The Ming tombs were built at 138 1. At that time, Ma Huanghou was in poor health, so Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Li to preside over the construction of the mausoleum. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if Ma Huanghou died and there was no place to bury him.
1382, Ma Huanghou died and was buried here in September of the same year. Because Ma Huanghou posthumous title is called "filial piety", this mausoleum is also called "Xiaoling Mausoleum".
Ma Huanghou lay in the Ming Tombs for more than ten years. It was not until A.D. 1398 that Zhu Yuanzhang was officially buried in the Tombs with Ma Huanghou by Zhu Yunwen.
It has been more than 600 years since A.D. 1398. As an imperial mausoleum, the value of funerary objects must be astronomical.
For more than 600 years since the Ming Dynasty, there are certainly many people who have tried the idea of Ming Tombs, but the reason why Ming Tombs have been able to survive safely is largely due to its unique location, super anti-theft measures and historical opportunities.
The mountain where the Ming Tombs are located is very unique. The Ming tombs were founded in 1382. At this time, the Ming Dynasty had developed for more than ten years, and its national strength was at its peak. As the mausoleum of the founding emperor, its scale and investment are still quite huge.
Because Zhu Yuanzhang's capital was still in Nanjing at that time, it became a matter of course to find a land of Longxing near Nanjing. After comprehensive consideration, Zhu Yuanzhang finally decided to build the mausoleum at the foot of Mount Everest in Dulong Mansion, Zijin Mountain.
Located at the top of Dulongfu Mountain, the Ming Mausoleum is a solid stone mountain. The method used in the construction is also quite exquisite, requiring craftsmen to hollow out the whole mountain horizontally and then build the underground palace downwards.
In this case, the underground palace is not easy to be found by grave robbers. No matter Luoyang shovel or stealing a hole, you need to break through the mountain to reach the underground palace.
If a grave robber wants to rob a tomb, he can only blast it in a brutal and rude way, at least with the amount that can blow up the mountain. This dose is beyond the reach of a few thieves.
In addition to the difficulty, Zijin Mountain is close to Nanjing, which is an important city in Ming, Qing and Republic of China. As long as grave robbers are active in Zijinshan, they will be exposed to Nanjing's vision, which makes it more difficult to rob the tomb to some extent.
Ming tombs have strong anti-theft measures. As mentioned earlier, the Ming Tombs adopted the way of directly opening the mountain and then building the underground palace. Therefore, if grave robbers want to enter the tomb, they must take the tomb, or they will have to blow up the mountain with a lot of explosives.
If you want to enter the tomb, in addition to explosive blasting, there is another way to make a stolen hole above the top of the mountain and directly lead to the underground palace below. It is feasible in theory, at least avoiding the risk of attracting officers and men because of the loud explosion.
But grave robbers can think of ways, but grave builders can't think of them. When the Ming Tomb was built, the pyramid-shaped mound was not halfway up the mountain at all, but on one side of the hillside, and the entrance was also treated. The entrance to the pyramid-shaped mound was closed with the same stone, making Luoyang shovel unusable.
Under this protective measure, it is extremely difficult for grave robbers to even find the hole.
In addition, above Ming Taizu Baoding, under the mound, it is not directly buried with soil or boulders, but with huge pebbles. These pebbles are what the ancients called "quicksand theft prevention".
As long as a grave robber steals a hole, pebbles inside will flood into the hole and block the stolen hole. As long as people don't go in. Once they go in, once they collapse, there is no hope for basic survival.
Of course, these are just a few small measures to enter the tomb, not counting the organs and secret passages in the tomb.
Coincidentally, the Ming tombs survived numerous disasters. Relying solely on the sturdy and ultra-high anti-theft system of Ming tombs is not enough to keep it from being destroyed for 600 years. At least during the 276 years of Daming's existence, the Ming tombs were protected by Xiaoling Wei.
Xiaolingwei exists to protect the Ming tombs, with more than 5600 people. Under the protection of such a well-trained army, ordinary grave robbers dare not run amok in the Ming tombs.
After the end of the Ming Dynasty, Manchu established political power in the Central Plains. Due to the particularity of Manchu rule, the Ming tombs were protected by the Manchu government.
Manchu was originally a Nuzhen tribe in the northeast of China. After Li Zicheng overthrew the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty made a clean sweep. But they also know that the number of Manchu people is far less than that of the Central Plains, and a big problem they face is how to rule a large number of people.
Moreover, in the early days of Manchu rule, the voice of anti-Qing and restoration of sight was very high, and non-governmental organizations in various places came one after another. In order to win the hearts and minds of the people, Emperor Kangxi once made "three knocks and nine obeisances" in front of the Ming Tombs, and also began to write down the plaque "Governing the Tang and Song Dynasties".
Qianlong followed suit and came to Nanjing to pay homage to Ming Taizu's mausoleum, just to win people's hearts. Even so, it is for these reasons that the Ming tombs were protected in the Qing Dynasty for more than 200 years.
During the Republic of China and after the founding of New China, with the strengthening of people's awareness of cultural relics protection, the Ming Tombs were protected again. Several factors have kept the Ming tombs from being stolen for more than 600 years.
Postscript The Ming Tombs have a history of nearly 30 years from the completion of Hongwu 14 to the completion of Yongle in three years. Both the scale and cost of tombs are the highest in the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, the Ming tombs can last for more than 600 years without being stolen, on the one hand, it is related to the unique geographical location of the tombs, on the other hand, it is also related to the design of the tombs themselves and the anti-theft system.
Another point is that the Ming tombs are related to historical opportunities. Fortunately, in order to win the hearts of the people, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty forcibly protected the Ming tombs for nearly 300 years, which made the Ming tombs pass through the most dangerous period.
Today, the Ming tombs will be protected forever. In the future, our descendants will learn more about the legendary life of Zhu Yuanzhang, the son of Buyi, through the Ming Tombs, which is a valuable asset for us.