Famous General Nguyen Canh Chan - Nguyen Canh Di: The founding father and the 600-year curse

Ngoc Son Temple worships famous general Nguyen Canh Chan. Photo courtesy

Life and career of Nguyen Canh Chan (1355-1409)

He was born in the year of At Mui (1355) in a Nguyen family, originating from Dong Trieu - Quang Ninh. His father was Kim Ngo Ve Dai Tuong Quan Nguyen Da Phuong, a national hero of the post-Tran period. His ancestors and predecessors had the tradition of "Loyalty - Humanity - National protection - People protection" in the history of the struggle to build and defend the country, many of them became famous mandarins and founding ministers under the Dinh-Le-Ly-Tran dynasties... until the Ho Chi Minh era was recorded in history.

During the reign of King Tran Phe De (1377-1388)

In the year of Giap Ty (1384), Nguyen Canh Chan passed the Doctorate exam, the Thai Hoc Sinh exam under the reign of King Tran Phe De - the 8th year of Xuong Phu (Gian Hoang). In the year of At Suu (1385), Nguyen Canh Chan was officially appointed as an official in the "Thiem su khu Mat vien trieu dinh" of the Tran dynasty.

On December 27, Mau Thin year (1388), King Tran Phe De abdicated the throne to his youngest son, Chieu Dinh Vuong Tran Ngung (whom Le Quy Ly married his eldest daughter to). In February, Ky Ty year (1389), Tran Ngung officially ascended the throne, proclaimed himself Emperor Tran Thuan Tong, and named his reign Quang Thai, and his biological daughter Le Quy Ly as Queen. Le Quy Ly was a descendant of the Tran Dynasty, so he was trusted by the Retired Emperor Tran Nghe Tong to assist King Tran Thuan Tong.

In March (1389), Emperor Tran Thuan Tong appointed Nguyen Canh Chan as General holding the position of "Military staffbelong"Thiem su khu troi truong trieu tri".

In April of that year, Le Quy Ly recommended and appointed Pham Cu Luan as"Thiem Thu Khu Mat Vien Su".Le Quy Ly asked Cu Luan: In the Secret Council, who can be used? Cu Luan then named a number of people, including his younger brother Pham Phiem and Mr. Nguyen Canh Chan, Do Tu Man, Vuong Kha Tuan, Duong Chuong... all of whom were talented, virtuous and heroic. Le Quy Ly then used Vuong Kha Tuan as the Commander of the Than Duc army; Chuong Duong as the Commander of the Than Dung army, in order to increase his support.

Sketch of famous general Nguyen Canh Chan. Photo courtesy

In August of the year Tan Mui (1391), after Le Quy Ly killed two generals of the Hoa Chau military command, Phan Manh and Chu Binh Khue, he appointed Dang Tat as the Chau Phan of Hoa Chau, and Hoang Hoi Khanh as the Chief Justice of the Court.

In the year of Mau Dan (1398), Emperor Tran Thuan Tong sent Nguyen Canh Chan to the South to be the An Phu Su of Hoa Chau (including the areas from Binh Tri Thien Hue). He went to Ngoc Son village, Nam Duong (belonging to Nghe An province), Hoan Chau region to reside and set up a base, gather forces, manufacture weapons and train militia... together with Dang Tat (from Ta Thien Loc - Can Loc) who was working as Chau Phan of Hoa Chau (Dang Tat was a local official of Hoa Chau region) to fight against the Champa army and the Ming invaders. From then on, Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat participated in many battles with the Champa army and the Ming invaders, winning victories, gaining prestige and creating great influence in the region. From then on, the two men became close friends and comrades in arms.

In the same year (1398), King Tran Thuan Tong was forced to abdicate in favor of his eldest son, Tran An. Prince Tran An (who called Le Quy Ly his maternal grandfather) ascended the throne as King Tran Thieu De (only 2 years old), and named the reign Kien Tan. The regent was Grand Tutor Le Quy Ly, who assumed the title of National Regent.

Two years after King Tran Thieu De ascended the throne, Le Quy Ly usurped the Tran Dynasty's power. At that time, Nguyen Canh Chan was serving as the An Phu Su of Hoa Chau, but the Tran Dynasty's government was completely in the hands of Le Quy Ly.

Under the Ho Dynasty (1400-1407)

In the year Canh Thin (1400), Le Quy Ly officially usurped the throne of the Tran Dynasty, established the Ho Dynasty (changed to Ho Quy Ly), and named the country "Dai Ngu". Not long after, Ho Quy Ly abdicated the throne to his second son, Ho Han Thuong, and became the Supreme Emperor of the Ho Dynasty.

