(Cao Cao stills)
There are many records about Cao Cao's robbery in the history books.
Chen Lin, a famous soldier of the Three Kingdoms and one of the "seven sons of Jian 'an", once recorded in "Visiting Yuzhou for Yuan Shao": "(Fuck) The commander-in-chief was appointed in high school, and the bones were exposed. "
This means that Cao Cao specially set up two official positions for grave robbery, namely "Faqiu corps commander" and "Mo Jin captain". They not only dig graves and steal treasures, but also trample on the remains in the tombs and abandon the corpses in the wilderness.
There is also a record in the official History of the Three Kingdoms: "Cao Cao led his troops into the tomb, cut down Liang Xiaowang's tomb, and broke the coffin to collect treasures."
This passage not only records the process of Cao Cao's grave excavation, but also clearly shows that what he excavated was Liang Xiaowang's grave. During the robbery, Cao Cao's army not only smashed Liang Xiaowang's coffin, but also harvested tens of thousands of Jin of gold and silver treasures.
Who's Liang Xiaowang? Why is Cao Cao staring at his tomb?
Liang Xiaowang Liu Wu is the grandson of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, the son of Emperor Wendi and the younger brother of Emperor Wudi Liu Qi.
During the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, Liu Bi led his followers to Guo Liang, Liu Wu. In a small place, Liu Wu stopped Liu Bi, a king of Wu who was several times older than himself, and successfully stopped the rebellion. It won valuable strategic time for Zhou Yafu to put down the rebellion.
After the rebellion subsided, Liu Wu became a popular figure in the ruling and opposition parties, and various awards followed. In addition to Liu Qi's various rewards for his younger brother, Dou Taihou also gave this son a large reward.
(Liu Wu stills)
According to historical records, due to too many rewards, Liu Wu's wealth at that time even surpassed that of Emperor Liu Qi and became an extremely rich monarch. When Liu Wu died, his wealth was so amazing that he couldn't even put it in the warehouse.
In addition to material rewards, Liu Qi also gave Liu Wu high political treatment. Zi Zhi Tong Jian said: "When (Liu Wu) arrived, he was extremely lucky. Entering is equal to the same chariot, and exiting is shot in the forest. "
Liu Wu can not only ride a car with Liu Tong, but also Liu Qi drives a carriage for him personally. This privilege of going against the sky is rare in history.
Even once, after getting drunk at a banquet, Liu Qi took Liu Wu's hand and said, "Long live the century, it will be passed on to the king." Dou Taihou was also very happy after hearing this. Liu Wu refused in every way, but he was ecstatic.
Later, Liu Wu became a little arrogant. He really regarded himself as the emperor's successor. He not only overstepped the etiquette, but also participated in the competition for posts and killed Yuan Ang and other court officials. These actions finally angered Liu Qi, who ordered Liu Wu not to set foot in Chang 'an.
From then on, Liu Wu was left out in the cold and unhappy. Later, on a hunting trip, he suddenly had a fever and died suddenly.
Liu Wu built his mausoleum magnificently before his death, and "cut the mountain to make a profile, cut stones to hide it", taking a mountain as the mausoleum. At the same time, he also buried the treasures of his life in the mausoleum. Judging from the wealth of Liu Wu at that time, his funerary objects were so luxurious.
(funerary objects in Liang Wang's tomb)
For Cao Cao, who started almost from scratch, the most direct and quick way to maintain a huge army and gain a foothold in the Three Kingdoms period is to rob the tomb. Liu Wu's distinguished life experience and rich sacrificial objects in the tomb naturally became Cao Cao's first choice.