He was Ho Nguyen Trung (1374-1446), the eldest son of Ho Quy Ly, from Dai Lai village, Vinh Phuc district, Thanh Hoa road (now Vinh Loc district, Thanh Hoa province).
According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, in early 1400, Ho Quy Ly dethroned Tran Thieu De, ascended the throne himself and established the Ho Dynasty. The king wanted to appoint his eldest son, Ho Nguyen Trung, as his successor, but after testing his will, he found out that he only wanted to be an official, so he gave that position to his second son, Ho Han Thuong.
In 1406, under the pretext of "supporting Tran and destroying Ho", the Ming emperor sent a general with 800,000 troops to attack Vietnam. Ho Nguyen Trung was assigned to lead the army against the invading Ming army.
He established a defense line against the enemy from Da Bang (Ba Vi) and extended along the southern bank of the Da River, the Red River to the Ninh River (Nam Ha), then continued along the banks of the Luoc River, the Thai Binh River to Binh Than, a length of over 400km. This alone shows that Ho Nguyen Trung was an outstanding military strategist.
Ho Nguyen Trung was also the creator of a unique way of fighting. He cast many large chains and stretched them across dangerous river sections, combined with ambushes equipped with strong firepower and many times made the enemy's navy terrified.
Ho Nguyen Trung is considered the founder of the cannon casting profession. (Illustration photo)
At that time, due to the need to fight against foreign invaders and to have many guns to equip the citadels and fleets, Ho Nguyen Trung requested the urgent construction of large gun foundries. Thanks to his supreme intelligence, extraordinary thinking ability and accumulated traditional experiences, Ho Nguyen Trung created many types of guns with great destructive power.
From improving guns, making gunpowder, understanding the explosive power of bullets, he also invented a new method of casting guns, called cannons.
However, in 1407, all three of them, including his father and son, and his nephew Ho Nhue (son of Ho Han Thuong), were captured by the Ming army in Ky Anh, Ha Tinh, and then escorted to Nanjing, China. From then on, Vietnam fell under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
Knowing that Ho Nguyen Trung was talented, King Minh Anh Tong pardoned him, but forced him to change his surname. At the same time, he was recruited and appointed as an official in the Ministry of Public Works. Ho Nguyen Trung's main task was to oversee the manufacture and repair of weapons.
According to the Ming History, it was during the reign of King Thanh To of the Ming Dynasty (1403-1424) who fought against Giao Chi and learned how to cast cannons from divine mechanisms, and at that time, the divine mechanism gun team (cannons) was established. Thus, historical documents from both Vietnam and China clearly confirm that only since Ho Nguyen Trung did cannons appear.
Thanks to his outstanding military talent, Ho Nguyen Trung served under four Ming emperors, including Minh Thanh To (1360 – 1424); Minh Nhan Tong (1378 – 1425); Minh Tuyen Tong (1398 – 1435) and Minh Anh Tong (1422 – 1464). At the end of Binh Dan year 1446, he died of old age at the age of 72.
After Ho Nguyen Trung passed away, the Ming emperor appointed him as the God of Fire Weapons and established a spacious temple for him. Every time a gun was sacrificed, he had to be worshiped.
Kim Nha
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