ANYANG, Henan - Archaeologists were surprised at the severity of destruction to a tomb believed to belong to General Cao Cao, a legendary warlord of the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280), when they conducted their latest excavation on Saturday to mark Chinese Cultural Heritage Day.

During the excavation, which was broadcast live by China Central Television, a ninth stone stele engraved with characters showing the name of a weapon used by the general was unearthed from the No 2 tomb.

The stele's upper part was noticeably absent.