Regarding the background of a general honored at the Temple of the Immortals.

The Chinese-language document "Hundred Deities' Stories" (stories of 100 deities) in Nghe An province, page 4, records the temple and the deity Doc Loi. This legend was recorded at the end of the Nguyen dynasty. The deity is worshipped at the main temple in Mieu Temple (at the foot of Doc Loi mountain). People from the two communes of Huu Biet (now Nam Giang commune) and Truong Cat (now Nam Cat commune) share the responsibility of worshipping. The Doc Loi Temple was destroyed by American bombs, but fortunately, some ritual objects and statues were brought by the people of the two communes to the temples in Nam Giang and Nam Cat communes for worship. Notably, among the remaining artifacts at "Chi Thien Altar" (also known as My Thien Temple), there are still some imperial decrees conferring titles on the deity Doc Loi, whose surname is Pham.

From the documents above, we only know that the mountain god of Doc Loi is Pham Lanh Binh, meaning Lanh Binh of the Pham family. The god's real name is unknown, but his position is Lanh Binh Phieu Ky Uy, Thuong Tuong Quan Uy Liet Hau. The god is considered very sacred, bestowed with many honorary titles and titles to bless the people and protect the nation.

Fortunately, recently, Mr. Tran Dai Sy, a Vietnamese living abroad, was a member and then the head of the Franco-Chinese Medical Exchange Delegation, having worked in China for many years. He made the effort to visit major libraries in China to read historical documents about Vietnam, especially those from the Ly Dynasty's resistance against the Song Dynasty. He met with most families with important figures involved in the Song-Vietnamese war to request access to their genealogies and documents. He was able to read two military diaries of the two generals who commanded the invasion of Dai Viet (1076-1077): "Quach Thi Nam Chinh Ky" by Quach Quy and "Trieu Thi Chinh Tieu Giao Chi" by Trieu Tiet. Mr. Nguyen Ba Mao summarized the history of the deity Doc Loi, as recorded in the documents provided by Mr. Tran Dai Sy (published recently in the Nghe An Culture Magazine). We would like to summarize it as follows:

His real name was Phạm Trọng Y (1052-1077), his birthplace is unknown (?). His father was Phạm Trọng Khâm, and his mother was Quách Thị Phương. He was orphaned at the age of 7, raised by his uncle who changed his name to Quách Y. His uncle died at the age of 10, leaving him destitute and forced to beg for food in Thăng Long. He befriended six others in similar circumstances: Trần Di (Vũ Thư, Thái Bình), Dương Minh, Triều Thu (Cao Xá, Nghệ An), Mai Cầm (Vạn Phần, Nghệ An), Ngô Ức (Đường Lâm, Sơn Tây), and Tạ Duy (An Lĩnh, Thanh Hoá). They were taken as disciples by the monk Minh Không and sent to Prince Lý Chiêu Văn as his foster sons. They were taught both literature and martial arts by the Prince's father. They trained in both literature and martial arts at Hồ Tây Lake and became skilled divers. They were also adopted by Lady Ỷ Lan, Lê Thị Yến Loan, and their talents were introduced to the King. The king bestowed upon them the honorary title "Seven Heroes of Tay Ho". In his book "Quach Thi Nam Chinh," he referred to them as "Seven Dragon Monsters of Giao Long," and in the book "Trieu Thi Chinh Tieu Giao Chi," he called them "Seven Dragons of Giao Chi." The "Seven Heroes of Tay Ho" gathered 500 impoverished youths, raised them, and trained them into a skilled army, adept at swimming like otters and possessing exceptional naval warfare abilities. King Ly Thanh Tong bestowed upon them the honorary title "Giao Long Tay Ho." In 1069, the Giao Long army, accompanied by the seven, escorted King Ly Thanh Tong in his campaign against Champa, achieving many victories in the battles of Nam Gioi, Nhat Le, Thi Nai, and Phan Rang. Upon their return, the seven were granted the title of Baron and appointed as Commanders, each commanding the Thien Tu Binh. Pham Trong Y was assigned the Thien Tu Binh Bong Thanh. Empress Y Lan arranged marriages for the seven, specifically for Pham Y, specifically for Pham Phuong Tien, daughter of the Governor-General An and the Thanh Hoa Envoy Pham Nhat Chieu.

Once, while leading his army to attack Champa, Pham Trong Y ordered his troops to rest at Ru Mieu. At that time, the Ru Mieu area was a wild, dense forest teeming with wild animals. He ordered his troops to use large agate and yellow stone crossbows to wipe out the entire pack of wolves, saving the local people. Grateful, the people erected a temple in his honor at Ru Mieu.

In 1075, to thwart the Song Dynasty's plot to seize our country, King Ly ordered his troops to cross the border and attack the provinces of Ung, Liem, Kham, Dung, Nghi, and Bach. The "Seven Heroes of Tay Ho" followed Ly Thuong Kiet on his northern campaign and achieved great merit. All seven were granted the title of Grand General and Marquis. Pham Trong Y was granted the title of Minh Uy Grand General, the title of Minh Tam Marquis, and his wife was granted the title of First-Rank Lady.

In 1076, the seven heroes, along with their soldiers, fought back against the Song army in earth-shattering battles at the Nhu Nguyet River front, forcing the enemy to retreat. All seven heroes and their wives, the "Seven Heroes of Tay Ho," heroically sacrificed their lives on the battlefield!

After the war ended, seven of them were posthumously granted the title of Great King, their wives were granted the title of Princess, and the court ordered the construction of temples in their honor. Pham Trong Y was posthumously granted the title of Minh Uy Loi Tran Great King, and his wife was posthumously granted the title of Trang Thanh Princess. The king ordered the construction of a temple in his honor at Ru Mieu and granted land to the local people for ancestral worship.

The temple dedicated to the mountain god Pham Trong Y was leveled long ago, but the remaining historical site in front of the old rock formation and near Mieu Bridge needs to be rebuilt to honor a figure who contributed greatly to the nation and the country. The General Director of Saigon Beer Company, the investor of the Cau Mieu Brewery, has planned to rebuild the temple. This is an action that deserves support!

Dao Tam Tinh -Nghe An Library