Comrade Hoang Lac - a staunch communist example in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement

Hoang Lac grew up under the care and guidance of his father. He was taught Chinese characters by his father, then learned the national language. Growing up in a country that was destroyed, witnessing the exploitation of the colonial and feudal governments and the suffering of the people, the flame of patriotism and hatred for the enemy was soon lit in Hoang Lac's soul. He was very good at poetry and literature, so from 1920 to 1927, Hoang Lac composed many poems to express the feelings of the people who lost their country, satirizing and criticizing the kings and mandarins who sold out their country, encouraging the fighting spirit of the masses such as: "Lullaby", "Advice for children", "Stork lure", "Cai luong song",...

Hoang Lac also quickly absorbed the patriotic poems and literature of contemporary patriotic scholars and scholars such as Phan Boi Chau, Nguyen Hang Chi, Vo Liem Son, Ngo Duc Ke...

In the years 1920-1925, in Can Loc as well as many localities in Nghe Tinh, there was a movement for young people to go abroad to find a way to save the country. Different from the previous Dong Du movement, this time the direction of going abroad was to Siam (Thailand) and China. During this time, Can Loc became the place to welcome Nghe Tinh youth on their way across Truong Son to Trai Cay in Siam of Mr. Tu Hua (Dang Thuc Hua). The reclamation camp in the south of Truong Bat of Huoc Kien (ie Nguyen Kien) from Nga Khe commune was the base for communication and transportation for young people to go abroad.

With the enthusiasm of youth, Hoang Lac and 8 young men from Can Loc from this camp went abroad one after another to find a way to save the country. After a period of working, studying and training in Siam, Hoang Lac and his comrades returned to their homeland to teach and actively propagate, calling on the people to rise up against the oppression and exploitation of the feudal and colonial governments.

After the Phuc Viet Association (the predecessor of the Tan Viet Party) was established in Vinh city, in the summer of 1925, teacher Ngo Duc Dien, from Trao Nha commune, returned to Can Loc district to establish the association's base. In September 1925, the first Phuc Viet group in Can Loc was organized, including a number of patriotic intellectuals such as Ngo Duc De, Hoang Lac, Le Viet Luong, Tran Dai Qua, and Vo Tinh. After a year, the group had bases in 5 communes in the district. Hoang Lac continued to mobilize many people in the village who had participated in the Phuc Viet Association to establish the Tan Viet organization in Dinh Lu village, consisting of 7 people including Hoang Lac, Hoang Lien, Hoang Ky, Nguyen Cu, Mai Cat, Nguyen Dinh, and Nguyen Bieu. He was assigned to be in charge of the Party cell, propagating and mobilizing the masses to participate in the patriotic movement through forms such as discussing literature and poetry, prescribing medicine and teaching at home to facilitate activities.

In 1927-1928, Hoang Lac became enlightened and recruited Phan Thieu, Nguyen Han, Nguyen Dien, Nguyen Than, Nguyen Ai, Nguyen Cu, Nguyen Xich, Phan Chau, Dao Hoan, Ngo Cu, and Le Van Lam into the Tan Viet organization in Dinh Lu village. He and other Tan Viet party members actively propagated and mobilized a number of students from Vinh National School to join the revolution. The activities of the Tan Viet organization had a strong influence on the people inside and outside Phu Luu commune. In many places, the masses organized struggles to sue local landlords for appropriating public land and against excessive surcharges such as Hau Loc and Dinh Lu. As a result, the villages in the commune reclaimed many public lands from local landlords, village chiefs, and officials.

Along with developing the organization and mobilizing people to fight, the Tan Viet organization in Dinh Lu led by comrade Hoang Lac established guilds such as roofing guilds, filial piety guilds, happy guilds, plowing guilds, etc., thereby propagating and enlightening the masses, helping each other to solve difficulties in life.

In June 1929, the Indochinese Communist Party was established as a ray of light illuminating the path for the progressive members of the Tan Viet organization. Comrade Nguyen Phong Sac was sent to Nghe Tinh to propagate and mobilize the expansion of the Indochinese Communist Party. This organization contacted comrade Hoang Lac and assigned the task of converting the Tan Viet Party cell in Dinh Lu into the Indochinese Communist Party cell.

