Faced with the contemptuous words of a puppet soldier about Le Loi, the Ming general immediately scolded: "You impolite barbarian. He will be your Emperor."
What a perfect prediction! In 1428, Le Loi ascended the throne in Dong Kinh, inaugurating the Le Dynasty, the longest dynasty in the feudal history of Vietnam. He was 43 years old at that time, proclaimed himself "Thuan Thien Thua Van Due Van Anh Vu Dai Vuong", named the country Dai Viet, changed the era name, granted amnesty to the world, and issued the Proclamation of Victory over the Wu.
The enemy general took off his hat and submitted.
According to historical records, Luu Thanh was one of the generals of the Ming Dynasty, who many times led troops to suppress Le Loi. In 1427, Luu Thanh was the commander of Tam Giang garrison. In mid-1427, there was a rather unique event, associated with this enemy general, recorded in the book Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu as follows: “In June, the Commander (of the Ming army) Luu Thanh, stationed at Tam Giang garrison, surrendered. Previously, the Tam Giang soldiers had entered Thanh Hoa to attack Lam Son under the command of the General. After returning from defeat, a puppet soldier spoke contemptuously of the king (ie Le Loi). Luu Thanh immediately scolded: You disrespectful barbarian. He (referring to Le Loi) will be your Emperor…”.
Historian Ngo Si Lien commented that, when the King rose up, wherever the righteous army went, the Ming army was defeated and fled, but was that because our army was large and the enemy army was small? Was that because our army was strong and the enemy army was weak? It was all because the King's virtue was in accordance with the will of heaven, heaven helped the King, and the King pleased the people, so people followed him. At that time, not only were our people happy to submit, but even the rebels respected him, so they no longer had the will to fight, and surrendered together, which was right. Then the King's righteous act of raising an army was no less than the brilliant achievements of Thang and Vo before? And this action of General Liu Thanh further demonstrated the great power and virtue of the King.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Khac Thuan also wrote in Vietnamese historical anecdotes : The reason for Le Loi's victory or defeat, the historian Ngo Si Lien had a comment. To add crude comments to Ngo Si Lien is disrespectful to a great intellectual. However, to understand Ngo Si Lien's comment further, perhaps it is necessary to add a small note: Thang and Vo are King Thang and King Vo. Thang is Thanh Thang, the one who destroyed the brutal King Kiet of the Xia Dynasty and established the Shang Dynasty (also known as the Yin Dynasty) of China. Vo is King Vo, the one who destroyed the brutal King Tru of the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty. Thang and Vo are two ancient kings of China, highly respected by Confucians... From that, we can see how great and powerful Le Loi's power and virtue was!
6 years as king… laid a solid foundation for Dai Viet
Le Loi was born on September 10, 1385 in Lam Son, now Tho Xuan district, Thanh Hoa, in a family that had been "a regional military leader for generations". The year Le Loi turned 21 was also the year the Ming Dynasty brought 800,000 troops to invade Vietnam. The Ho Dynasty's resistance against the Ming failed, and Dai Viet fell under the brutal domination of the Ming invaders. Faced with the country being trampled and devastated by the enemy, Le Loi was determined to drive them out of the country.
In early 1416, in Lam Son mountain forest in Thanh Hoa, Le Loi and 18 close friends, with the same mind to save the country, held a ceremony to swear to fight the enemy and keep the homeland peaceful. That was the Lung Nhai Oath ceremony that went down in history. Then, after a period of ripe preparation, in early 1418, Le Loi proclaimed himself King of Binh Dinh, sent out proclamations everywhere, calling on the people to rise up and fight the enemy to save the country. Le Loi was the soul, the supreme leader of that uprising.
The book Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu recorded : Although his reign was only 6 years, the actions of this king were significant in laying a solid foundation for an entire dynasty and the prosperous independence of Dai Viet. The first thing Le Thai To did was to discuss laws and regulations. And thanks to that effort, two years later (1430), Le Thai To issued the first laws of his dynasty.
Le Thai To divided Dai Viet administrative units into 5 regions, established the positions of military guards, generals, and governors, etc. This administrative apparatus was increasingly perfected in the following dynasties, and it really helped in the management and administration of the country. The king also paid special attention to agricultural development. Right from the first year of his reign, he ordered the census of households, the creation of land registers, and the establishment of a household register, laying the foundation for the implementation of the military land regime.
To select talented people and consolidate the ruling apparatus, the Le Dynasty not only paid attention to seeking talented people through recommendations but also established examinations. One year after ascending the throne, Le Thai To opened the Minh Kinh examination. In 1431, the Hoanh Tu examination was held. In 1433, Le Loi personally held the examination for literature and policies...
In order to pacify and consolidate the northern and northwestern border regions, Le Thai To personally led troops straight into the lair of an opposing force, established that land as a district and recorded it on the national map. In terms of foreign affairs, Le Thai To repeatedly sent diplomatic delegations to China to establish normal diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty, skillfully resolving the Ming Dynasty's harassment regarding the establishment of Tran Dynasty descendants and the issue of prisoners of war...
It can be said that, besides his great achievements, Le Thai To also made some mistakes that were openly criticized by contemporary history books. “The King enthusiastically raised an army to defeat the Ming invaders, and in 20 years the world was completely settled. When he ascended the throne, he established laws, established rituals and music, held examinations, established guards, appointed officials, established districts and prefectures, collected books, and opened schools. This can be said to have great plans and founded a career. However, he was suspicious and often killed, which were his shortcomings,” wrote the Complete Annals of Dai Viet .
MA - Dan Viet Newspaper
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