Since the Ming Dynasty, due to the separation of the political center and the economic center, grain and other materials in the Jiangnan region must be transported to Beijing with the help of canals, which carry the heavy responsibility of north-south transportation, and play an increasingly important role in economic and social development.
Xu Youzhen
In the thirteenth year of the Ming Dynasty (1448), the Yellow River broke through in Baliu Village, Xinxiang, Henan, the canal was destroyed, the main artery of north-south water transport was almost interrupted, and the imperial court was greatly shaken, and successively sent Wang Yonghe, a servant of the Ministry of Works, and Shangshu Shipu of the Ministry of Works, to control the Shawan River, and the project failed. In October of the fourth year of Jingtai (1453), Emperor Ming appointed Xu Youzhen as the imperial history of the Capital Of chayuan to govern the Shawan River. After Xu Youzhen arrived at Shawan, he conducted a detailed survey of the terrain and water potential. Finally, he brainstormed and pioneered the three strategies for controlling the river by placing water gates, spending rivers, and dredging rivers. The plan was implemented immediately after it was approved by the imperial court. Xu Youzhen managed the river this time, adopting the method of dredging, plugging, and dredging at the same time, costing tens of thousands of materials and more than 58,000 river workers, which lasted nearly two years and was completed in July of the sixth year of Jingtai (1455). Since then, the river disaster in Shandong has decreased, and the water transport has been smooth.
After the completion of the project, Xu Youzhen presided over the construction of the Shuihe Shrine in the local area (now Balimiao Village), and personally wrote and wrote a book to erect a "Monument to the Completion of the Restoration of the River Channel" in the temple. The stele is bluestone and has a height of 3.68 meters. Round forehead, exquisitely carved "Two Dragon Play Beads" pattern, the middle of the seal book "Monument to the Completion of the Cultivation of the River" eight characters, where two lines, four lines. The stele is 2.2 meters tall, 0.95 meters wide and 0.28 meters thick, surrounded by clouds. The inscription is in block letters, a total of 31 lines, full of 75 characters, and the lower part is the throne. The end of the stele is signed "Zhongxian Dafu Du Cha Yuan Zuo Yu Du Yu Shi Xu You Zhen Bai Shu Book". The inscription records the process of harnessing the river, the use of labor, the use of materials, and the location of the construction of the gate, which is a summary of the experience of water conservancy in removing floods and revitalizing water conservancy, and studying the historical materials for future generations.
Both the writing and the book are from Xu Youzhen's hand, the calligraphy is straight and beautiful, soft and rigid, the charm is excellent, and it has a high artistic value of calligraphy. Xu Youzhen, a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, was an eight-year scholar of Xuande and was taught the editor of Hanlin Academy. Xu Youzhen is highly skilled in martial arts and has studied astronomy, geography, martial arts, and water conservancy. After the "Civil Change", he advocated moving the capital south, but was reprimanded by Yu Qian and others. Later, because he supported the restoration of Emperor Mingyingzong, he had meritorious service in the "change of seizing the door", and was worshipped as a scholar of Huagaidian University, a soldier shangshu, and was knighted as a martial arts uncle, and was known as Xu Wugong. Xu Youzhen's calligraphy was very famous at that time, and Zhu Yunming (Zhu Zhishan), one of the "four talents of WuZhong" (Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, and Xu Zhenqing) in the Ming Dynasty, was his student and grandson, and Xu Youzhen had a leading role in the rise of the Wumen school. The History of Ming says that Xu Youzhen "often followed himself with an iron whip and danced several times." ”
At some point, the monument was buried in the ground and cut in two pieces. In March 1990, the villagers of Balimiao Village found this monument when they were collecting soil and re-erected it on the site of the Dahe Shrine. The excavation of this stele is a major discovery in the history of the yellow river, which provides valuable information for the study of the simultaneous management of the Yellow River and the canal.