Chapter One 2
Professor Dongfang nodded: "Okay, as long as you want to achieve greater development, then are you willing to join our research group?"
Mu Linfeng thought, you haven't told me what you want me to do yet, how can I agree, so he jokingly said: "Are you short of chefs here, so you want me to cook for everyone?"
Professor Dongfang and Wang Zhao were amused by Mu Linfeng's words. They looked at each other, and then Wang Zhao said to Mu Linfeng: "Comrade Lin Feng, I will tell you the purpose of inviting you here now. If there is anything you don't understand, the professor will explain it to you..."
Then Wang Zhao began to explain to Mu Linfeng in detail the purpose of inviting him.
Wang Zhao coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and then slowly said: "The topic our research group is studying is 'The Origin of Chinese Civilization'. This is the most important research project in our country in archaeology. The country attaches great importance to the research of this topic. I will not say much about the significance of this topic, but only talk about a few substantive contents..."
At this point, Wang Zhao turned sideways and gestured to the young man standing at the door. After Professor Dongfang came in, Mu Linfeng's attention was on the professor, so he didn't notice that the young man who went to invite the professor also came in behind him, but he didn't sit down, but stood at the door of the conference room.
Later, Mu Linfeng learned that this young man was Professor Dongfang's assistant, named Ling Xiao, and was also the professor's favorite student.
As soon as Ling Xiao saw Wang Zhao's gesture, he understood what he meant, and immediately walked to a corner of the conference room where there was a corner cabinet. He turned on the projector in the corner cabinet, and a picture of oracle bone script immediately appeared on the screen on the front wall of the conference room.
Wang Zhao looked at the screen sideways and continued, " The main is writing, and Chinese civilization is no exception, so let's start with writing. Our Chinese characters evolved from oracle bone inscriptions, there is no doubt about that, but there is a fact we must face, that is, oracle bone inscriptions suddenly appeared in ancient China. The evidence currently held by domestic archaeological circles shows that oracle bone inscriptions appeared in the Shang Dynasty about 3,300 years ago, and the archaeological community has not yet found the origin of oracle bone inscriptions. Next, please look at the second picture..."
As soon as Wang Zhao finished speaking, Ling Xiao projected the second picture onto the big screen. It was a picture of a bronze tripod.
"The emergence of bronze ware is also an important symbol of Chinese civilization. The bronze ware that we are so proud of also suddenly appeared in the Shang Dynasty. In our previous archaeological excavations, we have not yet discovered the exploration period of bronze ware. That is to say, the bronze ware we know now are all very mature products. In addition, the emergence of horse-drawn carriages and the chariot pits unearthed in Yinxu all show that these advanced tools suddenly appeared in the Central Plains. In previous archaeological excavations, no early products of these advanced tools, including bronze ware, have been found. Therefore, archaeologists infer that it is very likely that these things were introduced from outside..."
Having said that, Wang Zhao turned around and looked at Mu Linfeng and asked, "Comrade Lin Feng, do you understand what I mean?"
"You mean that the birth of our Chinese civilization is likely to have evolved from other civilizations?"
Professor Dongfang and Wang Zhao both smiled and nodded. They were both very satisfied with Mu Linfeng's comprehension ability. Wang Zhao continued, "The birth of our Chinese civilization was obviously later than the civilizations in some parts of the world, so it is possible that it was influenced and promoted by other civilizations, but this requires evidence to prove it..."
While Wang Zhao was speaking, he made a gesture to Ling Xiao, and soon the screen changed to another picture. This time it was an ancient map. Mu Linfeng recognized at a glance that the outline of the land on the map was the Shandong Peninsula.
"The symbols of Chinese civilization, such as oracle bone inscriptions and bronze ware, all appeared during the Shang Dynasty, and the birthplace of the Shang Dynasty is the Shandong Peninsula where we are now, which is why our research group is here."
After hearing what Wang Zhao said, Mu Linfeng asked with a puzzled expression: "All of what you said are issues studied by archaeologists. They don't seem to have anything to do with a cook like me, right?"
