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

Chapter 37 The Fourth Wave of Tomb Raiders: Tomb Raiders in the Song and Yuan Dynasties (2)
From south to north, the Shanggong buildings are Magpie Terrace, Rutai, Huabiao, Shi Xiangsheng (Stone Carved Guard of Honor), Que Pavilion, Emperor Mausoleum Terrace, and Empress Mausoleum.Yongchang Mausoleum is not a mausoleum where the emperor and the empress were buried in the same cave.Song Taizu's first wife, He Shi, died in 958 AD at the age of 30.At that time, the Song Dynasty had not yet been established, and it was later buried in Zhaocheng of Yong'an Mausoleum.After He's death, Zhao Kuangyin married Wang as his successor. Queen Wang died in 963 AD at the age of 22.He was also buried in Yong'an Mausoleum, and the 17-year-old Song was made queen.Empress Song died in 977 AD at the age of 44 and was buried in the north of Yongchang Mausoleum.At this time, it has been 27 years since the death of Song Taizu.The tombs of the three empresses He, Wang, and Song have long since disappeared, and they cannot be traced.

In the middle of the cemetery is the emperor's mausoleum, which symbolizes the emperor's "rich career" and dignity. It is built of rammed earth. It is a three-step overturned bucket with a square bottom, about 60 meters long and wide, and about 16 meters high.Around the mausoleum, there are forests of cypress trees, which are vertical and horizontal like weaving, so it is called "Cypress City".In the Song Dynasty, there was a "cypress household" in each mausoleum that was responsible for cultivating cypress seedlings and planting cypresses.Today, the cypress trees in Songling are no longer seen.The mausoleum has been eroded by wind and rain for nearly a thousand years, and it has lost its majestic appearance.Under the mausoleum platform is the imperial hall, which is the underground palace where the emperor's coffin is placed, all of which are inlaid with strips of stone.The whole layout gives people the feeling of being square, dignified and guarded.The open space between the mausoleum platform and the south gate of the divine wall is the site of the dedication hall, where the sacrificial ceremony is held.The buildings dedicated to the mausoleums were all destroyed in the Yuan Dynasty.It is said that the paving stones in front of the main hall of Zhongyue Temple in Songshan Mountain were taken from here.

From the Mausoleum Terrace to the Nanshen Gate, along the sides of the Shinto, there are neatly opposed exquisite stone carvings. From north to south, there are: a pair of stone carvings for palace servants and servants.Those standing on the west side of Nanshen Gate are palace servants, and those on the left and right sides of the mausoleum are internal servants.The palace statues have slender eyebrows, thin shoulders, bundled hair and hairpins, standing with folded hands, and the female features are wonderful and lifelike.Statues of servants, with a slightly fat body and a cautious expression, holding a ball stick and whisk that reflect their identities.A pair of stone lions with four gates.Among them, the stone lion statue at the south gate of Yongyu Mausoleum of Emperor Shenzong is the most exquisite.The vanguard of the standing statues on both sides of the Shinto, after more than 1000 years of wind and rain erosion, the armor patterns of the statues are still delicate and vivid.There are two pairs of statues of civil and military courtiers. The civil servants hold wats, and the military officials hold swords. Standing respectfully on both sides of the Shinto, it symbolizes the courtesy of the court officials.There are three pairs of vassal envoy statues each, and the vassal envoys are representatives of the Chinese minority regimes who attended the funeral of the Northern Song emperor.The engraved statues of vassal envoys were first seen in the Zhaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty before the emperor's mausoleum, reflecting the political and economic ties between the Central Plains dynasty and the surrounding minority regimes.In the late Northern Song Dynasty, ethnic conflicts intensified, and the imperial mausoleum still erected vassal statues on both sides of the Shinto along with civil and military courtiers. In addition to the reason for not changing the imperial mausoleum’s regulations, it also symbolized the intention of all ethnic minority regimes to submit to the Song Dynasty. .There are two pairs of stone tigers and two stone sheep.Tiger is a symbol of dignity and nobility.Sheep have a soft personality and a graceful shape. When our ancestors created characters, there was a saying that "sheep face is beautiful".Since the Han and Jin Dynasties, stone tigers and stone sheep are often placed in front of the emperor's mausoleum as things to dispel evil spirits.There are two pairs of stone carvings of the fighting horse and the horse-controlling officer.A pair of stone carvings at the corner ends.A pair of auspicious bird stone carvings.A pair of stone elephants and mahout tamers.A pair of pillars.Wangzhu is similar to Huabiao, and it is a pillar-shaped stone carving intended to seek auspiciousness.The octagonal pillar of the Song Mausoleum symbolizes all directions. The top is a lotus stamen, the bottom is a lotus seat, and the middle is engraved with dragon patterns. It is a special symbol of royal architecture.Wang Zhunan is a pair of milk platforms.It symbolizes the development of offspring, reproduction forever, and good luck.Next is the elephant and the mahout. The elephant was the forerunner of the royal guard of honor in the Song Dynasty. The mahouts generally came from Vietnam. In addition, the elephant also implies the renewal of Vientiane.After the elephant, there are auspicious birds and beasts. The auspicious birds of the Songling Mausoleum are masterpieces among the stone carvings of the Songling Mausoleum, and they are also unprecedented treasures, which are not found in other imperial mausoleums.After that, there are horse guards and horse controllers, which are also indispensable in the guard of honor.

