Story 6: Tri Cao Nung

All kings desired that whole the country they dominated was a united entity. King Thai Tong Ly was also one of them. Along the time he ruled the country, Dai Viet, he had had many policies to achieve his purpose. One of policies was political marriages. Princesses were sent and married with patriarchs who lived in the north highland of the country and the king also married with daughters of patriarchs. The king ordained them and let them manage the area but they had to obey the king. Therefore, the king didn’t need any fighting to force them to obey him.

Nung family had ruled provinces in the north highland long time. When Thai To Ly had been king he had ordained Ton Loc Nung to manage Thang Do area and his brother, Ton Loc Nung to manage Van Nhai area and his sister’s husband, Duong Dao to manage Vu Lac (now the areas were Cao Bang and Lang Son province)

When King Thai Tong Ly ascended the throne in 1038, Ton Phuc Nung killed the others and ruled their areas. He thought that the area was distant from the capital and besides, that was near Tong, the country was ready to help him whenever he requested. Phuc showed that he didn’t obey the king. He trained soldiers and established a new country, named Truong Sinh and Cao Binh (now Cao Binh, Hoa An district, Cao Bang province) was the new capital. He called himself Thanh Hoang emperor. His wife, A Nung, was ordained to be queen and his oldest son, Tri Thong Nung, was ordained to be Nam Nhai king. Phuc used to attack other areas and made borders were chaotic.

In 1039, the king sent a messenger coming and asking him to obey the king. Phuc not only didn’t listen but also dishonored the messenger. King Thai Tong Ly was angry, he himself brought solders to and fought Phuc. The way which led to the area was distant and craggy but that couldn’t stop them. When they arrived, Phuc knew that he and his soldiers couldn’t fight against the king and his soldiers. Therefore, Phuc and his family ran into the forest. They burned all camps to show the king his intent that he would fight against till he died. Soldiers of the king chased after them and caught Phuc and his oldest son. Phuc and his son were caged and brought to the capital. They were cut off their head at one when they arrived to the capital. That was a message the wanted to send others who planned to stand up him would had the same end. But, Phuc had another son, Tri Cao Nung, had escaped with his mother.

In 1041, Tri Cao Nung and his mother grouped underlings and regained Thang Do area. They established a new country, named Dai Lich. The king ordered general to fight them and it took no long time for the general could catch Tri Cao Nung and brought to the capital. The king didn’t want to kill him because he had killed his father and his brother. Therefore, he pardoned him and gave him a position named “Quang Nguyen Muc” (the position his father had had). He was responsible for management the area his father had managed and besides, Tu Lang area (Trung Khanh) though he was only 16 years old. He and his mother stood on their knees and promised that they would obey the king. In 1043, when Tri Cao Nung tributes to the king, the king ordained him to be the lord of the area he ruled. The king, besides, gifted him a new name, Thai Bao. Thought that his kindness would make Tri Cao Phung felt grateful but the king was wrong.

In 1048, Tri Cao Nung betrayed. He got the northwest of Cao Bang area by force. Another time, he established a new country with name, Dai Nam. He requested to king of Tong to merge into Tong. But, the king of Tong didn’t accept. King Thai Tong Ly ordered soldiers to attack them. That time, Tri Cao Nung requested to reconcile. He committed that he would not annoyed the borders which between his area and the country and he only expand his land in the side abutting with Tong. From that time, Tri Cao Nung attacked Tong.

Chinese history had written that Cao from the south brought soldiers coming and fighting Tong. He had wins in any where he arrived to. Besides, he was helped by people who were in other side of border, especially, he had allies, Tri Trung Nung and Kien Hau Nung who were also landlords and had same family name. Their power was tronger and stronger.

In 1052, Tri Cao Nung attacked Hoanh Son barrack then went in Ung Chau district, killed Tran Cung the mandarin of the area. That time, he established new country named Dai Nam. He called himself Emperor Nhan Hue. Then he attacked Quang Dong and Quang Tay and captured 9 districts. That was a large area. Later they went to attack Ho Nam. The name of Tri Cao Nung spread largely that made the king of Tong worried.