A group of remaining Tan Viet party members established the Indochinese Communist League. After a while, the Indochinese Communist Party branch in Dinh Lu also became a branch of the Indochinese Communist League. At the end of 1929, in Can Loc, 5 Indochinese Communist Party branches were established, namely: Huu Ngoai, Dinh Lu, Cai Luong, Trao Nha, Yen Trang, including 18 party members. These branches actively contributed to helping comrades Ngo Duc Ke, Le Tiem, and Vo Que prepare for the Conference to establish the Indochinese Communist League on December 31, 1929. The conference was held on a boat from Thuong market to Do Trai (Duc Tho). After the conference, when returning to Do Trai, he was stopped by soldiers for a search. Comrade Hoang Lac shot and killed a soldier so that the delegates could escape.⁽²⁾.

On February 3, 1930, the Communist Party of Vietnam was founded by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, marking a great turning point in the revolutionary development process of our country. At the end of February 1930, the Central Region Party Committee sent comrade Tran Huu Thieu (from Anh Son district, Nghe An province) to Ha Tinh to establish grassroots Party organizations. Can Loc was the first place where comrade Thieu worked. Tran Huu Thieu contacted communist party members in Can Loc such as comrade Vo Que, Hoang Lac, ... to convert the Indochina Communist League cells into Communist Party cells of Vietnam and organized two new cells, Phu Luu Thuong and Nguyet Ao.

Also in February 1930, at Dinh Lu communal house, the first Communist Party cell in Can Loc was officially established, called Dinh Lu Cell, including comrades: Hoang Lac (as Secretary), Hoang Lien, Mai Cat, Nguyen Cu and Hoang Ky. In the cell, there were two younger brothers of comrade Hoang Lac, Hoang Lien, Hoang Ky and Hoang Ky's brother-in-law, comrade Mai Cat.

In May 1930, comrade Hoang Lac contacted comrade Nguyen Quang Thong of Kim Chuy village to establish another Party cell. On June 10, 1930, Kim Chuy cell was established at Duc Ong Temple, with comrade Nguyen Quang Thong as Secretary.

Thus, after only a short time, in Tan Loc, Party cells were formed, in which the Dinh Lu village cell was the earliest to be established, together with the enthusiastic Secretary Hoang Lac, who made many positive contributions to the general struggle movement of the whole district during the revolutionary climax of 1930-1931.

The Nghe Tinh Soviet Movement began with the May 1, 1930 struggle of workers and peasants in Vinh - Ben Thuy. Also on that day, responding to the call of the Central Region Party Committee, Ha Tinh Provincial Party Committee, comrade Hoang Lac and the Party cells of Dinh Lu and Kim Chuy villages and the Party cells of Lai Thach and Phu Luu communes directed the hanging of flags, the distribution of leaflets, and speeches to propagate the Party's guidelines, calling on the masses to fight.

After the events of May 1, 1930, the struggle movement of the people of Tan Loc had a new development. The subsequent struggles with the participation of hundreds of people from 4 hamlets: Thuong Dong, Thuong Tay, Ha Dong, Ha Tay surrounded the local authorities at Dinh Lu communal house from morning to afternoon, forcing them to hand over 32 hectares of public land to the people. The struggle was victorious, leaving a strong mark on comrade Hoang Lac, contributing to strongly encouraging the struggle movement of farmers in villages and communes. As a result, during this time, the whole commune regained 68 hectares of public land for the people.

At the end of July 1930, the Provisional District Party Committee held a conference to discuss the leadership plan to implement the Provincial Party Committee's policy of organizing demonstrations in localities throughout the province on the occasion of the International Day Against Imperialist Wars (August 1) to promote the influence of the Party and encourage the movement. The District Party Committee advocated organizing mass demonstrations to march to the district office to make demands, demanding tax exemptions and redistribution of public land. Comrade Hoang Lac was assigned to command the demonstration in Truong Gio (Hong Loc commune), with hundreds of people from Ha Can communes, then marched up to Ha Vang (Vuong Loc commune) and rushed to Can Loc district office, demanding the district chief to implement the demands of the masses. Upon receiving the urgent news that "there was a demonstration north of Nghen bridge", District Chief Tran Manh Dan hurriedly led 5 soldiers to deal with it. Faced with the power of the masses, he did not dare to suppress; he used the tactic of delaying troops, persuading the protesters to disperse. After exchanging 10-point demands and forcing the District Chief to promise to "report to the provincial authorities and give a response within 10 days", the farmers ended their protest.

