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

Chapter 69 The Ancestral Grave Digging Event in the History of Chinese Tomb Raiders (3)
After receiving the clues provided by Li Cheng, Bian Dashou immediately ordered a search, but after digging several graves, the black bowl Li Cheng mentioned was not found.At that time, it was too late to go down the mountain, so they sat in the old kiln of Li Zicheng's house to warm up the fire.In the early morning of the next day, they dug several graves.At noon, a black bowl was found in a tomb. According to Li Cheng, it must be the tomb of Li Zicheng's grandfather.The excavated skeleton was like black ink, with six or seven inches of white hair growing on the forehead bone, which looked extremely terrifying.There is another tomb on the lower left side of Li Zicheng's grandfather's tomb. According to Li Cheng's identification, it is the tomb of Li Zicheng's father Shouzhong.There is an elm tree on the top of the tomb, as thick as an arm, with strange branches and leaves. Bian Dashou ordered someone to cut down the elm tree, but unexpectedly the tree fell down and opened the tomb.There was a white snake coiled in the tomb, "two inches long, with sharp head horns". The soldiers stepped forward to catch the snake and put the snake in the carrying bag of Lianzhao Hao Guangzheng.After the soldiers opened the coffin, they saw that all the joints had turned a bronze-colored green, and there were six or seven inches of white hair on the frontal bone.There are also white hairs on the skeletons in the other seven or eight tombs.In order to break Li Zicheng's "dragon vein", Bian Dashou also sent people to dig a 20-meter-wide and [-]-meter-deep trench between the big and small Nao (nǎo small hilltops) on the old site. He ordered people to "gather the bones and burn them" , and cut down "more than [-] trees of all sizes" in the surrounding area.

Bian Dashou recorded the whole process of digging Li Zicheng's ancestral tomb in detail in the "Tang Bao" reported to Shaanxi Governor Wang Qiaonian. After Shaanxi Governor Wang Qiaonian learned about it, he rewarded Bian Dashou: "According to reports, the tomb of King Chuang has been opened. It can kill thieves. If you succeed in the future, you will be the first to be rewarded."

When Li Zicheng learned that the ancestral tomb was excavated by Wang Qiaonian, he gritted his teeth and swore, "Wang Qiaonian must be killed."

In February of the 15th year of Ming Chongzhen (AD 1642), Li Zicheng's army approached Xiangcheng, and Wang Qiaonian rushed to Xiangcheng to defend.When Li Junbing was approaching the city, the horse commanders of the third route army of the official army fled one by one.The soldiers were broken.Wang Qiaonian led less than a thousand soldiers defending the city.On February 27, the city fell, and the two sides started street fighting in the city. Wang Qiaonian went to the battlefield in person, "killing three people with his hands", and was captured when he killed himself.Wang Qiaonian cursed, his tongue was cut off, and he was sentenced to death by "knocking" (body dismemberment).

After digging the tomb, Bian Dashou was dismissed and returned home.At the same time, Jia Huan escaped from Mizhi and later became a monk.

The capital of Nanjing was short-lived

Nanjing, during the Warring States period, King Wei of Chu first set up Jinling Township as the "Land of Kings", referred to as "Ning".In 211 A.D., Sun Quan, the great emperor of Wu, built a stone city in the former Jinling town of Shitou Mountain.In 229 A.D., the capital was established here, named "Jianye". The circumference of the capital is about 11 kilometers, and the history of Nanjing's capital began.After Jin destroyed Wu, it was rebuilt as "Jianye" in the third year of Taikang (282 A.D.).In the first year of Jianxing (313 AD), in order to avoid the taboo of Sima Ye, it was changed to "Jiankang".In the first year of Jianwu (317 A.D.), Sima Rui established the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420 A.D.) with Jiankang as his capital. Nanjing has since become the center of orthodox Chinese culture.After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Song (AD 420-AD 479), Qi (AD 479-AD 502), Liang (AD 502-AD 557), Chen (AD 557-AD 589) successively established their capitals here, known as Southern Dynasties.The Southern Dynasties is the general term for the four dynasties established in the south after the Eastern Jin Dynasty.They are relatively short-lived.Among them, the longest is only 59 years, and the shortest is only 23 years, which is a period of rapid change of dynasties in the history of our country.The Southern Dynasties and the previous Wu and Jin are collectively called the "Six Dynasties".Nanjing City is bordered by the Yangtze River in the northwest, Zijin Mountain in the east, Qingliang Mountain in the west, Xuanwu Lake in the north, and Yuhuatai in the south. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, the situation is extremely dangerous.

