Emperor Quang Trung and the land of Nghe An

Tay Son Rebellion

When the peasant uprisings in the North temporarily subsided, the violent struggle against the Nguyen Lords in the South erupted, culminating in the Tay Son rebellion led by the three brothers Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue, and Nguyen Lu.

The ancestors of the Tay Son dynasty were originally Ho family from Huong Cai village, Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province. They followed Lord Nguyen south when they crossed the Thuy rampart to attack Le-Trinh territory in Nghe An (1655) from the time of their great-grandfather, Ho Phi Long. The grandfather of the Nguyen Nhac brothers was Ho Phi Tien. From their father's generation, they changed their surname to Nguyen, following their mother's surname, Nguyen Phi Phuc. There is also an opinion that changing to Nguyen was following the Lord's surname.

In the year of Tan Mao (1771), Nguyen Nhac, under the pretext of rebelling against the National Regent Truong Phuc Loan, raised the banner of rebellion in Tay Son (Binh Dinh). With the support of the people in the surrounding area, the rebellion grew stronger and matured rapidly.

Statue of Emperor Quang Trung at the Quang Trung Museum (Binh Dinh). Photo: hiquynhon

In September of the year Quy Ty (1773), the Tay Son army used stratagem to capture Quy Nhon citadel, successively defeating the Nguyen Lord's army before advancing to Quang Nam, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, and Binh Thuan. The Nguyen Lord signed a peace treaty with the Siamese, freeing up his hands to fight the Tay Son.

In the year Mau Tuat (1778), Nguyen Nhac proclaimed himself King, established the Tay Son dynasty, adopted the reign name Thai Duc, and set his capital in Quy Nhon city.

In the year Canh Ty (1780), Nguyen Anh declared himself King. The Tay Son army repeatedly attacked the South and pursued him, but Nguyen Anh always managed to escape.

In March of the Year of the Tiger (1782), Nguyen Hue led his army to attack Gia Dinh for the fourth time. Nguyen Anh sent someone to Siam to ask for help and then fled to Phu Quoc Island. On the night of December 9th and the morning of December 10th, the Year of the Dragon (1784), Nguyen Hue and the Tay Son army defeated the Siamese army at Rach Gam - Xoai Mut.

In Bắc Hà, in 1782, Trịnh Sâm died. His young son, Trịnh Cán, was enthroned, but was later overthrown and killed by Trịnh Tông. Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh, originally from Nghệ An, abandoned Trịnh Tông and fled south to join the Tây Sơn, where he was trusted by Nguyễn Nhạc.

The capital city of Thang Long was ravaged and destroyed by rebellious troops. In the year of Binh Ngo (1786), Bac Binh Vuong Nguyen Hue, as the commander-in-chief, led the attack north, directly towards Thang Long. Trinh Tong was captured and then committed suicide. On their way north by sea, the Tay Son army sent many guerrilla units to land and attack Trinh's forts in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa to build their prestige.

In Thang Long, Bac Binh Vuong Nguyen Hue returned the governmental power to King Le but still retained real power.

In July of the year Bính Ngọ (1786), King Lê Hiển Tông passed away. Lê Chiêu Thống ascended the throne. The brothers Nguyễn Huệ and Nguyễn Nhạc withdrew their troops to the South, handing over power to Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh.

The Tây Sơn army's cannons were found at the Tây Sơn naval base in Thị Nại port (Quy Nhơn), and are now on display at the Tây Sơn Museum (Bình Định). Photo: Wikipedia

The remnants of Lord Trịnh's army returned to harass Thăng Long. Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh, coming from Nghệ An, managed to suppress them, but they became as tyrannical as Lord Trịnh had been before.

Due to strategic disagreements, the Tay Son brothers were at odds. In early 1787, Nguyen Hue led his army to besiege Nguyen Nhac in Quy Nhon citadel. Nguyen Lu intervened to mediate, and the brothers reconciled, but this left serious consequences, which were exploited by enemies from both sides.

In April of the year Mau Than (1788), King Le Chieu Thong abandoned the capital Thang Long and went into exile in China. In August, Nguyen Anh recaptured Gia Dinh. In the North, Nguyen Huu Chinh intended to resist the Tay Son. Nguyen Hue sent Vu Van Nham to eliminate him, but he later seized power and intended to oppose Nguyen Hue. He led his troops north, killed Vu Van Nham, and then withdrew to Phu Xuan.

At the end of 1788, over 290,000 Qing troops escorted Le Chieu Thong back to Vietnam under the pretext of restoring the Le dynasty, and occupied Thang Long. The Tay Son army proactively withdrew to Tam Diep - Bien Son (Ninh Binh) to defend themselves and await orders.

