The Universe Jumper Chapter 02 Part 02
Chapter 02 Part 2/2: The Qin Mausoleum
When walking up the ramp, Jiang Liu broke the silence first.
"If there is a neutrino detector here, it could really explain why the Qin Mausoleum was built to be so huge," Jiang Liu said while walking. "Neutrinos only participate in weak interactions and have a small nuclear cross section, so the detector needs to be deep underground for it to work. It’s the same as cold dark matter detection."
"Yes," Yun Fan nodded, "I knew ever since I was young that the Qin Mausoleum is a mountain---the most magnificent mountain within a radius of a few miles. When I was in elementary school, I heard that the mountain at the Qin Mausoleum was man-made and that Qin Shi Huang built a tall mountain on top of the tomb. Honestly, I was really taken aback. I can’t imagine how such a large mountain can be built within just a few years, and I didn’t understand why Qin Shi Huang would build a dirt mountain. If it was for the purpose of installing neutrino detectors, then it would be more plausible.”
"But ancient Chinese tombs are really fixated on creating soil mounds? Especially for emperors. It’s not odd." Qi Fei said.
"But Mount Li that is here is different from other mausoleums." Yun Fan continued, "Many things are really difficult to explain without the help of external forces. For example, how many people were needed to build the Qin Mausoleum and the underground palace. According to research, the completion of the Qin Mausoleum may have taken more than five years under Li Si's1 administration. Even if we add on a couple of years, then even at the very most, it took less than ten years for this huge miracle project to be completed? The Terracotta army and horse chariots were all pieces of funeral art placed in peripheries, and their quality is far lower than the items placed inside the underground palace, yet they still shocked the world. Such a large and complex project has been completed in just a few years. How was it done?"
"It might have been built using the labour of the whole country." Qi Fei questioned, "Later generations all say that Qin Shi Huang wasted manpower and money."
"It's not that simple." Yun Fan shook his head. "The construction of the Qin Mausoleum is not something that can be accomplished by compiling peasants' manpower. For example, in a burial pit larger than Terracotta Warriors Pit 1, more than 10,000 sets of stone armor were unearthed in the 1960s. Each set of armor is made of contiguous pieces of stone and each piece is only about 3 to 4 mm thick--- it is very delicate. It was cut and polished from a complete stone, then perforated, and then bronze wire was threaded through to connect the pieces. Archaeologists tried doing this with modern power tools and one person can only make six pieces of stone a day. A set of armor consists of more than 600 pieces of stone, so how many days do you think it took to craft it by hand in ancient times? "
"It sounds a bit outrageous, but it's not completely impossible." Jiang Liu thought for a while and said, "If we want to clarify this matter, we can still study it."
"In books," Yun Fan continued, "it is written that the Qin Mausoleum was completed by 720,000 people, and teachers say that this is believable. But there’s something wrong with this. What is needed is skilled manpower, and that’s not something ordinary farmers can provide. Can this many skilled people be found? Furthermore, according to records, there were about 15-20 million people in the country at that time, and males accounted for half, which means there were around 8 million males. Excluding the elderly and children, the number of young and strong laborers in the country is at most 5 million. If constructing the Mausoleum required 720,000 people, then at that time, three or four times that number of people would be needed for transporting supplies. In other words, most of the young and middle-aged people in the country contributed to the Qin Mausoleum. However, from Liu Bang’s2 biography, he and the people around him did not participate in neither construction work nor supply delivery, so this probability is very small.
"It makes sense to consider it like that," Jiang Liu said, "but if you say that aliens are responsible for it, it still feels a bit unbelievable."
The sound of the three people's footsteps as they walked side by side echoed in the hollow tunnel. For some reason, the return journey felt more empty. Perhaps the tension had disappeared, and this allowed Jiang Liu to feel the sternness and emptiness of his surroundings. Jiang Liu still felt a little shocked when he recalled what he saw and what Yun Fan said. Aliens were here 2,000 years ago? Why did they come to Earth? What did they do on Earth? If aliens have visited the State of Qin, how come no one knows about it? All of these questions suddenly flowed into Jiang Liu’s mind, but he didn't ask anything. He didn't want Yun Fan to sense his suspicion.
"How about this," Yun Fan said suddenly, "I know you still have questions on your mind; I’ll show you something else."
At this moment they were almost at the end of the path, and they had reached the first corner they turned into. They passed through two gates, but they did not stop. At this time, Yun Fan went up to a door and pushed hard onto it. The door moved back a few centimeters, revealing two vertical and horizontal grooves on the side wall. Inside the grooves were small poles of different lengths made of wood and stone. With proficiency, Yun Fan pushed the poles up and down, and a click suddenly sounded when a particular configuration was reached. Then, a rolling railing began to appear under the stone door, and the stone door moved backwards.