In the year of Nham Ngo (1402), to consolidate the southern border, Ho Quy Ly annexed the four newly conquered provinces of Champa, including Thang-Hoa-Tu-Nghia, and renamed them "Route Thang Hoa" to unify all four provinces and continued to appoint General Nguyen Canh Chan as the An Phu Su of Route Thang Hoa. Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat had a friendly relationship, both of them were previously officials of the Tran Dynasty, and had great influence in the region, so they were trusted and respected by the Ho Dynasty.

In the beginning of the year Binh Tuat (1406), Tran Thiem Binh pretended to be a descendant of the Tran dynasty and went to the Ming dynasty to denounce the Ho dynasty for usurping the Tran dynasty's throne. Minh Thanh To (ie King Chu De of the Ming dynasty) sent troops to bring Tran Thiem Binh back to the country. Ho Han Thuong ordered Nguyen Canh Chan to present a memorial of "apology" to the Ming dynasty and ask to welcome Thiem Binh back to be crowned Lord. Minh Thanh To sent his envoy Niep Thong to bring a royal edict to Ho Han Thuong saying:"If you welcome Thiem Binh back to be the Lord, you will be given the title of Thuong Cong and a large district.". Ho Han Thuong continued to send Nguyen Canh Chan to follow Niep Thong to report to Minh Thanh To about welcoming Thiem Binh. However, in April of Binh Tuat year (1406), when the Ming army brought Thiem Binh back to Dai Ngu, King Ho Han Thuong sent troops to intercept, captured Thiem Binh and brought him back to behead him.

At the end of the year Binh Tuat (1406), the Ming Dynasty brought a large army to invade Dai Ngu, they swept, robbed, and raped the civilians. By the middle of the year Dinh Hoi (1407), the Ho Dynasty was defeated and collapsed by the Ming army. The Ming Dynasty occupied and ruled Dai Ngu. Although initially using the name of helping the Tran Dynasty to fight the Ho Dynasty, when occupying Dai Ngu, Minh Thanh To ordered the hunt for the descendants of the Tran and Ho royal families, and the execution of the families of the meritorious officials, in order to eliminate the rising threat of "puppet Tran and puppet Ho"...

After overthrowing the Ho Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty occupied and turned Dai Ngu into Giao Chi district of China. Ho Quy Ly and the Ho Dynasty's royal family fled to the South to Ky La seaport (in Ky Anh district - Ha Tinh) and were captured by Truong Phu and Moc Thanh and taken to Kim Lang (in Nanjing - China) and then tortured to death. As for Ho Nguyen Trung (Ho Quy Ly's eldest son), because of his talent in making weapons, the Ming Dynasty spared his life, but forced him to change his name to "Le Trung" and then highly appreciated him. Later, he became a high-ranking official and was appointed to the position of "Minister of Public Works" in the Ming Dynasty.

In the context of the Ming invasion (late Ho Dynasty), the country fell into chaos, people everywhere were indignant and indignant. Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat led troops from Thang Hoa route to Nghe An to join forces to fight against the Ming invaders. Upon hearing the news, his second son, Nguyen Canh Lu, born in the year of Canh Than (1380), fled from Dong Trieu - Quang Ninh through Gia Vien - Ninh Binh to follow his father to take refuge in Ngoc Son village, Nam Duong (Nghe An Prefecture), Hoan Chau region. He disguised himself as a boatman and practiced medicine at the foot of Nguoc mountain.

Generaladvisors and wronged officials (1407-1409)

After overthrowing the Ho Dynasty and occupying Dai Ngu, the Ming Dynasty implemented many brutal policies of occupation, persecuting the meritorious forces of the Ho Dynasty, Tran Dynasty... from which the people of Dai Viet in many places rose up, wishing to regain independence, a series of large and small uprisings broke out across the country.

On October 2, Dinh Hoi year (1407), General Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat enthroned Tran Ngoi (aka Gian Dinh De) as king, re-established the Tran dynasty in Mo Do - Ninh Binh, and named the reign Hung Khanh, to lead the country to fight against the invading Ming army.