On November 25th, 1788 (December 22nd, 1788), Nguyen Hue ascended the throne as Emperor, taking the regnal name Quang Trung, and led his army to Northern Vietnam.

On November 29th, 1788 (December 26th, 1788), the main army ofEmperor Quang Trung arrived in Nghe An.They stopped here for more than 10 days to recruit soldiers and consolidate their forces. The Emperor reviewed the troops, read an edict to encourage the generals and soldiers, and then marched north.

Swords and small arms of the Tay Son army, on display at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History. Photo: Wikipedia

On December 20th of the year Mau Than (January 15th, 1789), the main army reached Tam Diep (Ninh Binh). In just six days, starting from the night of the 30th of the Lunar New Year, the Tay Son army annihilated 290,000 Qing troops.

Nguyen Nhac decided to cede leadership to Nguyen Hue so that the Tay Son dynasty would no longer be divided. Quang Trung became the supreme leader and formulated grand strategies to thoroughly defeat the remaining opposing forces. The unification of the country was very close to completion when, on July 29th of the Year of the Rat (September 16th, 1792), Emperor Quang Trung passed away.

Nghe An and the Tay Son Dynasty

From 1786 to 1788, the Tay Son army marched through Nghe An province four times, and in fact, from 1786 onwards, this region was under Tay Son control. The Tay Son movement, which began as a peasant uprising, developed into a large-scale nationalist movement, overthrowing the Nguyen Lords' regime in Dang Trong (Southern Vietnam) and the Le and Trinh Lords' regimes in Dang Ngoai (Northern Vietnam), defeating the Qing and Siamese invaders, ending the division of the country, and profoundly and powerfully influencing the political attitudes of many social classes.

First of all, it must be said that many people from Nghe An participated in the Tay Son army and made important contributions. During their march north to defeat the Qing army, in just 10 days of stopping in Nghe An, the Tay Son rebels gained an additional 50,000 followers. This demonstrates the people's support. Furthermore, the people of Nghe An contributed a great deal of money to the rebel army. The book "Quynh Doi Ancient Tales" recounts that Ho Thi Ai provided monthly allowances for three soldiers; Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phat, despite her poverty, still provided five monthly allowances...

During the Tay Son Rebellion, people from Nghe An province, whether early or late in their participation, all strived to contribute, with many maturing and making significant contributions. Those who joined from the beginning included Admiral Ngo Van So, Admiral Ho Phi Chan (from Can Loc), Admiral Duong Van Tao (Thach Ha), and the Le Quoc Cau, Le Quoc Ly, and Le Quoc Dam brothers (from Anh Son).

The temple dedicated to King Quang Trung on Dung Quyet Mountain (Vinh City). (Archival photo)

Influenced by the ideology of loyalty to the monarchy, a segment of the literati in Nghe An province resisted the Tay Son to protect the Le dynasty, notably Tran Doan Tu, Tran Phuong Binh, Nguyen Tien Lam, and Le Ban. Even the Nguyen Du brothers, Nguyen Hanh, and Nguyen Dieu did not submit to the Tay Son and intended to resist them. Others showed an uncooperative attitude, such as Nguyen Huy Oanh and Bui Duong Lich… However, many overcame their narrow-minded loyalty to the monarchy and, along with the majority of the people, supported the Tay Son. These included Nguyen Thiep, Phan Huy Ich, and Nguyen Ne...

Nguyen Thiep had refused Quang Trung's invitation to serve the country three times, but eventually changed his mind, accepted the offer to collaborate, and became the Director of the Sung Chinh Institute, overseeing culture and education. He then helped the King find land to establish the Phuong Hoang Trung Do citadel in Dung Quyet. King Quang Trung said of him: "A single word built a great empire... not the kind of person who only focuses on his own affairs." Phan Huy Ich, along with Ngo Thi Nham, was entrusted with diplomatic duties with the Qing dynasty and successfully completed the mission. Nguyen Ne (son of Nguyen Nghiem), a former official of the Le dynasty, joined the Tay Son and served as deputy envoy to the Qing dynasty twice.

Emperor Quang Trung and the Tay Son dynasty had a special affection for Nghe An, as it was his ancestral homeland and held a crucial geopolitical and security position in his strategic thinking. He chose Nghe An to establish the capital of the new dynasty (Phuong Hoang Trung Do citadel), but unfortunately, the construction was left unfinished. The people of Nghe An, whether commoners, scholars, officials, or writers, held it in high esteem and supported it.King Quang Trung and the Tay Son DynastyIn the great achievements of the Tay Son dynasty, Nghe An province made a significant contribution.