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

Chapter 25 The first wave of tomb robbery: the history of tomb robbery in the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties (1)
The Big History of Tomb Raiders

In the history of tomb robbery in China, it can be roughly divided into several trends of tomb robbery: the first wave of tomb robbery: the history of tomb robbery in the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties can be regarded as the beginning of tomb robbery; The trend of tomb robbery at this time can be said to have reached its climax; the third wave is the trend of tomb robbery in the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. Tomb robbery in this period is mainly dominated by officials and warlords; the tomb robbery trend in the Song and Yuan Dynasties is the fourth wave; The fifth wave of tomb robbery is the history of tomb robbery in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The tomb robbery in this period was more tragic; the sixth wave was the tomb robbery activities in the Republic of China after the end of the Qing Dynasty and before the founding of New China. , so tomb robbers also caused serious damage to the tombs.In addition to these six tomb-robbing trends, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, tomb-robbing activities have revived again, and there are signs of re-intensification. Some major tomb-robbing incidents have shocked people, and even alarmed the Party Central Committee and the State Council.Below, we will enter the long river of history and show you the previous scene of tomb robbery.

Pre-Qin Tomb Records of Stolen Names

The story of Wu Zixu's exhumation and flogging of corpses is quite legendary. After Wu Zixu, many princely tombs during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were stolen and excavated for various reasons.Let us take a long shot of history and make a panoramic scan.

Yi Gaozhong, Duke Ling of Jin Dynasty in the Spring and Autumn Period, was robbed and excavated by Liu Qu, King of Guangchuan in the Western Han Dynasty. (The details about Liu Qurobber's burial in Jinling Gong will be described in detail later in this chapter.)
Duke Huan of Qi, one of the "Five Overlords" of the Spring and Autumn Period, was buried in Dingzu Mountain in the south of Zhengjiagou Village, Qiling Town, Linzi District, Zibo City, Shandong Province after his death.Qi State is the fiefdom of Jiang Ziya, the founding father of the Western Zhou Dynasty.It faces the sea in the east and the Yellow River in the west, with a vast territory and abundant resources, and has unique advantages.After Jiang Ziya was enfeoffed as a prince, he respected the local folk customs and developed transportation, industry and commerce, fishing and salt, and the country became stronger and stronger day by day.

Qi Huan Gong Qi Huan Gong (?~October 643, 10 BC), the No.7 monarch of Qi State in the Spring and Autumn Period, surnamed Jiang and named Xiaobai.The grandson of Duke Xi (xī) and the second younger brother of Duke Xiang of Qi, whose mother is from Wei.The first of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period.Reigned from 15 BC to 685 BC.After Qi Xianggong and Qijun Wuzhi died in civil strife one after another, Xiaobai and the prince successfully disputed for the throne, that is, Qi Huangong became the monarch.Duke Huan appointed Guan Zhong as chancellor, carried out reforms, and implemented the system of integrating military and government, and military and civilian integration, and Qi gradually became stronger.After he came to the throne, he reused Guan Zhong as the prime minister, and successfully carried out economic, internal affairs, military and other reforms in Qi State.Qi State vigorously develops agriculture, handicrafts and commerce, and reforms the taxation system; recruits talents to replace the traditional Shiqing system; The armed forces in the hands of the monarch have thus strengthened the centralization of power and greatly enhanced its economic strength.

In 681 BC, Duke Huan called an alliance of princes from the four countries including Song and Chen in Zhen (now Juancheng, Shandong). Duke Huan of Qi was the first prince in history to act as the leader of the alliance.At that time, the princes of Huaxia in the Central Plains suffered from the attacks of the tribes such as Rong and Di, so Duke Huan of Qi played the banner of "respecting the king and fighting against the barbarians", attacked the Shanrong in the north, and attacked Chu in the south. Duke Huan became the overlord of the Central Plains and was rewarded by Zhou Tianzi.Because of this series of successful military actions, Duke Huan of Qi was supported by all the vassal states and became the first monarch to achieve hegemony in the early Spring and Autumn Period.

In his later years, Duke Huan became senile, trusted villains such as Yi Ya and Shu Diao, and ended up starving to death during civil strife.

