"Those two foreigners were here just now, why did they disappear in the blink of an eye?" After hearing Ling Hao's question, everyone came back to their senses. Tian Yong murmured in confusion, and then stuck his head out of the hole to look around. After looking around, I didn't see a single person.
Zhu Xin frowned, looked at Ling Hao and said: "Strange thing, didn't you say that Professor Yu thought that the purpose of these two foreign archaeologists' trip was not necessarily archaeological excavation, but 'Lolan's gold'? The gold is here right now. , why did they ignore us and run away first? Besides, we are now blocked in the palace by the Dragon King Salamander, where else can they go?"
Ling Hao smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It seems that Professor Yu was wrong from the beginning. He was right about only one thing about these two people, and that is that they did not come here for archeology. No one would do this for archeology." They are risking their lives. But they are not after Loulan gold. I have long found this strange, because as long as gold is found in China, it is impossible to take it out of the country in large quantities. They must have other purposes. You Don’t worry, this palace is so big, and they can’t escape, so they are probably going to the dormitory. Let’s follow them to see what these two people are looking for.”
Everyone filed out of the cave, while Pengfei looked at the gold with reluctance, grabbed a handful of golden beans and wanted to put them in his carrying bag. Ling Hao was waiting at the entrance of the cave. When he saw him like this, he said: "This is not the high seas. These are national properties. When you go out and are discovered by the archaeological team, where will we put our faces? Besides, these tinkling Aren’t you too heavy to carry your things with you? You can’t run fast when you’re escaping, and you don’t lack this little gold, so throw it back quickly.”
Zuo Pengfei looked at the golden beans in his hand thoughtfully, then threw them to the ground decisively, grabbed a few more stacks of "gold leaves" from the side, and stuffed them into his carrying bag like a stack of playing cards. It neither bulged nor made a sound, and then said with a sly expression: "We are willing to risk our lives for the benefit of the people with this huge wealth. If the country knows about it, it will reward us, right? It's okay to advance a little in advance." Don't go against the rules and go online." This so-called "gold leaf" is not a leaf made of gold. It is purely a misunderstanding caused by people watching martial arts novels and TV series. The "gold leaf" is a kind of currency used by gold in ancient times. style. Use gold to press gold foil to a length of about 10 cm, a width of about 4 cm, and a thickness slightly thicker than oven tin foil. About 4 sheets can be made into 1 ounce. This is actually one of the most important forms of gold circulation in ancient China. Gold ingots are much more common. The reason is simple: convenience. In ancient times, when paper banknotes were not widely popularized, merchants carried huge sums of money to trade in distant places. Copper coins were too heavy to wear, and silver was not much lighter. Gold, as the most valuable currency, was used for large-scale transactions. The best choice for payment, but gold ingots, gold bricks and the like are too conspicuous in the baggage and are easily targeted by thieves. In addition, the "face value" is too large and difficult to disassemble for change. This kind of thin sheet shape The advantages of style are highlighted. First of all, one leaf is only a quarter of a tael, so the "denomination" is relatively small. Secondly, it is easy to hide. It looks like a book. The "leaves" of this leaf are connected to the "pages". It can be sandwiched in a book or hidden in the middle of a box or the lining of clothes. , not easy to be noticed, easy to carry, very easy to use, a gold leaf is enough for a scholar who goes to Beijing to take the exam to live comfortably in a high-end hotel for several months.
Ling Hao was so angry that he rolled his eyes at him. He was too lazy to talk nonsense with him and just led him out of the hidden vault. Everyone returned to the main hall and rushed towards the dormitory from the other side. Stevenson and the others had nowhere else to go but there.
The architectural style of this palace is very peculiar. The architectural style of the entire dormitory or "harem" seems to reflect a kind of worship of the sun. The overall structure is a layout like the rays of the sun, with a multi-colored glazed roof in the middle. The covered small garden allows sunlight to shine in without being eroded by wind and sand, just like a luxurious glass sunroom. Of course, the flowers, plants and trees here have long since turned into mud, but things like stone fountains, benches, stone beds, animal and beauty statues are still there. It can be seen that the king of Qiemo Ancient Kingdom still enjoyed it very much. Centered here, eight corridors extend in eight directions. In addition to some rooms on both sides of the corridor, the last bedroom of each corridor will be occupied by important people in the royal family. In addition to the king, it should be the queen. , concubine or prince or princess.