Then Dich Thanh, one of best general of China that time, brought soldiers to fight against them. Dich Thanh was a great general who had passed many fighting. So he was enough wisdom to solve Tri Cao Nung. Tri Cao Nung knew that he would lose. He sent a messenger to Dai Viet to pray King Thai Tong Ly to help him. King Thai Tong Ly ordered generals to go to the border and helped them at there. But they still didn’t arrived to the border Tri Cao Nung had lost and hid himself in Dai Li, a small country at Van Nam, the country had a long border with Dai Viet. King of Dai Ly scared That Tri Cao Nung would deprive his power and besides, he feared king of Tong. Therefore, he ordered servants to cut off Tri Cao Nung’s head later. The head was put into a box and was sent to king of Tong. That time, Thai Tong Ly had died and Thanh Tong Ly ascended the throne.

After Tri Cao Nung died, Thanh Tong Ly reclaimed the area which had managed by Tri Cao Nung and gave to others to manage. From that time, the border became peaceful.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

Read more:

Historical stories

Story 4: Thai Tong Ly, the kindness king

Story 5: Ceremony Dong Co

Story 7: One Pillar Pagoda (Chua Mot Cot)

Story 8: King Thanh Tong Ly

Story 9: Royal Concubine Y Lan

-----

Truyện cổ tích Việt Nam

Vietnamese fairy tales

Comments

BÀI ĐĂNG ĐƯỢC XEM NHIỀU

List of Vietnamese fairy tales

Vietnamese fairy tales includes many stories as Tam and Cam; So Dua; Hundred – knot- bamboo tree... which were spread in folk. Each stories has its own meaning. I think I can not translate exactly each word into english but I will try my best to convey its meaning to you. Hope you like them!

Thuong Luong

Thuong Luong was common name of creatures which are in people’s imagines. They are distant relatives of dragons. While dragons are worshiped as gods, the gods ruled rivers and sea and the gods can make rains, Thuong Luong is not respected as dragons that the creatures are too amorous, combative, wild, and have bad behaviors. All most of them like to harm people.

Truyện 110. Lấy chồng dê

Ngày xưa, ở một vùng gần biển, có hai vợ chồng nhà nọ, đầu tóc đã hoa râm mà vẫn hiếm hoi. Hai vợ chồng cầu khấn khắp nơi mong có mụn con khỏi phải hiu quạnh lúc tuổi già. Thế rồi người vợ bỗng có mang, chín tháng mười ngày đẻ ra một bọc, khi mở ra thì không phải là người mà là một con dê đực. Chồng bực mình bảo vợ đem ném xuống sông cho khuất mắt, nhưng người vợ không nỡ, khuyên chồng cứ để lại nuôi. Trong lòng phiền não, người chồng phát ốm rồi từ giã cõi đời. Trái lại, dê thì hay ăn chóng lớn, lại biết trông gà, chăn lợn, giúp đỡ mẹ những việc vặt trong nhà. Vì thế, mẹ dê cũng phần nào khuây khỏa.

2. Black dragon, the abandoned son of dragon family

The first black dragon' s born with whole body in black color, bigger than his brother and especally, he had only four toes on each foot (like half-black dragons having four toes instead of five). The ugly appereance made him not to be admitted by other members in his family that they thought he's half-blood dragon though the pure blood's inside him. Therefore, black dragon's not inherited the ability, controling natural phenomena, water, wind, cloud, thunder... After that, black dragons continued to be born and almost of them were not admitted and couldn't control any natural phemona.