After this event, the Giao Chi Governor and the Governor of the Province then reported to the Ming Chengzu Emperor to request additional troops and weapons: "The group of Emperor Gian Dinh, Dang Tat, Canh Chan, Nguyen Suy… plotted a rebellion. They crowned Tran Ngoi as king with the name Hung Khanh, they mainly operated in the rugged mountainous areas of Hoan Chau, Hoa Chau, they focused on manufacturing weapons, gathered followers with the puppet army to fight us (ie the Ming invaders). At this time, the main army had returned to the country, the group of Emperor Gian Dinh led troops to attack Binh Than and Ham Tu pass, blocked the road at Tam Giang, they attacked near Giao Chi citadel (ie Dong Do citadel). The people of the districts such as Tu Liem, Oai Man, Thuong Hong, Dai Duong, Ung Binh, Thach That… all followed them. The enemy's power was getting stronger, our army attacked several times but could not make any achievements, now we ask for more reinforcements".

Upon receiving the request, Ming Chengzu ordered the mobilization of 40,000 more troops, and sent Truong Phu and Moc Thanh to lead the army, including the army, to advance by land, while Lieu Thang commanded the navy to advance by sea, rushing to invade our country. In the chaos, the Ming invaders destroyed villages, burned, robbed, and killed the families, brothers, and children of the Generals of the Later Tran and Ho dynasties in the areas of Hai Hung, Hai Duong, and Quang Ninh today...

In the year of Mau Ty (1408), Truong Phu commanded his troops, gathered the army and navy from many directions, advanced from Ai Nam Quan, from Quang Ninh to Bo Co (now in district Y Yen - Nam Dinh) to destroy the Tran army. On December 14 of that year, Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat cleverly concentrated all their forces to defeat and defeat the Ming army at Bo Co, destroying more than 100,000 enemies. Nguyen Canh Chan killed the Minister of War Luu Tuan and the Governor Luu Nghi, while Moc Thanh and Truong Phu led the remaining troops to Co Long citadel and escaped back to their country. As for the Dong Tri Tho Quan Tran Quoc Kiet, a lackey of the Ming army, he escaped into the forest and starved to death. The Tran army won a great victory, people everywhere were happy and excited, the reputation and prestige of Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat increased accordingly.

After the great victory over the Ming army at Bo Co, Emperor Gian Dinh brought his troops back to station in Huong Giang, Ngoc Son district, Thanh Hoa (on the banks of Hoang Giang river). The treacherous and rogue mandarins Nguyen Quy and Nguyen Mong Trang were jealous of the glorious victory of Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat, so they secretly slandered Emperor Gian Dinh: "Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat arbitrarily appointed some people and dismissed others. If they did not plan ahead, it would be difficult to control them later.King Tran Ngoi listened and summoned Dang Tat and Nguyen Canh Chan. He ordered soldiers to beat Dang Tat to death. Nguyen Canh Chan was unable to react and ran ashore. The king ordered strongmen to chase and kill him. Nguyen Canh Chan died on February 15, Ky Suu year (1409) at the age of 54.

After this event, historian Ngo Sy Lien felt sorry for the two men and exclaimed: "The King was lucky to escape the dangerous siege, thanks to the talented generals of Dang Tat and his son, and the strategic strategies of Nguyen Canh Chan and his son, who had made great achievements in restoring and reviving the country. With the great victory atBo Co the worldwater rises, soListening to the slander and sowing discord from the eunuchs and killing two talented generals at once is no different than committing suicide.I cut offHow can one's own henchmen accomplish great things and cause harm to the country?

Because of this unwise action of King Gian Dinh De, the Tran Dynasty's courtiers no longer obeyed, and historians, contemporary people and later generations cursed:"The virtue of a King is precious in his determination and wisdom. If he is determined, he can judge, and if he is wise, he can judge clearly. Alas, if at that time the King had summoned the two Great Ministers, led them (the slanderers) to clearly state their crimes of slandering and falsely accusing the two Great Ministers, and then immediately executed them, then his authority would have been carried out. The Great Ministers Canh Chan and Dang Tat would have been even more courageous, and their gratitude would have been even deeper. Suppose they had the intention of tyrannizing, wouldn't they have been afraid of their authority and would have given up, and wouldn't they have been afraid of being difficult to control? If the King couldn't do that, he would have only wandered around and drowned."

Ngoc Son Temple relic research team. Photo courtesy

Thai Bao Thuy Quoc Cong Nguyen Canh Di (1377-1413)

Upon hearing that his father was unjustly killed by King Giam Dinh De (1409), Nguyen Canh Di, along with Dang Dung (temporarily putting aside his father's grudge), led troops from Thuan Hoa to Thanh Hoa to eliminate the traitors, rebels, and the Ming puppets... in the Tran Ngoi Court and brought Tran Quy Khoang (Tran Ngoi's nephew) to Hoan Chau to enthrone him as King.

