Professor Chen shook his hand again and again: "Can't open it!" The coffin where Prince Gumo and his wife were buried together is a national treasure. We don't have the conditions now, and the environment is not suitable, and once opened, the sealed coffin and the contents inside will be destroyed. The purpose of our visit is to submit an assessment report to the superiors, to apply for excavation, or to give due protection to the heritage of these ancient civilizations. Go back and let Aiguo take Chu Jian and them to make a good record, and I will write the report myself. ”

It seems that I didn't have a chance to see what good things were in this coffin, knowing that the professor was right, I still couldn't help but be a little disappointed, and immediately crawled back to the sacrificial room on the upper floor with them.

The stone door of the sacrificial room was originally sealed with a lot of animal skins, which I chopped up with a flat shovel, and Professor Chen said that this was to keep the sacrificial room dry and keep out the water vapor of the holy well. In ancient times, the Gumo people brought live animals into the sacrificial room to slaughter, and then immediately put the freshly peeled animal skins with blood on the cracks of the stone gate, while the meat and internal organs of the cattle and sheep were cut clean, leaving only the bones, and the stone gate would not be opened again until the next festival. This bizarre ritual of slaughtering livestock, skinning and deboning, and tying the dead bodies to wooden stakes is to keep the water of the holy well alive and never dry up. The people of the ancient desert believed that the soul of life came from sacred water, which is very close to Darwin's theory of the origin of life in a certain way.

It is impossible for us to seal the stone gate with those animal skins, except that there are no large animals around the camel, but the nineteen-peaked camel is particularly precious to us, and we can't skin the camel to seal the door, so we use several layers of tape to stick it.

The archaeological team rested for three days in Xiye City, then set off to the south, and finally entered the sand sea called "Black Desert" by the locals, where there is no longer a poplar in the desert, and there are no undulating sand mountains, and the sand dunes around are almost the same, like flat steamed buns, boundless, looking at any angle, it is the same scenery, there is no sign of life.

I asked Anlim if he had ever been in the desert before.

An Liman smiled bitterly: "This is the hell of Huangsha, even the old man Hu Da is not willing to come." I've only been here once, and this is not the time I have come. If it weren't for your cadres and the white camel favored by Hu Da, I wouldn't have come a hundred times after I died. ”

Complaining is complaining, Anliman is called a living map in the desert, and his familiarity with the desert is like a woman fiddling with pots and pans. Although it was the first time in his life that he had entered this forbidden black desert, with his two sand fox-like eyes, he could find plants such as shuttle grass and artemisia in those sand nests, and he was able to lead the archaeological team forward by following the traces of these plants and his long experience in the desert.

There is the largest inland water system in China in the desert, but many water systems such as the Tarim River have seeped into the sand. The desert with no grass on the surface, deep underground, may be a turbulent dark river.

Some plants that grow specifically in the desert survive tenaciously by relying on the water vapor that rises to the surface of the desert by the underground water veins. In fact, in addition to a small number of plants, there are also many animals here, but most of them come out to forage for food in the cold night.

In the Han Dynasty and even earlier, Taklamakan was known as the "ancient homeland", when the desertification of the area was not strict, the rivers had not yet seeped into the ground, and there were oasis towns, forts, Buddhist temples, and post stations everywhere. Countless caravans carried silk, spices, and tea to and fro here, and until the Yuan Dynasty, the famous Italian Marco Polo passed through here with the caravans to the Central Plains.

By the time of the Ming Dynasty, the Ottoman Empire had risen across Europe and Asia, and wars had blocked commercial trade between Europe and the Asian continent. At that time, it was the age of the sea, and the navigators opened up new routes, and the main routes of trade shifted from the land to the sea, and this great era is also known as the Age of Geographical Discovery.

Coupled with the increasing erosion of the desert and the harsh living environment, the large and small countries in the desert have completely decayed, and the prosperity and glory of the past have been taken away by the gods.

The Black Desert was the first place abandoned by the gods, and civilization here stopped in the Jin Dynasty, and to this day, the Black Desert is still lifeless.