There are standing stone lions at the south gate, known as running hall lions, which belong to the "mobile army"; and standing outside the gate of the palace is the Zhenling general wearing armor, holding an axe, frowning, and deeply mourning.Although these majestic stone statues surround the imperial mausoleum, can they really guard the mausoleum of Taizu?This question may be asked many times.

According to the "History of the Song Dynasty", there is an "imperial hall" at a depth of more than [-] meters below the Lingtai, that is, the underground palace, where the emperor's coffin is hidden.The burial items include jade kui, saber, crown, emerald clothes and various Ming utensils. All the daily utensils of the emperor during his lifetime, such as golden guns, machetes, bows and arrows, and gold and silver utensils, were all buried underground. It is also filled with all kinds of treasures that the emperor loved.

But these treasures are scattered because of the damage to the mausoleum.

In the first month of the second year of Jingkang (AD 1127), the Jin army successively detained Song Huizong and Song Qinzong in Jinying. On February 3000, the Jin Lord issued an edict to abolish Song Huizong and Song Qinzong as ordinary people, and appointed the former prime minister of the Song Dynasty who colluded with the Jin Dynasty Zhang Bangchang was the false emperor of Chu.On the first day of April, the Jin army captured more than [-] people including Hui, Emperor Qin, concubine, prince, clan, and noble relatives, and retreated northward.The royal seals, official clothes, religious relics, ritual vessels, and armillary spheres of the Song Dynasty royal family were also collected and returned with full load.The Northern Song Dynasty perished from then on.The Jin soldiers not only plundered Kaifeng, the capital city, but also plundered the imperial tombs of the Northern Song Dynasty.Because there are many gold, silver and jade objects, antique calligraphy and paintings in the main hall of the lower palace and the Buddhist temple, this became the first place for Jin soldiers to attack.

Song mausoleums, including Yongchang Mausoleum, were all built on the yellow land of the plain, and the scale of the tomb passages was the same, so it was easier to steal and dig.Jin Bing used the method of uncovering the top of the small tomb, and dug a hole from the side slope of the mausoleum platform for the large tomb, pried off the top stone of the tomb, and lowered it with a rope.The mausoleum area suddenly filled with fireworks and chaos.According to records, the emperor's mausoleum including the queen's mausoleum in the Northern Song Dynasty was seriously robbed, and the bones of Emperor Zhezong were thrown out of the mausoleum by tomb robbers.

After Song Gaozong Zhao Gou heard the news, he ordered Zhai Xing, the governor of Henan Province, and Yue Fei, an anti-gold hero, to go north to drive away the Jin soldiers and restore the imperial mausoleum.In this way, Gongyi became the battlefield of the tug-of-war between Song and Jin.After the Song army retreated, the Jin soldiers retaliated more intensely, not only digging graves more fiercely, but also burning houses and houses, and cutting down trees.As a result, the mausoleum with dense pines and cypresses soon became riddled with holes.