Ling Hao and the others were looking around in the garden, wondering which corridor they should go to, when a clear sound of stone knocking immediately aroused everyone's alert. Xue Ting, who was more sharp-eyed, found the dying Shi by the fountain pool. Professor Stevenson. His headset and camera were both destroyed. It’s unclear who destroyed the camera outside the mask, but the headset was inside the mask. It was impossible to damage the headset without taking off the mask. His mask was never taken off, obviously. He crushed it with his own teeth. There was a deep wound on the side of his neck. Although he was covering it with his hands, the blood had dyed the lake around him red. It could be seen that the carotid artery had been cut with a knife. If it hadn't been wrapped in a diving suit, maybe he would have died at this moment. He had already lost too much blood and died. Even so, he was breathing more out and less in. He was only one step away from death, and even gods could not save him.
"Who did this?" Tian Yong and the others drew out their spear guns vigilantly.
"Do you even need to ask? Besides Natasha, who else could it be?" Ling Hao understood at a glance. This was the standard "burning bridges across rivers" and "taking advantage of others" plot. Everyone can cooperate until they get the benefits. And when the benefits are readily available, the fewer people who want to take a share of the pie, the better.
Ling Hao took out a spare foldable soft mask from his carrying bag and put it on Stevenson. Although the insulation effect and various functions were much worse than those of a hard helmet mask, the communication headset inside allowed both parties to communicate. Had a conversation.
"You don't have much time left. If you don't want your killer to step on your body and succeed, then tell me everything." Ling Hao spoke very directly, because the other party was indeed dying.
Stevenson smiled bitterly and said: "I was too naive. The boat capsized in the gutter. I can only blame myself for being blind. But you are right. Even if I die, I will not let that poisonous snake succeed. I am willing to give up everything." I tell you all, I hope you can stop her, and it is best to send her down so that I can have a companion on the way to hell. Natasha and I are indeed archaeologists, and we do work for the National Museum and University on the surface. But we also have another unknown identity. I work for MI6, and Natasha is a double agent for the CIA and the Russian FSB. I don’t know who gave her this task. ."
"What is your purpose? Isn't it Loulan's gold?" Ling Hao interrupted his identity introduction and asked directly. In fact, it doesn't matter what their identities are. In this land, even if the King of Heaven comes, he cannot be allowed to take away any of our historical heritage, because today's China is no longer the same as it was a hundred years ago. The humiliated China.
"Gold? There are only two of us, and the others are real archaeological team members. How much can we take away? Our real purpose is the 'Sword of Damocles'."
"What? 'Sword of Damocles'? Is there really that thing? Even if it is, why is it in the east?" Ling Hao and others looked at Stevenson in shock, unable to believe their ears.
"The Sword of Damocles" is probably the most famous sword on this earth since ancient times. In fact, the reason why this sword is famous has little to do with the sword itself. Maybe this sword is just an ordinary sword. , the reason why it is famous is entirely because of one person, that is "Damocles". This is a story from ancient Greece. In the fourth century BC, King Dionysius of Syracuse in eastern Sicily established an Athenian-style democratic regime, but was met with dissatisfaction and opposition from the nobles, which made him feel that although he had great power, However, his position was not reliable, and the courtier Damocles clearly had the ambition to usurp the throne. Dionysius arranged a banquet at which Damocles sat on the king's throne. So Damocles put on the royal robes, put on the golden crown, and sat on the king's throne. When he raised his glass, he suddenly looked up and saw a sharp long sword hanging heavily upside down under the ceiling above his seat. The hilt was only tied with a horsehair. It was about to fall on his head. Damo was frightened. Chris' face turned pale, his hands were trembling, and he just wanted to leave the table and run away. At this time King Dionysius came out and said: This sword is a symbol of the danger that threatens me every day. I see this sword every day, it is always hanging over my head, maybe someone or something will cut off the thin thread at some time. Maybe a minister covets my power and wants to kill me. Maybe someone spreads rumors to turn the people against me. Maybe the king of Linguo will send troops to seize my throne. Maybe my decision-making mistakes force me to abdicate. If you want to be a ruler , you have to take various risks, and the risk of death comes with power. From then on, Damocles did not dare to make any mistakes. Therefore, in the future, people used the "Sword of Damocles" to compare the murderous intention and danger behind greed and desire.
