The origin of the battle of axles: the crystal seal of Liu Yuliang, the first deputy commander in chief of the Ming Dynasty

There is a group of relics of Liu Yuliang, the first assistant in the late Ming Dynasty, in Hall 3 of Mianzhu Museum in Sichuan. Including crystal seal, jade unicorn incense burner, seven lotus jade plate, crystal pot and jade peach. As the key cultural relics of the museum, they are placed in a conspicuous position in the exhibition hall. Among them, the tripartite crystal seal is the most special, which accurately reflects the information of these cultural relics. Here, the author mainly talks about some of the seals.

I. Seal owner Liu Yuliang

There are two prime ministers in Mianzhu history, one is Zhang Jun, a famous gold fighter in Southern Song Dynasty, and the other is Liu Yuliang, the first assistant of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty. Relatively speaking, Liu Yuliang's reputation is not as good as that of Zhang Jun, but its relics and deeds are widely spread in Mianzhu, and its popularity is far above that of Zhang Jun, and the legend of Liu Yuliang is well known to all women and children in Mianzhu. In Mianzhu, Liu Yuliang is often called "Liu Tianguan". The existing Guandi Temple, Jingu Palace and other ancient buildings in Mianzhu are all related to Liu Yuliang. In Zundao Town, Mianzhu, there is another legend that Liu Yuliang was once the "Happy Valley" of the military academy. According to Mianzhu County Records, Emperor Chongzhen once built a stone archway in front of his mansion "Tianguanfu" to show his loyalty because of Liu Yuliang's voluntary bid. The archway is tall and magnificent, and the words "Please join the first and second" are printed on the forehead. Unfortunately, the archway was demolished at 1958.

According to historical records, Liu Yuliang lived in Mianzhu and was born in an official family. His father Liu Yanling served as imperial edict in Jiayu County, Huguang County and Xuancheng County, and as magistrate in Guihua County, Yunnan Province. He is upright and upright, and has made great contributions. When leaving office, "the old ministers fell to the ground and made a fortune as soon as they got married." He was listed as a national sage by county annals in all previous dynasties. Liu Yanling has three sons. The eldest son, Liu Yuyang, was originally from Shao Qing, Taichang Temple, Nanbei Road, Hanzhong, Shaanxi. The second son, Liu Yulie, served as assistant minister of the Ministry of War, assistant minister of the official department and governor of Shaanxi, and later died in the frontier. Liu Yuliang is the youngest son of Liu Yanling and the most accomplished son. Have both ability and political integrity since childhood. According to the county records, his poems are beautiful and his calligraphy is vigorous and powerful. Wanli was a scholar in forty-seven years, and later transferred to the right assistant minister of the official department. Chongzhen served as the minister of rites for ten years, entered the cabinet, and served as a clerk for eleven years. 1642, was exempted from official duties by Emperor Chongzhen and returned to his hometown. Later, Tianguan died in his hometown of Mianzhu.

There are different views on Liu Yuliang in the world. The mainstream view holds that he is "fishing for fame, running away from the enemy, reneging on his word and playing with the national constitution", but some people think that he is "honest and upright as an official, fearless in times of crisis, and brave in rapids". But the reason why the world has these views is mostly based on the interpretation of official records. As we all know, when writing the history of the former dynasty, the history books of later generations often add subjective colors, not to mention Liu Yuliang, the official who bears the brunt. The excavation of Liu Yuliang's relics plays an extremely important role in judging Liu Yuliang's character, supplementing history and proving history.

Second, about the seal.

1July, 1999, when the old city of Dabei Street in Mianzhu City was rebuilt, Liu Yuliang's relics were found at1.2m underground. They were packed in a wooden box and had rotted when they were unearthed. The excavation site should be Liu Yuliang's residence "Tianguan Mansion" in Ming Dynasty. According to its unearthed state, someone should have deliberately buried it here. It seems that we can guess that in the turbulent era of the late Ming Dynasty, when Mianzhu City was broken, Liu Yuliang's descendants artificially preserved their belongings, packed them in wooden boxes in a hurry and buried them underground in the old house. However, more than 300 years later,

The second seal "Kirin's New Restoration Party Seal", made of crystal, stands on a square block and hollows out Kirin's hoof. Kirin is exquisitely carved and full of hair and beard. Looking back, it's quite magnificent. The knife is 8.5cm high, the button is 5cm high, and the printing surface is 6.46.4cm. The seal script of Zhuwen is printed "Fu Yuan Seeking the National Purpose".

This seal records 1637. After the Qing army entered the Great Wall from the East Gate, it burned and looted. If it's nobody's business, it's that the Ming army is losing ground. The Qing army sank deeper and deeper in Hebei, Shandong and other places, posing a serious threat to the capital. People inside and outside the capital were in panic, and Liu Yuliang personally visited the troops stationed in Beijing and the defenses inside and outside the city gate day and night. When the capital was in crisis, Liu Yuliang wrote to Emperor Chongzhen and volunteered to supervise the war of resistance, even though he would bear the risk of failure. At this time, Liu Yuliang had to say that he was loyal to the people and the country. Liu Yuliang carved this deed into a seal, showing his pride in "voluntary service", and his loyalty and patriotism were beyond words. However, the record of his "fleeing the enemy" in Ming History should be suspicious, or there are other reasons, otherwise Liu Yuliang will not show off his "invitation" to the world, at least not make a beautiful seal. Zhao Dunyi, a poet in the Qing Dynasty, praised: "Liu Yuqiang, you wish. It's hard at home. I'm a veteran and I'm used to it. If you don't work hard, you will be troubled by many problems. A rogue is as strong as lightning. Talk about a trip and be by your side. Longxi, Taiwan Province hosted a banquet. Fire and water save the Central Plains and give commercial housing construction. "

The third seal is "Qiaoniuzi Yin Chang", which is crystal clear and plain. The height of the whole device is 2 cm, and the printing surface is 2.52.5 cm. Printing Zhu Wen seal script Zi Chang. This seal should be printed casually, and the word "Zi Chang" also represents a leisurely life state and pursuit. This seal can also reflect Liu Yuliang's pursuit of a quiet life after leaving office and returning to China. Not being overjoyed by being removed from office reflects the maturity of a politician.

Historical relics have been truly restored, and Liu Yuliang was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown to live a leisurely life. However, the country was ruined, and internal and external troubles made the old minister tired and sick and died in his mansion. To his death, he was still proud of "Fu Yuanzhi's enlistment" and begged his name to go down in history. However, "History of Ming Dynasty" didn't get what it wanted, sketching out one record after another to escape from the ice and seek fame. Through further research on Liu Yuliang's relics, it is believed that his reputation of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism should be returned, and these relics should also be used as precious materials to supplement history.