This was the first demonstration of the people of Can Loc and also the first mass demonstration of Ha Tinh farmers marching to the district that was successfully organized, and the enemy did not dare to suppress it. The Ha Tinh Provincial Party Committee highly appreciated this demonstration and commented: "It opened the struggle movement of Ha Tinh farmers, demonstrating the extraordinary strength of the peasants, forcing the imperialists and feudalists to give up, and the District Chief had to bow and accept the demands."⁽³⁾.

At the end of 1930, the revolutionary movement in Can Loc entered a new phase, the phase in which the peasant masses rose up to take control of many villages and communes in the entire district, establishing a Soviet government. In the first months of 1931, in Can Loc district, 73 villages established Soviets (out of a total of 170 villages in the entire province). The birth of the Soviet government in Ha Tinh in general, and Can Loc in particular, marked a milestone in the tireless struggle of the masses under the leadership of the Party, with steadfast and indomitable sons of the homeland such as Ho Lac, Nguyen Dinh Mai, Vo Que, Ho Ngoc Tang, Phan Gan, Tran Xu, ...

From the end of August 1931, the enemy focused on repression and terror to suppress the struggle movement of the people of Nghe Tinh. In Ha Tinh, the leadership agencies of the districts and provinces were continuously destroyed by the enemy. Hundreds of cadres, party members and loyal masses were arrested and imprisoned by the enemy. During this time, comrade Hoang Lac was selected to strengthen the District Party Committee as a propaganda officer, then worked as a printing officer of the Provincial Party Committee and became a member of the Central Party Committee in charge of financial work. Despite working in extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances, he still upheld his responsibility to the Party and the movement, staying close to the people day and night to maintain the influence of the Party and guiding the masses to deal with the repression and terror of the enemy.

Assigned to be in charge of the finances of the Regional Party Committee, Hoang Lac and a number of party members took care of searching for, building bases, hiding and nurturing cadres. His family and other families were responsible for food and accommodation for cadres of the Regional Party Committee, Provincial Party Committee, and District Party Committee to hold secret meetings at home, despite the enemy's suppression and siege. At that time, the house of Mr. Quyen (Hoan) had five sons and daughters who all participated in the revolution, and was a hot spot that the French colonialists often visited many times. Mr. Hoan and Mrs. Chuoc were taken to the police station and interrogated by the French colonialists to get information about their revolutionary activities, but were unsuccessful. They set fire to the beloved house they had built.

Also during this time, comrade Hoang Lac's two sons were very active. In 1931, Hoang Manh Khang was Deputy Secretary of the Youth of the Central Region Party Committee; Hoang Cuong was in charge of the Red Self-Defense Force. Wanted by the enemy, at the end of 1931, Hoang Manh Khang also fell into the enemy's hands at the age of 15, was arrested and sentenced to 9 years of hard labor, 4 and a half years of house arrest according to the 1931 verdict of the Ha Tinh Provincial Court.⁽⁴⁾.

To prevent spies and soldiers from returning to the village to search and issue a nationwide wanted notice, under the pseudonym Yen Son, comrade Hoang Lac and a number of comrades in the Central Region Party Committee and Ha Tinh Provincial Party Committee returned to the base area on Hong Linh Mountain, mobilizing people to contribute rice and food to hide Party cadres. In early February 1932, after 10 days of blocking the people's supply routes, the enemy attacked Huong Tich base, capturing the last leading cadres of the Ha Tinh Party Committee, including the Chief of the Finance Department of the Central Region Party Committee, comrade Hoang Lac. In the telegram from the Ha Tinh Security to the Chief of the Hue and Vinh Security, the content was as follows:“The Yen Tri post office staff arrested Tran Huyen, alias Kim Tien, and Hoang Lac, commonly known as Dao Vien, members of the Can Loc district propaganda riot group…”⁽⁵⁾.With the charges:"Worked at the Provincial Party Committee's printing factory, was a propagandist for Can Loc District, and was a member of the Youth Regional Party Committee"Hoang Lac was sentenced to 9 years in prison and 4 and a half years of house arrest under Judgment No. 25 dated March 3, 1933 of the Ha Tinh Provincial Court.⁽⁶⁾.

During his imprisonment in Ha Tinh Prison, the enemy brutally tortured him in many ways, such as: using red-hot plow blades to press on his entire body, clamping irons, beating him, exposing him to the sun until he lost consciousness many times. In addition, they also brought his wife, children, and parents to threaten him, but he still steadfastly endured, despite all the pain, sacrificing his body to uphold the spirit of a communist to protect the Party and his comrades. The enemy kept on torturing Hoang Lac in all forms until he was exhausted. During the time Hoang Lac and his children were arrested, his wife, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Sinh, a loyal and tenacious woman, both continued to take care of her husband and children in prison.

