief wearing a felt hat and a green military coat in front of him with a questioning tone.

Just now when the village chief introduced himself that he was a descendant of the Bo people, Zhang Yang had already begun to doubt it.

Because normally speaking, the Bo people had been slaughtered to death during the Wanli period.

"That's right, it's Zhuge Liang." Xiao Chu echoed from the side, "What are the unsolved mysteries are actually made up by the media. Just go to the place and ask the locals and you will know. In fact, it is not mysterious at all."

"Come on, village chief, please introduce Mr. Zhang to us."

"This matter is actually very simple..." The village chief took out a photo and showed it to everyone.

Zhang Yang took a closer look and saw that it was actually the winch used in the TV series Three Kingdoms.

The principle of this thing is a bit similar to that of a windlass. The key part is a section of concentric circular shafts with different diameters. The thin parts are manually turned and the thick parts are driven to turn. The larger diameter and longer circumference are used to save labor.

"Our ancestors of the Bo people once followed Zhuge Liang in the north and south, so they know a little about ordnance." The village chief explained in detail.

"At that time, an old man in the clan passed away. Mr. Feng Shui said that he must be buried on a cliff to keep our clan safe. An ancestor of the Bo people happened to have returned from the army. According to Zhuge Liang's tips, he used this winch to build a stone platform. , sent craftsmen up to dig holes and insert pillars; and used winches to lift the coffin up..."

"How is it? No problem?" Xiao Chu proudly showed off after hearing this.

He knew these stories a few months before Zhang Yang, which was a bit advantageous.

"The story sounds like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Zhang Yang complained.

All the tips and tricks are out, but the story is too strong and unrealistic.

This kind of winch for combat did appear very early. It can be traced back to the Western Jin Dynasty. It was said to have been around during the Three Kingdoms, and it was barely acceptable.

But the carrying capacity of the winch at that time was definitely not enough to lift a coffin weighing 1,000 kilograms up to 100 meters.

Zhang Yang felt that it would be more interesting to just say, "The god Zhao Yun threw his gun and made several holes in the cliff, and then kicked the coffin up with a flying kick."

"Teacher, don't you believe it?" the village chief looked at Zhang Yang and asked.

The tone and expression seemed to be a personal insult to him if he didn't believe such a story.

"It's not that I don't believe it." Zhang Yang waved his hand and explained, "I just think that Feng Shui master is a bit perverted."

"Hiding on a cliff is indeed good for Feng Shui, but there are many places like this in the world. The moon is even better. You can overlook the entire earth. But when calculating Feng Shui, doesn't he take into account the ability of the person at that time?"

"Teacher Zhang, when you say this, I also think it's a problem with the Feng Shui master." The fat Director Rao of the county cultural relics department who came with us agreed.

He was assigned to lead the way. After hearing about Zhang Yang's identity, he has been looking for opportunities to "lick" him.

Of course you can't miss this opportunity, come out quickly to support Zhang Yang.

But as soon as Director Rao spoke, Xiao Chu suddenly felt bored.

He hates these flattering people below him the most. He feels that when there are such people, there is no atmosphere for discussing serious matters.

He hurriedly said: "Okay, okay, village chief, let's quickly find the person I told you about."

The village chief nodded: "Okay, let's just keep walking along the river."

……

The hanging coffins of the Bo people in Zhang Yang's village are distributed very regularly, and they are all located on both sides of a small river called "Crab Creek".

So the village chief said these hanging coffins have good feng shui, and Zhang Yang thought it was okay.

They are all on the cliff next to the river, sitting on the mountain and looking at the water. Isn't that good?

"Teacher Zhang, this is your first time here. Let me introduce it to you." Director Rao was very enthusiastic and explained various points around him like a tour guide.

However, he was reading the manuscript on his mobile phone, which was somewhat unprofessional.

It has to be the local village chief, who can speak more plainly and understandably.

The place where Zhang Yang and his group got off the bus was at the "Coffin Shop". The earliest hanging coffins were found here, with a total of 34 hanging coffins;
Going further in, they passed "Lion Rock", "Nine Lanterns", "Mopan Mountain", "White Horse Cave", etc. and also found a small number of cliffs or caves with hanging coffins;
When we arrived at a place called "Nine Key Seals", we were blocked by a tributary of a small river.