Duke Huan of Qi was lying alone on the bed, and no one came to greet him. He couldn't even drink his saliva, and he died soon.In 643 BC, the 73-year-old Duke Huan of Qi came to the end of his life.Before dying, Duke Huan of Qi thought of Guan Zhong's last words again, and couldn't help feeling extremely remorseful. He cried out in pain, "What a shame! How can I see Father Zhong in the ground!"But at this time, his five sons were vying for the throne, and each of them recruited members of his party and went to war, and no one cared about his funeral.

When Yi Ya heard the news of Duke Huan's death, he immediately entered the palace with Shu Diao, Kai Fang and others to launch a coup d'état.The five sons of Duke Huan of Qi were so busy fighting for the throne that no one cared about Duke Huan's funeral.In the end, Duke Huan's body was buried under the arrangement of two veteran ministers, Shangqing Gaohu and Guo Yizhong.At this time, Duke Huan had been dead for 67 days. His corpse was rotting, insects were crawling around, and the stench was suffocating.Seeing this tragic scene, all the officials cried bitterly.

It is embarrassing that a generation of overlords died so bleakly.In "Heavenly Questions", Qu Yuan once had the sentence "Heaven's destiny is against the side, what punishment and blessing? Qi Heng nine meetings, suddenly killed himself" to express his lament for the fate of the overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period.

History is merciless.The ruler of the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi, the British lord of a generation, refused to listen to advice, and ended up in a tragic end where people were defeated and the country was covered with maggots. Isn't this his own fault?However, his teachings are also like a mirror, which can be used as a reference and enlightenment for others.

What is even more unfortunate is that even this skeleton that was once covered with bedbugs will not be at peace under the "Nine Springs".According to the "Book of Jin", the tomb of Duke Huan of Qi and his important minister Guan Zhong was robbed by a man named Cao Yi (yí) during the Jianxing period of Emperor Min (mǐn) of Jin Dynasty. can be served", but there are still "giant ten thousand" treasures.

Helu, King of Wu, can also be regarded as a monarch who has made a difference in history, and his tomb was also robbed.

Helu (? ~ 496 BC), also known as Helu, surnamed Ji, named Guang, was the son of Zhufan, king of Wu, so he was also called "Gongzi Guang".The monarch of Wu State in the late Spring and Autumn Period, reigned from 514 BC to 496 BC, and was one of the "Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period".

In 496 BC, King Helu of Wu, one of the Five Overlords of the Spring and Autumn Period, took advantage of the chaos of Yue State to attack Yue.After Helu's death, his son Fucha built his father's tomb in Huqiu, the capital of Wu State at that time - the northwest of Helu Great City.According to "Historical Records" and other books, [-] soldiers and civilians were recruited for construction at that time, and elephants were used to transport them, digging ponds through the soil, and accumulating soil as mounds; He was buried with him, and three thousand swords including "Bianzhu" and "Yuchang" that Helu loved during his lifetime were hidden in the depths of the palace.It is said that after three days of burial, Jin Jinghua turned into a white tiger and squatted on it, so it was named "Tiger Hill".Zhu Changwen, a professor of Suzhou Studies in the Song Dynasty, believed that Tiger Hill got its name because it looked like a crouching tiger, and said: "However, looking at the shape of the rocks and ravines, it is natural. It is suspected that there was a hill first, and Helu was buried because of it. "Hongli, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, also agreed: "Originally, the rocks and gullies are good at nature, but the tigers are called the essence of gold."

Huqiu, located in the Huqiu Mountain Scenic Area in the northwest corner of the ancient city of Suzhou, is 5 kilometers away from the city center. It has a long history of more than 500 years and is known as the "No.1 Victory in Wuzhong". The city was built as the capital, and the cemetery after death is in Huqiu.Later, the first emperor of Qin once climbed the hill to see the victories; Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, led 8000 children to rebel against Qin here;Su Shi, a poet of the Song Dynasty, once said: "It is a pity to go to Suzhou and not visit Tiger Hill." Therefore, Tiger Hill has become a fascinating place for tourists.

Huqiu Mountain was called "the No. 1 victory in Wuzhong" by the ancients. It has a majestic momentum, a beautiful scenery, and there are many myths and legends.

