Chapter 242: A Perfect Match

Hearing that it was Huang Zhifeng's voice, everyone gathered around.

Lin Sicheng simply turned on the speakerphone:

"Teacher Lin, we first tested the auxiliary samples from the coke soil layer; the content value (C14) is 1200±50 (years)!"

"Afterward, we tested the kiln sweat; the last time it was subjected to heat was in the range of 1150—1200 years ago..."

"Preliminary speculation is that the coke and the kiln sweat belong to the same period, which should be over 1150 years ago..."

Suddenly, Tan Wu's heart skipped a beat.

1150 years ago, what time was that?

Around the year 950, the end of the Five Dynasties period.

But this was only the last time the kiln sweat was subjected to heat, which is equivalent to the time the kiln was abandoned. The construction time would be even earlier. If calculated as 1200 years, that would still be the end of the Tang Dynasty.

Another report could also confirm this point: the C14 content value of the auxiliary samples in the same cultural layer as the coke was 1200 years, indicating that the kilns in these two superimposed cultural layers were both Tang Dynasty ruins.

High-temperature kilns of the Tang Dynasty, coke of the Tang Dynasty?

Even though he had been mentally prepared, upon hearing the test results, Tan Wu's heart still jumped several times.

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Secretary-General Tan, this is just a preliminary speculation; further excavation and testing are still needed. Secondly, both C14 and thermoluminescence have margins of error, at least forty or fifty years or more; if things go wrong, both cultural layers might belong to the early Song Dynasty."

That would still be enough.

If speaking in terms of the earliest coking ruins in China, this would be one hundred and fifty or sixty years earlier than the late Song Dynasty ruins at Guantai in Handan, Hebei.

If viewed from the perspective of the "earliest coke-type porcelain kiln in China," it is a full five hundred years earlier than the Ming Dynasty Chenghua ruins discovered at the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln.

Consequently, the discovery here not only overturns two archaeological conclusions but is also a major discovery excavated for the first time in the country. For Hejin, which is located in the northwest and is only a small county-level city, what a huge bonus this is?

Tan Wu exhaled forcefully, pondering how to report this to the leaders.

After a short rest, several teams started working one after another. At about five o'clock, Tian Jie discovered a Half-down-flame Mantou Kiln at the edge of a terraced field about one hundred meters northeast of the third position.

Another hour later, Gao Zhangyi found a Waste Porcelain Pit to the southwest of the third position.

Looking at the Fine White Porcelain fragments in the drill pipe, the group's eyes lit up.

……

The floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the morning light, and the air was filled with the bitter, charred aroma of Kuding tea.

Monday, nine o'clock, government regular meeting.

With about ten minutes left, the leaders entered the conference room one after another.

The Mayor would likely take a while longer, so the Executive Vice Mayor took a pack of cigarettes and passed them around to everyone.

Jiang Chengying did not smoke and was writing and drawing on paper with a pen. Cui Guo, sitting next to him, took a glance.

Several angled symbols were connected together to represent mountains, with three water-character patterns in the middle representing a river. Below that, he used triangles for Annotation, writing a few place names here and there.

"Lao Yaotou, Shen Mansion... Beiwuqin, Tang Dynasty... Guzhen, Song Dynasty?" Cui Guo praised, "Tsk, Mayor Jiang, quite diligent, aren't you?"

Jiang Chengying paused.

Using a word like "diligent" here was somewhat inappropriate; it was mostly teasing, and even carried a bit of mockery.

Cui Guo was in charge of culture, broadcasting, archives, and other work, and departments like Cultural Relics, archaeology, and local chronicles were all under his purview, yet the survey of the Hejin Ancient Kiln was ultimately put in charge of Jiang Chengying?

No matter who it was replaced with, they would have thoughts.

But this could not be blamed on anyone: two weeks ago, the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Archaeological Institute reported that there might be Luanbai Jade ancient kiln ruins in Hejin, and the two levels of leadership held a special meeting.

At the time, Cui Guo felt: these two were the most "clear-water" of the "clear-water" departments, usually having very low presence. Just a little movement and they were making a fuss; this was clearly just coming out to boost their own presence.

If you want to boost your presence, that's fine, but alarmism and deliberate exaggeration were going a bit too far: a craft lost for hundreds of years, the people of Shanxi couldn't restore it, but the people of Shaanxi could? Are you kidding me?

Not to mention anything else, the ruins are in Shanxi, right? If we don't excavate them, could the "Old Shaanxi" people dig them out themselves?