"Haha..." Professor Dongfang was amused by Mu Linfeng's words again. He continued Wang Zhao's words, "After a long period of in-depth research, we have cracked the mystery of the origin of Chinese civilization, but the answer is still kept secret because we still need convincing evidence to confirm our conclusion. This requires your help..."
"Do you need my help?" Mu Linfeng was surprised by the professor's words. He then asked puzzledly, "What kind of help can I provide to you?"
Professor Dongfang was not in a hurry to answer Mu Linfeng's question. He continued, "Team Leader Wang has just said that oracle bone inscriptions, bronze ware, and other symbols of Chinese civilization all appeared in the Xia and Shang dynasties. So we must find physical objects left over from the Xia and Shang dynasties to confirm our research results. The most likely place to find relics from that era is an ancient tomb..."
After hearing what Professor Dongfang said, Mu Linfeng seemed to understand the other party's purpose for looking for him. He said softly, "I see. Do you want to use our family's tomb-finding skills to help you find the ancient tombs of the Shang Dynasty?"
"Haha..." Professor Dongfang laughed knowingly, but he did not agree with Mu Linfeng's words. Instead, he continued in a relaxed tone, "The Book of Changes: Xici II mentions that ancient tombs were not sealed and not planted with trees. This means that in ancient times, there were no tombs or trees. In the Book of Han: Biography of Liu Xiang, it is written that Yin Tang had no burial place, and Wen and Wu were buried in Bi, both of which had no mounds... This shows that the tombs of emperors in the Shang and Zhou dynasties had no signs. In the book "Political Discussions", it is also written that in ancient times, there were tombs but no graves, and the signs of Wen and Wu were level with the flat ground. 'Sign' refers to the boundary of the tomb. Modern archaeology has also found that many ancient tombs, including many kings and princes, have no signs of tombs. Precisely because many tombs in ancient times had no signs, only people who are proficient in the art of tomb physiognomy can find them, and ordinary people can't find truly valuable ancient tombs at all."
Mu Linfeng confirmed his judgment from the professor's words. He looked at the professor and said seriously, "Professor, you may not know that the tomb-finding skills passed down by our ancestors ended with my father's generation. I don't know any tomb-finding skills, so I can't help you find the ancient tomb."
Professor Dongfang seemed to know what Mu Linfeng was talking about, and he said calmly, "Your father disappeared when you were very young. I think this might be the reason why he didn't pass on the family's unique skills of tomb-watching to you, right?"
Mu Linfeng didn't expect that even the professor knew about this matter. It seemed that the other party had really investigated him in detail. Since he knew that he didn't have the special skills of tomb physiognomy, why did he call him here? Mu Linfeng was a little puzzled.
At this time, Wang Zhao, who had been silent for a while, spoke again: "Comrade Lin Feng, you misunderstood. The purpose of our asking you to come here is not to ask you to find the ancient tomb."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Mu Linfeng asked curiously.
Wang Zhao pointed to the ancient map on the projection screen and said, "There are many unsolved secrets hidden on the Shandong Peninsula. The origin of Chinese civilization that needs to be verified by us is also closely related to this place. This is not only the birthplace of the Shang Dynasty, but also the political and economic center of the Shang Dynasty. In addition, a major event also took place here at the end of the Shang Dynasty. More than 1,000 years ago BC, King Wu defeated King Zhou. When the Shang Dynasty was destroyed, the 100,000 Yin troops led by You Houxi failed to come to the rescue and then disappeared mysteriously. Judging from the location where You Houxi's soldiers and civilians stayed in the Dongyi 'Renfang', it is on today's Shandong Peninsula. That is to say, 100,000 Yin troops mysteriously disappeared from this land..."
"A hundred thousand soldiers mysteriously disappeared! How is that possible?" Mu Linfeng seemed to be talking to himself, "They must have gone out to sea by boat."