Huqiu Mountain is most famous as "Sword Pond". The four powerful characters of "Huqiu Jianchi" were written by Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, and inscribed next to the round hole of "Bieyoudongtian".Entering the cave gate, you suddenly feel that "the coldness of the pool is cold, and the sword is deep in the empty mountain", and the weather has changed.Two steep stone cliffs rise from the ground, locking a pool of green water.On the left wall of the right cliff, there is the word "Jianchi" in seal script, which is said to be written by Wang Xizhi, the sage of calligraphy in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.The shape of the pool is narrow and long, slightly wider in the south and narrower in the north, resembling a sword laid flat.Some people think that this is the reason why "Jianchi" got its name, but more people think that its name comes from a legend.According to this legend, Helu loved swords during his lifetime, and when he was buried, he was buried with three swords, namely "Bianchu" and "Yuchang", so it was called "Jianchi".This is the same as "Helu was buried in the northwest of the country" in "Yiwen Leiju". The soil was made into a mountain, and the soil was used as a mound. There were 10 people in Fawang County, and they ruled a total of ten miles. The elephant (liàn) dug a pool with soil, and the surrounding water was deep. Zhang Yu. There are three layers of paulownia, and the hòng is a pool. The pool is sixty steps wide, and the gold, pearls and jade are mallard geese, and the sword of Bian Chu has three thousand fish intestines. After three days of burial, the gold essence rises and turns into a white tiger sitting on the grave." records are consistent.

Some scholars believe that Jianchi was designed and excavated to cover the tomb of King Wu.There may well be some kind of secret behind the back door of the tomb.

Others believe that when King Fuchai of Wu built the tomb, in order to prevent more than a thousand craftsmen from leaking the secret mechanism, they were all killed on a large flat stone outside Jianchi in the name of inviting them to drink and watch the crane dance.The blood of the artisans flowed on the rock, impregnated and penetrated, and fused with the rock, which will not fade for a long time.This is the reason why it is called "Thousand People's Stone" today with dark purple mottled shadow marks.

According to legend, in the hundreds of years after the fall of the Wu Kingdom, King Goujian of Yue, Emperor Qin Shihuang, and Sun Quan of Eastern Wu successively came here to search for treasures and swords, but they all returned in vain.

All of the above are legends, and I dare not jump to conclusions about their authenticity.But what is certain is that although the tomb of the King of Wu is under the cover of scenic spots and "the authorities have exhausted it", it was still robbed.According to Liu Xiang's "On Qi Changling Shu" of the Han Dynasty: "Wu Wang Helu violated the etiquette and rich burial for more than ten years, and the Yue people discovered it." And know.

In addition, famous tombs stolen during the Warring States period include the tombs of King Wei Xiang, Wei Anli, Wei Ai and Zhao Jianzi.

King Wei Xiang was the king of the State of Wei during the Warring States Period, Prince Wei Hui, named heir, and was posthumously named "Xiang" after his death, so he was called "King Wei Xiang".He reigned from 317 BC to 295 BC (some say 302 BC).In 318 BC, the five kingdoms of Wei, Han, Zhao, Chu, and Yan "jointly attacked Qin".

The tomb of King Xiang of Wei was stolen by Liu Qu, the king of Guangchuan in the Western Han Dynasty. The tombs "are all made of aragonite, about eight feet high, and can accommodate 40 people. The synovial fluid is like new when you touch the (mén) outer coffin with your hands. There are The stone bed and the stone screen are graceful and upright. There is no trace of the coffin or coffin, but there is a jade spit pot on the bed, two bronze swords, gold and jade miscellaneous utensils, all like new things, and the king took them."

Although most of the tombs in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were in the initial stage of the Chinese tomb system, some tomb chamber designs also had unique features, which made grave robbers helpless.

"Book of Jin Shi Jilong Zai Ji" records: There is a tomb of Zhao Jianzi on Shizigang in the west of Handan City.After Emperor Zhao Shihu succeeded to the throne, he ordered his subordinates to steal the tomb.But as a result of the excavation, "the charcoal was more than ten feet deep at the beginning, and the wooden plank was one foot thick, and the accumulated plank was eight feet thick. It reached the spring, and the water was very cold. It was drawn by a cowhide bag for a winch, and the water was endless for more than a month. Unstoppable."

Overlord of Western Chu Steals Qin Mausoleum

Compared with Wu Zixu, Xiang Yu's tomb robbery seems to have more reasons and justice.

