The moonlight shines like silver on the Mogao Grottoes, which have been dusty for thousands of years. The Yanquan River under the nine-story building has long been frozen, and the dry reeds beside the river are still swaying with the wind and making a rustling sound.
The world is dead silent, there is no trace of human fireworks here, and the yellow sand has almost frozen history. This cave complex hidden in the desert, no wonder it has escaped so many wars, it is really too desolate.
Suddenly, the sound of the expedition's camel bells seemed to disturb something, and there was a faint light of fire in the distance.
"Is there anyone here?" the guide said in disbelief. "When I came here last year, there was no human habitation at all. This place is just a desert ruin, there is nothing..."
He waved his hand on the left and said, "Go check it out...be safe!"
While talking, the six cavalrymen divided into two teams and outflanked him, running straight towards the fire where there was movement!
The expedition team itself was protected by Zuo Zongtang's veterans and Chinese special forces members. Naturally, they were not afraid of some thieves. After a while, the cavalry who explored the route came back.
"It's two lamas... and a black dog... there's no one left!"
The guide who was proficient in Tibetan quickly went to inquire. It turned out that the two practicing lamas were lamas from the Tibetan Nyingma sect, also known as the Red Sect. They discovered a Buddhist cave here the year before last and stayed to practice in retreat.
After careful interrogation, no doubts were found. Dunhuang originally borders Qinghai, and Tibetan Buddhism has a great influence. It is not surprising that there are several lamas practicing.
King Shangtai discussed carefully with Zuo Zuo and decided to give the two lamas a strong cowhide tent, and then gave them a lot of food and winter fuel, as well as some palace monks and more money.
However, the condition is that the two of them can no longer live in the cave. From now on, the expedition team will declare its own management rights to the Mogao Grottoes, starting with cleaning up the cave.
The brand new cowhide tent is strong and warm, and there is a small portable stove inside. It is much better to spend the winter here than in the cave, so the two lamas will naturally not object.
After resting for a few hours that night, when the sky became bright, King Shangtai and Zuo Zuo got up, ready to explore the secrets of this cave.
The two of them brushed their teeth and rinsed their mouths. The guard went to the river early to cut ice and get water. While washing, he was surprised to find several figures on the other side of the cave shaking.
"Who came over so early? It's just six o'clock...it seems to be Samuel and the others!"
As soon as Zuo frowned, he had already disliked Samuel. He threw away the cup and ran over without even wiping his face. King Shangtai also hurriedly chased after him.
The sun comes out late in winter, and it's still bright at six o'clock. The expedition team's camp is located by the Yanquan River, which is still a certain distance from the Buddhist caves.
Samuel appeared in the cave at this time, which means that this guy probably got up at four o'clock!
When they ran over and saw that it was true, Samuel and his four assistants each carried two bright kerosene lamps, their faces flushed with excitement.
"Mr. Samuel... you have a good body! You came here after not sleeping at night..."
"Oh, dear Mr. Zuo... you really should come and take a look. This is simply a miracle... There is a big Buddha here, so big!"
What Samuel is talking about is the nine-story building that will be the landmark building of Mogao Grottoes in later generations. Of course, the nine-story building in front of you is dilapidated, but you can also see the scale of construction during the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
There is a Maitreya Buddha statue more than 30 meters high in the cave on the ninth floor. The big Buddha that Samuel mentioned is this Maitreya Buddha!
Zuo Zuo looked at Samuel as if he were staring at a thief, which made the British man feel uncomfortable. "Mr. Zuo... why don't you go and see the Buddha statue, why are you staring at me?"
"I want to see what a night owl looks like... No way!" Zuo Tiao said, turning around and diving into the ruins of the nine-story building.
This is really a ruin, the doors and windows have long been destroyed, and the idiots are piled up several meters high, reaching the knees of the Buddha statue. Looking up at the spectacular Maitreya Buddha statue, only the frame of the attic above the head is left, and people can see the sky outside.
The wind and sand covered the Buddha statue, but it did not reduce the majesty of the Buddha at all. Instead, it made Maitreya Buddha look a bit primitive and vicissitudes of life, and even more spiritual.
The man on the left knelt devoutly on the sand and kowtowed solemnly to the Buddha statue. He took a few pieces of agarwood with him and lit them in the fine sand of the stone incense burner.
The green smoke is rising, and Mogao Grottoes, which has lost its incense for thousands of years, once again has human worship!
"My Lord Buddha, please bless the believers for smooth sailing in this archeology... The believers did not come to Mogao Grottoes for their own wealth, nor did they want to steal precious treasures..."
"The believers carry with them the secret order from Head of State Xiao of the East China Sea. This is to protect the thousand-year-old Buddhist cultural relics from being lost overseas and from being damaged in the wind and sand of the desert..."
"We are here to protect, to rebuild the temple and reshape the golden body, so that future generations can see the scene of the Buddhist Kingdom at its peak thousands of years ago!"
"Please protect me from the Buddha and protect our Chinese nation's prosperity and prosperity, and the peace and joy of all our people!"
These trips to Mogao Grottoes by King Shangtai were ostensibly financed by King Shangtai, but in fact they were just external rhetoric. The real sponsor was actually Xiao Letian.
The murals and sculptures in Dunhuang, including the Buddhist Scripture Cave... have not been discovered by Western bandits at this moment. Xiao Letian must protect them before the enemy takes action.
Research can take a while, at least hide things in a safe place first!
Maybe the Buddha really showed up. Just after he stood up with his head bent, he suddenly frightened him and shouted, "Oh... Your Majesty, look!"
King Shangtai had just finished praying to the Buddha and stood up. He was startled by such a scare on the left: "What's wrong?"
"The murals...the murals here..."
The two of them immediately became furious when they took a look. From the Yulin Grottoes to the Mogao Grottoes and even the temple ruins along the way, there were all kinds of exquisite murals.
Some of these murals were vandalized, some were eroded by wind, frost, rain and snow, and some were simply buried and worn away by the yellow sand.
But in the left rib area behind Maitreya Buddha, a large piece of mural mysteriously disappeared!
This is a whole piece of traces that has been peeled off by humans. They are all antiques. If you can't even tell the difference between the old and the new, then don't mess with it!
"Damn bastard! Samuel and the others must have pried it off! This is a new one, you can't fool me!"
This is about a two-foot-square mural. The pried-off area reveals a base made of straw and linen. In the areas that have not been pried away, you can even see the flying fairy's clothes!
"This must be a very complete mural. He actually violently took it down... I killed him!"
"Wait..." King Shang Tai caught him at the critical moment.
"Don't get excited, it won't help anything if you go!"
"My lord, what do you mean?" The left eye was as wide as a bell.
King Shang Tai was so angry that his facial features shifted. "Stay still... things are not as simple as you think!"
