LỊCH SỬ TRUNG QUỐC VIẾT GÌ VỀ VUA QUANG TRUNG?

In Vietnamese history, the name Nguyen Hue is closely associated with a victory that nearly every Vietnamese knows— the spring victory of the Kieu Dau year in 1789, when the Tay Son forces defeated the Qing dynasty army in Thang Long. But there is a fascinating issue that not everyone has ever thought about. So, what does Chinese history write about Quang Trung, about our nation's emperor? Because in Eastern history, China has a tradition of detailed record-keeping, and every major event related to foreign countries was documented in the official dynastic histories of China. In the case of Wu Guangzhong, these documents indeed exist. The most important records are found in official historical compendiums such as the Qing Shilu and the Qing Shicao, which are the orthodox historical records of the Qing dynasty. What is interesting is that, upon reading these records, we encounter a very peculiar story. Initially, the Qing dynasty regarded Nguyễn Huệ merely as a rebellious troublemaker. But after a sudden battle in Thăng Long, the Qing dynasty was forced to reconsider its perspective. The story originated from a political crisis in Đại Việt. By the end of the 18th century, Đại Việt entered an extremely turbulent period. The Lê dynasty court had nearly lost actual power, and the country was divided among various competing forces. In the north, the Lê-Trịnh dynasty weakened, while in the south stood the Nguyen lords, and from the region of Binh Dinh emerged a very powerful peasant movement known as the Tay Son. The Tayson uprising quickly became a major power, with Nguyen Hue emerging as the most prominent figure. In just a few years, the Tayson forces accomplished feats that astonished the entire region. The Tayson army defeated the Nguyen lords in the south, then advanced north and destroyed their power. Eventually, the Lê dynasty collapsed. To the Qing court in the north, these developments were viewed through a familiar lens: this was a rebellion. In Chinese documents, the Tây Sơn are often referred to using derogatory terms such as "rebel forces," "Western Mountain bandits," or "traitorous rebels in Annam." From Beijing's perspective at that time, the Lê dynasty was still the legitimate regime, while the Tây Sơn were regarded as usurpers. That is why, when Lê Triệu Thống fled to China for help, the Qing dynasty government saw this as an opportunity to intervene. At that time, the emperor was Qianlong, one of the most powerful emperors of the Qing Dynasty. Qianlong ruled for many years and launched numerous large-scale military campaigns throughout Asia. When he heard that there was military unrest in the south, Qianlong decided to intervene militarily. The campaign was entrusted to a prominent general of the Qing Dynasty, Sun Shini. According to Chinese documents, a fairly large force was mobilized. The Qing army advanced into Dai Viet from multiple directions. Records often mention a figure of tens of thousands of regular soldiers, in addition to support forces from Yunnan and Guangxi. For the Qing dynasty court, this campaign was regarded as straightforward. The Qing court believed that as long as they marched south, suppressed the Tây Sơn rebels, and restored Lê Chiêu Thống to the imperial throne, the matter would be settled. At first, everything really did unfold just like that. In late 1788, the Qing army entered Thăng Long, encountering almost no significant resistance. The city of Thăng Long fell into the hands of the Qing army quite quickly. The Lê dynasty was restored, and the Qing court believed that order had been reestablished. But in the south, Nguyen Hue was preparing something that would surprise everyone. Upon receiving the news that the Qing forces had captured Thăng Long, Nguyễn Huệ immediately realized that this was no longer merely a civil war. This became a war against invasion. He did a very important thing: he ascended the throne as emperor, adopting the era name Quang Trung. Then he ordered the preparation of a military campaign to the north. What later caused China to record this event was the speed of this military march. From the capital city of Phú Xuân, now known as Huế, to Thăng Long is a distance of more than 600 kilometers. Even today, traveling by car still takes many hours. In the 18th century, roads were rudimentary, and moving armies was often very slow. Yet according to many records from the Qing dynasty, the Tay Son forces moved with astonishing speed. The Qing dynasty documents record that the Tây Sơn army was known for its extremely rapid marches. Who are the soldiers who march day and night and arrive at their destination like the wind? This was a complete shock to the Qing army. In the Qing army's estimation, the Tay Son needed a great deal of time to gather their forces. In reality, within a very short period, the Tayson forces had already advanced close to Thang Long. What is noteworthy is that Quang Trung did not merely march forward; he also planned his attack precisely during the Lunar New Year festival. At that time, the Qing army was in Thăng Long and believed the enemy could not