Shadow of the Tomb Raider: A Complete Record of the History of Tomb Raiders in China

Chapter 15: Tomb Robbery Sects: Northern Sect and Southern Sect, Difficult to Distinguish
North and South are equally divided

In ancient China, tomb robbers were divided into two factions, the South and the North, with the Yangtze River as the boundary.In the Northern faction, there are many factions such as the Luoyang (Henan) Gang and the Guanzhong (Shaanxi) Gang. Each faction has its own "range of activities", and it is difficult for foreign gangs to come in.Under normal circumstances, each gang does not interfere with each other, and each does its own thing.

The "Northern School" is known for its "ingenuity", such as where the thieves dig the hole (the front of the coffin, the end of the coffin) and the shape of the hole (square hole, round hole), which is very strange.The square mouth-shaped robbery cave was created by the Northern School. Because it is more common in the loess of the Guanzhong area of ​​Shaanxi, it is commonly called "Guanzhong-style robbery cave" in the circle.The northern tomb robbers are very particular about the use of tools. For example, the Luoyang shovel was invented by the northern tomb robbers. It is not only used by them, but also their unique skill.

The Southern School is good at "skillful skills" and super powerful means. They use their own or ancestral experience, combined with the geomancy theory they have mastered, to explore caves and steal treasures. They have unique research on ancient Chinese Fengshui knowledge.The northern school invented the Luoyang shovel, while the southern school was good at using the four methods of "looking", "hearing", "asking" and "cutting". This method was summarized by the tomb robbers of the "Changsha Gang" in the southern school, and it is their usual method. , of course, is also a stunt.

Jiao Si belonged to the "Guangdong Gang" of the Southern School of Tomb Raiders in the Qing Dynasty. He was able to use the methods such as Feng Shui and Wang Qi used in ancient "white affairs" to the fullest. Those who are far behind should be willing to bow down.

There is always a "hand eye" in every tomb robbery gang, and the palm eye plays the role of the chief engineer in the current engineering project. Jiao Si is such a "hand eye".

His palm-eye skills are excellent, and he is good at "watching the wind", "watching the breath", "listening to the sound" and "watching the soil".Jiao Si not only has a pair of "eyes into the ground", but also a pair of "ears to listen to the wind".Through "three listens and one look", Jiao Si can know whether there is a tomb underground, whether there are burial treasures such as gold, silver and jade in the tomb, whether there are many or few.

The differences in geographical environment and historical inheritance between the north and the south have resulted in the differences between the northern and southern burials.For thousands of years, the north and the south have maintained their own characteristics and inherited two different cultures.

Most of the Neolithic tombs are earth pit tombs.The central plains in the north are dominated by loess, and the soil is relatively sticky. Therefore, in addition to earth pit tombs, there are also cave-like earth cave tombs.In the southern region, due to the sandy soil and relatively loose soil, it is difficult to dig holes, so most of the tombs are earth pit tombs.

During the pre-Qin period, the ritual system was gradually formed, and the hierarchy was standardized. At the same time, the differences in the cultural characteristics of the northern and southern tombs became more and more obvious.During the two-week period, in addition to the area under the jurisdiction of the Zhou Dynasty in the north, the main vassal states were Jin and Qin, and the southern vassal states mainly included Chu and Wuyue.Most of the tombs in the Jin Dynasty are vertical pit tombs in earth pits. The biggest feature of Qin tombs is that a vertical pit is dug downward on the ground, and then a tomb hole is dug horizontally at the bottom of the vertical pit to place the wooden coffin.Generally speaking, most of the tombs in the north are earth pits and earth cave tombs, and small chambers are often dug around the tombs (kuàng) to place burial objects. plasticity".In addition, large tombs in the north often have a large amount of gravel stored between the wooden coffin and the tomb, which is a protection measure for the tomb.The tombs of the Chu state in the south have a profound influence on the surrounding culture, and the tombs in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have more or less absorbed the cultural elements of the Chu state.The biggest feature of Chu tombs is that the wooden coffins are divided into several coffins. For example, there are nine coffins in the tombs of monarchs and seven coffins in the tombs of doctors. These coffins store different funerary objects according to their locations.There are also corresponding protection measures for burials in the southern region.Due to the well-developed water system in the southern region, there is a lot of moisture in the soil, and the wooden coffin and the body of the tomb owner are easy to rot. Therefore, charcoal is usually placed in large-scale tombs, and there is also a layer of green mud on the walls of the tombs. The purpose is nothing more than anti-corrosion.

