Chapter 0890 – The Tip of the Iceberg (III)

“A few young comrades, you guys guard the mountain, just don’t let anyone come up.”

After resting for a while, Prof. Meng began to divide up the labor, those few armed police warriors guarded the top of the mountain, while the rest of the people were busy choosing suitable rocks and trees to tie the ropes to.

Zhuang Rui is still the first time to carry out field archaeological excavation, some excitement in his heart, after removing the bundle of ropes carried on his body, he looked for a big stone weighing thousands of pounds deeply sunk in the soil and tied it on, pulling it by hand, it should be able to hang his own weight.

“Xiao Zhuang, that one of yours needs a pad at the prongs.”

Professor Meng naturally didn’t need to do anything, walking back and forth to see the preparations of others, when he walked to Zhuang Rui, he stopped and took out a few soft leather cushions from within the bag on the ground.

Seeing Zhuang Rui’s somewhat puzzled look, Prof. Meng laughed and said, “Oh, this is for fear that the edges of the stone will wear the rope off, there’s nothing wrong with being careful, add it inside!”

“Thank you teacher ……”

Zhuang Rui then realized that the bag is loaded with so many leather pads is what to do, dare to say that the teacher has long thought of this crop, has been prepared in advance, Zhuang Rui can not help but feel a little hot in the face, what he has to learn is still much more!

The weather in May is already very hot, coupled with the top of the mountain with fewer trees, a few armed police have already begun to build tents, look at Professor Meng’s meaning, he also has the idea of living here.

After working for a while, four ropes were flung down from the top of the mountain towards the cliff face at the back of the mountain.

“Alright, Da Niu, you go down first, get your bearings, Xiao Ren follows, then I’ll go down! Xiao Zhuang, you last.”

As for Erniu, Prof. Meng didn’t arrange for him to go down to the tomb at all, Erniu was too reckless, in case something happened to him while exploring the tomb Prof. Meng couldn’t account for it to his hometown.

According to Prof. Meng’s idea, the two brothers found this tomb, just to reveal the tip of the iceberg, whether there is a mechanism behind, are not allowed to say things, we must know, the wisdom of the previous generation can not be underestimated.

This mountain is also very strange, on the one hand is a gentle slope full of trees, on the other hand is the slope of nearly ninety degrees of the cliff, full of seventy to eighty meters high, fall down to designate the body broken bones.

Hao Long was also left at the top of the mountain, only a few people brought by Professor Meng plus the local staff, a line of eight people go down, archaeological excavation is different from other work, must know the line of people personally experience in order to do.

This is the case is special otherwise, the bull can not enter the archaeological site, such as open excavation time, the last of those invited villagers, are to be isolated this is to prevent cultural relics were secretly taken away.

To know, a large tomb often unearthed artifacts are in the tens of thousands of pieces, if there are many people messy words quietly touch away a few pieces of small size, it is also very difficult to be found.

“Teacher, I’m in good health, it’s better to go down first!”

Zhuang Rui knows that Professor Meng takes care of himself, the one who goes down first has to find a good place to land, the one who goes down last is the safest.

“You’re inexperienced, just arrange it like this.”

Professor Meng waved his hand interrupting Zhuang Rui’s words, the person had already walked to the edge of the cliff to observe the terrain downwards.

“What’s the point of tying this laborious thing? Just grab a rope and go down.”

Da Niu muttered in his mouth and walked over, he was a bit uncomfortable with the climbing tools used by the archaeological team, the protective belt like a pair of pants, wearing on the body is very awkward.

After all was said and done, Da Niu’s movements were still very nimble, after fastening the rope on the alloy lock buckle around his waist, he grasped the rope with both hands and disappeared on the edge of the cliff.

In nearly forty meters down, the big bull’s figure suddenly disappeared off, Zhuang Rui in the above with binoculars to see, in the place where the big bull’s figure disappeared, grew a low crooked neck tree.

“Hey, come down! It’s right here.”

The big bull stuck his head out and shouted up at the cliff, where Dr. Ren had already hung on to the latch and plummeted downward.

In fact, the cliff looked steep, but there was still a place to land, plus there were ropes to support the body and carry most of the weight, basically there was no danger, and Professor Meng went down with ease.

Dr. Ren’s task was the heaviest, because he had to carry down the small diesel extractor fan that Zhuang Rui had carried up the mountain, which weighed more than forty pounds, and it was only under the hitching hand of one of the staff members that the extractor fan was sent down.

When Zhuang Rui feet to the tree that grows in the gap in the rock wall, a one-meter square hole appeared in front of the eyes, set this in the hole at the mouth of the growth of a lot of vines, but were first down to clean up the people.

Zhuang Rui really admire the two brothers of the bull, look at the rising trend of the vines, initially must be the hole to block, so the two brothers can find the tomb, really not ordinary people.

In Dr. Ren’s hitchhiker, Zhuang Rui climbed into the cave, the cave entrance is not big, but inside is very spacious, Zhuang Rui looked up, the height of the cave should be in two meters two or three or so.