On the first day of our departure, we encountered a slight wind and sand, and the sky was slightly yellow, but the wind and sand were not large, and it just shaded the sun, so we could travel during the day.

Shirley Young took the notebook left by the British explorer and discussed the route with Anlim as he walked. The notebook records that after leaving West Night City, the explorers found a place nearby with a large number of stone graves, and they were going to dig again when they returned, so they drew a detailed route in the notes.

Anlimt's experience and Shirley Yang's notebook, although it is not possible to locate accurately, but in terms of distance and bearing, it has provided us with great help.

At night, Anliman found a convex ground, built a sand wall on the sand dunes, settled the camels, and then lit a fire on the leeward side of the sand dunes to keep warm.

It was a very hard day, although the wind was not strong, but it was blowing upset, and An Liman nagged that it was the wind season, and that there was an average of once every two days in the Black Desert, and when there was no wind, the vicious sun would suck up the last drop of water on the traveler's body.

The fat man said: "The hot spot is good, sweating can lose weight, the sun is sunburning, but it is also happy, but the wind is so non-stop, I can't even talk on the road, I am really depressed." ”

An Liman said what do you know, this is the edge of the Black Desert, and it will take another five days to enter the depths, although I have not been in, but I know some friends who have gone in, and they are all survivors who have walked back from the Black Desert.

The terrible thing about the Black Desert is not the quicksand that traps people, the gold-eating ants that can gnaw cars to the ground, or the black storm. Legend has it that there is a dream land in the depths, after people go in, they will see lakes, rivers, beautiful women, mythical beasts, snow-capped mountains, oases, those thirsty and tired people are naturally running towards those beautiful scenery desperately walking and walking, but until thirst to death and exhaustion, can not walk

Arrive. In fact, it was all a trap set by the devil to lure people to die in it. But Hu will bless us, Alahua.

"What they see may be a mirage in the desert, and people who don't know what it is are are really easy to be confused," Shirley Young said. ”

While he was talking, Ye Yixin came over and pulled Shirley Yang aside, and the two of them whispered a few words, Shirley Yang turned his head and said to me, "Let's go behind that sand dune for some business." ”

I knew that it might be Ye Yixin who wanted to go for convenience, but she was too timid to go by herself, so she wanted to drag Shirley Yang to accompany her. He nodded to them and instructed, "Bring a flashlight and a whistle, blow the whistle vigorously if you have something, and go back quickly." ”

Shirley Yang agreed, and walked hand in hand with Ye Yixin to the back of a sand dune not far away.

The fat man asked me if I still had wine.

I said no, even if you bring a barrel of liquor, you can't stop drinking like this, drink a few sips of hot water and go to bed quickly, if you can't find a water source in five or six days, by then, even the daily drinking water ration for each person will be reduced.

Even if I can't find a dark river in the desert, I have a way to ensure that everyone has a minimum amount of drinking water.

But it was a last resort, it was troublesome, but it worked, and I learned the art of survival in the desert when I was a soldier.

An Liman initially refused to enter the Black Desert, one of the main reasons is that there is no fresh water in the Black Desert, although there is a dark river underground, but it can't be dug so deep at all, digging down from the roots of the desert grass like Suosuo, three or five meters below, there is only wet sand and salt water, the more you drink, the more thirsty you are.

An Liman also understands this method, I have repeatedly studied its feasibility with him, and privately agreed that when I go to a place where even the shuttle is not long, I will never take half a step forward, and he agreed.

Those who have received desert survival training in the army know that the shallower parts of the desert in Xinjiang are mostly salty and salty water with a high mineral content, and digging down at the root neck of desert plants can dig wet sand and salt water, and after simple sunlight evaporation and filtration, you can get a small amount of fresh water, although it is small, but it is enough to maintain human life.

At this time, the wind and sand were a little stronger, and a sharp whistle came from behind the opposite sand dune, and everyone was startled, and they grabbed the sapper shovel and rifle and rushed to the place of the incident. Fortunately, it was very close, only less than two hundred paces, three steps and two steps, and it was there in an instant.