This is just a legend. It's unclear whether this sword really exists. Moreover, this happened in Sicily, so what does it have to do with Qiemo? Not only are the two separated by hundreds of thousands of miles, but there is also a time difference of nearly a thousand years. How could this "unfounded" sword appear here? Moreover, how do these spies, or the special departments of these countries, know this?
Of course Stevenson knew what Ling Hao and the others thought, and said angrily: "In fact, there is such a sword, and it became very legendary later. This sword was forged from meteorite iron, and it has It has inexplicable natural primitive patterns and is extremely sharp. It is an absolute magical weapon. There is a document in the archives of the Holy See, written by a medieval monk. He got some information about Damocles by chance. He then became obsessed with this matter and spent a lifetime researching it. Finally, he studied almost all the ins and outs of this sword. After his death, his document entered the Holy See. Although not many people know about its existence, the upper echelons of many Western countries know about it and have never given up looking for this sword. This is the reason why Natasha and I appear here. .According to documentary records, the 'Sword of Damocles' later came into the hands of the Macedonian King Alexander the Great, who renamed it the 'Sword of Ares'. Holding this sword, Alexander the Great annexed the Persian Empire and became a great king. After the death of Alexander the Great, the sword disappeared for a time until it reappeared, but it was in the hands of Spartacus, the leader of the slave rebels. This legendary figure held the "Sword of Victory" and conquered the east and west, achieving a great success. An epic legend, but in the end he was defeated and killed by the army of the great slave owner Crassus. The 'Sword of Victory' fell into the hands of the 'wisdom general' Crassus. In 53 BC, Crassus's army was laid to rest. After the defeat of the army, 6,000 soldiers fled eastward under the leadership of Publius, the eldest son of Crassus, until they came to the Western Regions and were accepted by the Han Dynasty at that time. This was an expedition of blood and tears. It is said that they reached the Han Dynasty. The number of soldiers was less than half of the original number, especially when they were blocked and intercepted by various small countries in the Western Regions. At the end of the road, Publius dedicated the "Sword of Victory" to the King of Loulan, and was able to escape with more than two thousand soldiers. Human life was finally able to set foot on the land of the Han Dynasty. The 'Sword of Victory' was an important treasure. When Loulan was destroyed, he naturally came to Qiemo with the members of the royal family, and was finally trapped here. As for the other Loulan who did not flee to Qiemo The royal family and people re-established the political power "Shanshan Kingdom" with the support of the former small subordinate countries, and once developed it more powerful than Loulan in the past, but that is a story later. They have been looking for the lost gold and the "Sword of Victory", However, the ancient city of Qiemo seemed to have evaporated from the world and disappeared into the vast sea of sand. Where can it be found? In the far west, Crassus lost the 'Sword of Victory'. Emperor Caesar was furious and sent Many people are looking eastward, but is this road accessible to ordinary people? All of them are meat buns and will never return. From Caesar to Antony, all the consuls and senators of the Roman Republic have worked tirelessly to I tried hard to retrieve the sword, but it was all in vain. This is all the records in the Vatican Archives. How did the medieval monks know these contents? A small county in China called Liqian , a tomb robber dug out an ancient tomb. There were actually some wood chips written in Latin in the ancient tomb. Naturally, the native master did not recognize the Latin because the wood chips were relatively complete, so he was not willing to throw them away. Of course, no one could see this. No one would buy anything from him if he knew it. It was during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. Many Western missionaries either followed in the footsteps of Marco Polo or followed the fleet of the Three Treasures Eunuchs to travel and preach in China. The monk was one of them. He met this tomb robber by chance. The thief, he knew Latin, and he was stunned by the content on the wood chip. He quickly bought the wood chip with money. From then on, Europeans had the key to find the 'Sword of Victory'. This was a secret message. At first, it was only in the Holy See. It spread among the royal families of various countries, and gradually some nobles and powerful officials also knew about it. During the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, explorers continued to explore Taklimakan. The purpose of many of them was the ancient city of Qiemo. However, Loulan, Ancient desert ruins such as the Mogao Grottoes and the Sutra Cave were discovered one after another, but the location of the ancient city of Qiemo could not be found. Until this time, China launched archaeological excavation activities at the ancient ruins of Qiemo. Naturally, some countries with good memories in the West were immediately willing to fund and propose joint scientific expeditions, with the purpose of recovering the Da Da, known as the 'Sword of Victory'. The Sword of Morcris'. "
