A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

At this point, someone in the crowd asked, "Now that the location of the tomb has been determined, why not just dig it up and take a look?"

Su Fan explained, "Discovery does not necessarily mean opening it. The most important thing in archaeology has never been to satisfy momentary curiosity, but to protect. If current technology cannot guarantee that cultural relics will be properly preserved after being unearthed, then leaving them underground is actually a more responsible choice."

After speaking, he looked at the camera again and said, "In official history, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is an imperial mausoleum of unprecedented scale. However, in folk legends, it is described as another world. Some say that the underground palace contains the sun, moon and stars, and rivers, lakes and seas flow endlessly. Others say that the tomb passage is full of traps and crossbows, and those who dare to trespass will never return. There are even legends that the First Qin Emperor still commands an army that will never grow old and will never betray him in the underground."

At this point, Su Fan raised his hand and pointed towards the depths of the museum.

"Legends can't be taken as history, but what's interesting is that more than two thousand years later, people actually discovered an army sleeping underground to the east of his tomb."

The live stream camera slowly turned forward, following the direction of his finger.

Su Fan's voice was also heard by countless viewers through the live broadcast.

"In 221 BC, Qin conquered the six states and completed the unification. The Records of the Grand Historian records that 'the weapons of the world were collected and gathered in Xianyang.' The weapons on the ground were taken away, and the war seemed to be over. However, underground, a military formation modeled after the actual Qin army was quietly taking shape."

"Some people see the Terracotta Army as a continuation of Qin Shi Huang's power during his lifetime, while others believe that they symbolize the imperial guards protecting the imperial tomb. The specific answer is not clearly stated in historical records, nor have the craftsmen left us any explanation. What we can do today is to gradually reconstruct that era through the arrangement, equipment, clothing, and expressions of these terracotta figures."

Xu Wen, standing to the side, looked surprised upon hearing this.

She originally thought that Su Fan's so-called explanation was nothing more than memorizing some dates and data in advance.

However, he did not immediately list the number of terracotta warriors and the area of ​​the pits. Instead, he started with the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, historical records, and folk legends, gradually arousing everyone's curiosity.

As Su Fan walked forward, he continued, "Regarding the disappearance of this underground army, there is a widely circulated folk tale that it was burned down by Xiang Yu. The Records of the Grand Historian does record that Xiang Yu burned down the Qin palaces, but it does not explicitly state that he burned down the Terracotta Army pits. Archaeological discoveries can prove that some of the pits do indeed show signs of burning and destruction. As for who set the fire, history has not left any evidence that can be directly concluded."

"Therefore, official history tells us what happened, unofficial history and legends tell us how later generations imagined that period of history, and archaeology is about finding verifiable answers in layers of soil. These three can be referenced together, but they cannot be confused."

In the live stream, the netizens who were originally prepared to see Su Fan make a fool of himself gradually quieted down.

The group followed Su Fan into the main hall of the No. 1 Pit Ruins.

The enormous terracotta pit unfolded before everyone's eyes, with rows of terracotta warriors facing east, standing neatly in the pit.

After Su Fan and the other photographers took panoramic photos, they said, "Pit No. 1 is 230 meters long from east to west and 62 meters wide from north to south, with an area of ​​14,260 square meters. Based on existing archaeological data, it is estimated that about 6,000 terracotta figurines and terracotta horses are buried in the pit."

Someone asked curiously, "Is this a complete Qin army?"

Su Fan gently shook his head: "To be precise, this is an underground military formation modeled after the Qin army's formation. The three horizontal rows at the east end are usually regarded as the vanguard. There are warrior terracotta warriors facing outwards on the north and south sides and the west end, which serve as wing guards and rear guards. The main force in the middle consists of infantry and chariots."

Su Fan glanced at the comments and saw someone ask, "There were many powerful states during the Warring States period, so why was it the Qin army that ultimately unified China?"

Su Fan didn't answer directly, but instead pointed to the terracotta warriors who remained in a fighting stance: "There's a saying in Xunzi's 'On Military Affairs,' which says, 'The elite soldiers of Wei cannot match the elite soldiers of Qin.' But to explain the Qin army solely by its bravery is to oversimplify the Qin state. The six states never lacked warriors. What's truly terrifying about the Qin army is that Qin turned household registration, land, titles, production, and war into an interlocking system. As Shang Yang's Book says, 'Profits, rewards, and official ranks all stem from the military.' Ordinary people earned military merit through farming and fighting, and military merit was linked to titles, land, and status. Qin didn't simply encourage soldiers to be brave; it tied the individual's chance to change their destiny to the state's war machine."

Someone in the crowd said, "So the six states are facing more than just a group of capable soldiers?"

Su Fan nodded: "They are facing a country that can continuously convert its population, food, weapons, and military merits into combat power."

The group continued forward, and Su Fan introduced each person in turn.

Upon reaching the weapons display case, someone asked, "Are the weapons unearthed here funerary models, or actual weapons that could be used on the battlefield?"

Looking at the bronze weapons in the display case, Su Fan said, "Swords, halberds, spears, daggers, crossbows, and a large number of arrowheads have been unearthed from the Terracotta Army pits. These are not scaled-down models, but weapons manufactured according to actual combat standards. There is a saying in the Lüshi Chunqiu, 'Inscribe the craftsman's name on the object to verify its authenticity.' By leaving information about the craftsmen or managers on the objects, we can trace the responsibility if there are any quality problems."

……

And so, Su Fan led everyone on a tour, explaining as he went.

Viewers in the live stream were gradually shocked by his performance.

At first, many people thought that Su Fan had just memorized a few tour guide scripts in advance.

As the explanation went deeper, everyone discovered that he was not only familiar with the archaeological data of the Terracotta Army, but also had a great command of classics such as the Records of the Grand Historian, Xunzi, and The Book of Lord Shang.

More importantly, he doesn't just mechanically flaunt his knowledge; he connects historical materials, archaeological discoveries, and his own understanding, explaining them in a way that is both profound and easy to understand.

The comments section in the live stream immediately became lively.

"I take back what I said earlier; this isn't the level of skill you can achieve by cramming at the last minute!"

"He quotes Xunzi and Shangjun Shu all the time, and the key is that he doesn't just memorize them; he can match all the content with the artifacts in front of him!"

"A history major student passing by: Su Fan's points were all very rigorous; speculation is speculation, he didn't pass off legends as historical facts!"

"When others introduce the Terracotta Army: 'Look everyone, these terracotta warriors are truly magnificent!' Su Fan introduces the Terracotta Army: 'Come on, let's start by analyzing the organizational capabilities of the Qin Empire from a single arrowhead!'"

"Who was waiting to see him crash and burn? Why are you all silent now?"

"Don't ask, the answer is I'm currently checking the Records of the Grand Historian to see if he's made any mistakes!"

"I've finished checking, and I couldn't find anything to criticize. Instead, I jotted down two pages of notes!"

"My mom just asked me why I was watching a travel livestream with a notebook. I told her it wasn't a travel program, it was an open history lesson!"

"I suggest history teachers broadcast the live stream directly into the classroom; it's much more interesting than just reading from the textbook!"

……