During the Han Dynasty, the differences between the northern and southern burials of the previous dynasties continued. Tombs with multiple chambers appeared in the northern region, and the number of tombs sometimes reached more than ten.In the southern region, earth pit tombs with multiple outer chambers continued to be popular. The famous Mawangdui Western Han Tomb in Changsha is a typical representative of earth pit tombs with multiple outer chambers.

From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the speed of change in the shape of tombs gradually slowed down.The northern tombs are mainly earth-pit tombs or earth-cave tombs, with various shapes and structures, but generally speaking, there is a tomb passage in front of the rectangular tomb.The tombs in the south are mostly brick chamber tombs.The pattern of earthen tombs in the north and brick-chambered tombs in the south was gradually formed during this period and has been passed down for thousands of years.

After the Song Dynasty, brick-chambered tombs continued to be popular in the south, while the north was ruled by ethnic minorities for a long time, showing cultural reference and exchanges in the form of tombs, such as the round brick-chambered tombs of the Khitan and Jurchen, and the secret burials of the Mongolians.The difference in burial culture between the north and the south has resulted in different methods of tomb robbers in the north and south. Over the years, experience and technology have been matured, fixed, and passed on, and finally formed two major factions of tomb robbers in the north and south-the "South School" and the "Northern School".

Northern style extensive device is excellent

The most notable feature of the "Northern School" grave robbers is the tools they use.The first thing to do in tomb robbery is to determine the specific location of the tomb.The soil in the northern region is relatively sticky, so most of the tombs are earthen tombs, and only large tombs with higher ranks are brick chamber tombs or mausoleums dug into mountains.Aiming at the characteristics of northern earthen tombs, a convenient tool that can quickly and accurately locate the specific location of the tomb came into being. This is the Luoyang shovel.

Luoyang shovel is a tool commonly used by tomb robbers in Luoyang area to find tombs.The end of the Luoyang shovel is forged and cast with metal, and the cross-section is in the shape of a crescent.When using it, use inertia to insert the Luoyang shovel into the soil, and then lift it up, and the head of the shovel can bring out the soil. According to the soil brought out by the Luoyang shovel, experienced tomb robbers can judge whether there is a tomb here.Generally speaking, where there are burials, the soil brought out by Luoyang shovel is Wuhua soil, and the soil where there are no burials is raw soil.The tomb robbers carried a Luoyang shovel to explore the cemetery, and finally determined the exact location of the cemetery.Because Luoyang shovel is easy to carry, easy to use, and can accurately detect the location of tombs, it is very popular in the Central Plains and northern regions.It can be said that Luoyang shovel is a symbol of the "Northern School" tomb robbery.

The sharp ax is also one of the tools commonly used by the "Northern School", which is used for digging tombs.Especially for the large tombs of the Han Dynasty with "Huang Chang Ti Pu", the sharp ax is an indispensable tool.

In addition, when archaeologists excavate tombs, they can often find chisels, picks (sì), picks, shovels, sickles, etc. in previously stolen tombs. Handy tool.The robbery hole in northern tombs is generally opened in the middle of the top of the tomb. The diameter of the tomb robbery hole is about 0.4 meters to 0.7 meters. Therefore, sharp tools are essential for the "Northern School" tomb robbers.

Whether it is looking for tombs or excavating tombs, the "Northern School" does not have much technical content, but simply relies on sharp tools, so we call the "Northern School" tomb robbery "extensive type".

Compared with the northern tomb robbers, the southern faction's unique skill is to find tombs.In the process of searching for ancient tombs, the tomb robbers of the Southern School used various techniques and the experience passed down from their ancestors, which can be described as an "intensive type" of intensive cultivation.

Southern School Intensive Technology First
The "Southern School" is centered on today's Changsha area.Due to the complex terrain in the south and the diversity of the geographical environment where the tombs are buried, the tombs are located in different environments, and it is relatively difficult to find them. However, the tombs in the south are mostly made of hard blue bricks as construction materials, which also makes the Luoyang shovel in the northern school useless. The land of martial arts.Therefore, the focus and difficulty of the southern tomb robbers is how to find the ancient brick tombs hidden deep underground.Someone vividly used the steps of Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment to describe the technical process of the Southern School of tomb robbery, that is, looking, smelling, asking, and cutting.

