Lesson 2: The Hoan Chau Uprising
-->> See Lesson 1: Mai Thúc Loan - Homeland and Family Background 1. Time of the Uprising.
1. The duration of the uprising.
Regarding the year of the uprising and its failure, most previous studies record it as 722. Therefore, some consider it a local uprising, only occurring in Hoan Chau, while others believe the rebels attacked the An Nam provincial capital but failed. The reason is that these studies rely on official historical records, primarily the three national histories: Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, Dai Viet Su Ky Tien Bien, and Kham Dinh Viet Su Thong Giam Cuong Muc, all of which consistently record the uprising as having broken out and failed in the year of Nham Tuat, the 10th year of the Khai Nguyen era of Emperor Tang Xuanzong, which is 722.
The results of collecting, exploiting, and comparing relevant sources from Vietnam and China, especially Le Tac's An Nam Chi Luoc, Chu Cat Thi's Huong Lam Mai De Ky, our Tan Dinh Hieu Binh Viet Dien U Linh, and the Old Tang Book, New Tang Book (the section on historical records and biographies) combined with some other books such as Sach Phu Nguyen Quy, Quang Tay Thong Chi... in ancient Chinese texts, allow us to determine that the Hoan Chau uprising led by Mai Thuc Loan broke out in the year Quy Suu, the first year of the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Tang Xuanzong, which is 713.
Procession during the King Mai Temple Festival. Photo: Mai Hoa
Regarding the year of defeat, the above historical sources allow us to conclude that it was the year of Nhâm Tuất, the 10th year of the Khai Nguyên era of Emperor Tang Xuanzong, which is 722. This is also the conclusion reached at the National Scientific Conference "Mai Thúc Loan and the Hoan Châu Uprising," organized by the Faculty of History of Vinh University in collaboration with the Vietnam Institute of History in 2008.
2. Causes of the uprising
Among the legends about Mai Thúc Loan, there is the legend of him being forced to work as a tribute cloth, and this oral tradition has spread into folk songs and poetry, quite popular in the Nghệ An - Tĩnh region, especially in Nam Đàn. This is a part of the treasure trove of folk legends whose value needs to be recognized and evaluated according to the criteria of folk literature. These legends, to varying degrees, originate from history and reflect, directly or indirectly, past historical realities preserved or reflected through the memories of many generations.
However, treating legends as history is a mistake in terms of historical understanding and methodology. Some authors, when compiling textbooks or local and national histories, fail to research and compare them with reliable historical sources, mistakenly including the legend of Mai Thúc Loan being forced to pay tribute in cloth as part of history. The system of cloth tribute during the Northern domination period needs to be studied and verified from historical evidence, primarily from historical sources found and examined in ancient texts. However, during the Tang dynasty, according to the New Tang Book (Vol. 43 upper), the Zizhi Tongjian (Vol. 250), and the Tongjian Zonglei (Vol. 6), the tribute cloth was taken from Lingnan, mainly from the South China Sea, and transported urgently by post horses. Afterwards, the Tang dynasty soaked the cloth in salt water or honey for preservation. During the reign of Emperor Tang Yizong (860-874), there was an order to suspend the cloth tribute system (Tang Dazhao Lingji, Vol. 86).
Thus, during the Tang dynasty, the tribute system of cloth was no longer practiced in our country, and naturally, it is impossible to rely on legend to claim that Mai Thúc Loan had ever served as a cloth tribute laborer, nor can the cloth tribute labor system be considered the cause, even the direct cause, of the uprising.
Regarding the causes of the Hoan Chau uprising, we need to emphasize its deep roots in the exploitative and oppressive regime of the Tang dynasty, in the economic and social situation, and in the contradictions between the Vietnamese people and the occupying government. Thus, the Hoan Chau uprising reflected the independent and self-reliant spirit of the Vietnamese people against the Tang dynasty's rule and was a continuation and development of the national liberation struggle of the Vietnamese people during the period of Chinese domination.
(To be continued)
Faculty of History - Vinh University