I saw that half of Ye Yixin's body was stuck in the sand, she kept struggling, and Shirley Yang was grabbing her arm and dragging her out desperately.

In the chaos, I don't know who shouted: "Quicksand!" ”

We rushed forward along the footprints on the ground, and grabbed Ye Yixin regardless of it, and a few people didn't have time to find a rope, so they untied their belts and wanted to lassoze her arms.

Unexpectedly, he didn't make much effort, so he dragged Ye Yixin out of the sand, and it didn't seem to be quicksand. Ye Yixin was frightened and threw herself into Shirley Yang's arms and cried.

Everyone asked them what was going on, if it was quicksand.

Shirley Yang comforted Ye Yixin and said to everyone: "As soon as we walked behind the sand dune, Ye Yixin stepped on the air, and half of his whole body sank down, so I quickly grabbed her, and then blew the whistle for help." But it doesn't seem to be quicksand, quicksand swallows people fast and has a lot of suction, if it's really quicksand, I can't hold her back with my strength at all, and after she falls halfway, she stops, as if the bottom is solid. Otherwise, you will rush here when you hear the news, and you will be delayed for more than ten seconds, and it will be too late to save people from the quicksand. ”

Ye Yixin also came back to his senses, wiped his tears and said: "I seem to have stepped on a stone slab under the sand, and a section under the slab is empty, and it will collapse as soon as I step on it." ”

Shirley Yang Qi said: "Could it be those stone tombs? Let's take a look. ”

We used a shovel to dig a few times before we trapped Ye Yixin, under a layer of yellow sand that was not too thick, parallel to the slope of the sand dunes, revealing a sloping stone wall, which had been blasted out of a large hole with explosives.

It seems that the explosion has not been long ago, that is, in the past few days, the wind and sand have thinly covered the hole of the hole, and Ye Yixin stepped on the gravel on the edge of the hole and fell into it.

Everyone looked at the stone cave, you look at me, I look at you, look at each other, this is clearly a stone tomb, has it been stolen?

I carefully inspected the rubble at the entrance of the cave and the direction of the impact of the explosion -- a precise small directional blasting! I've been a sapper for so many years, and I think that my familiarity with explosives is unmatched, and if I want to blast this stone tomb, this is the level of the sky.

It seems that the blasters were well aware of the rock mass's resistance to breakage, and the explosion only collapsed the stone wall, spreading the rubble outward, and did not damage the interior of the stone tomb in the slightest.

Looking at the power of explosives, they are by no means civilian explosives. It's been several years since I left the army, and now even the active military is fighting? Definitely not, maybe stolen explosives. And in this vast and boundless desert, how did the people who turned down find these ancient tombs? The terrain and landforms around here are exactly the same, could it be that in this world, except for me, who is a half-ass, there are really other inverted masters who can watch the Heavenly Star Wind Technique?

Gradually clear the dunes, which are mallet-shaped stone walls, and except for the blasted one, the rest of which is buried deep under the yellow sand.

It seems to be a typical stone tomb of the Wei and Jin dynasties, with huge thick mountain stones built into arches and gaps glued with hemp fish glue, such stone tombs are very common near the ruins of the Western Night. In the early nineteenth century, a European explorer once described it this way: "There are countless stone tombs in the desert, large and small, and more than half of them are buried under the yellow sand, revealing the black spires outside."

Like a miniature version of the Egyptian pyramids, walking through the desert lined with stone tombs is breathtaking. ”

Now these stone tombs have been completely covered by the desert, it is difficult to find their traces, Professor Chen estimated that it may be related to the big sandstorm a few days ago, the strong wind made this stone tomb partially exposed, I didn't expect those tomb robbers to come so quickly, the archaeological team is still a step late.

Along the way, we have already seen several ancient tombs that have been stolen and damaged, no wonder Professor Chen is so anxious and desperate to go into the desert, if we don't stop the tomb robbery activities in this area, I am afraid that in the near future, there will be nothing left.