The rock wall next to the cave, there is no traces of knife and axe excavation, should be a natural cave, it is estimated that more than a thousand years ago in ancient times that this specializes in feng shui for the royal exploration to find a tomb, but also from the top of the mountain hanging down the rope, only to find this place, right?

Many emperors just ascended to the throne, began to prepare their own tombs, often a mausoleum is built, to last for thirty or forty years, like Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, almost pouring out the whole country’s efforts, but this is also for the Qin Dynasty II and the end of the buried hidden dangers.

“People are all here, right? Alright, Da Niu you take us to that burial chamber.”

After Zhuang Rui came down, Professor Meng counted the people and had Da Niu, who was walking in front, turn on the lighting, there was light at the entrance of the cave, but after walking in for a dozen meters and then turning a corner, it became pitch black.

Because this excavation is carried out in the mountain, the archaeological team this time is manually with a battery lighting, after the light turned on, the cave immediately became bright.

Walking in the cave, Prof. Meng suddenly spoke up and said, “This is not the entrance to the tomb, but the tomb just happened to be built to this place.”

Although this cave was high, it was relatively narrow and only allowed two people to walk parallel at the same time, which was difficult to excavate for a vastly engineered tomb, and the cave was lined with stone rocks on both sides, which couldn’t have been filled in later.

When they came to the first stone door, the crowd stood still, and Professor Meng told Da Niu to lean back and went up to inspect it himself.

“You guys! Sins ah! Such an exquisite stone door, actually …… alas ……”

Professor Meng stroked his hands over that stone door that was about two meters high and three meters wide, his face full of deplorations.

This stone door was carved with two beast heads, non-lion and non-tiger, with eyes protruding out and a stone ring dangling from their mouths, glaring at the line of people in front of the door, so lifelike that the crowd couldn’t tell what kind of animal it was.

Followed by Zhuang Rui and others can see, the upper half of the stone door of one meter square, was used to hard smash a hole, no need to ask, this is designated as the masterpiece of the two brothers Da Niu.

“Ahem, at that time, this door was buried in the soil, we peeled it open to see that it was just a rock, that’s why we smashed it open.” Da Niu looked a little ashamed and explained sardonically.

It turns out that at the time they found this door, the animal head relief underneath was not exposed, it was just that the second ox looked at the smooth stone and this cave was a little different, so he used the hammer to knock, but he did not expect to send out a hollow sound transmission.

People are curious, plus being in Dengshan, to say that do not know what the tomb, that is pure bullshit, so the two brothers with the mind of grave robbing to get rich, returned home to find an axe and a heavy hammer, and then came here, will be smashed open the stone door.

But this hammer of the two Da Niu brothers is likely to smash open a thousand-year-old mystery, so that the dusty history of a thousand years, reappear in people’s eyes.

Zhuang Rui took a video camera and filmed the stone door in all directions, it was the first time he was involved in on-site archaeology, and Prof. Meng arranged for him to work as a cameraman, recording the process of this archaeological excavation in its entirety.

Prof. Meng observed the door and mumbled, “This is not right! This isn’t the entrance to the tomb, so it’s logical that there shouldn’t be a stone door?”

After holding a clip made of wood in his hand and gesturing at the stone door for a while, Professor Meng’s face revealed a deep color of relief.

“This should be called a wind-blocking wall, not considered a stone door, you guys see, the gap in the middle, in fact, are fake, this is a whole block of stone.” Professor Meng gave his conclusion after observing carefully for a while longer.

Usually at the end of a large tomb’s tunnel, there would be a cross stone weighing thousands of pounds to block the way, but this tomb was using stone slabs that weren’t really thick, probably thinking that it was close to the rock wall, and wouldn’t be noticed, right?

“Little Li, go to the entrance of the cave and turn on the blower, then stand guard there, let’s use the walkie-talkie to contact.”

After drilling into the stone door, the air inside became poor, although it was not difficult to breathe, but a rotten smell, it was unbearable, with the blower sending fresh air in, the people felt that the breathing was smooth.

“Over …… this is a masonry tunnel?”

After entering into the tomb passage from that destroyed stone door, Professor Meng was obviously taken aback, after the stone door was a section of the tunnel, the ground was covered with wide masonry, on the side of the masonry, there were also two more than ten centimeters wide drainage channels.

More than two thousand years ago people, on the wisdom is not worse than modern people, they have considered the water for the destruction of the tomb, both sides of the tunnel are carved with relief stone slabs, most of the characters above, although the lines outlined simple, but it is clear strokes, well organized, looking at the rock wall of those who are wearing a high hat and wearing a long dress, Zhuang Rui as if back to ancient times in general.

“The function of this tunnel is to drain the water.”

Professor Meng observed as he walked, and soon came to the second stone door, which was much thicker than the previous one, Zhuang Rui then took a cursory glance at the light, and it was a full thirty to forty centimeters thick.