When you mention Gansu, you may immediately think of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, which is famous both at home and abroad, as well as the spectacular scenery such as the desert and the Yellow River. Apart from this, you may not be able to think of more tourist attractions at the moment. But in recent years, a little-known village in Gansu has attracted tourists and scholars. For a time, archaeological excavations and academic research were carried out in this mysterious village. Being in it feels like being in a foreign country. This mysterious village is located in Yongchang County, Gansu Province. The locals call it "Zhe Lai Village". There is perennial drought and little rain here, and the desertification phenomenon is very serious, which makes the originally barren land look even more desolate. From a distance, "Zhe Lai Village" is nestled closely under the rolling Qilian Mountains. Like other villages in western China, the adobe houses made of rammed clay make up the entire village. Other than that, there is nothing visible at all. Find out what’s so special about it! So, what attracts the attention of many scholars? Guan Heng is a researcher at the Liqian Cultural Research Institute of Gansu Province. More than ten years ago, when he entered Zhe Lai Village, he was attracted by the strange scene here. He found that most of the villagers in Zhe Lai Village had brown or yellow hair and blue or gray eyes. Although It may not seem very obvious, but upon closer inspection you will find that they are fundamentally different from the local Han compatriots with black hair and black eyes! The appearance of the villagers in Zhelai Village still makes many people think that they do not look like Chinese, and entering Zhelai Village will also give people the feeling of being in a foreign country! However, when I opened the villager's household registration book, I saw records indicating that my ancestral home was Gansu and my ethnic origin was Han. What on earth is going on? If they are really Han Chinese, why are they different from other people? Chen Zhengyi, a professor of history at Lanzhou University, also said: "This is a very strange phenomenon. I often accompany some foreign guests to visit, and they find it very funny. They say how did our fellow villagers end up in Gansu? They look like Westerners. Although they speak in Yongchang dialect, foreign guests find it very interesting. "Why are they different from others?" Guan Heng was puzzled, but he believed that there must be some unknown secret hidden behind these strange villagers in Zhe Laizhai. In order to uncover the mystery of the appearance of the villagers in Zhelai Village, they conducted extensive visits and investigations in Zhelai Village. An ancient city from the Western Han Dynasty was discovered in the village. Who could these villagers be? Mysterious questions stumped Guan Heng and Chen Zhengyi, but just when their research was in trouble, Guan Heng and Chen Zhengyi made an unexpected discovery. They discovered a large-scale building site in Zhelaizhai. Experts identified it as an ancient city from the Western Han Dynasty. The discovery of the ancient city ruins made Guan Heng and Chen Zhengyi even more confused. How could the ancient city ruins appear in the small Zhelaizhai? And what kind of city is this city site? Could it be related to these strange villagers? Unable to provide an answer, Guan Heng and Chen Zhengyi decided to find another way to find clues about this ancient city from historical records. Sure enough, a record in the history books caught their attention! It turns out that the "Book of Han" recorded an important clue about the army in foreign lands. In 36 BC, Chen Tang of the Western Han Dynasty led his army to attack the Xiongnu, and a battle began in Zhizhi City. During the battle, the soldiers of the Western Han Dynasty discovered that the Huns had sent a very strange-looking army, and they also set up a "fish scales" formation. , to resist the attack of the Western Han Dynasty army. After carefully reviewing a large number of historical documents about the ancient Roman army, Guan Heng and Chen Zhengyi believed that the fish scale formation mentioned in the "Book of Han" was a unique combat method of the ancient Roman army. At this time, Guan Heng and Chen Zhengyi suddenly realized that the villagers in Zhe Laizhai liked to make Niubi steamed buns and play bullfighting games. Many countries in the Mediterranean region also worship cattle and like to play games such as bullfighting, and the ancient Romans also had the same custom.
So, could these strange villagers in Zhe Lai Village be the descendants of the ancient Roman soldiers brought back by Chen Tang? How could the ancient Roman legions come to China? Guan Heng made a bold guess, but questions mercilessly impacted his imagination like turbulent waves. Because ancient Rome and China were thousands of miles apart, how could the ancient Roman legions come to China? What about coming to China? And why did they appear in the Huns' military formation? Chen Zhengyi and Guan Heng believe that the First Legion of Ancient Rome fought its way out of the eastern defense line of the Parthian army. Since their route back home was blocked, they had no choice but to flee eastward, which was likely to enter the area controlled by the Huns. , in desperation, they succumbed to the Huns and became mercenaries of the Huns. This became the possibility that Chen Tang would later capture them and take them back to the Western Han Dynasty! According to the "Book of Han" records, shortly after Chen Tang brought these prisoners of war back to the Western Han Dynasty, a county called "Liqian" suddenly appeared on the territory of the Western Han Dynasty, and "Liqian" was the Western Han Dynasty's attack on ancient Rome. title, are the prisoners of war brought back by Chen Tang really ancient Romans? Guan Heng and Chen Zhengyi found such a record in the county annals of Yongchang County, "In the south of present-day Liangzhou County of Yongchang County, the county was originally settled by the people of Liqian." This shows that the establishment of Liqian County is closely related to the prisoners of war of the ancient Roman legions. connect. According to historical records, Liqian County was established at the foot of Zhaomian Mountain in the south of Panhe County, and Zhaomian Mountain is the Qilian Mountain that is closely adjacent to Zhelaizhai, and Panhe County is also today's Yongchang County. This shows that it is recorded in the history books Liqian County is located in Zhelaizhai. The mystery of the appearance of the villagers has been revealed. The discovery of the ancient city of Liqian excites experts because it can prove that a group of ancient Roman soldiers were indeed stationed in Zhelaizhai more than 2,000 years ago, and these strange villagers in Zhelaizhai are probably those ancient people. Descendants of Roman soldiers. However, time flies by, and 2000 years have passed with the wind. Regrettably, Liqian County, which was established for the ancient Romans, has long ceased to exist in the changes of history, and those Liqian people have not left any trace. About their records, only their descendants are left, telling the world a confusing and legendary story in the long river of history! Now Guan Heng and Chen Zhengyi have come to the conclusion that these strange villagers in Zhe Lai Village are probably the descendants of the ancient Roman legions that disappeared in history. Today, the villagers in Zhe Lai Village can finally stop worrying about their looks. The questions that have remained in their hearts for thousands of years have finally been answered. More importantly, the questions that have troubled the Chinese and Western historians for many years have been answered. The mystery has been solved since then!
(According to "Science and Technology Daily" report)