1. Why did Qin Shihuang put mercury in the mausoleum?
In fact, this matter is not recorded in detail in history, so later generations have different views on Qin Shihuang's decision. Some people say that Qin Shihuang put mercury in order to prevent grave robbery. In fact, this reason is that mercury itself is very toxic, and a large amount of mercury is put in the tomb because grave robbers love money more because they love their own lives, so even if there are more gold and silver treasures in the tomb, they will not rob the tomb. After all, the air volatilized by mercury is highly toxic, and grave robbery is fatal.
It is also said that Qin Shihuang released mercury because he wanted to live forever. Many emperors in ancient times pursued immortality, hoping that they could live longer to fulfill their ambitions. A powerful figure like Qin Shihuang naturally has this idea. During the Spring and Autumn Period, it was found that mercury could prevent decay. At that time, many nobles used mercury to keep the freshness of dead bodies, so Qin Shihuang, who unified the world, certainly wanted to enjoy such treatment after his death.
Second, where does a lot of mercury come from?
Judging from the news exposed by the media at present, only a small part of the main tomb of Qin Shihuang has been excavated. Just look at the news on the Internet about the discovery of a large amount of mercury in Qin Shihuang's tomb. After all, it is an exaggeration to label the amount of mercury in the tomb as "a lot" before the tomb is opened. Although mercury does exist in Qin Shihuang's mausoleum, its source is not recorded in history, so we have no way of knowing its source.
However, according to Qin Shihuang's position in history, it should not be difficult for him to get some mercury. After all, if he can make terracotta warriors and horses, what is mercury?