In 1278 AD, the Southern Song Dynasty fell and the Yuan Dynasty was established.After the Mongols took control of the Northern Song Mausoleum, they were afraid that the survivors of the Song Dynasty would miss the previous emperor, so they burned all the buildings on the Northern Song Mausoleum, which is why there are only solitary stone carvings in the Northern Song Mausoleum.Fortunately, the area of ​​the Songling Mausoleum was designated as official land, and people were not allowed to collect firewood for grazing, or plant crops, and it has been barren. This has protected the architectural sites, especially the stone statues, to a certain extent.

Today, standing on the Yongchang Mausoleum and looking around, there are fertile fields nearby, and green hills in the distance. The relics of more than 1000 years ago have been washed away by the running water of time, but "Tang Zong and Song Zu" as historical figures often make us imagine.

Tomb robbery is only for the emperor

The Song Dynasty was a relatively turbulent dynasty in the history of our country.During this period, the rule of the Song Dynasty was frequently harassed by ethnic minorities in the northwest, and most of the rulers of the Song Dynasty were incompetent and incompetent.Although most of the emperors in this period failed to make any major political achievements, they also produced some outstanding kings in other aspects.Song Huizong was such an emperor with mediocre political achievements but great literary talent.

Song Huizong, named Zhao Ji (AD 1082-1135), was the 11th son of Shenzong and the younger brother of Zhezong.Zhao Ji was named King Suining and King Duan successively.Zhezong had no sons when he died of illness in the first month of 1100 AD, and Queen Xiang made him emperor in the same month.In the second year, the name was changed to "Jianzhong Yasukuni".In his 25th year in office, he was captured and tortured to death at the age of 54. He was buried in Yongyou Mausoleum (now 35 miles southeast of Shaoxing County, Zhejiang Province).

During Zhao Ji's reign, he pursued an extravagant life excessively. During his reign, treacherous officials such as Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Gao Qiu, and Yang Jian were used to preside over the government.Create an item crafting bureau exclusively for the royal family.He made a lot of construction and built many extravagant palaces.In order to make these palaces more luxurious, he sent people to search for exotic flowers and stones all over the country, and shipped them to Kaifeng regardless of the length of the journey.These stones are the flower and stone gang transported by the blue-faced beast Yang Zhi in the well-known "Water Margin".In order to pursue luxury, he actually spent 70.00% of the world's property left by his father at that time.He believed in Taoism, and called himself "the leader of Taoism, the emperor of Taoism". He built palaces and temples, and set up 26 ranks of Taoist officials, and paid Taoist priests salaries.

During Song Huizong's reign, popular uprisings led by Fang La and Song Jiang broke out.In the second year of Xuanhe (1120 A.D.), envoys were sent to make an alliance with the Jin Dynasty and attack the Liao Kingdom.In the seventh year of Xuanhe, the Jin army went south to attack the Song Dynasty.He succeeded Zhao Huan (Qinzong) and claimed to be the Supreme Emperor.In August of the first year of Jingkang (AD 1126), Emperor Taizong of Jin once again ordered the East and West Route Army to march southward. Sun Fu, Minister of the Ministry of War of the Song Dynasty, put his hope on the Taoist Guo Jing and used the "Liujia Law" to defeat the enemy. In a big defeat, Jin Bing Yubi Chongning Tongbao took the opportunity to attack the city in four ways, and the Jin army captured Bianjing.Song Qinzong sent his envoy He □(sù) to Jinying to ask for peace, but Zong Han and Zong Wang refused.In February of the second year of Jingkang (the fifth year of Tianhui, 1127 A.D.), Emperor Taizong of Jin issued an edict to abolish Emperor Hui and Emperor Qin and demote them to common people. The Northern Song Dynasty perished (960-1127 A.D.), and the two emperors were captured and went north.Later, he was taken to the north and imprisoned.In July of the eighth year of Tianhui (AD 1130), the two emperors were moved to Wuguocheng (now the old ancient city north of Yilan County, Heilongjiang Province) and placed under house arrest.When they arrived at Wuguocheng, there were only more than 140 men and women accompanying them.During his exile, Huizong was still elegant and good at writing poems, and he was deeply touched when he read the biography of Li Mi in the Tang Dynasty.Five years later, in April of the 13th year of Tianhui (the fifth year of Shaoxing, 1135 AD), he died of illness in Wuguocheng.Cremation according to local customs.

