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

Chapter 17 Those who come are not good, but those who are kind do not come: Secrets of the motives of the tomb robbers (2)
In archaeological excavations, we can also see examples of "looting old tombs" due to the occupation of previous tombs.For example, in a stone tomb with portraits discovered in Maocun, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, the archaeologists who presided over the cleanup pointed out that there are two noteworthy phenomena in the entire tomb structure: one is the tomb gate and the nearby buildings.The existing stone slab that seals the door at the entrance is wider than the tomb door, but 1 cm shorter in height, so it cannot match the banner and the tomb top. "The stone bars pressed under the east wall have been processed and carved into concave arcs on the corners; the banners pressed on the top are 2 cm shorter at the left and right ends, and cannot be connected with the other two banners, and there are four horizontal banners. The only piece in the forehead that does not have a portrait. From the analysis of these phenomena, it is estimated that it is not the original building, but it was reassembled later." The other is the top of the tomb. "The top of the existing tomb is all open, the front room is completely removed, and only three floors remain in the back room. Some fragments are left at the bottom of the tomb, and the smashed gravel is all over the bottom." In addition, the burial objects in the tomb are not only broken and incomplete, And the location is confusing. "These phenomena all prove that the tomb suffered great damage in the early stage." Judging from the structure of the tomb chamber and the content of the stone reliefs, it should be built in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.However, the funerary objects unearthed in the tomb, such as pottery figurines, copper hairpins, and porcelain bowls, are all in the style of the Tang Dynasty.In particular, 5 coins were unearthed, including 4 "Kaiyuan Tongbao" and 1 "Tianyou Tongbao", all of which were coins of the Tang Dynasty, of which "Tianyou Tongbao" was cast in the late Tang Dynasty.The age of the burial objects in the tomb is roughly determined to be in the Tianyou period of the Tang Dynasty.Based on various phenomena, archaeologists analyzed, "The stone structure and portrait stones of this tomb are the original stone buildings of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the late Tang Dynasty, this tomb room was used for re-burial, so the back room is all Tang Dynasty burial objects." This should be true. See it as a typical example of occupying the tomb of the previous generation.

Political punishment shows majesty

Opening the coffin and killing the corpse is not only a great insult to the deceased, but also a great blow to the relatives of the victim.Opening coffins and killing corpses is often used as a political attack method among political enemies who are fighting to the death.Therefore, digging graves is sometimes a form of political punishment and persecution.

"Three Kingdoms" Volume [-] "Wei Shu·Dong Zhuo Biography" Pei Songzhi quoted "Heroes" and said: "(Dong Zhuo), send out He Miao's coffin, take out his corpse, and discard the details by the side of the road." It is Dong Zhuo's dictatorship, The tomb of He Miao, the chariot general, was once excavated to vent political hatred.

"The Biography of Wang Ji" in "Book of Jin" said that Wang Ji separatized Guangzhou, Tao Kan sent his supervisor Xu Gao to conquer, Wang Ji's army was defeated, and died of illness. "(Xu) Gao exhumed his body and beheaded." It is also one of the historical examples of declaring political punishment by digging graves.

"Southern History" records: The emperor thought that he was in the East Palace in the past, and he was not loved by Xiaowu. When he ascended the throne, he would dig Jingning Mausoleum.He put manure in the mausoleum, scolded Emperor Xiaowu as a "slave (zhā)", and sent Yin Gui to the tomb, annoyed that he was favored by Xiaowu.At the beginning, when your concubine passed away, Emperor Wu ordered it to be destroyed in order to build Xin'an Temple.He also wanted to punish monks and nuns near and far.Xin Chou, Prince Luan of Xin'an, the governor of South Xuzhou, was granted death as a commoner.Because his father did not give himself enough love and care, he even wanted to dig his father's tomb. After being stopped, he then excavated the tomb of his father's favorite woman. It also shows that digging graves also has the purpose of venting personal anger.

During the Xiaoliang era of the Southern Dynasties, during the war between Liang Yuan Emperor Xiao Yi and Yueyang King Xiao Bei, there was a historical example of excavating each other's graves to vent their anger.Li Cunxu, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty, had the whimsy of digging the tomb of Zhu Wen, the Taizu of the Later Liang Dynasty, when he destroyed the Later Liang Dynasty.