Wu Zixu robbed the tomb in order to avenge his "family", which was selfish. 300 years later, Xiang Yu excavated the tomb of Qin Shihuang Yingzheng, out of "national hatred" and the wishes of the people all over the world.Who is Qin Shihuang?The first emperor in Chinese history.What kind of mausoleum is Qin Mausoleum?The "first mausoleum" among the tombs of Chinese emperors.Xiang Yu is the only one who dares to attack such an emperor and his tomb!
In 221 BC, based on its strong military power, the Qin State wiped out the six countries one by one through war, established the first highly centralized autocratic empire, and realized the political situation of "great unification".The authority of Yingzheng, the supreme ruler of Qin, reached the supremacy.According to what Li Si and others praised him in "Historical Records" Volume [-] "The Chronicles of Qin Shihuang", that is: "Today, Your Majesty raises righteous soldiers, punishes remnants of thieves, and pacifies the world. The five emperors are inferior." Therefore, the honorary title of "emperor" was established, and he was called "the first emperor", and then a series of administrative and cultural constructions were carried out to update political and cultural concepts and maintain the emperor's autocratic system.

In addition to dividing the world into 36 counties, unifying the weights and measures, "cars on the same track, books on the same writing", and relocating the world's rich and powerful to Xianyang, the planning of the palace garden also strives to adapt to the cultural principle of the unity of nature and man. "All the temples and Zhangtai, Shanglin are all in Weinan. Every time the Qin Dynasty broke up the princes, they wrote and released their palaces. They were written on Beiban in Xianyang, adjacent to Wei in the south, from the east of Yongmen to Jing and Wei, and the palaces and houses belonged to Zhou Pavilion. The bells and drums of beauties from princes and beauties were obtained to fill them in." In the 27th year of Qin Shihuang (220 BC), "Yan Zuoxin Palace Weinan has been renamed the Xingong Temple, like Tianji. Since the Ji Temple is connected to Lishan Mountain, it is made The front hall of Ganquan. Build the tunnel, and it belongs to Chengyang." In the 35th year of Qin Shihuang (212 BC), he further launched an unprecedented construction project. Wangdufeng, Wuwangdugao, between Fenghao, the capital of emperors, is built as the imperial palace in Weinan Shanglin Garden. First, the front hall, Afang, is [-] steps from east to west, and [-] feet from north to south. It can seat ten thousand people. Wuzhang Banner can be built below. Zhou Chi is the pavilion road, from His Royal Highness to Nanshan. The top of Nanshan Mountain is regarded as a que. It is a complex road, from Afang to cross the Wei, which belongs to Chengyang. The Efang Palace was not completed; when it was completed, I wanted to choose a name for it. It was the palace Efang, so the world called it Efang Palace.” At that time, there were many palaces.In addition to building palaces and palaces, the mausoleum "Lishan" began to be built. "The hidden palace has more than [-] prisoners, and it is divided into Afang Palace, or Lishan. The stone coffin in Beishan is written about Shu and Jingdi materials." Everything will come." The construction of Lishan, the imperial mausoleum, is also one of the forms of declaring authority.

The Qin Mausoleum is the most famous in the history of Chinese mausoleums. Whether it is the scale and momentum, or the legendary underground palace, it will make future generations have infinite reverie.

Qin Mausoleum is located in the east of Lintong County, Shaanxi Province, 36 kilometers away from the ancient city of Xi'an.It leans against Lishan Mountain in the south and Weishui River in the north, with beautiful scenery and majestic momentum.During the construction process, 72 migrant workers were recruited successively, and it took 36 years. The huge project created the most generous burial of kings in all dynasties.Its layout structure and architectural style have made great progress on the basis of integrating the great achievements of Xia, Shang and Zhou.As the first emperor's cemetery in Chinese history, it has had a profound impact on the tombs of later generations.

Since the Qin Mausoleum has not yet been excavated, the specific conditions inside it are unknown.However, historians of all dynasties have described it quite a lot, so that we can "see the whole leopard at a glance".Among these records, the earliest and most authentic is the "Historical Records" written by the great historian Sima Qian.According to "Historical Records: The Benji of Qin Shihuang": "The first emperor ascended the throne at the beginning, and he passed through Lishan Mountain. When he merged with the world, the world sent more than [-] people to wear three springs, cast copper to form the outer coffin, and watch hundreds of officials in the palace. The rare monsters moved to Zang Manzhi. Let the craftsmen make machine-made crossbow arrows, and shoot those who pass through..."