Hope is to look at Feng Shui.The location of the tomb is determined by Fengshui. Generally speaking, the so-called treasured land of Fengshui and the place where children and grandchildren are sheltered, such as a place surrounded by mountains and rivers, must also be a place where tombs gather, and according to Fengshui, the size of the cemetery can also be judged.In addition to feng shui, the vegetation and even the soil around the tomb can also convey important information to the southern tomb robbers.The older tomb robbers have rich experience and are good at Fengshui. Whenever they go to a place, they must first check the terrain to see where the ancient tombs that have been demolished are located.According to Shifuzi's explanation, as long as it is a real treasure of geomantic omen, there will generally be a large tomb, and the tomb's specifications are high.Using the art of Feng Shui to predict whether there is a marked tomb site on the ground is almost perfect.During the period of the Republic of China, a master tomb robber named Cai in Changsha was very good at Fengshui. If he went out to choose a spot, followers would gather around him.Once he went to visit relatives in Ningxiang County. When he came to a place with a very beautiful scenery, he pointed to a paddy field and said to his fellow travelers that there must be a big tomb under this field.The companions were half-believing that Mr. Cai might want to show his hand in front of the boys, so he made a bet: if he finds out that there are no ancient tombs and treasures, he will lose [-] U.S. dollars;The people gambled heavily, so they secretly asked dozens of villagers to dig at night. In the middle of the night, they dug out a large brick tomb. The walls of the tomb were painted with pictures of the deceased's life. Hundreds of gold cakes, inkstones, bamboo tubes, etc.Later, these treasures were sold to an American missionary, who got a lot of dollars and made a fortune (Later, Chua stole the famous Warring States scroll from the bullet warehouse in Changsha, which was also taken abroad by the American missionary.

Smell is to smell the smell, and to distinguish the presence or absence of the tomb according to the difference of the smell.Tomb robbers with this thaumaturgy specialize in the olfactory function of the nose.When stepping on the site, if you find the location of the tomb, turn over the topsoil layer of the tomb, take a pinch of tomb soil and put it under your nose to sniff it. From the smell of the soil, you can tell whether the tomb has been stolen, and judge the general age based on the color of the soil.It is said that those with the best kung fu can use their noses to distinguish the subtle difference in smell between the tomb soil of the Han Dynasty and the tomb soil of the Tang Dynasty, and the accuracy is astonishing.

This sounds like a mysterious method, but it has a certain factual basis.The tombs of different dynasties were filled with different soil and filling materials, so the tombs can emit different smells. For example, in the Qin and Han Dynasties, mercury was often poured into the tombs and cinnabar was buried with them to preserve them.The smell emitted by these special substances may be difficult for ordinary people to detect, but the tomb robbers who have made a living by robbing tombs for generations can keenly distinguish these smells, thereby further pinpointing the location of the tomb.

Ask, just step on the spot.Those who are good at this way often pretend to be Feng Shui masters or fortune-tellers, and travel around, paying special attention to places with beautiful scenery and places where they have visited high-ranking officials.These people are generally eloquent, good at observing words and expressions, and talking about ancient times with the elders. History, legends, place names, and historic sites all reveal information about the relics, and they can obtain information and directions of ancient tombs from conversations. (Even in today's archaeological investigation and excavation, ancient place names and ancient legends are still valuable. For example, some villages are named after "kiln", so it is necessary to pay attention to whether there are kiln sites within a hundred miles. However, places with the word "Wang's Tomb" in their place names probably have large tombs.) Because of years of practice and good eloquence, it is easy to gain the trust of the other party.Once the exact location of the ancient tomb was discovered, a group of thieves were immediately summoned to dig it at night.The tomb robbery method of the Changsha scholar master is mainly based on the color, tamping layer, and moisture content of the soil of the ancient tomb and the backfill soil of the tomb pit to judge its location and age, and then excavate a shaft-style robbery hole in the appropriate part of the ancient tomb. In order to save working hours, the length and width of the robbery hole are limited to accommodate two dustpans.The robber's hole goes straight down, and when it reaches a depth of one person's height, two horseshoe-shaped foot holes are dug on the two walls of the robber's hole to step on, and the dustpan filled with soil in the hole is lifted up with both hands.When digging down again, the way of building a ladder is adopted.When approaching the inner and outer coffins, experienced "masters" will personally explore. If the inner and outer coffins are still well preserved, they will chop with an ax, chisel, and climb into the coffin to touch the cultural relics.If the inner and outer coffins are rotten, the master will use bamboo sticks to probe carefully in the soil, and even small seals can be found.