During the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Murong Hao (huàng), the first king of the former Yan, attacked Goguryeo in the ninth year of Xiankang (341 A.D.).At that time, Koguryo was located on the present-day Korean Peninsula, and its capital was located in Wandu (present-day Pyongyang).Qianyan fought with Goguryeo for years, and Goguryeo was defeated by Qianyan repeatedly.In the first battle, Qianyan sent 4 troops. The general Muronghan fought against Goguryeo Wang Zhao. As a result, Qianyan won a big victory.Murong Hao failed to capture Goguryeo Wang Zhao. In order to completely defeat the enemy's spirit, he excavated the tomb of the previous Goguryeo Wang Zhao and brought his dead bones back to Yan.Goguryeo had no choice but to pay tribute to Xiangyan, and then returned Wang Li's body in the first year.This move dealt a great blow to Goguryeo, and Goguryeo has been in a slump since then, and can no longer compete with the former Yan Kingdom.

Opening the coffin and killing corpses can not only attack military enemies, but also political opponents at certain times.When Emperor Ruizong Li Dan ascended the throne and became emperor for the second time in the Tang Dynasty, it was after the court eradicated Webster and quelled the rebellion of his relatives.In order to completely eradicate the influence of foreign relatives in the court, and take this as a lesson to prevent the development of foreign relatives in the future, Tang Ruizong imposed severe punishments on the guilty relatives, such as destroying the tomb, beheading the coffin, and killing the corpse.Wu Sansi was a member of the Wu family who continued to engage in power and chaos after the Wu Zetian era. In the first year of Zhongzong Jinglong (707 AD), the then prince Li Chongjun killed Wu Sansi and his son.According to the "Old Tang Book" records: "Ji Ruizong Li Dan succeeded to the throne, and ordered the tomb of Wu Ersi's father to be excavated, the coffin was opened and the corpse was killed, and the tomb was leveled." But his wife, Princess Taiping, was given to death for rebellion, and Wu Meiji, who was dead at the time, was also implicated and his tomb was destroyed.During Tang Zhongzong's period, the most powerful relatives belonged to Queen Wei's clan. After Webster was killed, her clan was naturally not spared.Ruizong ordered the tombs of Wei Xuanzhen, Wei's father, and Wei Xun, his cousin, to be leveled.Through these seemingly cruel and magnanimous methods, Tang Ruizong punished the foreign relatives who were authoritarian and chaotic during the Tang Zhongzong period, and completely put an end to the phenomenon of foreign relatives' chaotic politics in the previous Tang Dynasty for decades.

In this respect, Lu Liuliang, who was slaughtered because of his innocent involvement in the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, should be more typical.

Zeng Jing, a native of Hunan, came across Lu Liuliang's articles by chance and admired Lu Liuliang's knowledge very much, so she sent a student Zhang Xi from Hunan to Lu Liuliang's hometown Zhejiang to inquire about the manuscripts left by him.As soon as Zhang Xi arrived in Zhejiang, he not only found out the whereabouts of the manuscript, but also found two students of Lu Liuliang.When Zhang Xi talked with them, they hit it off very well.So after he went back to report to Zeng Jing, Zeng Jing asked the two of them to meet, and the four of them were very indignant when they talked about the rule of the Qing Dynasty.So everyone secretly discussed how to find a way to overthrow the Qing Dynasty.

Later, Zeng Jing and Zhang Xi instigated Yue Zhongqi, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi at the time, to rebel, but was reported by Yue Zhongqi.Yongzheng personally interrogated Zeng Jing and others, but he thought Zeng Jing and others were "pedantic people" and decided to pardon them. Lu Liuliang was the real culprit. However, at that time, Lu Liuliang and his son were dead, so there was no way to punish them. , So Yongzheng ordered people to dig up Lu Liuliang's grave and split the coffin, but he still didn't understand his hatred, and ransacked all the descendants of Lu Liuliang and his two students.Many scholars who believed in Lu Liuliang were also implicated and sent to remote areas to serve as soldiers.

In a sense, although digging and destroying graves is immoral, it can deal a powerful blow to the enemy politically. Therefore, many emperors and officials have used this method as a political trick since ancient times.

Digging ancestral graves destroys Feng Shui

In ancient China, there are countless incidents of digging up ancestral graves and cutting off people's dragon veins. The reason why tomb robbery is regarded by the world as an act of cutting off children and grandchildren is also because the ancestral spirit of the ancestors has been leaked, so they gritted their teeth with hatred.