Yun Fan walked in through the opened stone door. For some reason, this passage seemed more dangerous than the underground passage from earlier. Jiang Liu and Qi Fei hesitated and followed.
At this moment, something popped out from the dark passage at a very fast speed, and it went straight for Yun Fan.
Jiang Liu instinctively embraced Yun Fan, and together, they fell to the ground. He supported his weight with the side of his body and he blocked with his hands, thus shielding Yun Fan underneath his body. As for Qi Fei, in a moment as short as the flash of lightning, he raised his hand and attacked the object that was launched forward at them. It was unclear from where he conjured a telescopic metal rod, which looked like a portable telescope in his hand. However, in a short moment, it turned into a long stick and struck the flying evil object to the ground. When the thing landed onto the ground, it was still moving. Qi Fei wanted to strike at it again.
"Wait, don't!" Yun Fan was still lying on her stomach when she shouted out to Qi Fei. Qi Fei lifted his stick and carefully covered the thrashing thing on the ground, and asked Yun Fan, "What is this?"
Yun Fan lit the lamp in her hand and said softly, "A bronze Phoenix."
"Bronze Phoenix?" Jiang Liu and Qi Fei said in surprise at the same time.
"Yes." Yun Fan said, "something from more than two thousand years ago."
"More than two thousand years! A Qin Dynasty relic?" Jiang Liu was astonished, "How is it still able to move?"
Yun Fan sat up, fixed her hair, and explained, "It uses a mechanical spring as the driving force, and it’s triggered by the opening of the tomb door. It was crafted exquisitely, and will not break through the years. There are many more of them inside." She gently put the bronze phoenix that was still thrashing on the ground after it was struck down into her hands. She carefully repaired it, "It’s not aggressive. It just pounces on people after being triggered, but it won't hurt people. If it can knock someone over, it will fly out from the opened tomb passage and fly to the place where the warning system is designated. Both its ability to move and the communication structure is very intricate."
"You knew about it from a long time ago?" Qi Fei asked.
"Yes," Yun Fan put down the bronze phoenix in her hand. "Let's leave it here. After being exposed to the light, it will easily rust. If you want to have a look, I will show you the one that has been put in the exhibition hall."
They stood up and patted the dirt off their bodies. "Just now...sorry about that." Jiang Liu said.
"It's okay," Yun Fan said, "Thank you to both of you."
Yun Fan took out tissues from her pocket and gave it to them so that they could wipe their hands. This was the first time a crack appeared in the ice today.
The three people continued, and Yun Fan led them through another exit. When they came out, there was a long and thin corridor. After walking through the corridor, they entered a very large hall that had a circular atrium in the center, which allowed sunlight to shine through. Right in the center of the hall was a bronze chariot and horse sculpture of the Qin Mausoleum that was placed on a simulated high mountain platform. It appeared very very mighty and magnificent. In the center of the hall was a line of written words "Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Bronze Horse Chariot Museum". It turns out that they entered the main exhibition hall of the museum through the side entrance.
Yun Fan led them to turn right from the hall and they entered the main exhibition hall of the museum. In the most striking position in the front was the actual bronze chariot. Jiang Liu was someone who paid attention to Chinese history, and had seen photos of bronze horse chariots on various online articles and even some holographic 3D restoration images also found online. However, when he saw the real thing, he still felt a little shocked because it was so realistic and lifelike. In fact, it looked like real people and horses were plated with bronze, and they were turned into exhibits on the spot.
"These two sets of bronze horse chariots have always been miracles in the history of metal processing in ancient China." Yun Fan said, "These two sets of horse chariots are made up of more than 6000 parts, each of which was carefully crafted and highly standardized. The standardization level is comparable to the standardization level of industrial assembly lines found two thousand years later. How this was done is unknown. Additionally, the reins on the horse’s neck are made of 42 gold tubes and 42 silver tubes that were connected together. The technique used to connect the pieces is still unclear. There’s also something more astonishing, look here."
As Yun Fan said this, she got Jiang Liu to move to the side of the bronze horse chariot where it was the easiest to observe the canopy of the carts from. Then she said, "Look at this canopy. The thickest part of the cover is only 4 mm, and the thinnest part is less than 1 millimeter. It’s formed from a single piece of bronze, and there are no traces of forging or welding, so it was obviously made in one go. Modern scholars have painstakingly studied how this was done for half a century, and they still haven’t figured it out. Theoretically, to achieve the effect of an ultra-thin casting or overall forging completed in one step, using high pressure water to shape metal would be required, and this can only be done using modern machinery in production lines. Why were the workshops in the Qin Dynasty from more than two thousand years ago able to achieve this? It's very puzzling."
"It really is delicately fine." Jiang Liu commented as he looked at it.