On the upper reaches of this tributary, there is a small village of four or five households, which is the destination of Zhang Yang and his party.

The old man Jiang who sold the weapons to Handong collectors online and buried them in hanging coffins lived here.

The village chief had already visited the spot in advance to confirm that he was at home.

However, he strictly complied with Zhang Yang and Xiao Chu's request and did not alert the enemy to prevent Old Man Jiang from destroying the evidence in advance.

What they focused on today was a sneak attack.

Everyone soon arrived at Old Man Jiang's home, a somewhat dilapidated house with earthen walls and tiles.

The owner of the house is sitting under the eaves smoking a pipe.

When he saw Zhang Yang and the others coming, the old man didn't move, as if he hadn't seen them.

"Old Jiang?" The village chief walked up to him and waved his hand in his face.

If there is still no response, call 120.

Sure enough, the old man had feedback. He looked up at the village chief and said:

"What's the matter? You run to me all day long, and you still come empty-handed."

"Old Jiang, these two are experts from Yanjing. They are here for the hanging coffin matter."

"Oh." Old Man Jiang took two puffs of dry smoke, pointed to the cliff in the distance and said, "The hanging coffin...isn't it hanging over there? Why are you looking for me?"

"Here's the thing, did you sell a few antiques to others on Douyin before?" the village chief asked. "No."

"How come there isn't? Look at this account called [Cuntou Laojiang], isn't it your comma?"

"It's my number, but I've never sold antiques." The old man insisted, "I can't even send express delivery, so how can I sell things to others online?"

"That's what your grandson is selling." The village chief quickly thought of Old Man Jiang's grandson who is still in vocational high school. "Where is Jiang Yusheng? Has school started?"

"I don't know. He's been away from home all day long, and it's not the first day you've known about it."

"Then...then give him a call." The village chief tried hard to think of a way.

But Old Man Jiang decisively refused: "I can't fight."

"Hey, you old man..." Director Rao couldn't hold it any longer. Regardless of Xiao Chu's obstruction, he stood up and asked, "Is it difficult for your own grandson to call and let him know that someone in the county is looking for him? ?”

"It's difficult..."

Old Man Jiang's inconspicuous appearance gave everyone present a headache.

Zhang Yang on the side felt a little strange.

Why is this old man so calm?
Zhang Yang has been to many villages, including Weijia Village, before. When the local villagers heard that he was an expert from the city, their eyes and movements were somewhat uncomfortable.

This has nothing to do with age, it is just a subconscious reaction of many people.

But the old man Jiang in front of him was very calm and did not say anything. Even after hearing that Director Rao was an "official" in the county, he had no intention of getting up.

Could it be that too many people came to inspect the hanging coffin before, making them immune?
Zhang Yang walked aside doubtfully and looked at the whole house.

The place where Xiao Chu and the others were standing was in the lobby, and there was a small room next to a side door.

Judging from the yellowing of the windows, it must be the kitchen or woodshed.

Recalling all the information about the hanging coffin, Zhang Yang walked in decisively.

If it's a woodshed, there might be clues.

This is somewhat rude, but it is better than listening to the village chief, Director Rao, and Old Man Jiang arguing.

Zhang Yang opened the door and saw that a fire in the center of the room was smoking. A black iron kettle was hanging from it, and steam was still coming out from the spout.

He looked past the fire and the kettle and saw a few black wooden boards in the corner.

It is obviously a processed wooden board with a very smooth surface.

How could something like this be kept here to be used as firewood?

After taking a closer look under the light, Zhang Yang quickly determined that these wooden boards were split from the nanmu coffin.

In this place, of course, there is only one source of nanmu coffins:
Bo people hang coffins.

The source of the item also showed that it was picked up by Old Man Jiang in the cave, and it was the coffin wood for the hanging coffin.

The coffin wood was used as firewood, and Zhang Yang suspected that Old Man Jiang was an anti-superstition fighter.