According to Sima Qian’s records, the facilities of the underground palace of the Qin Emperor’s Mausoleum are the same as those of the ground palace. The inside of the tomb sees water from the bottom of the tomb, which is reinforced with copper, and the upper and lower coffins are placed on it;The "mermaid" caught in the East China Sea is used to refine oil and make candles, which are used as "eternal lights" in the mausoleum.On the ground and top of the tomb, the heavens, earth, mountains and rivers are carved out, the rivers, rivers and seas are made of mercury, and the sun, moon and stars in the sky are inlaid with pearls and gems.In order to prevent robbery and excavation, there is an automatic launch machine crossbow at the entrance of the tomb passage. If someone approaches and touches the mechanism, he will be shot to death by random arrows.A large amount of mercury in the underground palace is easy to volatilize, producing a violent poisonous mist, which makes tomb robbers terrified.After the death of Qin Shihuang, Qin II ordered that all the maids and concubines who were not born in the palace should be buried.In order to prevent leakage of secrets, all craftsmen who participated in the construction of the tomb were all blocked in the tomb passage.The tall mounds are planted with vegetation, which is as majestic as a mountain.

In the third year after the completion of the Qin Mausoleum, Xiang Yu led his army into Tongguan and burned down the luxurious ground buildings on the mausoleum, leaving only a huge mound of sealed earth.This sealed mound faces north and is in the shape of a covered bucket. The base is 350 meters long from north to south and 345 meters long from east to west.The height when it was built is about 115 meters now.After a long period of wind and rain erosion and soil erosion, it is now 87 meters high.

Regarding Xiang Yu's excavation of the Qin Mausoleum, the "Hanshu" edited by Ban Gu stated, "The work on Lishan Mountain has not been completed, and Zhou Zhang million masters have gone down there. Xiang Yu burned his palace and camp, and those who went there saw the excavation. The son lost a sheep, and the sheep went into the chisel, and the shepherd held the fire to shine on the ball sheep, and the fire burned the coffin. Since ancient times, there has never been a burial as grand as that of the first emperor. In a few years, Xiangji was disaster outside, and the animal husbandry was tight inside. Wouldn't it be a pity to close the disaster."

Xiang Yu, a famous native, whose grandfather was Xiang Yan, a famous general of Chu State during the Warring States Period.During the Warring States period, various countries fought in chaos. Qin State sent Wang Jian (jiǎn) to attack Chu State in order to unify the world. Chu State sent Xiang Yan to meet the enemy. Xiang Yan was defeated and killed by Wang Jian.Xiang Yu vowed to "take Qin and replace him" because of his family feud.

After Qin Shihuang unified the world, he governed the country with harsh punishments and harsh laws, and the people in the world suffered unspeakably.After the death of Qin Shihuang, vigorous anti-Qin uprisings broke out everywhere.Xiang Yu displayed outstanding commanding skills in the anti-Qin struggle at the end of Qin Dynasty. Coupled with his noble background, he soon won the support of various insurgents and became the overlord of Western Chu.In 207 BC, Xiang Yu defeated the Qin army in Julu, which seriously shook Qin's rule.

After Qin Shihuang's death, Hu Hai succeeded to the throne. After three years in power, he was forced to death by the power minister Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao also supported Hu Hai's nephew Ziying as king.At this time, the Qin Dynasty was already crumbling under the attacks of various rebel armies.In 206 BC, Liu Bangxian, another outstanding leader of the rebel army, entered the pass, and Prince Ying of Qin surrendered to him. The once prominent and powerful Qin Dynasty perished.

After entering the customs, Xiang Yu had the most powerful army at that time. He himself was respected by the people of the world because of his command and outstanding military exploits.At that time, the biggest military competitor was Liu Bang.Liu Bang started as a commoner and only held a very small official position.However, King Qin was subdued by such a humble person, and Xiang Yu was very unconvinced, not to mention that he was still burdened with a heavy family feud.Therefore, he directed his anger on the members of the Qin imperial family and the palace built by Qin Shihuang.After Xiang Yu entered Guanzhong, he first killed Qin Prince Ying and the nobles of the Qin royal family, then looted all the wealth in Xianyang City, and set fire to the city.Xianyang City and Efang Palace burned for three months under the fire, and finally only some ruins remained.

However, the hatred in Xiang Yu's heart was not comforted by the killing and destruction.His heart was still tormented by a nameless anger.

(End of this chapter)