A pure and loyal heart!

(Baonghean) - In the month of April, the people of Yen Thanh district remember the outstanding individuals who played a crucial role in igniting and transmitting the spirit of resistance against foreign invaders and national salvation from the very beginning. Among them is the illustrious military general of the Can Vuong movement against French colonialism: Mr. Tac Bay - Nguyen Van Ngoi (1860 - 1895).

A model of a righteous hero

Mr. Le Doan Loc – Secretary of the Party Committee of Ly Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) – could not hide his pride when recounting the story of the martyr of the Can Vuong movement, Tac Bay – Nguyen Van Ngoi. From a young age, Nguyen Van Ngoi showed his patriotism and hatred of the French invaders by going into the mountains to establish a camp to recruit soldiers and train in martial arts in the Len Voi, Len Rua, and Len Co areas (also known as the Ba Len area), now belonging to Ly Thanh, Trung Thanh, and Nam Thanh communes. Nguyen Van Ngoi received active support from the people and wealthy landowners with a nationalistic spirit in the region in terms of manpower, provisions, and money to purchase weapons.

Bau Trang Dam - the place where, according to legend, Tac Bay jumped over.

Upon learning that Scholar Nguyen Xuan On had resigned from his official position and raised the banner of rebellion in support of the Can Vuong movement, Nguyen Van Ngoi brought 400 patriots to join Scholar On's army and was appointed "Tac Vi Lanh Binh" (Commander of the Army). The name Tac Bay or Lanh Ngoi originated from this. Under Scholar On's banner, Tac Bay highly developed his martial arts skills and organized widespread uprisings.

The merits of Tac Bay – Nguyen Van Ngoi are clearly recorded in many historical books such as: "History of Nghe Tinh", "History of Yen Thanh", and the dossier proposing the recognition of the tomb and church of Tac Bay – Nguyen Van Ngoi in Chua Me hamlet (Ly Thanh commune) as a historical relic. Mr. Le Cong Kham (born in 1930) in Dai Thanh commune told us that the battles fought by Tac Bay are still recounted vividly by the people of this region as if they happened yesterday. These were the resounding battles of Tac Bay's resistance army against the French at Dong Soi, Ngoc Thuong, Bao Nham, Truong Lung, Khe Chac Chiu, Con Voi... To the French colonialists, Tac Bay was a source of terror with the nickname "the gray tiger of Ba Len", while to the people, he was a world-class hero.

On July 25, 1887, after the capture of Nguyen Xuan On, the leader of the Can Vuong movement, Tac Bay continued to raise the banner of patriotism with victorious battles against the French army, such as the battles of Dong Soi, Khe Am, and Doc Dai, further instilling confidence in the resistance fighters and the people about their ability to fight the French.

Mr. Nguyen Van Trinh – a member of the Nguyen Van clan council in Chua Me village – recounted that knowing they couldn't subdue Tac Bay by force, the enemy resorted to many other insidious tactics. Once, Tac Bay was surrounded in a cave, and the enemy forced the entire village to kneel before the cave entrance as hostages. However, Tac Bay sent a signal that he was no longer inside, so the villagers didn't need to be sacrificed. When the soldiers entered the cave, they couldn't find Tac Bay anywhere. This cave still exists today, and the people call it Len Tac Bay (in Ly Thanh commune).

The French colonialists frantically burned down houses in the village, scattering the villagers in all directions. Tac Bay remained undaunted. Later, out of admiration for Tac Bay's patriotism, Mrs. Tu Luong Phan Thi Tao stepped forward to request the re-establishment of the village and the regrouping of its people.

In 1895, knowing that Tac Bay would be going out and sleeping at a secret, unguarded location in Hau Trach village, the French colonialists set a trap to capture him. They carried him around in an iron cage, hoping to demoralize the people, but his spirit remained unwavering and only fueled the people's deep hatred. To prevent further harm, they secretly drowned Tac Bay in the Hang River (now in Vien Thanh commune). In July 1993, while working on irrigation projects to drain floodwaters, the people of Vien Thanh commune discovered Tac Bay's remains and reported it to the authorities. The People's Committee of Yen Thanh district and Ly Thanh commune organized a memorial service and brought his remains back for a solemn burial at Chua Me cave.

Entering the legend

Although a historical figure, in the stories told by the local people, Tac Bay becomes an extraordinary person with superhuman strength and actions. Mr. Nguyen Van Trinh – a member of the Nguyen Van family council and the caretaker of the Lanh Ngoi church relic in Chua Me hamlet (Ly Thanh commune) – told us that the elders of previous generations recounted that Mr. Tac Bay had an unusual physique, standing 2 meters tall, with arms reaching down to his knees, and possessing unparalleled strength.

Tác Bảy was admired by those around him for his "heroic" appearance. In his youth, he was a "world champion" wrestler, famous throughout the wrestling arenas of the region. As a child, Tác Bảy diligently trained his strength by attaching many mountain stones to his feet to jump from the back of one buffalo to another, from one mound of earth to another. When he followed Nghè Ôn in fighting the French, Tác Bảy could jump from house to house as quickly and lightly as a squirrel to break through the French encirclement.

In his prime, Tac Bay possessed the strength to "tame buffaloes and kill tigers," appearing and disappearing like a ghost. He moved about in the vast, densely forested area where he trained his troops and prepared for battle, his movements unpredictable. The story of Tac Bay killing Lieutenant Cooc – the commanding officer of the Battle of Con Voi – is like a chaptered novel. The French launched a major attack to find and eliminate Tac Bay, but as soon as Lieutenant Cooc reached the edge of the forest, Tac Bay's sword struck him, killing him instantly on horseback, much to the shock and terror of the enemy soldiers and the triumphant satisfaction of our troops and people.

Mr. Le Cong Kham, 86 years old, a resident of Dai Thanh commune, recounts the story of Tac Bay.

Mr. Le Cong Kham told us that in the desolate area through Doi Dai and Dap Moi (now part of Dai Thanh commune), Mr. Tac Bay would often suddenly appear with a sharp spear whenever the tyrannical landlords, those with pro-French and contemptuous sentiments, or those who betrayed the French... passed by. Many lost their lives, while many were spared, having reformed themselves after being terrified.

Mr. Kham said that the footprints of Tac Bay are still visible at the Bau Trang dam (Dai Thanh commune). According to Mr. Kham, the people in this area still firmly believe that Mr. Tac Bay once jumped from one side of the Bau Trang dam to the other to escape the encirclement of the French colonialists.

Stories about the martyr of the Can Vuong movement, Tac Bay Nguyen Van Ngoi, are still passed down and possess a powerful vitality. Although the stories about him are fragmented, interwoven with fact and fiction, they are still connected by a common thread: his unwavering loyalty to his country, a sentiment that has resonated powerfully from the past to the present.

Ngo Kien