Without specimens, without traces of the craft, what would he use to conduct Artifact Research?

Therefore, during the discussion at the time, Cui Guo's suggestion was to survey where it should be surveyed and excavate where it should be excavated. If the city didn't have enough manpower, apply to the province. If you can't find it in a year, look for a few more years.

If you invite people from Shaanxi, isn't that just exposing your own shortcomings and airing your dirty laundry?

But Jiang Chengying's opinion was diametrically opposed: in terms of the number of ruins, the two provinces were about the same. But in terms of archaeological standards and ruin protection, Shaanxi was slightly stronger.

And this was recognized: Shaanxi has many tombs, and each one requires surveying and searching. Shanxi has many surface ruins and few tombs, so there is not much that needs to be dug from underground.

Moreover, relatively speaking, the protection measures over in Shaanxi were slightly more adequate. Here, it was just left to be baked by the sun and drenched by the rain.

Therefore, it is not shameful to be less skilled than others, and it is even less shameful to invite others.

Furthermore, General Engineer Shui has been engaged in ceramic archaeology and industrial ceramic research for over sixty years; no one in the province can compare to his understanding of the distribution of ruins in the province and the current status of the provincial ceramic industry.

What he says would never be deliberately exaggerated or alarmist.

The two expressed their own views, neither could convince the other, and in the end, it was put to a vote: if they should be invited, then invite them.

Naturally, this matter was placed in the charge of Jiang Chengying.

Vice Mayor Jiang was very proactive, personally taking a trip to Taiyuan to visit Shui Jisheng. Then, he invited the Person in Charge and Experts from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Archaeological Institute to form a group and run to Xijing.

By the time he returned, it was already a week later. The city held another meeting, and hearing Jiang Chengying mention the negotiation process with Xijing, Cui Guo remained unimpressed: with these conditions, inviting an Expert from Beijing would have been enough. As a result, they just invited a kid from Xijing?

He had seen the materials: that kid was certainly professional, but what he was professional in was only Cultural Relics appraisal and Artifact Restoration, while this time it involved archaeological surveying and the restoration of industrial techniques.

To tell the truth: no matter how learned or all-around one is, don't they need time to learn?

Twenty-one years old? Even if he started from his mother's womb, how much could he have learned?

Therefore, Cui Guo had been watching coldly from the sidelines.

Jiang Chengying was also aware of this and had been keeping his spirits up.

Seeing him not speaking, Cui Guo laughed: "As the saying goes, different professions are like mountains apart; Mayor Jiang really does need to be a bit more diligent."

Jiang Chengying nodded and closed his notebook: "In learning, there is no order of priority; in skills, there is specialization. I can't compare to Mayor Cui!"

"I wouldn't call it specialization, but I have always been in charge of this area, so I know a little more than Mayor Jiang. To be honest, one week is more than enough to check information and make a plan. But it's been almost ten days, and there's still no movement from Hejin; it wouldn't be stuck, would it?"

"But that shouldn't be, right? General Engineer Shui thinks so highly of him, and Mayor Jiang is even more full of praise; that Teacher Lin must have something extraordinary about him. Besides, there are ruin discoveries (White Glazed Bowl), and there is the Old Kiln Head Ruins as a reference; there must be ruins at Beiwuqin. Not to mention whether they are easy to find or not, shouldn't you start looking first?"

"Not to mention anything else, the thirty-some people who came from Xijing, their weekly food, wages, and subsidies add up to tens of thousands!"

Cui Guo flicked his cigarette ash, a smile on his face, "Of course, it's just a suggestion. If Mayor Jiang minds, just pretend I didn't say anything!"

The others were all stunned in unison, their expressions turning strange: They're fighting?

In truth, these two had never really gotten along. It was just that before, it was under the table; this time, because of the Hejin Ancient Kiln, it was brought directly out into the open.

Jiang Chengying didn't care either: "Mayor Cui, it's only been a week, what's the rush?"

Cui Guo gave a thumbs-up, a double entendre: "Still Mayor Jiang who can keep his cool!"

Jiang Chengying just smiled and said nothing more.

The others, however, looked disappointed: Being needled by Old Cui like that, and he didn't even take the bait?

Old Cui wasn't wrong; Old Jiang really could keep his cool...

Just as they were secretly pondering, footsteps came from the doorway, and the Mayor entered the conference room with his secretary.

"Sorry, I just took a call!"

