Xixia dead book

Chapter 11: Legend of the Undead in the Book of the Dead (11)
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The seventh letter, KGB Chairman Shelepin (Alexander Nikolaevich Shelepin) to the Director of the First KGB Directorate Sakharovsky (Victor Mikhailovich Sakharovsky) letter.The letter did not specify when.

Comrade Viktor Mikhailovich:
The failure of the "Black City" operation has caused us to lose many outstanding comrades. I regret to inform you that this operation will be suspended immediately.

We communists are all atheists, and we should not believe in any legends about ghosts and demons. But this time in the desert of northwest China, the bizarre and terrifying experience of the scientific expedition team made me unable to explain it.There is the possibility of sabotage by foreign hostile forces, but in this regard, we have no real evidence.I think the secrets hidden in that treasure from the Western Xia Dynasty in China can only be left to future generations to explore. Your generation and my generation may never have the opportunity to uncover the secrets.

Below is my command:
1. Immediately suspend the "Black City" operation, withdraw all our personnel, including scientists, secret agents, and soldiers, and terminate the investigation of the failure of this operation and the search for missing persons.

2. All personnel involved in this operation, including scientists, secret agents, and soldiers, no matter how much they know about the inside information of this operation, they are all required to re-sign the confidentiality statement, and promise that they will never disclose any secrets about the "Black City" operation , otherwise, will be subject to the most severe sanctions.

3. As for the most informed experts in the Winter Palace and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences, I will arrange an interview with them by you.

4. Destroy all documents related to the "Black City" operation, and execute it yourself.

5. As for the treasure from the Xixia Dynasty in China, you can also find the safest place to seal it up. Remember, it will be sealed forever!Without the permission of the headquarters, this thing must not be allowed to see the light of day again.Once this thing reappears, it will inevitably cause new and terrible confusion, which I do not want to see.

6. For the survivors, try our best to rescue them.As for his future arrangements, I have other considerations.

In this way, there are six points in total, please keep them in mind and implement them carefully.Due to the high level of secrecy related to the "Black City" operation, relevant documents will not be issued, and this letter will also be destroyed after reading it.

Ya N. Shelepin

"From Shelepin's letter, we know that the KGB called this scientific expedition a 'Black City' operation, and he also clearly stated in the letter that the operation failed in the end, that is to say, they did not uncover the Xixia jade insert. The secret behind the screen." Professor Luo said.

Tang Feng went on to say: "This matches Mr. Liang's situation. As the Russian interpreter of the scientific expedition team, Liang Yunjie also participated in that scientific expedition. As a result, the scientific expedition team encountered an accident deep in the Badain Jaran Desert. Almost The entire army was wiped out, Mr. Liang is the only Chinese survivor."

Professor Luo Zhongping nodded: "Yes, I am also an insider of that scientific examination. I was almost selected to join the scientific expedition team. I still remember how I was when the list of scientific expedition team came out. Frustrated, but the few young people I know who were selected were so excited. But, later..." Professor Luo seemed to be lost in memory, and after a long time, Professor Luo continued, "After the scientific expedition team died, I just I found that I am more and more interested in the history of Xixia, and I must fulfill the unfulfilled wish of the scientific expedition team. Therefore, in these years, I have visited Badain Jaran Desert, Helan Mountain, Tengger Desert, Western Sichuan and other places many times. The disappearing Xixia civilization."

"After so many years of persistence, you have become a master in the history and culture of Xixia." Tang Feng said.

Professor Luo waved his hand: "So I often think, was the defeat of the scientific expedition team a blessing to me? Or a bad thing? I have never figured out this question."

"However, I still don't understand. Since Xie Leping's order requires that all relevant documents be destroyed, why can we still see these seven top-secret letters today? Also, he ordered that the Xixia treasure be sealed forever, this Xixia treasure , it should be the 'Jade Screen'. If the jade screen has been sealed forever, why is it reappearing today?" Liang Yuan's question made everyone fall into deep thought again.

"The documents may have flowed out from within the KGB. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the KGB was abolished, and many original KGB confidential documents were released. From the contents of these documents, we can also know that the purpose of Liang Yunjie's trip to Guangzhou was to obtain these documents. There is no doubt about it. As for why the jade screen appeared, I don’t know, it may have been circulated from the KGB like these documents, or it may be through other channels.” Han Jiang, who has been silent all the time, speculated.

"Well, I completely agree with the captain's judgment. However, there is still the biggest question. From these seven letters, it can be seen that the Soviet scholars must have obtained important clues through the study of this jade screen, so they can talk about moving. The higher-ups agreed that they would come to China for scientific research, so what did they find on the jade screen?" Tang Feng raised a question in his heart.

"Yes, as Tang Feng said, those Soviet scholars must have discovered something on the jade screen. Now this jade screen is in our hands, and we have to use this jade screen to unlock the The above mystery. Of course, it depends on Professor Luo's research."