Nevertheless, we have to admit that Song Huizong is a great artist.It was this talent of his that led to the theft of many tombs.Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty liked to collect antiques very much, especially the bronze sacrificial vessels of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. He was called "Antique Emperor" at that time.During his reign, in order to store ancient relics, Baohe Hall was specially built behind Xuanhe Hall, and Jigu, Bogu, Shanggu and other pavilions were set up on the left and right sides.As the saying goes;In order to cater to Song Huizong's hobby of collecting antiques, officials in the court searched everywhere for antiques to please the emperor.Therefore, whether it is the court or the people, the search for ancient relics is very strong.In order to find more rare and rare treasures, some officials even robbed the larger tombs in ancient times.Shaanxi transshipment envoy Li Chaoru and tea horse Cheng Tang also joined the army of tomb robbers in order to get promoted and make a fortune.The tomb they robbed was extraordinary. It was the tomb of Bigan, a famous minister of the Shang Dynasty.

Bigan, whose surname is Zi, was born in Moyi (now in the north of Weihui City).Born in Qisi, Yibingzi, Emperor Yin (1092 BC, the fourth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar), and died in 1029 BC.Loyal to the emperor and patriotic throughout his life, he advocated "the people are based on clear discussions, and scholars are committed to Taoism." He is the son of Shang Wang Taiding, a nobleman of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, and his name is Gan.Bigan was smart and studious when he was young. At the age of 20, he became a high-ranking Taishi to assist Emperor Yi, and was entrusted to assist Emperor Xin.He has been in politics for more than 40 years, advocating the reduction of taxes and corvees, encouraging the development of agricultural and animal husbandry production, advocating smelting and casting, and enriching the country and strengthening the army.Bigan is the second son of Emperor Ding of Yin, younger brother of Emperor Yi, uncle of Emperor Xin (that is, King Zhou), and an official and teacher (prime minister).Entrusted by his brother Emperor Yi, he faithfully assisted his nephew, the young Lord Zhou.

Bigan saw that the powerful country was slowly declining like this, and was very anxious, so he dissuaded King Zhou of Shang from all kinds of cruel and stupid behaviors.He thought that if the king made a mistake, as a minister, if he did not dissuade him, he would be disloyal, and if he died for fear of offending the king, he would not be a brave man.If the king made a mistake, if he tried to dissuade him, he would put himself to death instead of accepting it. This is the most faithful performance.So, he went to the Zhaxing Building where King Shang Zhou often enjoyed himself, and risked his life to make admonitions, but his admonitions annoyed King Shang Zhou.In order to order Bigan, King Zhou cut out his heart to see if it was the heart of seven apertures that loyal ministers had in legend.

In order to show his loyalty, Bigan really raised his knife and dug out his heart.He held his heart in front of King Zhou of Shang, and fell down.King Zhou of Shang was terrified by Bigan's actions. He glanced at Bigan's heart tremblingly, and he saw that there were seven orifices in his heart.A generation of loyal minister Bigan ended his life in this way at the age of 63.

After Bigan was murdered, King Zhou wanted to kill him all over his family. Bigan's wife, Mrs. Chen, was pregnant at the time and was released secretly by soldiers who sympathized with Bigan. She gave birth to Bigan's son in a nearby forest. Posthumous child.After King Zhou's pursuers arrived, they asked about the child's surname. The Chen family was quick-witted and named Lin as the surname, and escaped the catastrophe. From this, the Lin family started.After King Wu of Zhou destroyed Shang and established Zhou, he sealed the tomb for Bigan, officially gave Bigan's son the surname Lin, named Jian, made He Qinggong, and collected food from Boling (now Anping County, Hebei Province).Therefore, Lin Jian was the ancestor of the Lin surname, and Bigan became the great ancestor of the Lin surname.

There is a rare treasure in the legendary Bigan tomb, which can be regarded as the best in the world.This is the "copper plate epitaph" specially cast for Bigan's tomb by King Wu of Zhou.It is said that this epitaph is very strange. On the front of the copper plate are sixteen characters, that is, "front hillock and back road, left forest and right spring, peace of eternity, this is a treasure." On the back of the copper plate is a mirror. The chicken skin polished the mirror surface so that if you looked at it by the moonlight, you could see Bigan's head, and Bigan could still talk to people outside in the mirror.It was precisely because of this epitaph that Bigan's tomb was robbed by Li Chaoru.