Cut, in order to judge the age and size of the tomb according to the soil layer, the general method is to use tools to dig a few holes on the ground, use the holes to judge the specific direction and size of the tomb, and then follow the holes in the tomb and touch the body of the deceased in the coffin. thing.Touch the unearthed items with your hands to judge the value of the items.

The first is how to find the direction of the hole and enter the coffin with the shortest distance after discovering the ancient tomb.Those who are good at this method often find the source of the disease as quickly as a person's pulse according to the direction of the terrain, that is, the location of the ancient coffin chamber, and then dig holes from the slope to the tomb's coffin head and tail to steal the funeral objects.The tomb of Zeng Guofan, a famous Zhongxing official in the Qing Dynasty in Changsha, was stolen five times successively.According to archaeological investigations, the burglaries almost always entered the tomb by punching a hole directly from the top of the tomb.

The second is to touch the treasures of the deceased after digging the coffin and opening the cover.Touch from the head, through the mouth to the anus, and finally to the feet.Touching treasures is like feeling the pulse of a patient. You must be careful and calm, and pay attention to calmness and accuracy without missing anything.After the ancients died, it is said that the orifices of the corpse were stuffed with jade objects to prevent decay.As a result, many greedy tomb robbers refused to let go of even this detail. In 1994, the corpse of Mrs. Chu Guogui was stolen and excavated from Guojiagang No. 1 Warring States Tomb in Jingmen City. The reason why she was thrown out of the coffin, her clothes were stripped, her hair was torn off, her mouth was knocked open, and her teeth were smashed into pieces. The main reason is that tomb robbers want to find hidden treasures from these places, and the third is to touch the unearthed cultural relics with their hands.There are countless cultural relics in the hands of masters in the industry, and they often don't need to look at them with their eyes. They just need to touch the objects slowly to know what they are and how much they are worth.This wonderful method is mainly obtained through experience. If there is no long-term experience in dealing with unearthed cultural relics, no matter how great a genius is, it will be beyond his reach.Experts in the industry often use this technique to bet with others on winning or losing, and the odds of winning are very high.

"Listening" is the comprehensive function in Tomb Raider. By listening, we can observe the similarities and differences of thousands of things in the world, and make a correct judgment on the desired goal from it.

Xu Ke, a native of the Qing Dynasty, recorded in his compilation of various anecdotes, notes, and rumors of the Qing Dynasty "Qing Barnyard Banknotes" that a Guangzhou tomb robber named Jiao Si miraculously judged the cemetery skills.Jiao Si's way of robbing the tomb can be used as a wonderful practice of this "listening". Its exquisite technique and magical tricks are amazing.Jiao Si gathered dozens of accomplices to rob ancient tombs everywhere. The reason why they were so successful in robbing tombs was because Jiao Si had a unique skill. He could judge tombs by listening to the rain, the wind, the thunder, the color of grass, and the traces of mud. where.One day, Jiao Si and other tomb robbers went to the suburbs to search for tombs.It was noon, but the sky was thundering and lightning.Jiao Si hurriedly dispersed his subordinates to observe the thunderstorm and lightning in different directions, remember the characteristics, and report back to him.Jiao Si stood watching from a high place. After a while, the rain stopped, and a man came back and reported that when the thunder struck, he felt that his feet were floating, and there was an echo in the ground.Jiao Si said excitedly: "There is an ancient tomb there." The tomb robbers rushed over to dig, and there was a large tomb underneath.

Most of the southern tomb robbers rely on technology to find the location of the tomb. These technologies often have scientific basis and are not nonsense.

The difference in environment, the development of history, and the change of dynasties have prompted the cultural development of the north and the south to present their own different features, and the behavior of tomb robbery, which has been repeatedly banned for thousands of years, is also diverging along this long development road.Regardless of the "Northern School" or the "Southern School", they all pushed the tomb-robbing technology to their respective peaks according to local conditions, and at the same time brought waves of bad luck to the inheritance of civilization.

(End of this chapter)