Professor Dongfang looked at Mu Linfeng with admiration. It was obvious that the professor liked this young man more and more. "Lin Feng, you are very smart and you like to think. You are right. These 100,000 troops did cross the sea under the leadership of You Houxi. This is the "Yin people crossing the sea to the east" event that has caused countless scholars to debate. After many investigations, it is found that the "Yin people crossing the sea to the east" did exist in history. There is a problem that needs to be explained here. At the same time when the 100,000 Yin troops disappeared, the Olmec civilization with strong Yin and Shang civilization characteristics suddenly emerged in Central America. Therefore, some scholars say that the early civilization of America may have originated from the Chinese civilization, and even say that the ancestors of the Indians are Chinese. This statement is a bit exaggerated. In fact, less than one percent of the Yin people actually reached America during the eastward crossing. You can imagine that it is almost impossible for ordinary ships today to cross the Pacific Ocean, let alone three thousand years ago. Therefore, only a very small number of people successfully reached America in the end, and most of them were buried in the sea or died of old age on the islands halfway. Now it can be confirmed that there is a tribe of Yinfubu Indians in Mexico who are of Chinese descent. They are descendants of Yin people..."
Mu Linfeng shook his head vigorously while listening to the professor. He was suddenly instilled with so much information that he felt his head had become bigger and even a little dizzy. The key point was that he still didn't know the purpose of the professor calling him here, so his brain was constantly thinking, hoping to hear something from the professor's words.
Mu Linfeng's expression did not escape the professor's eyes. Professor Dongfang knew very well what Mu Linfeng was thinking, so he smiled and said, "Haha, young man, don't be impatient. You will know the reason why you are invited here soon."
At this time, Ling Xiao changed the projector's screen to a chart of the Pacific Ocean. He knew exactly what the professor was going to talk about next.
Professor Dongfang went on to say, "Let me first talk about You Houxi. 'You' is a place name; 'Hou' is a title; 'Xi' is a person's name. You Houxi's fiefdom was located in a part of Huaiyi in the present-day Jiangsu Province. He was an important vassal in the late Shang Dynasty. According to research, in the late Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang was committed to opening up the Renfang, Linfang, Hufang and other places. Around 1045 BC, during the first month of the Yin calendar, King Zhou of Shang returned to the Shang capital Chaoge from Shandong Renfang to celebrate the New Year. On the Jiazi day, King Wu of Zhou led his army to cross Mengjin. King Zhou of Shang hastily sent 700,000 slave soldiers to fight in Muye. The slave soldiers turned against him, King Zhou was defeated, and Lu Tai burned himself. The main reason for the failure of the King of Shang was that his elite troops were left in Dongyi, which is now the Shandong Peninsula, because of the expedition to Linfang, so Chaoge was empty and was defeated by King Wu. The more than 100,000 elite troops stationed in Dongyi were led by the battle-hardened general You Houxi. You Houxi led an army of 100,000 to defend the king but failed, and was forced to sail east..."
"Professor, what do you mean by 'unsuccessful efforts to serve the king'?" Mu Linfeng asked suddenly. He didn't understand what Wang Zhao meant by "unsuccessful efforts to serve the king" when he mentioned it just now.
"Oh, this '勤王' means that in a monarchy, when the king is in trouble, the ministers will rise up to save him. The kings of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties all called themselves kings. '未果' is easy to understand, it means that it was unsuccessful."
Professor Dongfang smiled and nodded at Mu Linfeng while explaining. The professor was obviously satisfied with Mu Linfeng's attitude of asking questions even though he didn't understand. Then the professor continued, "The Shang Dynasty was still in the slavery era. The defeated captives and the subjects of the conquered country were all treated as slaves by the victorious country, so there is still the saying of 'slaves of the conquered country'. King Wu of Zhou attacked from the west, so the Shang army had no way to retreat and had to cross the river to the east. You Houxi of the expeditionary party became the leader of the Shang people's crossing to the east. When they crossed the river to the east, they also brought all the valuable things on board, and these items and materials can confirm the origin of our Chinese civilization. After investigation, You Houxi did not reach America. He died of illness on an island in the Pacific Ocean on the way. This island was called 'Heaven's Floating Bridge Island' by the Yinfubu people in North America. The accompanying Shang army built a tomb for You Houxi on the Heaven's Floating Bridge Island, and buried the large amount of treasures and valuable items they carried in You Houxi's tomb as burial objects..."
Hearing this, Mu Linfeng finally understood, and with an expression of sudden enlightenment on his face, he asked: "Does the professor mean for me to find You Houxi's tomb?"
