Tiger Tally Command System / 虎符调兵制度
Tiger tally command system / 虎符调兵制度 is the military credential mechanism explained in 《资治通鉴·周纪》96丨毛遂自荐（6）. The episode describes a tiger-shaped tally split into two halves: the field commander holds one half, while the ruler holds the matching half used to authenticate an order.
In the 窃符救赵 story, 晋鄙 has one half because he commands 魏国’s rescue army at 邺城. The other half is in 魏安釐王’s bedroom, which makes normal military authorization inaccessible to 信陵君 when the king refuses decisive rescue. 侯嬴 therefore identifies 如姬 as the palace insider who can obtain the missing half.
The episode also highlights the limit of credential systems. A matching tally can prove formal authorization, but field command still depends on the commander’s judgment and obedience. Hou Ying’s warning that “the general is outside” prepares for Jin Bi’s refusal risk and for 朱亥’s killing of Jin Bi.
Key Claims
- A split tally turns command authorization into an object that can be physically verified.
- The same object creates a vulnerability: whoever can access the ruler’s half can simulate a valid command.
- Formal credentials do not eliminate field discretion; commanders may still resist implausible or dangerous orders.
- The tiger tally scene turns military command into a layered problem of palace access, institutional authorization, and coercive enforcement.