General Nguyen Xi and the story of 'borrowing the enemy's name'

Orphaned at the age of 9,Nguyen XiHe followed his brother to live as a servant for Mr. Le Khoang (father of Le Loi), a wealthy mandarin in the mountains of Thanh. He was very intelligent, agile, showed talent, and had great ambition. Therefore, Le Loi respected him very much and assigned Nguyen Xi to take care of a pack of more than one hundred hunting dogs.

The book Dai Viet Thong Su by Le Quy Don records that:“The King ordered Nguyen Xi to raise a pack of more than 100 hunting dogs. Morning and evening, he divided the food for the dogs, using a bell as a signal. The dogs followed his command and training, advancing and retreating obediently."

Statue of Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi at his temple in Khanh Hop commune (Nghi Loc). Photo: Dao Tuan

In the journey of warLam Son uprising, Nguyen Xi's pack of dogs became a special army. Because they were carefully trained and controlled by music, from eating, sleeping, to attacking, they all followed commands.

When the insurgents were besieged and ran out of food, the dogs went hunting and catching birds for food. When going into battle, Nguyen Xi controlled the dogs to rush into the battle, making the enemy panic and scared out of their wits. The Ming general Ma Ky was extremely terrified every time he heard about General Nguyen Xi's dog army.

During the period from late 1426 to 1427, the Lam Son Insurgent Army General Command launched large-scale strategic offensives along the entire front, attacking citadels, destroying forts, and destroying reinforcements. Therefore, many times weapons could not be produced in time to supply and supplement the main forces, especially tens of thousands of bronze-coated arrows.

So, one time, General Nguyen Xi came up with a plan to “borrow the enemy’s name”. He tied horse harnesses around the dogs’ necks, and when the dogs ran, they would make a sound like cavalry. At night, he led his troops to surround the Ming enemy camp, then beat drums and cheered loudly, and sent the dogs running around the enemy camp.

The Ming army heard the sound of horses and drums, and the cheers of the soldiers were so loud that they were frightened, thinking they were being attacked. However, they did not know the strength of the troops in the dark night, so they did not dare to attack. They had to use bows and crossbows from inside the camp to shoot like rain. They continued doing this until almost dawn, and the insurgents collected tens of thousands of arrows.

The Lam Son insurgents and the people praised Nguyen Xi, considering his plan to use the enemy's name to be no less than Khong Minh's plan to use straw men to "borrow names" from Cao Cao's army in the Battle of Red Cliffs during the Three Kingdoms period.

During the 10 years of arduous resistance, Nguyen Xi and his dogs participated in many important battles such as the siege of Dong Quan citadel, the capture of Xuong Giang citadel, or the campaign to destroy and capture nearly 100,000 Ming troops who came to reinforce Chi Lang in the year Dinh Mui (1427)...

To honor Nguyen Xi's contributions, the Nguyen Dinh family and people built a temple to worship him in 1467. Photo: Thanh Cuong

When the resistance was successful, Le Loi ascended the throne (Le Thai To), appointed Nguyen Xi as Long Ho Thuong Tuong Quan, Huyen Hau, a founding hero of the Later Le Dynasty and was given the national surname (King's surname).

In 1433, before his death, King Le Thai To (Le Loi) left a will for Nguyen Xi to assist 11-year-old Crown Prince Le Nguyen Long to ascend the throne (King Le Thai Tong). During the 8 years he was by the King's side as regent, he successfully fulfilled his will, supported the country, protected the country and brought peace to the people, through the two reigns of Thai Binh and Dai Bao.

In 1442, King Le Thai Tong suddenly passed away. The queen and the mandarins recommended Thai Bao Nguyen Xi (3rd position in Tam Thai) to help the young Lord Le Bang Co, who was just over 1 year old, ascend the throne (King Le Nhan Tong).

In June 1460, Nguyen Xi led a group of high-ranking officials to stage a coup to overthrow Le Nghi Dan, saving the Le dynasty that was sinking in chaos and injustice. He put Prince Le Tu Thanh (the fourth prince of King Le Thai Tong) on ​​the throne as Emperor, with the title Le Thanh Tong (pure Emperor). He opened a period of great prosperity and development in the history of Vietnamese feudal dynasties...

Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi served as an official under four kings, holding important positions in the royal court such as Thai Bao, Thai Pho Binh Chuong Quan Quoc Trong Su (Prime Minister), Nhap Noi Huu Tuong Quoc (First Prime Minister), Thai Uy, with the title Quy Quan Cong.

In the year of At Dau (1465), hefell ill and died, died at the age of 69, the court posthumously honored him as Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi, the highest, highest, highest-ranking blessed god.

Nguyen Xi Temple is a unique architectural and artistic work. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi was a monarch and minister who founded the country twice. He was a man of both literature and martial arts, devoted to the country and the people.

In memory of and gratitude for the merits of Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi, in 1467, his family and people built a temple named after him on his homeland in Nghi Hop commune (now Khanh Hop), Nghi Loc district.Works of high architectural and artistic value, was recognized as a National Historical and Cultural Heritage in 1991. In particular, on December 31, 2020, the temple of Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi was recognized by the State as a special National Monument. Every year on the 29th and 30th of January and the 1st of February of the lunar calendar, people in the area eagerly participate in the temple festival.

Evaluating Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi, King Le Thanh Tong once wrote:“…A majestic demeanor, a strong personality. He helped Cao Hoang (King Le Loi) when he opened the country in hundreds of difficult battles, assisted Tien Khao (King Le Thai Tong, Le Nhan Tong) in defending the country, wholeheartedly helped the people; when outside, he fulfilled his role as a military general, when inside, he fulfilled his role as a civil general, his loyalty to his subjects and his son was unmatched… All the officials admired his demeanor, the four seas looked up to his prestige…”.