"Casting bronze is an indispensable skill for our Qin clan. Bronze, which is an alloy of red copper and tin, has a long history in China, but after the popularization of iron in later generations, bronze became scarce because it was expensive and bulky, but it has never been cut off. ”

Under the command of Qin Customs, the foundry was completed, and hundreds of workers were mobilized to build an earthen kiln and pile up a large number of copper and tin raw materials and firewood. Since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, there have been two methods of bronze casting, one is the block model method, and the other is the lost wax method. The former is simple and more common, but for casting complex objects and ornamentation, the lost wax method is obviously better. Many Dading, Yi, Yinxi, Le Zhong and the Buddha statues of later generations are cast by the lost wax method.

According to the design drawings of the tomb beast in the town of Guangxu Emperor, Qin Customs first carved two archer arms with beeswax, the upper arm, the lower arm and the elbow, all of which were made separately. Then there are the four legs, which are also divided into several parts: thighs, calves, knees, claws, and torso. There are other parts of the body, and finally the head of the shooter.

The whole carving process, because of the use of wax, is not too time-consuming, Qin Beiyang participated in the whole process, and it was completed in one month. Some parts are very delicate, such as winding feet, buttons, three-dimensional patterns with hollow outwork, and so on.

In the second step, a thick clay is applied to the surface of the beeswax, which is dried and burned in a kiln after a few days. When the beeswax is heated, it melts into a liquid and flows out, leaving a hard-burned clay shell. In the third step, the burned bronze solution is filled with the clay shell, and when it solidifies and cools, the clay shell is only broken up, and the bronze that matches the model can be removed.

The above steps are all cast in batches, like a human stump that has been dismantled. Except for the Qin father and son, including the tomb superintendent, no one could see through the true appearance of the tomb beast. Looking at the bronze ware designed and cast by himself, the golden light was shining in the sun, Qin Beiyang was extremely excited.

All the raw materials are transported underground, and the next step is the fourth house: splicing and shaping.

This part is the most intricate, and the father and son light torches to illuminate the underground palace as if it were day. They assembled the individual bronze parts into shape. The heart is stuffed into the mysterious spirit stone, which is protected by bronze and stone slabs, like the heart goggles of ancient armor. The natural magnet is to be placed on the head, which will guide the way for the tomb beast.

The heart and bones are flesh and blood, and the nerves and ligaments are missing. From late autumn to cold winter, Qin Customs taught his son to bury the transmission device at various important points, using hundreds of gears, springs, slides, screws, and rivets......

When Qin Beiyang was studying in a German school, he learned simple mechanical principles and was amazed by this: "It turns out that the hidden weapon mechanism in the legendary ancient tomb is this!" Our ancestors are amazing! ”

"The gears are just a few tricks, the most important thing is the balance spring, which provides the prime mover through the winding spring."

Qin Customs installed a switch on the back of the tomb beast, which could wind up this machine.

"It's the same as a Swiss clock, it's so exquisite!" Qin Beiyang thought again, "Daddy, Swiss watches have to be wound by someone, this is in the ancient tomb, can the soul of the tomb owner be wound?" ”

"The closest to the mechanical principle of the tomb beast is the large clock paid tribute by foreigners, which not only keeps accurate time, but also automatically interprets the lakes and mountains, flowers, birds, insects and fish of Europa, which is really a strange skill. Emperors such as Kangxi and Qianlong were fond of clocks and watches, and the Forbidden City is home to countless treasures from Switzerland. Because of my skill in making grave beasts, I am often sent to repair clocks and music boxes. ”

"Western clocks can go for months at a time. But tomb robbers can't invade the dungeon every day. I get it. ”

Lao Qin was very satisfied with his son's reaction: "Therefore, most of the tomb beasts are dormant and do not need to consume any power. As long as we wind up the dungeon one last time before the dungeon closes and store the kinetic energy in the body of the tomb beast, we can maintain it for a thousand years. If there is an external force, the switch will be triggered. In a matter of moments, the Tomb Beast will be able to destroy the evil spirit, return to dormancy, and repeat the cycle. The real strength consumed does not lie in the length of the years, but in its own weight. The heavier the portion, the greater the natural consumption, and the more arduous the test for the craftsman. ”

"That's right, the second hand in the clock is only a few weights, and our tomb beast is both bronze and stone, is this clockwork enough power?"

"It's not enough, therefore, the heart of the Tomb Beast, that is, the spirit stone, is needed to store and amplify this power."

Qin Customs said, turning the clockwork switch behind the tomb beast vigorously.

Inside Emperor Guangxu's tomb beast, there was a squeaky sound. Qin Beiyang put his ear to the back of the tomb beast, and clearly heard the rotation of the gears, like the heartbeat and the flow of blood, the crackling sound of a burning fire, and more like the piston movement of a steam engine train.

The Tomb Beast has moved......

Emperor Guangxu's tomb beast has entered the fifth house of the construction process: the soul.

Qin Customs father and son waited for more than half a year before they waited for a large wooden box sent from the Forbidden City, containing a sandalwood bracelet. Emperor Guangxu's favorite commonly used thing, it is said that Emperor Guangxu still held it in the palm of his hand when he died. There are also the hair and fingernails that the emperor cut off during his lifetime, which are said to contain the soul of the owner and cannot be discarded at will.

The so-called "soul planting" is to plant the soul of the tomb owner in the body of the tomb beast to ensure that the tomb beast will be loyal to the tomb owner for thousands of generations.

Qin Customs personally held the bracelet, hair, and fingernails, and wrapped them in silk and satin to stuff the "heart" of the tomb beast, that is, under the spirit stone. This step must be taken step by step, and it must not be reversed in a chaotic manner.

The Sixth House of the Tomb Beast: Carved and polished.

This may seem like an easy step, but it's actually the most dangerous. Because after the "soul planting", the tomb beast is no longer bronze and stone, it has a soul similar to that of a living body. It cannot be explained by the knowledge that Qin Beiyang got from school.

In short, if the Tomb Beast has a soul, it can trigger the machine at any time, and once it gets out of control, it will have serious consequences.

After the burial, the underground is absolutely quiet, and even an earthquake will not be easily triggered, but the craftsman beats it on it completely different, and must be careful, just like a doctor doing surgery.

One day, Qin Beiyang carved the eyes of the grave beast archer, and suddenly the two eyes of the tomb beast opened in unison, and the "heart" made a sound of turning and boiling. He was so frightened that his father rushed over and covered the tomb beast's heart with both hands, chanting words to make it gradually calm down. In this way, the father and son tiptoed for a month to complete the sixth house.

At this point, the Tomb Beast has been fully formed. The new bronze glows golden, and is almost life-size in size. The lower body is a four-legged beast with an elongated tail. The human figure on the upper body has the face of a young warrior, implying the untimely death of Emperor Guangxu. Demonic red hair, protruding fangs, and a pair of crooked goat horns—a vicious appearance is a must for the Tomb Beast.

The Tomb Beast wields a Mongolian horned bow, the most powerful projection weapon in the Middle World, and Genghis Khan's tool for bending the bow to shoot eagle owls. The bow is specially processed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, covered with a layer of whale fat, which can be preserved underground for thousands of years, and the bowstring is also made of steel wire. The back is equipped with forty carved arrows, and the golden eagle feathers are used to ensure the stability of the arrow trajectory.

The seventh house is the control of the tomb beast.