Why was the tiger talisman used to mobilize millions of troops in ancient times in the shape of a tiger? Why can it only be stolen and not forged?

On the eve of the Chinese New Year of the Tiger, the "Lucky Tiger Blessing Peace" 2022 Spring Festival Exhibition held by the National Museum attracted much attention. This tiger talisman of Tang Yanghou in the Western Han Dynasty attracted much attention. It is palm-sized, with clear text on the back and well preserved.

Tiger Treasure of Marquis Tangyang Source: CCTV

The tiger talisman that can mobilize thousands of troops is often closely related to the victory or defeat of a war and even the rise and fall of a country. You must have heard of many cases of tiger talismans being stolen.

But why have we never heard of any cases of forged tiger talismans? Today, let’s explore the mysterious past of tiger talismans.

Token of mobilization, thousands of years of evolution

When talking about the tiger talisman, we cannot avoid the classic case of "stealing the talisman to save Zhao".

At the end of the Warring States Period, after the Battle of Changping, the capital of Zhao State, Handan, was besieged by the powerful Qin State, and the King of Zhao asked for help from the Wei State. The King of Wei first sent the veteran general Jin Bi with 100,000 troops to rescue, but after receiving a threatening letter from the Qin State, he had to stay put.

Wei Wuji, the famous prime minister of Wei, decided to save Zhao. With the help of his retainers, he moved the princess of Wei with his old feelings, stole half of the tiger talisman from the bedroom of the king of Wei, and went to the military camp to mobilize troops.

Although Jin Bi checked the tiger seal and found it was correct, and knew that Xinling Jun was the brother of the King of Wei, he was suspicious because he had not seen the King of Wei's order to mobilize troops. Xinling Jun ordered his soldiers to kill Jin Bi, and used the tiger seal to mobilize the army and lift the siege of Handan. This is the story of "stealing the seal to save Zhao".

Obviously, without that half tiger talisman, Xinling Jun would not have been able to lift the siege of Handan, and Qin's pace of unifying the six kingdoms might have been advanced.

Stealing the Seal to Save Zhao Source: Kong Fuzi Used Books Network

The tiger talisman is a type of military talisman, which was used in ancient times to convey the emperor's edicts and mobilize troops. The tiger talisman first appeared in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and was perfected during the Qin Dynasty. It was named because of its tiger-like shape.

The tiger talisman from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period looked like a running tiger with an inscription in seal script on it. It was divided into two halves, the right half of which was usually held by the king, and the left half by the generals.

When mobilizing troops, the envoy would combine the right half of the talisman with the left half of the general's talisman, and then bring along an imperial edict, a seal, or other tokens before the troops could be mobilized. After the war, the envoy would return the right half of the talisman to the king.

When the two halves of the symbol match completely, it is called "matching", and this word is still used today.

Throughout history, military talismans, mainly tiger talismans, have undergone changes in material and shape. In terms of material, tiger talismans before the Qin Dynasty were mainly made of bone carvings, bronze, and jade, but they were changed to copper, gilded copper, etc. since the Han Dynasty.

In terms of shape, the tiger shape lasted for thousands of years. In the Tang Dynasty, in order to avoid the name of the grandfather of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan (Li Hu), it was changed to fish, turtle or rabbit shape; in the Southern Song Dynasty, the tiger shape was restored, and the tiger talisman system continued to be used; in the Yuan Dynasty, the tiger talisman was changed to a tiger head plate, and from the Ming Dynasty onwards, the tiger head plate evolved into a bronze plate, and the tiger talisman then withdrew from the stage of history.

It should be pointed out that during the Song Dynasty, in order to convey amnesty or urgent military intelligence, the gold medal was invented. It was issued by the emperor himself and delivered by a special person from the Imperial Household Department of the court. It also served the function of a tiger talisman.

The Yuan Dynasty's gilded tiger-head military talisman. Source: Collection Network

Totem worship has profound meaning

As a token of military deployment in ancient times, the tiger talisman not only embodied the majesty of the imperial power, but also ensured the effective deployment of the army. The reason why it was cast in the shape of a tiger may be related to the totem worship of the ancients.

The tiger is mighty and majestic, and is recognized as the "king of beasts". People have worshipped tigers since ancient times. The oracle bone script of the character "虎" looks like an upright tiger. Words related to tigers often mean bravery, such as "虎兵", "虎将", "虎狼之师", etc. Many heroes in "Water Margin" have nicknames related to tigers, such as "叉翼虎雷恒", "短脚虎王英", "青眼虎李云", etc.

The ancients worshipped tigers, and the kings were no exception. Casting military tokens in the shape of a tiger was a manifestation of this worship, and it also implied the expectation for the army, hoping that the army would be invincible like a tiger.

Technology first, system guarantee

Although there have been cases of theft of the tiger talisman, which was used to mobilize thousands of troops, there is no record of forgery. The main reason for this is that the rulers took both technical and institutional considerations into account when making the tiger talisman, making it impossible and dared not to forge it.

From a technical point of view, the materials used to make tiger talismans are often the most expensive materials at the time. For example, the topaz tiger talisman from the Warring States Period is made of "chicken yellow jade", which is the best grade of topaz. Such raw materials are not easy to find.

In addition, in order to increase the difficulty, techniques such as inlaid gold and gilding are usually used in making tiger talismans, which are difficult to imitate even for powerful families.

The source of the yellow jade tiger talisman is shown in the watermark

In addition to the materials used, the design of the tiger talisman also increases the difficulty of imitation.

The left and right halves of the tiger seal are equipped with buckles and buckle grooves, and only the corresponding two pieces can fit together tightly. In the era when the monarchy was supreme, it was difficult to see the tiger seal, let alone remember the runes on it and forge it.

From the perspective of the system, the ancient rulers also established a relevant tiger-shaped management system to ensure that nothing could go wrong. One of the systems was a combination of centralization and decentralization.

One tiger talisman was used to mobilize an army. The right half was kept by the king or his agent and checked regularly, while the left half was distributed among military commanders or generals. In this way, even if the tiger talisman was stolen or forged, only part of the army could be mobilized.

The second system is the combination of military tokens and tokens. According to regulations, when the ancient kings wanted to mobilize troops, they would ask the envoys to bring the right half of the token and the imperial edict, the festival and other tokens. The tiger token indicated the identity, and the imperial edict stated the purpose of the mobilization, the number of soldiers and the corresponding baggage and food.

In the story of "stealing the seal to save Zhao", Jin Bi only saw the tiger seal but not the decree with the seal of King Wei, so he naturally did not dare to send troops. Unexpectedly, Lord Xinling had already anticipated this move, and Jin Bi ended up killing himself.

The tiger talisman is one of the important symbols in traditional Chinese culture. Due to its unique shape and limited number of surviving pieces, it is of great archaeological and collection value. Although it is no longer a "military talisman" for deploying troops, the tiger talisman and the anti-counterfeiting encryption technology behind it are still important materials for studying ancient society.

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Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Xiao Xitushuo