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Caption: Memoirs of a Soldier The Terracotta Soldiers of
Xi'an, China
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Caption: This is the true tale of
a Terracotta Soldier.
Maybe.
Caption: Those days of the Qin dynasty were very exciting times. The Emperor had just completed a massive wall, to keep out his enemies, and was in the process of creating the largest, grandest mausoleum
in the world.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang was the very first emperor of China. Why? Because he declared it so! Believe me, when I say, no one was going to argue with him. Those that did, had a way of ending up in a shallow grave.
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Caption: Despite the danger that abound in that year of 215 BC, I was very excited to join the Emperor's army. It was absolutely amazing!
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Caption: Over 8,000 soldiers outfitted with the finest weaponry, sharply honed bronze swords, battle axes, spears and cross bows. The emperor had an infantry, and a cavalry with muscular horses pulling the finest chariots.
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Caption: However, it didn't take long, before we heard grumbling amongst the troops.
We were told to wait for our orders in battlefield formation in the trenches.
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Caption: Those orders never came, and the Emperor died before his great mausoleum was completed.
The trenches where we waited were soon covered with thatch, and layers of earth. Our top priority was silence.
So we waited and waited. Then one day, we heard scrapings above us, and we saw daylight, for the first time in over 2,200 years.
It was 1974, and everything
had changed.
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Caption: The great mausoleum was completely covered with grass and trees,
and blended into the landscape.
There were people scurrying around, examining every square
inch of the complex.
It appeared our enemies had found us.
But, we knew what we had to do. Silence had been our friend for such a long time.
Our faces become stoic, our expressions hard and we never again uttered a word.
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Caption: If you are curious, you can come visit us. We still guard over our Emperor, in Xi'an, China. You can even take home a souvenir if you wish.
But don't ask any questions,
because we'll never tell.
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Caption: 完成
©DonnaKeele.2015
#timeisonmyside
#travel
#china #terracottasoldiers