1. Introduction
The full name of the tablet of the Shence Army is the tablet of the Emperor Shengde of the Shence Army. In the third year of Huichang in Tang Wuzong (AD 843), the size of the tablet is unknown, which was written by Cui Xuan and Liu Gongquan.
Inscriptions record the demise and failure of the Uighur khanate, which has important historical value. This monument was written by Cui Xuanshu, a bachelor of Hanlin, and Liu Gongquan, a bachelor of Jixian College, which added to the artistic value of this monument.
The inscription inscribed by Liu Gongquan has a neat calligraphy structure, which fully embodies the characteristics of "Liu Ti" regular script, such as open bones, symmetry and fluency. In addition, this inscription is exquisitely carved, and its rubbings are no different from the original, so it is regarded as Liu Ti's masterpiece by later generations.
2. Circulation process
Song Tuo's Ce Shen Army Monument can be said to be an ancient book full of stories. The full name of this ancient book is Monument to the Sage of Emperor Zuo Shence Army, also known as Monument to the Sage of Liu Gongquan Shence Army, which was written by calligrapher Liu Gongquan in his later years.
The stone tablet was carved in the third year of Tang Huichang (AD 843). Originally located in the forbidden area of Chang 'an Palace, it was eventually destroyed by war, and there were few rubbings.
Shence Army was the main imperial army in the late Tang Dynasty. In Huichang for three years, it has been mastered by eunuchs. At this time, Tang Wuzong Li Yan acceded to the throne soon. In order to be nice to eunuchs and patrol the left Shence Army, eunuch Shiliang Zhou responded and asked for a monument to praise Shengde, so this Shence Army monument was created.
The inscription records the historical facts of the demise of the Uighur khanate and the surrender of Uighur leaders to the Tang Dynasty for appeasement, which has become an important historical material for later scholars to study the border relations in the Tang Dynasty.
The rubbings of Shence Army Monument are in duplicate, of which the second copy was lost on the eve of the founding of New China, and the first copy was brought to Hong Kong by the famous collector Chen Qinghua and his wife. 1955 and 1965, Chen Qinghua sold a large number of ancient books twice, including the first volume of Ce Shen Military Monument. These two large-scale book transfers have aroused great concern in the international collection community.