The ancients were very particular about the location of the tomb. They believed that choosing a good feng shui place for the tomb could shelter and bring blessings to future generations.Similarly, if the enemy has a good feng shui cemetery, especially for the emperor, it is very likely to change the color of the mountains and rivers and be replaced by others.Therefore, destroying the feng shui treasures of the opponent's cemetery for self-safety is also a motive for tomb robbery.

From the Warring States period to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there have been many master geologists who have studied geomantic omen, feng shui, and Qi veins. These famous geographers have integrated astronomy, geography, and nature.According to historical records, during the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Luo's Kanyu skills had reached the point of perfection.One day, he traveled west with the army, and when he passed by his mother's grave, he couldn't help but turned pale with shock and said: "Although the trees are lush, they can't last long; the Xuanwu has no head, the blue dragon has no feet, the white tiger carries the corpse, and the red bird cries. Annihilate the clan." Only two years later, his words were indeed fulfilled.

During the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Murong Hao (huàng), the first king of the former Yan, attacked Goguryeo in the ninth year of Xiankang (341 A.D.).At that time, Koguryo was located on the present-day Korean Peninsula, and its capital was located in Wandu (present-day Pyongyang).Qianyan fought with Goguryeo for years, and Goguryeo was defeated by Qianyan repeatedly.In the first battle, Qianyan sent 4 troops. The general Muronghan fought against Goguryeo Wang Zhao. As a result, Qianyan won a big victory.Murong Hao failed to capture Goguryeo Wang Zhao. In order to completely defeat the enemy's spirit, he excavated the tomb of the previous Goguryeo Wang Zhao and brought his dead bones back to Yan.Goguryeo had no choice but to pay tribute to Xiangyan, and then returned to Wang Zhao's body in the first year.This move dealt a great blow to Goguryeo, and Goguryeo has been in a slump since then, and can no longer compete with the former Yan Kingdom.

The ancient geomancy theory believes that the formation of all things in the world and the quality of living space are all due to the function of "Qi".If someone's tomb is buried in a geomantic place, the place of anger will be chosen.The crypt that gets angry is the living acupoint, which can not only shade the children and grandchildren, but also keep the country and the country from falling.This is also the main reason why the ancients, and even today's people, would spend a lot of effort and money to hire geomancers to find geomantic treasures.According to folklore, the reason why Zhu Yuanzhang, a poor monk, was able to create the Ming Dynasty and become the Ninth Five-Year King was because his ancestral tomb was buried in the right place.

The ancestors once divided "Qi" into nine types, the most noble of which is Emperor Qi.The emperor's qi is red inside and yellow outside, or red clouds are like dragons, and the qi swims in the sky. This kind of cloud is dense like a canopy, sometimes showing five colors, and most of them appear in the morning or evening.If there is an emperor's spirit in a certain place, the true man will appear, and the dynasty will change, and the country will change hands.Therefore, the rulers of the past dynasties have enlisted a group of Feng Shui elites around them, ready to carry out anti-qi attacks at any time.

Don't think that the immoral thing of digging graves and stealing graves is the patent of civilian thieves. From the perspective of Chinese history, large-scale destruction of feng shui in cemeteries is mostly "official behavior". Many emperors have done digging other people's ancestral graves. .

"Nanqi Shu" No.18 volume "Xiangruizhi" records: Pengshan in Wujin County is the ancestral grave of Xiao Daocheng's family. The hills and hills in that area stretch for hundreds of miles, and there are often five-color clouds in the sky, gloomy and soaring, and dragons appear. .Xiao Daocheng was a powerful official in the court of Liu Song Dynasty. He was under one person and above ten thousand people. Emperor Song and Ming Emperor Liu might have been suspicious of him for a long time.When the news reached the capital, Liu was very afraid, fearing that the Xiao family's prosperity would affect his rule.So Feng Shui master Gao Lingwen was sent to Kandian. Gao Lingwen and Xiao Daocheng had a close relationship, so of course they would not speak ill of their old friends.He walked around Xiao's ancestral grave, came back and said to Emperor Song Ming: "Long live, don't take such small things to heart, it's just the luck of princes and generals." Then he ran to Xiao Daocheng's house and said, "Old man Brother, get ready to sit in the Dragon Court! Your family’s ancestral tomb is a geomantic treasure, it’s unspeakably expensive, and has the appearance of a king!" Song Mingdi was still worried after hearing Master Gao Lingwen’s words, and secretly sent people around the tomb in the name of hunting. The tomb was dug up, and several four or five-foot-long iron strikes were placed around the tomb chamber in an attempt to destroy the feng shui of the Xiao family's ancestral tomb.But in the end, he did not escape the fate of being replaced by Xiao Daocheng!