He wandered around the room again, and was about to go out and tell everyone what he had discovered, when the door suddenly became dark.

It was Xiao Chu who came. He stuck his head and asked, "Brother Yang, did you find anything?"

"Yes, look, there is a coffin board hanging from the coffin, which has been chopped into small pieces." Zhang Yang picked up a half-charred piece of firewood from the tail of the fire, "Come, smell it and see if there is any nanmu." The aroma.”

"This is the authentic Xiaoye Zhennan, the only nanmu with fragrance. No one in other places will burn it for you to smell."

"Really?" Xiao Chu walked in happily after hearing that it was very precious.

However, he obviously didn't pay attention to the chemistry class in junior high school. He didn't know that when smelling, he should gently fan it with his hands instead of directly touching it with his nose.

As a result, he was coughing from the smoke and kept retreating.

"How do you feel?" Zhang Yang put down the coffin board and asked with a smile.

"It's a bit over my head, let me take it easy." Xiao Chu raised his head and took a few deep breaths before telling Zhang Yang, "The smell is very strange, there is a bit of burnt cloth and a bit of stench, but there is no fragrance. .”

"Yes, there is no fragrance at all." Xiao Chu said with certainty.

He felt that he had been cheated by Zhang Yang.

"Is that so?" Zhang Yang thought for a while and seemed to understand. "It should be the linen fabrics buried with the deceased, and some organic matter from the decomposed corpses, which are stuck to the wooden boards."

"After heating..."

"Organic matter from the corpse?"

"Ugh~" Xiao Chu pretended to retching.

"Okay, okay, stop showing off, go find the village chief and confront the old man."

……

After listening to what Zhang Yang and Xiao Chu said, Director Rao angrily pulled the old man and wanted to confront him in the small room.

The village chief stopped the director and said he could convince the old man.

"We've found the coffin boards, why are you still making excuses?" the village chief asked Old Man Jiang.

"My own coffin is not ready yet. Can't I burn it?" Old Man Jiang said harshly.

"Experts have said that this is a nanmu coffin. Can you afford nanmu? Who did you buy it from? If you tell me, I will confront him." The village chief's attitude became tougher and he even got a little angry.

As the head of Matang Village, where the hanging coffin is located, the tourism revenue brought by the hanging coffin is not much compared to other scenic spots in the county, but in rural areas, it is definitely not small.

So he had reason to be angry. He thought Old Man Jiang was ruining everyone's jobs.

"Whether I bought it or not, it's not a stolen hanging coffin, and it has nothing to do with you."

"Those hanging coffins are monitored. Go check them yourself to see if I've stolen them." The old man said righteously.

"You..." The village chief was about to retort, but suddenly remembered something and looked at Zhang Yang, "Teacher Zhang, it seems that there is indeed surveillance. If someone steals the coffin, it will be recorded on the surveillance camera."

"Not necessarily, because this coffin is not the existing hanging coffins." Zhang Yang explained.

He looked at Old Man Jiang, took over the village chief's words and said, "We didn't say you stole the coffin."

"We are just looking for where this coffin came from."

"This is most likely a brand new place to store hanging coffins. If you lead us to find it, the County Cultural Relics Bureau will definitely give you a bonus."

"You think so? Director Rao?"

"Ah?" Director Rao was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly expressed his position under everyone's gaze, "Yes, yes, bonus."

"If you don't believe it, let Director Rao tell it again, and the village chief will videotape it for you as evidence." Zhang Yang added.

"Okay then." Old Man Jiang nodded.

"Do you agree to lead the way?" Xiao Chu asked excitedly.

"No, it's you..." the old man pointed at Director Rao, "cooperate with the village chief to record the video."

"Just say, as long as I, Jiang Wangwang, bring the experts from Yanjing to find the place where the coffin was found, the county will give me a bonus of 10,000 yuan. If not, you can spare the director's family..."

"It's passed. You can't swear poison in the first month."

"Then say, if you can't do it, Director Rao will resign."

"Good guy, to Director Rao, isn't this still a poisonous oath?" Xiao Chu said with a smile in Zhang Yang's ear.

(End of this chapter)