Most emperors and generals in past dynasties believed that people lived in another palace in the underworld after death, so they spared no expense to build a mausoleum as magnificent as the palace before death, so as to continue to enjoy themselves after death and safeguard their noble ruling authority. For example, when Qin Shihuang ascended the throne, he began to build his own mausoleum and buried it with the grand terracotta warriors and horses; Genghis Khan ordered people to restore his burial place to the plain. And Cao Cao, although he didn't claim to be the emperor before his death, was one of the overlords of the Three Kingdoms, and was in power in both the ruling and opposition parties. Why did he ask for a thin burial? According to historical records, it is said that on the day of Cao Cao's burial, 72 coffins were transported from four directions, southeast and northwest, and were buried in 72 different locations at the same time. Where are the 72 suspected graves and which one is real? According to Cao Cao's suspicious character, it is not excluded that he planned many tombs for fear of being robbed.
There is a legend about the location of Cao Cao's tomb. Cao Cao died in Luoyang in the 25th year of Jian 'an (AD 220) at the age of 66. Surprisingly, different from the concept of "thick burial" of kings in previous dynasties, he asked for thin burial, which was the first quasi-emperor in China history to put forward "thin burial". According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms and Emperor Wudi, in June of the 23rd year of Jian 'an (AD 2 18), Cao Cao wrote a letter to arrange his funeral, to the effect that the tombs of ancient sages are generally poor and thin. Now I find that Ximen Bao Temple in the west of Handan is more suitable, and Ximen Bao is also a hero I admire all my life. I'm glad to be his neighbor. As we all know, Ximen Bao was a great reformer of Wei during the Warring States Period, and his story of casting witches to seize power is well known. Cao Cao admired him very much, so he hoped that his cemetery would live next to Ximen Bao Temple.
At that time, although Cao Cao did not claim to be the emperor, his power and status were not lower than that of the emperor. Why does he not only advocate "thin burial", but also practice it? It is said that Cao Cao advocated frugality all his life and was very strict with his family and officials. His daughter-in-law was ordered to "commit suicide" by him according to family rules because she was wearing satin. The cloth in his hospital needs to be mended when it is broken, and it can't be replaced when it is mended. For a time, there was a famine and a shortage of property. Cao Cao doesn't wear fur coats in winter, and court officials dare not wear fur hats. This shows that Cao Cao's frugality is not fake. Therefore, it is possible for such a thrifty emperor to ask for a "thin burial".
There is also a folklore that Cao Cao robbed a tomb in his early years and witnessed the terrible situation of the tomb being stolen. Just in case, he repeatedly asked for a "thin burial" and issued a letter in order to let the world know that there was no treasure in his grave, so as to prevent grave robbers from being disturbed after death.
Of course, all the statements about Cao Cao advocating "thin burial" are our guesses. We don't know for what purpose Cao Cao made such a move. In addition, what is more attractive than "thin burial" is where Cao Cao is buried.
According to Lu Jiwen's records, Cao Cao's tomb should be in the area of Ximenbao Temple in fengle town, west of Linzhang County, Hebei Province. However, Ximenbao Temple in fengle town was built in Tianbao five years in the Northern Qi Dynasty (AD 554), and Cao Cao died in AD 220. How did it get buried here? This obviously doesn't make sense. Regarding Cao Cao's will, it is said like this: "The world is not stable and has not followed. They were all taken away after the funeral. ..... when you pack in time, you have no treasure. " Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei, followed Cao Cao's wishes and transported his body back to Ye (now Ye Town, southwest of Linzhang, Hebei Province) for burial. There is a saying in the Jin Dynasty Lu Ji's "Diaowen Yiling" that "he was buried in Xigang, near Ximen Bao Temple", which shows that Cao Cao's home before his death was as he wished.
But there are many temples in Ximen Bao. Because Ximen Bao is a historical figure who is free from violence, residents in the Yellow River valley, including Yedi, are used to building Ximen Bao shrines to avoid disasters, resulting in many Ximen Bao shrines. There are many Ximen Bao shrines in Linzhang area. Which one is buried next to the famous Wei Wudi? "Shouling is located in the west courtyard of Ximen Bao ancestral temple" in Cao Cao's edict is not only different from "being buried on Yexigang" by Lu Ji, but also very different.
In recent years, some scholars, according to the historical records such as Bei Tu and Yu Fang Minutes, have come to the conclusion that Cao Cao built seventy-two tombs before his death to distinguish between true and false, which cannot be excavated. These suspicious graves are distributed from Wujiang Town, eight miles west of Santai Village in Linzhang, to Cizhou. They are like hills, and one of them must be the real tomb of Cao Cao. Wei Wendi once wrote, "Sacrifice the first king", saying, "If you want to sacrifice the first king to the river, you will feel sad when you look at the whole province". So someone creatively suggested that Cao Cao's tomb was built at the bottom of Zhanghe River. So I haven't found it for so long. Song Shen quoted a passage from Jian Xuan Xu in Quan Jian Ji of Qing Dynasty: "In the early years of Shunzhi, the Zhanghe River dried up, and a fisherman saw a big stone slab in the river with a gap beside it, thinking that there were many fish in it, but he saw a stone door below, on which were all the remains of beautiful women. On the stone bed lay a man, wearing a crown, like a king. The inscription says that this is Cao Cao. " Because of mercury, the skin does not rot, and the axe cracks. "Obviously, this legend is not a historical fact. But in 1983, local farmers did dig silver ingots and shovels on the riverbed of Zhanghe Bridge. So someone mentioned this statement again.
1988 People's Daily wrote: "The ancient tombs in Cixian County, Hebei Province, which are famous at home and abroad, were recently listed as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council. In the past, this ancient tomb group was considered as' Twelve Suspected Tombs of Cao Cao' in folklore, but now it is actually 134. " In this way, Cao Cao should be buried in Cixian County, Hebei Province. However, in recent years, according to the records of Ji, Ye Cheng, Fu Zhi and Tong Dian, combined with 1975, some scholars have made a comprehensive analysis of the tombs of the late Eastern Han Dynasty found in Wen Xi Village, Linzhang, and come to the conclusion that Cao Cao's tomb is located between Lingzhi Village in Anyang, Henan Province and Wen Xi Village in Linzhang, Hebei Province. The reason is:
First, the area around Lingzhi Village and Wen Xi Village is six or seven miles west of Renshou Ximen Bao, surrounded by plains, which is consistent with the "Xiyuan" in Cao Cao's legacy; Second, Lingzhi Village and the village were the activity centers of Ye at that time. Cao Cao chose a cemetery for himself. It can't be too far away from Ye. Third, Dongtaiping Village, located six miles north of Wen Xi Village and six miles northwest of Lingzhi Village, was originally named Chi Village, which is the abbreviation of Tongchi Village. There is a copper pool in Cao Cao's mausoleum, and Chicun is probably named after it.
It seems that Cao Cao's thin burial is not only different from the ancient emperors, but also follows the principle of "three caves of cunning rabbits", and even his own mausoleum is hidden. It is really the demeanor of a generation of traitors to death. The folk story about Cao Cao's 72nd Mausoleum is not groundless. To solve this mystery, it needs the efforts of future generations.