"There are also unique features," Yun Fan said, pointing to the foot of the bronze horse. "It has now been discovered that these two sets of bronze horse chariots were created with the lost-wax casting method, and the archaeological community knows that since ancient times, Chinese bronzes were created using the Tao-Fan casting method4. Although there were some pieces of work created with the lost-wax method during the Spring and Autumn Period, they are very different from the method used to create these sets of bronze horse chariots. The armature in the horse legs and the many bronze patches are all evidence. However, where did the lost-wax method come from? Why the only single existing piece of work is already at a peak level is another inexplicable mystery."
"Perhaps," Qi Fei said, "there were more foreign interactions at the time? At least I heard that bronze casting in the ancient Middle East was also very developed. Some people say that China's metallurgical technique comes from the Middle East."
"Foreign interactions have existed since ancient times, but there is no written record. Because the spread of normal techniques is a gradual and long process, we should be able to trace back to related relics and products found along the spreading process. The level of refinement of the workpiece is also a process. But this was not the case for the bronze chariot-- it was a solitary case of the refined lost-wax method being used. The same technique did not exist in China during pre-Qin, and as soon as the method appeared, it was at its pinnacle already. Moreover, this is not the most important thing. Look at the sword here.” Yun Fan motioned for him to walk to another exhibition hall, "This is unexplainable."
Jiang Liu followed Yun Fan, and he carefully observed the blade she pointed to. The swords were indeed sharp and still intact, and the color and pattern on the blade were still perfect even after so many years, which was amazing.
"Modern composition inspections have found that the blades are this sharp because they were plated with a layer of chromium salt oxide that is 10 microns thick, which has a good anti-rusting property." Yun Fan pretended to stroke along the blade without her fingers actually touching the blade, "But the formation of this oxide is a patented technology that the Western countries only obtained in the 1930s. Modern chemistry and very complicated high-tech equipment is needed. Why would this technique appear in the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum 2200 years ago?"
"So, you think these techniques also came from aliens?" Jiang Liu asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm just describing," Yun Fan said. "Even if you don't believe my family's story, you can still look at the evidence."
Yun Fan continued forward again and entered the next exhibition hall. In the center of the exhibition hall was a ladder-shaped high platform. At the top of the high platform, which was just slightly higher than the height of a person, was a bronze phoenix that was half the height of a person. Jiang Liu and Qi Fei both took in a sharp breath. It was too detailed; several times more detailed than the carvings on the bronze sacred tree seen in the Sanxingdui archaeological site. There were long and short bronze feathers on its body, and each feather had a different shape, and the edges were artistically curled. The phoenix had a graceful and vivid posture, with its wings slightly raised, and its neck stretched out. It was as if it was frozen during the moment it was about to take flight. The parts used to connect the joints were also extremely detailed, and in some places, the connecting parts were even hard to see. It didn't look like it was made by casting; instead it looked like the result of 3D printing.
"This is... the bronze phoenix we encountered just now?" Jiang Liu asked.
"Yes." Yun Fan brought them to another position by moving 45 degrees, and from there, they could see the mechanism on the underside of the bronze phoenix's neck more clearly. "When my grandfather led the team to open the first underground passage in 2032, it flew out from the inside. It was very similar to what happened to us just now. In fact, during the Chu–Han Contention, someone dug into the Qin Mausoleum, and they encountered birds flying out of the place. Later generations treated this as a myth, and no one believed it. However, this time they really saw it. The video recording is still here. If you’re interested, I’ll show you it later. It almost flew away, but fortunately, my grandfather reacted quickly and chased it with a small drone and knocked it down."
Qi Fei asked, "Where was it going to fly to?"
Yun Fan shook her head, "No one knows. From the day it fell onto the ground, it hasn't moved. It looked like it might be going to deliver information. Because it was able to fly out, it meant that someone opened up the first floor of the tomb. There may have been a start-up program that was set up to transmit this information somewhere, but no one knows where. Later we analyzed it with an X-ray detector and a quantum grating, and found that its alloy type is very different. In particular, none of the artifacts unearthed in the land of China at that time were the same as it, and its body contained a set of transmission devices composed of tiny gears and chains. Although the power system is just a complicated clockwork system, the entire mechanical structure is incredibly delicate."
Jiang Liu stared carefully for a while, and sighed, "It really is unbelievable."
Yun Fan also raised her head and looked at the phoenix as if she was looking at an invisible spot in the sky, and said softly, "These are the stories I have known since I was a child. These chariots and phoenixes were also seen by me since I was a child. I know they are exquisite. I know that it is difficult to use the level of technology at that time to explain the craftsmanship, but in my heart I still don’t believe in the story of aliens and Qin Shi Huang. You know, this story is too bizarre. It only depended on some intricate items, and that is not enough to convince me."
"Yeah." Jiang Liu nodded. Yun Fan had expressed the thoughts Jiang Liu had in his mind.