Regarding the geomantic omen of Nanjing, when Zhuge Liang, a military strategist of the State of Shu, went down the river and saw the ancient city of Jinling, he couldn’t help exclaiming: "The dragon on the Zhongshan Mountain and the tiger on the stone are really the residence of the emperor!" Wang Dao, a minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, also said: "Jiankang, the ancient Jinling." However, it is very strange that the six dynasties whose capitals were established here in this ancient city with strong royal aura were all short-lived, 69 years of the Eastern Wu Dynasty, 102 years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and 59 years of the Southern Dynasty Song Dynasty , Qi 23 years, Liang 55 years, Chen 32 years.Later, the capital was established here in the early Ming Dynasty, and it lasted for only 50 years.The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom established its capital in Nanjing and lasted for 9 years. Some people think that the king of Chu buried gold to suppress the king's spirit, and Fengshui disappeared;Is there such a thing?
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when the city of Nanjing had not yet become a city, Nanjing became a battleground for military strategists.It was the territory of King Wu at first, and was later occupied by King Yue.Then, the king of Chu drove away the king of Yue and stationed his troops at Lion Mountain by the river.Once, the king of Chu inspected his territory, climbed up to the Lion Mountain, looked around, saw the majestic scenery here, and felt joy spontaneously.But suddenly, King Chu's face turned from sunny to cloudy.The ministers hurriedly asked why, and the king of Chu said irritably: "Although the scenery here is beautiful, the majesty is too strong!"A sorcerer came to apply and designed a plan, that is, to bury a batch of gold on the Lion Mountain, and use the gold to suppress the king's spirit here, so as to ensure that no emperor will be born again.After the king of Chu agreed, the ministers immediately made arrangements to dig a hole and lay bricks on the top of Lion Mountain, and buried a batch of gold.

According to royal customs, the buildings on the ground are generally called palaces, and the buildings underground are called mausoleums. The place where gold is buried is naturally called "Jinling".The earliest name of this place was "Jinling Yi". "Yi" is a military town with a lower level than "state" and a higher level than "county". Since then, this place has been named Jinling.

There is also a saying that Qin Shihuang cut off the earth's veins and broke the dragon's energy.

In 210 BC, Qin Shihuang visited Jinling.Qin Shihuang was deeply attracted by the momentum of tigers and dragons here.However, the alchemist Chang Sheng and the fairy guide who accompanied him remained silent.Qin Shihuang asked: "Jinling is shaped like a majestic mausoleum, so why are you two so silent?" The two alchemists said to Qin Shihuang worriedly: "Jinling's terrain is dangerous and majestic. There will be an emperor in charge!"

Qin Shihuang was shocked. He thought he was the first emperor, and his descendants would be the unified emperor forever. If another emperor appeared in Jinling, wouldn't that mean cutting off his own royal blood?So quickly ask for countermeasures.The two alchemists pointed to Fangshan Mountain not far away and said: "Fangshan Mountain is located in the southeast of Jinling. You see, the top of Fangshan Mountain is as flat as an official seal, and it is called Tianyin Mountain. Tianyin is naturally an official seal bestowed by heaven, which determines the location of Jinling. The rise and fall of the royal spirit and auspicious fate. Breaking the dragon veins of Fangshan is to block the royal spirit of Jinling. Then divert the Huai River to run through Jinling and reach the Yangtze River, let this Qinhuai River wash away the royal spirit, and your majesty can rest easy and take the throne of the emperor. For thousands of years, for thousands of years!"

Qin Shihuang saw the majestic Lion Mountain and Ma'an Mountain in the north of Jinling City, so Li Si ordered people to cut off the hills of the Stone City to vent the king's anger, so that the dragon's veins were broken, and Jinling was renamed Moling.Moling means a fodder for horses.Since then, all the dynasties that established their capital in Nanjing ended in a short life, and the Ming Dynasty also moved its capital to Beijing in the second generation.In recent years, it is an indisputable fact that Nanjing's economy has obviously lagged behind that of its surrounding areas.

