China has had thousands of years of feudal society with countless emperors. These emperors who were extremely glorious during their lifetime hoped to enjoy unlimited honor after their death, so a large number of imperial tombs appeared on the land of China. Take the Ming and Qing Dynasties as an example. There are the Thirteen Tombs in the Ming Dynasty and the East and West Tombs in the Qing Dynasty. But what is a bit strange is that the tombs of the Qing emperors were repeatedly destroyed and robbed, while the tombs of the Ming emperors, especially the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, were intact.
After some calculation, it has been almost 600 years since the time of Zhu Yuanzhang. Many imperial tombs of the Qing Dynasty, including those of Cixi and Qianlong, have been dug up beyond recognition. Why did Zhu Yuanzhang die alone? I think there are several reasons: First, it is impossible. From the beginning of the construction of Zhu Yuanzhang's Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, the problem of anti-theft for later generations was considered. Therefore, when it was first built, no one could find the entrance to the mausoleum.
There is a legend that when Zhu Yuanzhang was buried, the thirteen gates of Nanjing City mourned at the same time, so no one knows where Zhu Yuanzhang was buried. When was the entrance to Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum found? It was after the liberation, or in 1998 to be exact, that archaeologists used sophisticated instruments to conduct exploration and finally determined the entrance to the Xiaoling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty.
A few hundred years ago, if there was a lack of corresponding means, who could find it? The second is that they don’t dare. In the nearly three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, no one dared to dig up Zhu Yuanzhang’s tomb. However, in the Qing Dynasty, the protection of the Ming Dynasty royal tombs became more complete. This is mainly because the rulers of the Qing Dynasty were Manchus. Having learned the lessons of the failure of the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty, the Manchu rulers believed that they should adopt appropriate tolerant policies towards the Han people in order to regain the lost hearts and minds of the people in the early Qing Dynasty.
The effective protection of the Ming royal tombs, including Zhu Yuanzhang, is an important factor in gaining the trust of the people. Under the guidance of this idea, the Qing Dynasty strengthened the protection of the Ming emperor's tomb, and naturally no one dared to rob the tomb. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, warlords fought, and the Qing imperial tombs lost their protectors, so they naturally could not escape the fate of being stolen and dug up.
The third is no. For professional tomb robbers, Zhu Yuanzhang’s tomb is probably the biggest opponent they will encounter in their lives. Not only is the entrance to the cave difficult to find, but it is also in an excellent location. It is located in the Purple Mountain of Nanjing. As long as there is a slight movement here, the city of Nanjing will get the news and someone will immediately come to intervene, so no tomb robber will take such a risk. risk.
In addition, the construction of the imperial mausoleum took 32 years. In such a long time, it is obvious that Zhu Yuanzhang's tomb can be built as strong as a fortress. If you want to dig up such a mausoleum, you have to use modern artillery troops to blast the mountain in a grand manner. This obviously did not meet the conditions at the time. But it was different at the end of the Qing Dynasty. The Qing government collapsed, and the warlords each occupied their own side. Whoever had a gun in his hand was the boss, and could naturally attack the Qing imperial mausoleum openly.