Li Chaoru is the transfer envoy of Shaanxi. Although this official position is not a high-ranking official, it is very lucrative.Because he is in charge of the transportation of rice, coins, and materials in Shaanxi, all of which are related to the life and death of ordinary people.Li Chaoru is not a good official, and he is very good at making money. Naturally, he has earned countless gold and silver in this official position.Because most of the people he manages are low-level officials who come and go, so he is very familiar with the affairs of the countryside, the market, and the gossip in the streets.

On this day, he was supervising the transshipment of grain to Henan on a wharf, and the conversation of several boatmen on board immediately caught his attention.

"If we want to say that we have the biggest celebrity in Henan, we have to push Bigan from the Shang Dynasty. He is really a loyal minister!"

"Yes, although there are many famous people in our place, none of them can compare with him, which is really admirable!"

"It's a pity that Bi Gan died so badly that he didn't even leave a whole body."

"However, he also received the treatment he deserved after his death. His mausoleum is as luxurious as that of many emperors, and King Wu of Zhou personally sent people to build it."

"That's right, I heard that the epitaph cast by King Wu of that week was extraordinary, and Bigan could be seen talking in it on a full moon night." The middle-aged boatman added.

"Really, there is such a rare thing, it is really a priceless treasure!"

He does not mean that.The conversation between the two boatmen actually brought disaster to Bigan's tomb.Li Chaoru was very excited when he heard the news.He thought that today's emperor likes the bronze wares of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties the most. If he can get this epitaph of Bigan, he will not have to worry about being promoted and getting rich in the future.How to get this epitaph, needless to say, can only be excavated from Bigan's tomb.Thinking of this, Li Chaoru became even more happy about his plan.

Li Chaoru was eager to steal treasures, and immediately led his soldiers to the tomb of Biqian.After two days and two nights of rapid march, Li Chaoru's team of robbers arrived in front of the tomb of Biqian in Henan.Although he was anxious, he did not dare to rob Bigan's tomb openly in broad daylight, because he was afraid of attracting local people to watch, and many people might come out to stop his tomb robbery.Therefore, Li Chaoru chose to attack at night.

When the time came, Li Chaoru couldn't wait to order his soldiers to dig down into the mausoleum with all kinds of tools under the moonlight.After a while, the tomb was dug open, revealing the coffin inside.At this time, Li Chaoru was very excited, he had already forgotten the fear of the dead, and quickly ordered the soldiers to open the coffin.The soldiers were also very excited, and quickly pried open Bigan's coffin.After that, they immediately searched for the funerary objects in the coffin.After a long period of detailed search, it really did not disappoint Li Chaoru's "extensive painstaking efforts", a soldier found the legendary epitaph.

Li Chaoru took a look at the epitaph and was very pleasantly surprised.I saw that although this epitaph has passed 2000 years, it is still very bright and brand new, but there is a thin layer of dust on the mirror.Li Chaoru remembered the saying that Bigan's image could be seen in the bronze mirror, so he hurriedly found a piece of chicken skin and wiped the mirror clean.

Li Chaoru pushed aside the crowd, found a place with better moonlight, and slowly aimed the mirror at the moonlight.He really saw a figure with white beard and hair and a bloody figure on his chest.

"Bold, who dares to steal my tomb." Only a broken shout came from the mirror.

Li Chaoru was so frightened by the sudden sound that he collapsed to the ground, and the mirror slipped from his hand to the ground.

The soldiers also heard a powerful voice coming from Li Chaoru, but they couldn't hear what it was.Seeing Li Chaoru suddenly collapsed on the ground, they rushed forward to help him up.It took a while for Li Chaoru to slowly recover.In order not to cause panic, he did not tell the soldiers what happened, but ordered the soldiers to put all the mirrors face down in a pre-prepared box for funeral objects.In order to avoid evil, he wrapped the box with a big red cloth.After finishing all this, Li Chaoru asked the soldiers to clean up the other funeral objects in the mausoleum, and then led the team back quietly in the dark.

(End of this chapter)