Of course, these two claims are just legends.The reason why Nanjing did not have a powerful dynasty with its capital here is due to more profound geographical, economic, and humanistic reasons.Geographically speaking, Nanjing is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with tigers dominating dragons and dragons, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.The emperors who established their capital here focused on "keeping the success and seeking stability" from the very beginning, lacking the aggressive ambition to conquer the Central Plains by developing strategies.Nanjing is located in the southeast corner, and a "natural moat" of the Yangtze River separates it from the vast North China, so it is most likely to live in peace.

Economically speaking, Jiangnan has always been a land of fish and rice, and the rich economic conditions provided the rulers with a breeding ground for accelerated corruption, making the "post-lords" indulge in the "Shangyuan" where "cars are like flowing water, horses are like dragons, and flowers are like spring breeze".In addition to external factors such as geography and economy, there are also internal factors.Most of these dynasties that built their capitals in Nanjing were happy to enjoy a comfortable life, and they did not have the determination and ambition to win the Central Plains and unify China.For many reasons, the Six Dynasties did not have long-term vitality.

Dig ancestral graves to avoid future troubles

Perhaps under the influence of Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperors of the Zhu family in the Ming Dynasty were superstitious, especially the penultimate emperor, Zhu Youxiao, Emperor Mingxi, who wanted to dig the "ancestral grave" of the Jurchens to save the country.In the second year of Tianqi (AD 1622), Zhu Youxiao destroyed all the mausoleums of the Jin Kingdom emperors established by the Jurchen near the Jiulong Mountain in the Dafang Mountain System in southwest Beijing, in order to vent the Jurchen's "royal spirit" and cut off their dragon veins.

The Jurchen ethnic group flourished in today's Heilongjiang, Songhua River basins and Changbai Mountain area.In the Tang Dynasty, it was called Heishui Mohe, and Jurchen warriors lived in the Heilongjiang area, making a living by fishing and hunting.The rulers of the Liao Dynasty have long asked the Jurchens for pearls and "Celestine" (a bird of prey) for hunting.The stream passed through the Jurchen tribes endlessly, fish and meat of the Jurchen people, and finally led to the rebellion of the Jurchen tribe. On January 1115, 1, Wanyan Aguda, the leader of Jurchen, proclaimed himself emperor and founded the country, which was named Dajin.After the founding of the Jin Kingdom, the war to destroy Liao was launched with the five capitals of Liao as the strategic goal.After the five capitals, the Liao Dynasty perished immediately.After the Jin destroyed the Liao Dynasty, it became an enemy country with the Northern Song Dynasty.After Jin Taizong Wanyan Sheng came to the throne, he took advantage of the prestige of destroying the Liao Dynasty, quickly swept south, and destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty in the fifth year of Tianhui (28 AD).After eliminating the Liao Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty, Jurchen unified the vast northern region including the Yellow River Basin, and had a long-term confrontation with the Southern Song Dynasty.While implementing unique systems such as Meng'an Mouke, the Jin Dynasty also adopted many political systems in the Mainland.During Wan Yanliang's reign, he launched a large-scale war against the Southern Song Dynasty, but ended in failure.During the period when Jin stood side by side with the Southern Song Dynasty and Xixia, it forced the Xixia ministers to submit, and the Southern Song Dynasty humiliated and sought peace, and always maintained its hegemony.In the later period of the Jin Dynasty, the ruling group was extremely corrupt, and the uprisings of various ethnic groups were surging. At the same time, they were continuously attacked by the Mongolian army, and finally the country fell.

The Kingdom of Jin passed down nine emperors for 120 years.But it is this "hundred-year dynasty" that only ruled half of China. The imperial mausoleums built by it occupy a quite brilliant page in the Chinese royal mausoleum culture, especially the Fengshui pattern of the mausoleum, which can be called a classic.It is said that before Zhu Yuanzhang built the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing, he sent monk Zhimou and Yao Guangxiao, who later planned the usurpation of King Zhu Di of Yan, and others to investigate.Because the Yuan Dynasty before the Ming Dynasty had a "secret burial system" and there were no regulations on the emperor's tomb for reference, the Jin Emperor's tomb became a good model.