After offering an explanation, Lan Zean felt the atmosphere wasn't quite right and subconsciously paused.

Scanning left and right, looking at the expressions of his colleagues, he suddenly guessed seven or eight-tenths of it: Old Cui stirring up trouble again?

You don't want to do the work, so of course, you have to arrange for someone else to do it. Once someone else does it, you're afraid they'll do it well... Old Cui, what kind of mentality is this?

The problem is, even if you want to stir up trouble, could you at least ask around first?

Now look, a slap right to your own face...

Secretly changing his train of thought, Lan Zean opened the document with an expressionless face: "Before we start the meeting, I have an announcement. Just now, Hejin called to report: Yesterday, the Archaeology Team conducted a trial survey in Beiwuqin, Senglou, and discovered three porcelain kiln ruins..."

"Preliminary testing shows one is a late Tang Dynasty Half-down-flame Horseshoe Kiln, and the other two are overlapping relics, both being Down-flame Cave Kilns from the late Tang to Five Dynasties period..."

Everyone was stunned in unison, instinctively turning their heads to look at Jiang Chengying, then at Cui Guo.

The former was indifferent, the same as he was before. The latter looked as if he had been stunned, suddenly frozen.

Three of them, and Tang Dynasty ruins at that, how is that possible?

The key is, yesterday was only the trial survey.

You don't do field visits, you don't do environmental research, and you just go straight to surveying?

Surveying is one thing, but in just one day, you found three of them?

If anyone else had said this, Cui Guo would definitely have sneered three times: This is archaeology, do you think it's eating or drinking, something you can do just by flapping your lips?

In just one day, if you could finish understanding the terrain, finish the mapping, and draw the blueprints, you'd be praised for being fast.

But, Hejin dared to call the Mayor directly to report it; could this matter be fake?

As these thoughts turned, Cui Guo's face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

No wonder no matter how much he needled him, this son of a bitch wouldn't take the bait?

Was it possible he received the news last night and was deliberately waiting for me to step into a trap and make a fool of myself?

Instantly, a surge of evil fire rushed to his head: Jiang Chengying, I'll screw your mother...

Cui Guo, with a red face, suppressed his anger: "Mayor Jiang knew?"

"I knew!" Jiang Chengying nodded, "Before coming to the conference room, I received a call from Professor Wang (Wang Qi Zhi). I didn't dare believe it at the time, so I specifically asked General Engineer Shui, and I was preparing to report to the Mayor after the meeting..."

So, you dug a pit for me?

Cursing Jiang Chengying's ancestors to the eighteenth generation in his heart, Cui Guo gritted his teeth: You old schemer, you just wait!

Before he could even swallow his breath properly, Lan Zean unscrewed his thermos and took a sip.

"Besides that, in the central area of the two overlapping ruins, coking coal was also discovered... Yesterday afternoon, we first did the testing at the Municipal Museum, fearing errors, so we sent it to the province overnight. Then, General Engineer Shui personally led the team to test it, and the two test reports are basically consistent."

"So it can be preliminarily determined that the Jiaomei Sample discovered in Beiwuqin dates from the late Tang to Five Dynasties period... From this, it is inferred that Hejin had mastered relatively mature coking technology during the late Tang and Five Dynasties period and applied it to firing porcelain..."

What is it, coking coal?

Most of those present were laymen, but even if they didn't understand, they at least knew what the concept of "discovering Tang Dynasty coke" meant.

They knew even better what discovering relevant ruins within their jurisdiction meant.

For a time, they looked at one another, every face filled with disbelief.

Cui Guo's face was dark.

Damn it, he had lost face big time.

Just that scene from a moment ago, just those words he said, if they got out, he could be the laughingstock of the city for two years.

But compared to that, losing face didn't even count for a hair: The survey of the Hejin Ancient Kiln was supposed to be his responsibility, but now it was that guy surnamed Jiang's?

Wouldn't that be more uncomfortable than eating shit?

He gritted his teeth, struggling to calm his mood: "Mayor, they only used one day... to find three Kiln Furnaces and fuel?"

"Not just Kiln Furnaces, but also Porcelain Clay Piles, Washing Pools, and Waste Pits; it's equivalent to the four core facilities of a porcelain kiln ruin, none are missing! The rest is just digging..."

Lan Zean nodded: "Actually, after I finished the call, I couldn't quite believe it either, so I specifically called to verify it with Division Chief Ren of the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau."