Coincidentally, Tang Suzong also did such a thing. Unlike Emperor Song Ming, the Feng Shui master he sent out successfully dug the grave.

When the Tang Dynasty came to Suzong Li Heng's generation, first the tiger father and the dog son, and then the rabbit gave birth to the mouse. It really is not as good as a litter.At that time, it was destined to be an eventful year. An Lushan and Shi Siming's rebellion disrupted the Tang Dynasty, and killed Pei Luo, a Uighur bone strength, on the way.This person is brave and good at fighting. He first pacified the Western Regions, then broke through the Turks, and then dominated the desert and grassland. He also coveted the fat meat of the Central Plains.Tang Suzong Li Hengguang was in a hurry to clean up the domestic mess, so he didn't have the mind to deal with external threats.After thinking hard for several days, he decided to give his daughter to Gu Li Pei Luo as his wife.In fact, this is also in line with the general law of Chinese history: if a man is not good enough, he will be replaced by a woman;Before marrying off his daughter, Suzong sent a group of people to Uighur to investigate and find out the background of Guli Pei Luo.There was a strange person in the inspection team. On the way, he kept looking around. When he saw a small hill, he climbed up, measured the shadow of the sun with soil, determined the direction with a compass, and drew some inexplicable symbols on paper.It turned out that he was a Feng Shui master, and he was responsible for finding the Uighur dragon veins.

What is a "dragon vein"?Since Qin Shihuang was called the "ancestral dragon" and Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty called himself a "dragon species", the dragon has become a symbol and object of comparison for the monarch.Therefore, the dragon vein has the supreme metaphorical meaning, which refers to the veins of mountains and rivers that have produced emperors, or are likely to produce emperors, or can bury emperors and protect the descendants of the royal family.The emperors of all dynasties have made great efforts to "search for dragons and explore caves" for themselves, and choose "auspicious places for thousands of years" for themselves and future generations.If the dragon's veins are cut off, the king's anger will be vented, so Tang Suzong Li Heng thought of this once-and-for-all solution.

After Mr. Feng Shui completed the exploration task, he immediately returned to Chang'an at full speed, and reported to Tang Suzong mysteriously: "Your Majesty, after careful investigation by the ministers, I finally discovered the dragon vein of the Uighur. It is in the south of the desert. On the small hill of Fushan, the tombs of their ancestors are all buried there, as long as the graves are dug and destroyed, the royal spirit of the Uighurs will dissipate, and Guli Pei Luo will soon cry and mourn." Tang Suzong was overjoyed after hearing this , Immediately ordered Mr. Feng Shui to lead a large number of spies to Fushan and move it back.After this group of people came to Fushan, they dug up the tombs on the mountain, then burned them with fire, filled them with vinegar, broke down the small hill into small pieces, and loaded them back by truck.Soon, Guli Pei Luo died, and the Uighurs went to a low ebb, and the threat of border troubles was naturally lifted.

Digging a few graves can defeat others without fighting. Since it has such an effect, it will naturally be welcomed by the emperors. Therefore, many emperors in history have become models for digging graves and robbing graves.If someone's cemetery is angry with the emperor, the emperor will definitely get rid of it and hurry up.In order to avoid misfortune, Yang Hu (hù), a famous official in the Jin Dynasty, once dug his father's grave and destroyed his geomantic omen, showing that he had no political intentions.

Yang Hu was born in a famous family, and it can be said that he is loved by thousands of people. He is not only a super handsome guy, but also a good material for reading.Such excellent conditions will make everyone jealous. With a good background, good looks, good studies, and good eloquence, he has all the conditions needed to be a successful man, and he is destined to do something big in the future.

One day, an old Fengshui master showed Yang Hu's family Fengshui. He looked at the terrain and water flow distribution around the cemetery in detail, and nodded in approval.After watching, the old man twirled his beard and said to Yang Hu seriously: "There are dragon veins on the ancestral grave of your Yang family, and emperors will emerge in the future, but be careful, if Feng Shui is destroyed, your Yang family will have no successors." !"

(End of this chapter)