The epitaph of Lady Wang of Zhou Taiyuan unearthed in MengXian County, Henan
World of Cultural Relics, No. 05, 2002, Xing Xintian
In June 1996, on a terrace called "Beiqiling" 1.5 kilometers south of the village of Dasongzhuang in Mengxian County, Henan Province, an ancient tomb of Zhou Xiande was excavated at a construction site of a unit of the People's Liberation Army. The tomb has been stolen in many places, and only one epitaph was found on the east side of the tomb entrance, which is very precious.
The epitaph is bluestone, slightly square in shape, and consists of two parts: Zhi Gai and Zhi Shi. Zhi gai is top-shaped, the plane side length is 6 2.5 cm, the side width is 60.5 cm, the side thickness is 4 cm, the top thickness is 11 cm; the top surface of the Zhi Gai is also slightly square, the plane length is 37.5 cm, the width is 36.5 cm, and the yin carved seal book "Tomb of the Wang Clan of Taiyuan County in Zhou Dynasty" nine characters; the four brake lines are engraved with the four gods pattern, the west side of the green dragon, the east side of the white tiger, the upper Xuanwu, the lower Suzaku, and the two or five flowing clouds are also carved below the four gods.
The stone is slightly square in plan, measuring 61.5 cm long, 58 cm wide and 15.5 cm thick. On the plane, there are 28 lines of vertical letters, 29 words in full line, and individual words may not be clearly seen by thieves. The full text is reproduced as follows:
Therefore, the epitaph of Lady Wang of Taiyuan was prefaced
Will Shi Lang trial secretary provincial school secretary Lang Zuo Hua written
Lady Wang of Taiyuan is the eldest daughter of the late Qingzhou Governor Shi □, and the Yongqiu people of Tokyo were also born and the graceful chang is a leisurely yi and nine-pack body with ten virtues Torong Yan Zhao Xiangyue LanSun can chant the poem of The Song of the Absolute String, and the Song of the Graceful Lady and the Yi Song of the Obedient Woman
Husband servant shooting Ma Zhou Ting's guards awarded the deputy envoy Rong Tong Qin Jin Mei Ji Si Luo Ke from the turtle strategy of the conquest of fruit leaf Luan Huang Good Hope Tong Huan Gong□ Gong Xiang Yuan and Li Zhuang Nan Bu Mo Long□□ Yun Yun Fei Shu
Sikong Xiande servant Hedong funeral Yuci Tomb is surrounded by two places that have not been closed
Lady has three sons Long Yue Hong Qian control crane Right Second Army Du Yu Hou loyal to bao festival meritorious servant Jin Zi Guanglu Dafu inspection school Shangshu left servant shooting and imperial history dafu Shangzhu Shanggu County founding male food Yi three hundred young and different lengths Nai Duo Qi Qiao Qiao Qiao Slaying Snake Bei Zhangde Biography Chang Zhi Shooting Lice There is a divine merit Gong Huan Master Xiong Shi Ji Ping rebel party hand with frost blade hanging iron clothing did not welcome the glory of the nine tin has been broadcast seven strokes
Lady Du Du had a last word when she fell to the sky and the Mao soldier Linhuaidian Book of the future in the Eighth Cousin Emperor's relatives in the Sixth Division Sikong
Hu Congluan's crusade against the city fortress suddenly peeped at the obituary deep sorrow slaying the lungs and liver choking Asagiri Shinfang When the lord was not seen in the death of the mother, the eldest man was buried
The second time Hong entered Beijing, Ma Zhi's deputy soldiers and horses made the heart firm iron stone Yu Songjun walk must be threatened□ yong can pull up the banner to avoid going to the enemy to die in battle
The next day□ the second command of the Second Capital Army of the First Army of the Left Of The Victory was brave and superior to the masses
Lady Yi Xing Fang You Difficult Poor Journal Le Men Dai Jia Ming Shuo De Mo Shu Xin Also Class Compilation Talent Non-Tapestry Nagging Acceptance Please Respect Ming Yun Young Birth Strange Appearance There Is Fang Rong Qin Respect Parents Chengyu Gu Weng Soul Death Water Orchid Rising Incense Wind Burial Here Absolutely Difficult to Describe
On the façade on the four sides of the Zhishi is engraved with a characterized zodiac pattern, the figure has a rich face, wide clothes and belts, sits upright on the chest, and holds a protective board. The character's hat ornament is a zodiac animal, which is very rare.
The Later Zhou Dynasty lasted only 9 years, and very few epitaphs were unearthed in the country, and the most important one was the tombstone of Feng Hui in BinXian County, Shaanxi. This is the only one in the Jiaozuo area.
The tombstone of Lady Wang of Taiyuan recounts the life of the Wang clan and the deeds of the family, her father Wang □ served as the governor of Qingzhou, her husband Ma Zhouguan to the servants to attack the deputy history, the eldest son Hong Qian was the second commander of the Second Army of the Control Crane Right Army, the second son Hong Jin was the deputy soldier and horse envoy of Ma Zhi in Beijing (Taiyuan), and the third son □ the second command of the second capital army of the First Army of the Jie Jie Left Army. The "History of the Old Five Dynasties" and the "History of the New Five Dynasties" are not passed down, and the "Chinese Famous Dictionary" compiled by Zha Zang Lihe and others is not contained. However, all the families had official positions, especially the eldest son's military and political positions were higher, indicating that the Wang family was a famous and prestigious family at that time.
In the third and fourth years of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Shizong Chai Rong personally conquered Huainan twice, and the battle with the Southern Tang was extremely fierce, which is reflected in this historical record. Wang died of illness on March 5, 1944, when "the heavens fell to Huaidian" and "the emperor's relatives were in the sixth division" on a crusade, and Wang's eldest son accompanied the emperor on the battlefield. "Ji Xinfang should be in trouble with the lord, and Wang Rong is not seen in the death of his mother", Zhongxiao could not have both, so he had to let his eldest son (The grandson of the Wang clan) go home to mourn.
The Wenzhi martial arts of Emperor Chai Rong of Zhou Shizong were the most prominent among the five emperors. He attacked the Northern Han Dynasty, recaptured the Western Province, and marched into Huainan to attack the Khitans. Wang's husband and three sons are all in the military, and the second son is also "dying in battle", and it is recorded from the Zhiwen that they "carry frost blades in their hands and wear iron clothes", "walking will be □□, brave and able to pull out the banner", "brave and superior" and other sentences can glimpse the frequency and cruelty of war, which also confirms the records of history.
The zhiwen mentions the place name "Heyang County is Linxiang Yuanheli", which is a new material for studying the administrative divisions of Heyang County (present-day Mengxian County) in the fifth dynasty and the establishment of villages.
The fringing of the epitaph is very precious. Previously, only the twelve zodiac signs were carved on the sarcophagus of the Song Dynasty in Luoyang, and there was no one before the Song Dynasty, which can be said to fill this gap.
In short, the epitaph is of considerable value for the study of the political history, military history, family history, calligraphy and art history, historical geography and social folklore stories of the Later Zhou Dynasty. It can also be compared with the "History of the Old Five Dynasties" and the "History of the New Five Dynasties", and the omissions can be filled in.
The tombstone was excavated by Yang Guijin and Zhao Decai, and he was deeply grateful for the help of Mr. Yang Guijin during the writing process.
Rubbing: Zhao Decai, Cui Zhenhai