In his words, watching that Engineer Lin do archaeology made him feel like his ten-plus years of schooling were in vain, and his twenty-plus years of archaeology were wasted: no visits, no research, no mapping, not even a trial survey.

He just observed the terrain, drew a simple sketch, and let the Archaeology Team use the Exploration Probe according to the map. Then, whatever was drawn on the map was what was under the ground... It was as if those ruins were built and buried by that Engineer Lin himself, right before his eyes..."

Pausing slightly, Lan Zean sighed: "Miraculous skill!"

With a "buzz" in his brain, Cui Guo's face felt like it had been covered by a sock, numb and stiff.

The first time, when that kid found the Old Kiln Head Ruins, he had asked Liu Ming (Deputy Museum Curator of the Municipal Museum). At the time, Liu Ming had said exactly this: Miraculous skill, unbelievable.

It was said that the kid acted as if he knew that was where the Kiln Furnace was; he poked the Exploration Probe down, and it hit a pile of Wood Ash.

He had scoffed at it back then: If he were really that miraculous, he wouldn't have spent half a month wandering around blindly without finding a single hair.

It was just luck.

So, when Jiang Chengying said at the meeting that he wanted to go and invite that kid personally, Cui Guo felt it was quite funny: Mayor Jiang, rather than relying on luck, why not go and have your fortune told?

But now?

Thinking back, such a great achievement, wasn't it something he had pushed away with his own hands?

Cui Guo wished he could slap himself twice.

Dazed and confused, Cui Guo didn't remember a single word of the hour-and-a-half meeting.

His mind was filled with four words: How is it possible... how is it possible?

Barely managing to wait until the meeting adjourned, Cui Guo didn't even leave the conference room before calling Ren Xinbo on the spot.

The first time it wasn't answered, the second time it still wasn't answered, and by the third time, Ren Xinbo hung up and sent a text message: Mayor Cui, the Bureau Chief is in a meeting.

Cui Guo's heart stirred, and he composed and sent a message: Division Chief Ren, what meeting is it?

Ren Xinbo: The Beiwuqin Tang Dynasty Porcelain Kiln Site Excavation Seminar.

Cui Guo: Haven't you already found the core site? What else is there to discuss? Wouldn't it be better to just dig?

Ren Xinbo: This isn't just some small kiln that you can dig whenever you want. The department leaders' intention is to discuss it first; if that really doesn't work, we'll submit a report upward and ask the National Cultural Heritage Administration for support...

Submitting a report upward—just how high-level must this site be?

Thinking back to his "reserved opinion" during the initial vote, Cui Guo felt the world go black, and it sounded like thunder was exploding in his ears, booming, booming, booming.

……

After the meeting at the department in the morning, without even taking a break at noon, the department leaders headed straight for Hejin.

The meeting was arranged at the City Government building; there were many people, and the protocol was very high: leaders from both the Hejin and city levels. Besides Jiang Chengying from the city, the Municipal Party Committee also delegated the Secretary-General to attend.

There were even more from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau; a Deputy Bureau Chief came, and under them, the persons in charge of the Technology Division, Cultural Relics Management Division, Cultural Heritage Management Division, Archaeological Research Institute, Cultural Heritage Protection Research Institute, Cultural Heritage Planning Research Institute, Cultural Heritage Survey and Protection Research Institute... and so on, all came.

There were also the Industry Department, the Culture Department, and Shui Jisheng, who had been specially invited.

They were either gray-haired or had white at their temples; Ren Xinbo was forty-five this year and was considered young among them.

Therefore, Wang Qi Zhi and Lin Sicheng, sandwiched in the middle, were exceptionally conspicuous. At the same time, they were the most eye-catching.

Nearly half of them, no, perhaps more than half, had previously held the same thought as Mayor Cui: What is YC City thinking, refusing to use their own people and insisting on inviting a greenhorn from another province?

What was even harder to understand was that the provincial departments—Cultural Relics, Culture, and Industry—actually unanimously agreed.

Shanxi is so big; is there really no one left?

Later, they found out that this matter was pushed by General Engineer Shui. But even so, many people were still half-doubting at the time.

Until yesterday, and this morning.

Just like before Lin Sicheng and Wang Qi Zhi arrived, General Engineer Shui said bluntly: True gold fears no fire; if it's a mule or a horse, take it out for a walk.

And don't just give it a day, give you a week, oh no... half a month, can you do it?

No one spoke.

