Nguyen Trai

Nguyễn Trãi
阮廌
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 阮廌
Simplified Chinese 阮廌
Hanyu Pinyin Ruǎn Zhì
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese Nguyễn Trãi
Quốc ngữ Nguyễn Trãi

Nguyễn Trãi (also known under his style name Ức Trai 抑齋; 1380–1442) was an illustrious Đại Việt Confucian scholar, a noted poet, a skilled politician and a master tactician. He was at times attributed with being capable of almost miraculous or mythical deeds in his designated capacity as a close friend and principal advisor of Lê Lợi, Vietnam's hero-king, who fought to free the country from Chinese rule. He is credited with writing the important political statements of Lê Lợi and inspiring the Vietnamese populace to support open rebellion against the Ming Dynasty rulers. He is also the author of the declaration of independence from China Bình Ngô đại cáo.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Nguyễn Trãi was born in 1380 in Thăng Long (present day Hanoi), the capital of the declining Trần Dynasty.[1] Under the brief Lê Dynasty, he passed examination and served for a time in the government. In 1406, Ming force invaded and conquered Vietnam. Under the occupation, the Ming China attempted to convert Vietnam into a Chinese province and ruthlessly quashed all rebellions.

War of independence

In 1417, Nguyễn Trãi joined a rebel leader named Lê Lợi, who was resisting the occupation from a mountainous region in Thanh Hóa Province south of Hanoi. Nguyễn Trãi served as the chief advisor, strategist and propagandist for the movement.

The war of independence leading to the defeat of the Ming and the inauguration of the Lê Dynasty lasted from 1417 to 1427.[2] From 1417 until 1423, Lê Lợi conducted a classic guerilla campaign from his bases in the mountains. Following a negotiated truce, the rebels extended their control over the whole of Thanh Hóa and over the southern province of Nghe An. The Ming sent a series of military reinforcements in response to bolster their positions. In 1426, the army of a Chinese general named Wang Tong arrived in the Red River Delta. However, Vietnamese forces were able to cut supply lines and control the countryside, leaving Chinese presence totally isolated in the capital and other citadels. During this period, Nguyễn Trãi sought to undermine the resolve of the enemy and to negotiate a favorable peace by sending a series of missives to the Ming commanders.[3] In 1427 two other Chinese relief armies entered Vietnam and were defeated. Wang Tong sued for peace. The numerous Chinese prisoners of war were all given provisions and allowed to return to China. Nguyễn Trãi penned a famous proclamation of victory.[4]

Later life

After the war Nguyễn Trãi was elevated by Lê Lợi to an exalted position in the new court but internal intrigues, sycophantic machinations and clannish nepotism meant he was not appointed regent upon the king's death. Instead that position was bestowed upon Lê Sát, who ruled as regent on behalf of the young heir Lê Thái Tông.

At some point during the regency of Lê Sát, having found life at court increasingly difficult, Nguyễn Trãi retired to his country home north of Hanoi in the tranquil mountains of Chí Linh, where he enjoyed poetry writing and meditation. Today, visitors can visit this site where a large shrine of remembrance, covering from the foot of the mountain to the top is erected to honour the national hero. The site of Nguyễn Trãi's house still exists, however only the tiled floors remain original. Close by is an ancient Buddhist temple, which has stood there several centuries before his time.

Nguyễn Trãi's death resulted from a scandal involving the young king, Lê Thái Tông, and the wife or concubine of Nguyễn Trãi, named Nguyễn Thị Lộ. Early in 1442, the young king began an affair with Nguyễn Thị Lộ. This affair continued when the king visited the old scholar at his home. Not long after the king left, he suddenly became ill and died. The nobles at the court blamed Nguyễn Trãi and Nguyễn Thị Lộ for the young king's death, accused them of regicide and had both, along with their entire extended families, exterminated.

Twenty years later, the great king Lê Thánh Tông officially pardoned Nguyễn Trãi, saying that he was wholly innocent in the death of king Lê Thái Tông.

Legacy

According to Loren Baritz ("Backfire: A History of How American Culture Led Us Into Vietnam and Made Us Fight the Way We Did", 1985), Trai set down the Vietnamese strategy against the Chinese in an essay. This essay would prove to be very close to the Communist strategy of insurgency. Specifically you must, "subordinate military action to the political and moral struggle...better to conquer hearts than citadels."

Most cities in Vietnam, regardless of the political orientation of the government, have named major streets after him.[5]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Renowned Vietnamese Intellectuals, p.48 ff.
  2. ^ Renowned Vietnamese Intellectuals, p.55 ff.
  3. ^ An English translation of one such letter, under the title "New Letter to Wang Tong", has been published in Renowned Vietnamese Intellectuals, p.69 ff.
  4. ^ An English translation of the proclamation, under the title "Proclamation of Victory over the Wu", has been published in Renowned Vietnamese Intellectuals, pp.63 ff.
  5. ^ Vietnam Country Map. Periplus Travel Maps. 2002–03. ISBN 0-7946-0070-0.