With the harsh prison regime and brutal torture, comrade Hoang Lac contracted tuberculosis. In Report No. 201 dated April 3, 1935, Tuan Vu, Ha Tinh sent to the Ministry of Justice, he proposed the conditional release of two political prisoners, Hoang Khoai and Le Kiem, who had contracted tuberculosis:“I am honored to inform you that the Ha Tinh Resident has just forwarded to me a piece of information from the provincial doctor that is beneficial to the two political prisoners named above:

1. Hoang Khoai, alias Khang, Number of prisoners: 8, 30 years old, from Dinh Luu village, Can Loc district (Ha Tinh), sentenced to 9 years for leading communists according to verdict number 25 dated March 3, 1933 - imprisoned on February 15, 1932, sentence reduced to 3 years on Tet 1935.

2. Le Kiem, number of prisoners: 180, 46 years old, from Dinh Luu village, Thach Ha district (Ha Tinh), sentenced to 13 years for leading communists according to verdict number 23 dated January 17, 1932 - was imprisoned on October 21, 1931, sentence reduced to 3 years on Tet 1934.

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 58 No. 10 dated April 30 on the regime of prisoners and convicts of Annam and the urging opinion of the provincial doctor, I respectfully propose to you, in agreement with the Resident, to conditionally release the two prisoners.”^(7).

In early 1935, comrade Hoang Lac had his sentence reduced and was released due to tuberculosis. Returning home, he breathed his last breath in the grief of his family and homeland. Assessing the contributions of comrade Hoang Lac (Hoang Khoai Lac) and other comrades, Can Loc District Party Committee affirmed:“Comrades Vo Que, Phan Gan, Ho Ngoc Tang, Nguyen Khien Suc, Hoang Khoai Lac, Nguyen Dinh Mai, Nguyen Nhan and countless Can Loc communist party members have poured their blood and bones into the glorious history of the Party.”^(8).

Although he knew that joining the revolutionary path meant many sacrifices, hardships, imprisonment and possibly even his own life, comrade Hoang Lac still chose it, with a determined will to devote himself to the cause of national liberation of the Party and the People. The contributions of comrade Hoang Lac and his family were recognized by the Party and the State as a family with revolutionary contributions: comrade Hoang Lac was a martyr; his sister Hoang Thi Le was a Vietnamese Heroic Mother; his siblings Hoang Lien, Hoang Ky, Hoang Thi Theu, sister-in-law Mai Thi Tu, Nguyen Thi Nhieu were Party members in 1930, were imprisoned and were recognized as veteran revolutionary cadres before the uprising. The children of martyr Hoang Khoai Lac, Hoang Manh Khang and Hoang Cuong, were all veteran revolutionary cadres, and were awarded many noble Orders and Medals by the State.

Currently, at the Dinh Lu Family National Historical Site, there is a memorial stele to the loyal communists who laid the first "pink brick" to establish the Ha Tinh Party Committee, with the names of five comrades engraved on it, including comrade Hoang Khoai Lac - Party Cell Secretary.

The Can Loc district martyrs cemetery today is still fragrant with the scent of young generations coming to remember and pay tribute to the merits of revolutionary predecessors and has a distinctive stone lotus-shaped tomb on top, which is where martyr Hoang Khoi Lac rests. The example of a loyal communist, an excellent son of the Soviet homeland - Hoang Khoi Lac still shines forever with his homeland and country.

Note:
(1) The name in the Hoang family tree is Hoang Lac. The reason for his name is Hoang Khoi Lac is because when he went into action, he used the identity card of his uncle's brother named Khoai. After being captured by the enemy, the name Hoang Khoi Lac appeared in the secret police files.
(2) According to the History of the Can Loc District Party Committee, National Political Publishing House, 2005, p. 38
(3) According to the History of the Can Loc District Party Committee, National Political Publishing House, 2005, p. 44
(4) According to the prison records of comrade Hoang Manh Khang, kept at the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum.
(5),6 According to the prison records of comrade Hoang Lac kept at the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum.
(7) According to the French documents of comrade Hoang Lac, kept at the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum
(8) According to Can Loc Soviet History (In the Nghe Tinh Soviet Movement); Published by Can Loc District Party Standing Committee, 1974