Everyone cast expectant gazes at Professor Luo. Professor Luo laughed dryly and said, "Don't look at me like this. After so many years on the jade screen, the symbols on it, oh, are what Tang Feng said about Xixia. The text is already mottled and blurred. I am preparing a special potion now. It will take some time for you to see the Xixia characters on the jade screen. As for whether you can decipher those Xixia characters after cleaning up, can you unlock the jade screen? It depends on our luck."

After listening to Professor Luo's words, Tang Feng turned his head and glanced at Han Jiang. The two had a strange thought in their hearts: Are they close to the answer?Or is it getting further and further away from the answer?
[Section Six, Four Screens]

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A week later, Tang Feng, Liang Yuan, Han Jiang, Zhao Yong and Professor Luo gathered together again in the secret room of the small building. On the table in front of them, the Xixia jade screen with inlaid jewels and lotus patterns lay quietly... After a week of closed-door research, Professor Luo Zhongping has basically deciphered the mysterious symbols on the surface of the jade screen.

Professor Luo distributed the rubbings on the surface of the four jade screens to everyone, and introduced: "From the seven top-secret documents, we learned that Yifengge found some mysterious symbols on the surface of the jade screen. Yifengge, A Both Rick and Menglev believed that the mysterious symbols on the jade screen were the Xixia characters that had disappeared for many years, and they did some deciphering work. However, the jade screen brought back by Tang Feng, due to the erosion of the years, coupled with After it was uploaded, the storage conditions were not good, and the mysterious symbols on it were filthy and unclear. The rubbings you see now are made after I cleaned the jade screen with a special potion, and the rubbings are relatively clear."

Tang Feng looked at the rubbings and said: "It seems that Mr. Liang has long recognized that it is Xixia script. He once told me that Xixia script is a lost script, a dead script."

"That's right, Xixia script is a dead language. There are no more than 20 people in the whole country, or even the whole world, who can understand Xixia script. I'm old and not talented. I have studied and studied Xixia script for many years. Fortunately, I can recognize some Xixia script." Professor Luo said.

Liang Yuan interrupted Professor Luo and Tang Feng curiously: "You two don't give us lessons. Professor Luo, since you can understand these Xixia scripts, tell me quickly, what does the Xixia scripts above mean?"

Professor Luo smiled and said: "Yuanyuan, don't worry, if you want to crack the secret hidden in the Xixia jade screen, you, including Captain Han, you all have to listen to my nagging, not to let you understand Xixia, At least let you get acquainted with the history and culture of Xixia, so that you can understand the value of this jade screen and the cultural connotation it contains, so I will give you a lesson first."

"Taking classes? I just finished my studies in the United States, and I have to continue my classes here?" Liang Yuan was a little discouraged.

Han Jiang said to everyone with a serious face: "Professor Luo is an expert in this area. We are all students, and we are still primary school students, so we must first listen to Professor Luo's lectures. As for Tang Feng, of course you are not in this area." Primary school student, but I have higher requirements for you, you must listen more carefully and study more seriously than us."

Tang Feng felt pressured by Han Jiang's words. He began to understand his role and value in this team, but at this moment he didn't know whether he could meet Han Jiang's requirements, especially the lost Xixia script.

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Professor Luo turned on the projector, and a majestic snow mountain appeared on the slide. Under the snow mountain, deep in the dense forest, a group of people surrounded by animal skins were chasing wild animals. It was a scene of a primitive society.Then, Professor Luo began his lecture: "The Dangxiang people who established the Xixia Dynasty were once a branch of the ancient Qiang people. In ancient times, the Qiang people were active in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They created the Western Qiang culture here. Dangxiang People are a branch of the Xiqiang tribe. Around the fourth century AD, the Dangxiang people began to appear on the stage of Chinese history. Since then, the Dangxiang people have not stopped their migration. At the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Dangxiang people began to move in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and Sichuan. The Northwest region, that is, the southeast of today’s Qinghai Province and the areas of Songpan, Heishui, Beichuan, and Maoxian in Sichuan. According to the "Sui Shu·Dangxiang Biography": Dangxiang is a tribe with a surname. , "The custom favors force, and there is no order. Each is a livelihood. If there is a battle, they gather together. There is no corvee, and they do not communicate with each other. Shepherd cattle, sheep, and pigs for food, and do not know how to harvest." This shows that at that time Dangxiang people mainly lived on animal husbandry and hunting, and did not understand agricultural production. They were at the end of primitive society. Later, Dangxiang people gradually developed into Xifeng, Feiting, Quili, Pochao, Yeci, and Fangdang Among the eight major tribes, the Tuoba clan, the Miqin clan, and the Tuoba clan, the Tuoba tribe is the most powerful."

"So, where did the name 'Dangxiang' come from?" Liang Yuan asked curiously.

Professor Luo explained: "The name 'Dangxiang' is the result of Chinese transliteration. It is likely that the ancient Han people borrowed the names of some other ethnic minorities in Northwest China. This name is also used in Chinese classics; while Tangxiang people call themselves "Burma medicine" or "Miyao", which is close to what Tibetans call Tangxiang people. In ancient Tibetan literature, Tibetans refer to Tubo period The Tangxiang people who have migrated to the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are called 'Miyao'."