Crow and Peacock

Once upon a time, both Crow and Peacock were best friends and had same feather colors, gray. They knew themselves were ugly so they didn’t appear front of other birds. Peacock in Crow’s eyes was uglier than him because Peacock had a small head and a long neck that they didn’t connect to his body. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com One day, Crow talked Peacock: “A painter was painting nearly so we should come and steal some colors to paint on our feathers and make it beautiful” said Crow Peacock bowed his head. That day, the painter hadn’t finished his picture so he left his jar of colors on ground and took a nap. The first time, they stole a paintbrush and some jars then hid them on mound middle lake nearly. The second, they planned to go and steal again but the panter had woken up and came his home so they only took a jar of ink and a pocket of purl he had left. “Right, we start painting, yet” said Crow Crow made Peacock lie down and began painting. Crow painted v...

So dua - Coconut boy

Once upon a time, there in a village had a couple who worked as servants for a landlord. Although they were over fifty years old, they had ever not had a child. They were sad about that, but they had never given up to dream about a child. One day, it's a very hot day, when the wife was working in the field and felt very thirsty. She seeked for water, but she didn't see any but a little water in a skull which was in a hole beside an ancient tree. She had no choice but to drink it. Right the moment she drank, the feeling of cold water running from her throat to her stomach made her felt very comfortable. As a magic, she was pregnant after that short time. Then, the husband died before he got the happiness looking his child be born. After nine months and ten days, the wife gave birth a son but he didn't look like any child on the world. He had no feet, no leg, and even no body. He just had a head with full of eyes, nose, ear, hair and mouth on it. He didn't ugly but was ...

Ghost revenge

A robber was caught he was sentenced to death. In the time, he stayed in prison waiting for his death, he told his family to find the way to save his life. His families made their way to the mandarin who judged him. They requested him to save the robber and he agreed to help them only if they could gave him twenty silver bars. His families gave him enough the silver but after he had the silver, he didn’t want to divide the silver to his fellows and higher mandarin. Therefore, the robber’s appeal was not cared. Later, the robber was killed as the before judgment. The mandarin wanted to avoid the robber’s family, he moved to other place. The thing because of that was forgotten. A student had chance to participate in the king’s contest but he was so poor. Though he borrowed money from his relatives and including his neighbors, he still didn’t have enough money to go to capital. When the date he set off came, a man came and made friend with him. The man asked him to go to capita...

Tam and Cam

Once upon a time, there had a little girl named Tam. Her mother died early so her father decided to remarry on purpose the stepmother would take care of his little daughter. The stepmother gave birth to a girl, named Cam after that. Then, her father died after few years. Tam had to live with her stepmother and her sister, Cam. Since the time, she was forced to work hard, all housework, while Cam had to do nothing. One day, the stepmother gave Tam and Cam each one a corf to caught fish. She promised that who caught full her corf would receive a piece of red silk. Tam and Cam went to field together. She was hard to catch fish while Cam only wondered around till afternoon and had nothing in her coft. Cam pointed at Tam’s coft and realised it is full, thinking seconds, she said gently: “sister Tam, your head is mud, you should wash it or mother will punish you” Belive Cam, Tam went to river nearly. She left her corf on the shore, waded into water to wash. Cam, meanwhile, stayed on t...

The love story of Chuc and Nguu

Deeply in forest where rarely people stepped on there had a pond which were filled by cool clear water. The pond had never dried so that was where fairies used to gather. They often took water from the pond and sometime they waded in it to bath. And while they were bathing they always left their clothes on shore. Though, they had never been discovered by anyone who lived on ground. He, a woodcutter, lived alone in a hut standing by edge of forest. His name was Nguu. Everyday, he went in forest, cut down tree then brought it to market to sell. One day, he went in forest to deeply that he didn’t remember the way to get out the forest. It’s random he headed to the pond at the middle of forest. That time, three fairies were romping in the pond. And of course they were the most beautiful girls Nguu had ever seen so he immediately was enchanted their beauty. Then, he caught a plan that he wanted a fairy to be his wife. He saw sets of white clothes which were left on grass n...

Vietnamese fairy tales

Search This Blog