The hole in the tomb was dark, and Professor Chen, Hao Aiguo and I went in to check it with flashlights. The burial chamber was the size of a small bungalow, and there were four or five wooden coffins scattered inside, all of which had been pried open and thrown aside, and turned into a mess everywhere.

The coffins were large and small, and they seemed to be a joint burial tomb, and the only ancient corpse in the coffin was the dried corpse of a young woman, with long hair and braids, only the head was relatively well preserved, and the body was broken, and the rest was expected to have been removed by the tomb robbers.

The ancient tombs in the desert of Xinjiang, which are equal to the value of the treasures, are the dried corpses in the tombs. I have heard Professor Chen say that ancient corpses are divided into wet corpses with moisture, such as the female corpse of Mawangdui; There is also a wax corpse, which is a type of corpse that has been specially treated; Frozen corpses are stored in glacial areas where snow does not melt for thousands of years; Tanned corpses resemble zombies; The rest are also specimen-like shrouds and so on.

There are also several types of dried corpses, such as dried corpses formed by putting desiccant such as lime or charcoal in coffins, and mummies made artificially with special embalming techniques in ancient Egypt.

The dried corpses in Xinjiang are completely naturally formed in a special environment of high temperature, dryness and sterility, and this kind of dried corpses, which are a little older, are quite valuable, and some overseas museums, exhibition halls, and collectors are vying to buy them at high prices.

Seeing that the rest of the dried corpses in this stone tomb had been stolen and destroyed, Professor Chen couldn't stop sighing, so he had to ask a few students to sort out the broken items in the tomb to see if anything else could be salvaged.

I was worried that the professor was too excited and his body could not bear it, so I persuaded him to rest early, and Professor Chen instructed Hao Aiguo a few words, asking him to take someone to record the situation of the stone tomb in detail, and the fat man sent him back to the camp to rest.

The next day, the wind still did not stop, just unhurriedly blowing, when the archaeological team set off, Professor Chen came to me, he said that the stone tomb I saw last night was stolen for no more than three or five days, maybe a team of tomb robbers had entered the depths of the black desert before us, we can't delay, it's best to catch them.

I dealt with a few casual words, thinking that I must not run into a damn one, my peers are enemies, not to mention that the gang of guys who robbed this stone tomb have military explosives, maybe there are some sharp weapons, and if I encounter them, I will inevitably have to fight. I don't care, the problem is these archaeological teams, in case there are casualties, the responsibility is too great.

But then again, in the vast desert, it is not easy for the two teams to meet, if we hadn't seen this sand dune yesterday as the highest in the vicinity, we wouldn't have camped here, and we wouldn't have stumbled into the stolen stone tomb by mistake, how could there be a second such a coincidence, maybe those guys would have gone back after stealing the corpse.

In the following ten days, the archaeological team went deeper and deeper in the black desert, and finally lost the trace of the Zidu Dark River, and went around in circles in place for several days. Zidu, which means "shadow" in the ancient local language, is like a shadow that cannot be captured. An Liman's eyes were red, and he shook his hand at the last time, there was no way at all, it seems that Hu Da only allowed us to come here.

Everyone was so sleepy that no one could walk. In order to save drinking water, the team members dug a pit in the sand during the day, set up a rainproof canvas on it, and sucked the cool air on the ground to keep the body hydrated.

If you don't turn back in a day or two, you will have to slaughter a camel and eat it.

I looked at these people, who were exhausted and had cracked lips, and knew that they were almost at the limit, and when I saw that the sun was rising and the temperature was getting hotter, I asked everyone to dig a pit and rest.

After settling in, Shirley Young approached me and Anlimon to discuss the route.

Shirley Yang said: "Captain Hu, Mr. Anliman, in my British explorer's notebook, there is such a record, the British explorer also lost the trace of the Zidu Dark River in the depths of the black desert, in this sea of death, two huge black magnetic mountains stand opposite each other in the afterglow of the setting sun, like two ancient warriors in black armor, silently guarding the ancient secrets, through the valley like a gate, a legendary city appeared in front of you. ”