The Jinling Site is located at the foot of Yunfeng Mountain from Chechang Village to Longmenkou, Fangshan District, 48 kilometers away from the urban area.Yunfeng Mountain, also known as Jiulong Mountain, got its name because it has nine ridges like the galloping nine dragons.It is the first imperial mausoleum in Beijing, which is about 17 years earlier than the Ming Tombs.For Jinling, there are not many historical records.From March to October in the third year of Zhenyuan (AD 200), Wan Yanliang, king of Jin Hailing, built three tombs at the former site of Yunfeng Temple and buried his three previous emperors.

The imperial mausoleums of the Jin Dynasty were originally predicted to be located in Heilongjiang, and they were moved by Hailing King Wan Yanliang.It is said that when King Hailing went hunting in Jiulong Mountain, he found a deer in the Dahong Valley at the foot of the mountain, and he chased after it, but he disappeared after chasing the deer. What flashed in front of him was a golden temple.King Hailing felt strange and entered the temple, but an even stranger scene appeared again. In a trance, King Hailing saw Jin Taizu, Jin Taizong and other deceased ancestors sitting on the incense table.Later, I learned that this temple is called Longcheng Temple, and it happens to be located on the middle peak of Jiulong Mountain - "Dragon Head".

King Hailing was astonished and felt that this was a manifestation of his ancestors, and that it was an auspicious sign that the capital of the Dajin Kingdom moved out of Acheng, established its capital in Yanjing (Beijing), and settled in the Central Plains.In this way, the ancestral mausoleum in Heilongjiang was moved to Yanjing with the capital in 1155, and the central mausoleum site was chosen at the Longcheng Temple in Jiulong Mountain, where the spirit appeared.

By the end of Zhangzong's reign, all the underground palaces and above-ground buildings in Jinling had been completed.Jinling is divided into three parts: the emperor's tomb, the concubine's tomb and the king's Zhaoyu.The boundary of the mausoleum was 78 kilometers in the Dading period, and 64 kilometers in the Da'an period.There are walls around the mausoleum, and earthen castles are built at regular intervals.After the Jin Dynasty, no one guarded the mausoleum, and the above-ground part was gradually destroyed.

However, judging from historical records such as "Dajin Guozhi Collation Certificate" and "Jinlu Tujing Mountain Tomb", the site selection of the Jin Emperor's Mausoleum is not so simple. "All the captives went to Beijing, and there was no mountain tomb. In the east of Huguolin, the ceremonial system was extremely primitive. When Liang moved to Yan, he began to have the intention of setting up a mausoleum, so Qinsi Tiantai placed the land around Yanshan." It can be seen from this that King Hailing lived in the first year of Zhenyuan (AD 1153) year) moved the capital to Yanjing, and ordered the geomancer to search for it for a year before finding the geomantic treasure land where Longcheng Temple is located.The so-called King Hailing saw Jin Taizu sitting on the incense table should be the theory of the later generations.

From the so-called Kanyu (feng shui) technique, a good geomantic treasure land must have at least two "mountains" in front, namely "chao mountain" and "anshan mountain", and "sand protection" should appear on the left and right.The so-called "chaoshan" is the place where the courtiers stand, and "anshan" is the place where the emperor puts the desk "case table"; in terms of location, the "case" is near and the "chao" is far away.The nine ridges of Jiulong Mountain are spread out in sequence from high to low. Right in front of the middle peak is a towering mountain wall, and nearby is a low-lying hill with raised hills on both sides; There are many small hills on the side.At that time, under the main peak, the spring water circulated continuously all year round; layers of forests overlapped, and purple air lingered.

Fengshui masters in the past always believed that Jiulong Mountain, where the King’s Mausoleum is located, is a classic of geomantic treasures, and that it can keep Jurchen lucky and prosperous after 300 years.The towering mountain wall in the distance is "Chaoshan", and the low and flat hills nearby are "Anshan".Therefore, the mountain-shaped landform of Jiushanlong is exactly in line with these Fengshui essentials.