"That is to say, during this period, the party members have migrated from Northwest Sichuan to the Qinghai Lake area?" Tang Feng asked.

"Yes, during this period, on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Tubo Dynasty rose and expanded outwards. In order to avoid Tubo's invasion and enslavement, all the tribes migrated to another newly rising dynasty, the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty accepted them. After the Anshi Rebellion, the Dangxiang people migrated to northern Shaanxi and Hetao, and gradually settled here.

Tang Feng took Professor Luo's words: "I will know the history behind it."

"Then it's up to you to talk about it." Professor Luo was about to test Tang Feng.

Tang Feng introduced: "After the Dangxiang people settled in the northern Shaanxi and Hetao areas, they developed rapidly. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos and all heroes rose together. Tuoba Sigong, the outstanding leader of the Dangxiang people, led the Dangxiang people to continuously expand their own strength. He also made great contributions in suppressing the Huangchao Uprising, and was named the Jiedu Envoy of the Dingnan Army by the Tang Dynasty, the Duke of Xia, and given the surname "Wei Ming". Therefore, the Xixia royal family is also called Wei Ming and surname in history books. After that, Party members gradually occupied the lands of Yin, Xia, Sui, You, and Jing, and became princes of one party. After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, the policy of reducing the vassal was implemented. During the Song Taizong period, Tuoba Sigong's descendants Weiming succeeded, and he succeeded Ding Difficult military envoys. Soon, a struggle for power and position broke out among the party aristocrats. The Song Dynasty took the opportunity to lure Wei Mingjipeng and his tribe to surrender to the Song Dynasty, and donated the land of Xia, Sui, Yin, You, and Jing. As a result, the Dangxiang nation was divided and nearly perished. At this time, one of the Dangxiang members who did not want to submit to the Song Dynasty climbed up and led the people to flee to Dijinze, three hundred miles northeast of Xiazhou, and proclaimed himself king. , Against the Song Dynasty, this person is the founder of the Xixia Dynasty-Tuoba Jiqian.

"In the following twenty years, under the leadership of Tuoba Jiqian, the party members fought everywhere, opened up territories, and raised the desert. They not only restored the original five states, but also captured Lingzhou, an important town in the northwest. Arrived When Tuoba Deming, the son of Tuoba Jiqian, was in power, party members dealt with Song and Liao powers, fought against Tubo and Uighur, expanded westward, and controlled the lifeline of the Silk Road—the Hexi Corridor. It established the territory of the later Xixia Kingdom, and established Xingqing Mansion, the capital of the future Xixia Dynasty, at the foot of Helan Mountain.

"In 1038, after long-term preparations, Tuoba Deming's son Yuanhao removed the surnames bestowed by the emperors of the Tang and Song Dynasties, called himself Wei Mingshi, officially proclaimed himself emperor, and established a dynasty with party members as the main body. Call this dynasty "Xixia". At its peak, the Xixia Dynasty was bounded by the Yellow River in the east and the Western Regions in the west, controlling the Silk Road, facing the Song Dynasty in the south with Xiaoguan, and controlling the desert in the north. All of Ningxia and Gansu, and parts of Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang. After Yuan Hao proclaimed himself emperor, he established a complete set of laws and regulations, and also created a unique Xixia script.”

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After listening to Tang Feng's narration, Professor Luo smiled and said, "Tang Feng, what you just said about the history of Xixia is correct. Since you mentioned Yuan Hao's creation of Xixia characters, let me talk about the lost Xixia characters." Professor Luo typed some strange symbols on the computer, and said to everyone: "These strange characters on the slides are Xixia characters. The Dangxiang nation did not have its own characters before Yuan Hao became emperor. In the early years, Dangxiang people were nomadic. When he was on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, because the Dangxiang language was close to Tibetan, he used Tibetan letters to spell the language, and the establishment of Xixia characters marked that the civilization of the Dangxiang nation had risen to a new height. "Song History" records, "Yuan Hao made his own Fanshu, Mingye Lirenrong deduced it, and it was composed of twelve volumes. The characters, shapes and styles are divided into eight parts, and the paintings are quite repetitive. The teaching of the people of the country uses Fanshu, and the translation of "Xiaojing", "Erya", "Four-character Miscellaneous Characters" "It is the Fan language." Shen Kuo, a man of the Song Dynasty, said in his "Mengxi Bi Tan", "Yuan Hao Guo rebelled, and his disciples first created fan books when they encountered beggars. It took years to complete it, and it was dedicated to it." The records in these two documents say that before Yuan Hao established the Xixia Dynasty, he ordered his minister Nori Renrong to create Xixia characters for the people of the country to use. He also translated many Chinese classics into Xixia. In fact, as far as I am concerned, From my point of view, the Xixia characters were not created by a certain person, but gradually formed among the people, and finally collected and organized by Nori Renrong.” Professor Luo finished introducing the creation of the Xixia characters in one breath.

Liang Yuan stared at a few strange Xixia characters on the slide, and suddenly asked: "Professor, why do I feel that these Xixia characters are a bit like Chinese characters, but I just don't know any of them?"

(End of this chapter)