Whether half a month is enough is one thing, but just look at Lin Sicheng's method: no research, no visits, not even an exploration plan, not even a ground-penetrating survey map?

He came, walked around, and used the most ancient method: looking at the mountains, looking at the water, looking at the terrain?

He didn't use any high-tech equipment, no resistance, no geomagnetism; after walking a circle, he drew a grid map and then used a probe.

As for this method and procedure, which was so crude it couldn't be cruder, and was almost like a joke or a formality, they hadn't even heard of it, let alone seen it.

And the result?

He drew three maps in total; Lin Sicheng said where the raw material area was, and the raw material area was there. He said where the Kiln Furnace was, and the Kiln Furnace was there.

And the most incomprehensible point is this: since it is the first discovery even in the country, this kiln is equivalent to the first one in the world, right?

Then how did Lin Sicheng know what the outside of this kiln looked like, and what the structure inside was like?

Even down to the exact detail?

Really, it wasn't just Ren Xinbo who thought this: compared to Lin Sicheng, it felt like ten-plus years of schooling had gone to the dogs. Have I been slacking off for twenty years of archaeology?

Amidst these sighs, the meeting proceeded in an orderly manner.

Whether it was the Bureau Chief or Mayor Jiang, they were all very polite to Lin Sicheng... no, to be precise, it should be respect.

For every topic, the two would consult Lin Sicheng's opinion. Lin Sicheng generally didn't express an opinion, but as long as he spoke, it was basically all adopted.

Lin Sicheng suggested: A major epoch-making discovery must certainly be reported to higher-level departments, but Shanxi's archaeological exploration level is in the country's first tier; with the Cultural Relics Bureau's Archaeological Institute as the lead, and various relevant units assisting, it is completely sufficient to excavate the Beiwuqin Site.

At the same time, the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau's Cultural Heritage Institute and Planning Institute can form a research team with Xida to explore and research together, creating a new model of integrating institutes and schools.

It is even possible to unite the Humanities College and History College of Shanxi University to attempt deep interdisciplinary research.

In plain language: whether it's excavation or research, our own strength is enough; there's no need to invite outside help. Otherwise, just the leadership rights alone could lead to endless arguing.

If you must invite someone, you should invite your own people, such as Xida.

When Lin Sicheng said this at the time, it wasn't that no one thought: Xida is Shaanxi's Xida, how did it become "our own people" with Shanxi?

A colleague next to him explained, and he understood: finding three kilns in one day, the leader's head wasn't kicked by a donkey; of course, the subsequent exploration would still be led by the "Xida Cultural Relic Restoration Center Yuncheng Sub-center."

With this as a link, Xida naturally counts as "our own people."

The key is that Xida is an academic educational institution and does not involve regional or political factors; even if all the teachers and students of the entire Cultural Relics and Museology College were invited to help, it would not cause any negative impact.

And there is an even better part, which is the new model of integrating institutes and schools and deep interdisciplinary research proposed by Lin Sicheng: it integrates resources, strengthens research power, and provides a new direction for school education, talent cultivation, and selection.

To put it bluntly: there are many key universities in Shanxi, but archaeology and cultural relics are a blank slate. Therefore, relatively speaking, the level of academic education, research, and talent cultivation in cultural relics is slightly inferior.

We can take this opportunity to realize university cooperation, mutual employment of personnel, and even resource sharing.

It doesn't need to be long; in three to five years, I dare not speak for science, but there is no problem at all in building a full-discipline undergraduate major in archaeology for the liberal arts at Shanxi University.

Look, in this way, there are people for archaeology, people for research, and aren't there also people for test pits and surface scraping (low technical content)?

But this is secondary; the key is: if this really succeeds, whether it's Xida or Shanxi University, their influence can immediately jump to a higher level.

When Lin Sicheng finished speaking at the time, the eyes of the Bureau Chief and several leaders immediately lit up.

Wang Qi Zhi was so impressed he wanted to applaud.

Will Xida come?

It may involve a major discovery of "tracing the industrial genes of Chinese civilization and rewriting global technical history," and the main person in charge is a student from their own school; only a fool wouldn't come.

Is Shanxi University willing to cooperate?

At most a few years, and they can build a new discipline, and it's guided by the second-ranked key institution in the country; only someone with a sick brain wouldn't cooperate.

What do you call this?

A meeting of minds.

What Wang Qi Zhi admires is that Lin Sicheng can not only think of it, but also carry it out.

Look, that problem He Zhigang was worried about the day before yesterday, hasn't it been solved?