Since Longcheng Temple is located at the "Dragon Head", King Hailing demolished the temple and built the Ruiling Mausoleum of Jin Taizu Wanyan Aguda and the Heling Mausoleum of Jin Taizong Wanyan Sheng (later renamed Gongling) here.After the ground was broken, King Hailing personally supervised the work and ordered the workers to rush to dig the mountain day and night. Many people were whipped by King Hailing.

Three months later, Rui and He Lianglings were the first to be completed.Since then, more than 20 numbered and unnumbered imperial tombs, including the Siling Mausoleum of Jin Minzong Wanyanquan and the Xingling Mausoleum of Jin Shizong Wanyanyong, have been built one after another, forming an area of ​​imperial mausoleums.What's interesting is that King Hailing himself was kicked out of this treasure land of geomantic omen after his death, so he couldn't enjoy his dream of geomantic omen.

Hailing King Wan Yanliang was a licentious and lustful king known for his violent and warlike ways in Chinese history.

Wan Yanliang (February 1122, 2-December 24, 1161) was the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, the Jurchen name was Digunai, and the character was Yuan Gong. He was the fourth emperor of the Jin Dynasty, an outstanding reformer, statesman, and writer. A family and a murderer, he is a figure with mixed reputation.Jin Taizu Wanyan Aguda's eldest grandson, Wanyanzong's second son, mother Dashi, known as King Hailing in history.Wan Yanliang was in power for 12 years. During his reign, he was brutal and killed countless people, but he was strict with officials and could listen to some useful suggestions from his ministers.After moving the capital to Yanjing, the centralization of power was improved, and the rule of the Jin Dynasty was further consolidated and established.In the history of the Jin Dynasty, Wan Yanliang was indeed a very accomplished emperor.In September 15 AD, Wan Yanliang died of civil strife when he was fighting across the river in Guazhou in the Southern Song Dynasty at the age of 12.

His father, Zongqian, was the concubine son of Jin Taizu.After the death of Taizu, his younger brother Wan Yansheng was passed on, that is, Jin Taizong.After the death of Emperor Taizong, it was said that Wan Yanquan, the nephew and grandson of Taizu, was Jin Minzong (later changed to Xizong).Wanyan Quan's father died young, and according to Jurchen customs, his mother remarried to his brother-in-law, Wanyan Liang's father Zonggan.

Because of this "brother" relationship, Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Quan grew up together.After Wanyan Quan came to the throne, Wan Yanliang was unwilling to be lonely, and dreamed that one day he would also be able to take the throne.So he cultivated cronies like Ali Chuhu everywhere.

By December of the ninth year of Huangtong (AD 1149), those who wanted to abolish Xizong had formed a party.In the past, Daxingguo, who was reprimanded a hundred times for giving gifts, was related to Wanyan Liang's confidant Shangshu Shengling Shi Li, so he formed a party with Wanyan Liang. At that time, he was serving Xizong's daily life in the bedroom. It was intentional or unintentional that they took the key of the palace home from the person in charge at night, and everyone was used to it.The chief servant of the ten guards San Hutu wanted to repay the old kindness of Wan Yanliang's father, Wanyan Zongqian, and Tudan Ali Chuhu was Wanyan Liang's in-law.On December 27th, Ding Si, the night when these two were on duty, Da Xingguo used the palace key to open all the palace gates, and went to the bedroom with Wanyan Liang, Bingde, Tang Kuobian, Wu Dai, Tu Danzhen, and Old Seng Li.Xizong used to keep a saber on his bed, but that night Daxing State took it and put it under the bed.Everyone worshiped Wan Yanliang as the emperor. He was 70 years old at the time, and the ninth year of Huangtong was changed to the first year of Tiande.He also falsely claimed that Xizong wanted to discuss the establishment of the empress, summoned all the ministers into the palace, and killed King Cao Wanyan Zongmin and Zuo Prime Minister Wanyan Zongxian.He successively killed more than 30 Jurchen clan nobles and Jin Taizong descendants, and more than [-] Wanyan Zonghan descendants.After becoming emperor, the ambitious Hailing first moved his capital to Yanjing and later to Bianjing in order to dominate the whole of China.

(End of this chapter)