Professor Dongfang smiled and nodded: "You are right and wrong."
The professor's words made Mu Linfeng feel confused. He asked puzzledly: "I don't understand what the professor means?"
"Haha, you just said that you don't have the family's secret skill of looking for tombs, so even if you land on the island, you can't find You Houxi's tomb. In addition, we don't know the exact location of Tianzhi Fuqiao Island in the Pacific Ocean where You Houxi is buried, so we can't look for the tomb."
Before Professor Dongfang finished speaking, Mu Linfeng asked anxiously, "Then why did you call me here?"
Professor Dongfang looked at Mu Linfeng calmly and asked, "Have you ever heard your family members talk about "The Emperor's Burial Mountain Map"?"
Mu Linfeng nodded affirmatively: "When I was a child, my mother mentioned "The Emperor's Burial Mountain Map". I only knew that it was an ancient painting, but I have never seen it, and I don't know what it is specifically about."
"Let me tell you what kind of ancient painting "Imperial Burial Mountain Map" is. It records the ten most secretive imperial tombs in ancient times, among which is the tomb of You Houxi mentioned just now. So as long as we find "Imperial Burial Mountain Map", we can know the exact location of You Houxi's tomb. The burial objects in You Houxi's tomb can solve the mystery of the origin of our Chinese civilization. Now you should understand the purpose of inviting you here, right?"
It turned out that the purpose of coming to find me was for the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map". Mu Linfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Although the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map" is our Mu family's heirloom, I don't know where it is hidden, and I have never heard of it ... I... don't even know how to find the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map"..."
Professor Dongfang gently waved his hand at Mu Linfeng, "Don't worry, listen to me. We have conducted a detailed investigation and understanding of your situation. It is indeed as you said. You have no contact with anything passed down by the family. However, as the only heir of the Mu family, I believe you must have a better chance of finding the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map" than others. There is also a question of chance. What I want to tell you is that your future task is not only to find the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map", but also to find a way to master your Mu family's tomb-viewing skills, because if you don't master the Mu family's tomb-viewing skills, even if you get the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map", it will probably be difficult to find the entrance to the mausoleum."
The professor's words made Mu Linfeng's heart move, and he asked hurriedly: "Professor, from what you said, it seems that someone is still looking for the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map"? "
Wang Zhao took over the conversation and said to Mu Linfeng very seriously: "It's not just as simple as someone looking for the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map". The actual situation is more serious than you think. According to reliable information, there are organizations in the country that are also paying attention to our topic. They are also trying their best to find the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map" and Tianzhi Floating Bridge Island. Whoever discovers You Houxi's tomb in advance and finds the burial objects inside, it will shock the whole world, and history may be rewritten because of it..."
"Ah!" Mu Linfeng couldn't help but exclaimed, and asked doubtfully, "Is You Houxi's tomb really so important?"
Professor Dongfang nodded slowly and said solemnly: "The real value of our topic is not only to rewrite history, but most importantly, it has a particularly important reference significance for the future development of mankind. In the development of human civilization, there is a very surprising and strange law: nations and regions that have had super-high civilizations will eventually be destroyed. Such as Mohenjo-daro in India, the Aztecs in the New World, the Mayan civilization, Atlantis, and so on. Among these mysteriously disappeared ancient civilizations, the more advanced the development state, the more serious the degree of destruction, and even completely destroyed..."
At this point, the professor paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then continued, "China is the only ancient country in the world whose cultural heritage has not been interrupted. The continuous history of civilization with written records is more than 5,000 years. In other words, Chinese civilization is the only civilization in the world that has not been damaged or destroyed. Therefore, studying the origin of Chinese civilization and understanding and mastering its development process are of special significance to the future development of human civilization. This is why the country pays special attention to this topic."
All the questions in Mu Linfeng's mind were answered. He finally understood why the research team was set up in the military camp and why the National Security Bureau was responsible for all the security work. Suddenly, Mu Linfeng felt unprecedented pride. If he could contribute his strength to such an important research project, it would be a blessing and responsibility for him.
Thinking of this, Mu Linfeng said to Professor Dongfang excitedly: "Professor, I will do my best as long as I can do it. You just need to tell me how to do it."