"So, I have left lifetime regrets for myself." Yun Fan stood under the bronze phoenix, quiet and determined, like a phoenix perching on a branch, "This time, I don't want to create regrets anymore. I am determined to accomplish the thing I want to do."
At that moment, Qi Fei and Jiang Liu were both slightly shocked. Yun Fan's determined will actually smelled of burning, and was like ignited ice.
After dinner, Yun Fan returned to work in the office, and Qi Fei asked Jiang Liu to speak outside the museum. Jiang Liu agreed.
At night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Jiang Liu walked in front with his hands in his trouser pockets and he was looking up to admire the moon. It was as if he was a college student who was taking a stroll with his girlfriend on the most leisurely and romantic night. He even had a slight smile on his face. For two or three minutes, the two of them walked without saying a word. If someone observed from a distance, they will think that they were close friends.
"Director Qi," Jiang Liu took the initiative to speak, "You asked me to go out for what important reason?"
"This is the question I wanted to ask you." Qi Fei sneered, "Tycoon Jiang, you, as the owner of the world's largest intelligence network and the third son of a wealthy family, travelled so far to a small countryside place like this. For what important reason?"
"There’s nothing special; I’m just here for Yun Fan." Jiang Liu said while glancing at Qi Fei's reaction seemingly intentionally but also nonchalantly. "She’s such a beautiful and smart girl, which is rare to see. She’s really likeable. Director Qi should agree, right? I don’t want to miss out once I have set my eyes."
Qi Fei's facial expression was cold, "Tycoon Jiang has always been romantic and charismatic, and you graduated from a prestigious school, so you’re never short of smart and beautiful girls around you, right?"
"No, no, no," Jiang Liu said with a smile, "The most important thing when interacting with people is fate. My fate with other girls is shallow, and it is only deep with Yun Fan....What, Director Qi, do you have a problem with this?"
"I have no problem with your love affairs," Qi Fei waved his hand coldly, "but I have a big problem about your hacking. You must come with me now and be investigated."
Following Qi Fei's hand gesture, twenty or thirty agile masked men dressed in tight black clothes sprang out from the gate of the Qin Mausoleum Park and behind the bushes in the garden. Everyone threw out a long silk thread that had a spherical locator equipped with AI recognition capability on one end. Once it identifies a target, a super sticky terminal will adhere to the target. Escaping from it was as difficult as removing maggots adhered to bone. The other end was held firmly in the hands of the user. The silk thread was nano-reinforced artificial spider silk. If a special tool was not used, then it cannot be cut and it would just tangle up. It was super strong, and the more the person tries to escape from it, the more stuck they would become. Due to the high labor cost, the usage of spider silk was rare, and once used, no one could escape from it.
"I'm so honored," Jiang Liu said with a laugh after being captured by the spider silk, "The spider silk network was used on me, which shows that I’m a significant character. I really didn't expect that an insignificant sloppy mess like me could actually be treated with the spider silk network. I appreciate being valued by Director Qi. In fact, Director Qi, you’re being overly polite. I have long admired your heroic demeanor. Tonight, I just wanted to admire the moon and recite poems with you. This wonderful moon scenery should be paired with the company of a talented friend. If you asked me to go to the office to have a discussion, that is naturally a wish that I dream for, and of course I will go with you. Why would such a grand set-up like this be needed?"
Qi Fei stared at Jiang Liu coldly, trying to see through his true purpose from under his laughing face that lacked truthful words. This gaze lasted only two or three seconds, and Qi Fei turned away and waved to his men, "Take him away. Detained."
Author's Notes
[cp]Qi Fei asked Jiang Liu out to see the moon (to fight) together! What kind of moon scenery would it be?
The recent mess, and from everywhere, brutalness and distrust can be seen. In scenarios like this, "not speaking" is our strongest choice.
In this world, true feelings will not be affected by one's surroundings. As long as doubt does not exist in the heart, the person will be unharmed.
Translator’s Note
Li Si
The Qin Mausoleum was built during his time when Li Si served as a chancellor/Prime Minister for two rulers: Qin Shi Huang and Qin Er Shi.
Liu Bang
Liu Bang was originally a peasant, and he became a minor official during the Qin Dynasty. Later, after the death of Qin Shi Huang, Liu Bang became a rebel Tycoon. He eventually overthrew the third and last ruler of the Qin Dynasty. He took on the title of “King of Han” and began the Han Dynasty.
Atrium
This kind of roofless infrastructure is commonly found in the center of traditional Chinese houses.
Lost-wax casting method and Tao-Fan casting method
Lost-wax casting method involves pouring molten metal into a mold that was created using a wax model, and very intricate, detailed pieces of work can be created through this method. It is called lost wax because during the process of creating the mold, the wax model is removed from the mold by melting it and pouring it out.
Tao-Fan casting method involves using a mold made from clay.
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