On March 17, the year of the Ox (1409) in Chi La (now Duc Tho district - Ha Tinh), Tran Quy Khoang officially ascended the throne, changing the reign name to Trung Quang. The King appointed Nguyen Canh Di as "Thai Bao", Dang Dung as "Dong Binh Chuong Su", Nguyen Suy as "Thai Pho", and Nguyen Chuong as "Tu Ma" to command the three armies.

Due to the context and the need to unify the two forces, Tran Quy Khoang's generals, commanded by Nguyen Suy, organized a surprise attack on Ngu Thien (Nam Dinh) and brought Tran Ngoi back to Chi La to be honored as the Supreme Emperor. Although they had to fight under the command of the person who killed their father, Canh Di and Dang Dung, for the common cause of the country, overcame everything, always maintaining the integrity and virtue of a general.

In the year of Nham Thin (1412), the Ming Dynasty continued to send troops to invade our country under the command of Truong Phu, advancing in all directions to Quang Ninh, Hai Hung, Hai Duong... Generals Nguyen Canh Di and Nguyen Suy led a large army to defeat the Ming army in Hon Gai and won a great victory.

Suffering a disastrous defeat, in the year of Quy Ty (1413), Truong Phu had to ask for help, adding more troops and weapons to march everywhere, brutally killing and looting civilians. In the fierce battle at Ai Tu, the Tran army was too small, the Ming invaders were too numerous, besieging the Tran army for many days. Truong Phu captured Nguyen Canh Di and Dang Dung. They used all kinds of torture and bribery, with heroic spirit, Nguyen Canh Di continuously cursed Truong Phu: “I was going to kill you, but I didn't expect it.you caught me again", cursing Truong Phu nonstop, Truong Phu killed Nguyen Canh Di (cut open his stomach and ate his liver) to satisfy his heart because of the miserable defeat at the battle of Bo Co and the naval battle at Hon Gai, Nguyen Canh Di sacrificed himself in mid-December of the year Quy Ty (1413).

After his grandfather (Nguyen Canh Chan) and father (Nguyen Canh Di) were murdered (1409 and 1413), the two sons of General Nguyen Canh Di, Nguyen Tuan Thien, born in the year of Tan Ty (1401), and Nguyen Tuan Kiet, fled with their mother to take refuge in Phuc Son village, Huong Son district, Ha Tinh. Father and son Nguyen Canh Lu and Nguyen Canh Luat also fled to Huong Son land to take refuge with their relatives here. At that time, the Ming and puppet Ming invaders rose up everywhere, robberies were rampant, Nguyen Tuan Thien mobilized young men in the village to establish the Coc Son army to help protect the villagers and continue to fight against the Ming army. Since its inception, the Coc Son army completely controlled the Huong Son - Ha Tinh area, the people had a relatively peaceful life, the prestige and reputation of leader Nguyen Tuan Thien increased day by day.

Continuing the resistance against the Ming army of his predecessors, Le Loi called upon soldiers, recruited heroes and veterans, manufactured weapons, and stored food in preparation for many years. In the year of Mau Tuat (1418), Le Loi officially raised the Lam Son uprising. In the first phase (from 1418 to 1424), the weak force encountered many difficulties, while the Ming army was strong, so they almost failed in major battles, only winning small battles.

In the year At Ty (1425), after listening to the advice of his officials, Le Loi led his army to Huong Son to meet Nguyen Tuan Thien and recruited the Coc Son army, cut his hair and sworn brotherhood, killed a white horse and swore an oath under the banyan tree in Nay hamlet (belonging to Son Phuc commune), vowing to kill the enemy and save the country. From then on, the Nguyen Tuan Thien brothers became good generals under the reign of King Le Thai To, and were given the national surname "Le Thien" by King Le. Local people here still circulate these verses:“Cut hair to kill white horse - Swear under the banyan tree - Wish to be of one mind and comrade - Destroy the enemy and build the foundation”.History only records Nguyen Tuan Thien (Le Thien)'s name, but his family, brothers, and uncles did not record it. His family tree was lost. His tomb and temple in Huong Son - Ha Tinh were certified as National Historical Relics by the State in 1991.

In the year of Mau Than (1428), after defeating the Ming invaders, Le Loi officially ascended the throne (King Le Thai To), and named the reign Thuan Thien. In the first year of Thuan Thien (1428), King Le Thai To posthumously awarded two famous mandarins Nguyen Canh Chan and Dang Tat with an eight-character golden plaque“Loyal and upright – Loyal subject, filial son”;windNguyen Canh Chanfunction"General Military Staff",Dang Tat Chuc"Great Duke", Thai Bao Nguyen Canh Di was given the title "Thuy Quoc Cong", and Dang Dung was given the title "Dong Binh Chuong Su" to remember their great contributions.

During the reign of King Le Thanh Tong (1442-1497), an edict was issued to posthumously award Dang Tat and Nguyen Canh Chan the following manuscript:"A peerless national hero, two national heroes - A peerless hero, two heroes".

King Tu Duc of the Nguyen Dynasty (1829-1883) composed the above verse and posthumously awarded Nguyen Canh Di and Dang Dung the poem:

“As a loyal subject of the Tran Dynasty,

Father's revenge has not been paid, country's debt is still there.

The strategy of fame is not yet complete,

Loyal heart like the sun and wood,

"Hey you bandits, remember the curse!"

After Le Loi pacified the Ming invaders (1428), the areas from Thanh Hoa to Thuan Hoa were basically liberated, Nguyen Canh Lu and his son returned to Ngoc Son village (their father's land) after many years of refuge in Huong Son - Ha Tinh (about 14 years from 1414 to 1428).

In the year of Canh Tuat (1430), on the occasion of King Le Thai To issuing an edict to the roads, prefectures, districts... to register the people, Nguyen Canh Lu and his son officially registered their household registration in Ngoc Son village - Nam Duong district - Hoan Chau region, taking the names "Nguyen Lu" and "Nguyen Luat". The father and son continued to work as boatmen, acupuncturists and medicine doctors here. Nguyen Canh Lu passed away without any record of the date, month, year and burial place. As for Nguyen Canh Luat, on his way to acupuncture to treat his illness, he was mauled to death by a tiger, but instead of eating his flesh, they dug up the ground and buried him at Cho De waist (the grave part of Ngoc Son village - Thanh Chuong). They were the ancestors of the Nguyen Canh family in Thanh Chuong - Nghe An.

The national hero General Nguyen Canh Chan and Nguyen Canh Di were the founding heroes of the post-Tran period who continued the tradition of fighting to build and defend the country of their predecessors, making great contributions to the history of the nation. He was the ancestor of the Nguyen Canh family in Nghe An. Later, his descendants followed the military career of their predecessors, many famous people were honored by the Later Le and Le Trung Hung dynasties: Including 18 District Dukes, 76 Marquises, many counts and titles, representing the four loyal classes, five generations of humanity, including: Phuc Khanh District Duke Nguyen Canh Huy and his descendants such as: Phan Vo Marquis Nguyen Canh Noan; Minister of War, Thai Pho Tan Quoc Cong Nguyen Canh Hoan; Trung Quan Cong Nguyen Canh Han; Cuong Quan Cong Nguyen Canh Van; Lap Quan Cong Nguyen Canh Chieu; Thai Bao Ta Tu Khong Thu Quan Cong Nguyen Canh Kien; Ta Tu Ma Thang Quan Cong Nguyen Canh Ha; Admiral Lieu Quan Cong Nguyen Canh Que... His family line is famous for its nobility and illustriousness, worthy of the famous poem."The ancestors of the past came from a strange place, the eighteen Dukes and three Prime Ministers - the descendants of Dinh, Ly, Tran, and Le, more than a hundred doctors and seven top graduates".

Unesco delegation and historians survey the Ngoc Son Temple relics. Photo courtesy

In the Ho Chi Minh era, there were Mr. Nguyen Canh Dinh, former Minister of Water Resources and Minister and Head of the Office of the President; Nguyen Canh Toan - Professor of Mathematics, former Deputy Minister of Education and Training; Nguyen Song Tung - former Deputy Minister of Labor; Major General Nguyen Canh Hien, former Deputy Commander of the Vietnam Border Guard...

To commemorate the great contributions of the two famous national heroes Nguyen Canh Chan and Nguyen Canh Di, most cities in the country have streets named after them. Especially near Ba Dinh Square - Hanoi, there is Nguyen Canh Chan Street from the French colonial period, Nguyen Canh Di Street in Dai Kim Urban Area - Hoang Mai District - Hanoi. In his hometown, there are streets and Nguyen Canh Chan High School named after them./.

* Reference source:

•Complete Annals of Dai Viet

•Complete Annals of Vietnam

•Nguyen Bac's Upper Class

•The Marquis of Shu Bian

•Nguyen family tradition

•Hoan Chau Ky, documents of Nguyen Canh family

•Nghe An signed

•Quiet Ancient Records

•Lam Son Thuc Luc