counterattack immediately. Therefore, the Qing army was very overconfident. This subjectivity led to one of the Qing Dynasty's greatest military failures in Southeast Asia. The conflict took place at the beginning of 1789, and the most significant battle was the Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa. In Chinese history, this battle is not described in as much detail as it is in Vietnamese history. But they still had to acknowledge that the Qing army had suffered a defeat, and because of this defeat, it was not described in detail. Some passages in the Thanh Thuc Lục record that the Annamite forces fought very fiercely, causing the Qing army to lose their formation. The Tayson army launched attacks on many important locations within Thang Long city. The most prominent was the Battle of Ngọc Hồi, where the Qing army was thoroughly defeated after a fierce assault. Then came Dong Da, where the Qing forces fell into chaos. Chinese sources state that when the situation became dangerous, the monk Yigong quickly retreated toward the border. Some of the annals also record that Qing troops fought fiercely to cross the river. This is a rather gentle way of describing a chaotic retreat. In fact, this is a very serious failure. Thousands of soldiers died, and many bodies of Qing troops were buried in mass graves. Later, they formed mounds of earth that people came to call Dong Da Mound. And what is the truth? You can find another story on the comment channel of Hai Thanh History. For the Qing dynasty court, this incident was very awkward. because the campaign was personally approved by Emperor Qianlong, and its objective was to restore the Lê dynasty. But just a few days after the fighting began, the entire campaign collapsed. The interesting thing is that after this defeat, the way Nguyen Hue's Chinese portrayal changed significantly. At first they called him Giat, but after the Dong Da campaign, they began using more neutral terms. such as Nguyen Hue or An Nam Quoc Vuong. The reason is that after his victory, Quang Trung skillfully carried out a diplomatic move. He did not continue the state of war with the Qing dynasty. Instead, he sent envoys to China to establish peace. At this point, the Qing dynasty also realized that launching a new campaign against the Tay Son would be extremely costly. Vietnam's terrain is difficult to conquer, with vast geographical distances. Moreover, they had just suffered a major defeat. Therefore, Qianlong decided to recognize Quang Trung as the king of Đại Việt. From then on, in the official documents of the Qing dynasty, Nguyễn Huệ was no longer called a rebel general. He became the King of Annam. A very interesting detail is that King Quang Trung actually went to China. After the reconciliation, the relations between Đại Việt and the Qing Dynasty gradually stabilized. A very famous event occurred in the year 1790. The Qing dynasty court held a birthday celebration for the Emperor Qianlong's 80th birthday. This is a very big event. Many countries in the region were invited to send delegations to offer congratulations. Quang Trung was also invited to come over. According to Chinese records, the King of Annam personally went to Chosŏn. However, according to many Vietnamese sources, the person who went to China at that time was not the real King Quang Trung. He is Pham Cong Tri, a man pretending to be the king. Nevertheless, the diplomatic mission was received with great honor. Qianlong was delighted, thinking that the king who had once defeated the Qing army had now come to his court. This event reveals something interesting. Shortly after the war, both sides resumed normal diplomatic relations. In modern studies by Chinese scholars, Nguyen Hue is often highly evaluated. Many people regard him as a rare talented general in Southeast Asia during the 18th century. They emphasized three points. First is the ability to conduct lightning-fast marches. The military campaign advancing from Phú Xuân to Thăng Long is considered a very bold operation. The second is the military organization's disaster. The Tây Sơn army was described as disciplined and highly effective in combat. Third is skillfulness in diplomacy. After the victory, the Quang Trung incident did not escalate the conflict further but quickly established peace. Thus, Đại Việt avoided a prolonged war with a major empire to the north. From a comprehensive perspective, the Chinese revolutionary movement looks far ahead to Nguyen He. In fact, it has changed according to each historical stage. After the war, the relationship between the two sides entered a new phase. What is very interesting is that Nguyễn Hệ did not continue confronting the Qing Dynasty; instead, he chose a path of reconciliation. Envoys were sent to Beijing to restore relations. For the Qianlong Court, this was also a reasonable choice. Qianlong had just suffered a defeat, and launching another major campaign in the south would be extremely costly. Thus, the Qing Dynasty ultimately accepted and recognized him as the leader of Đại Việt. From there, their bets. He was formally known by the title of a distinguished scholar, An Nam Quốc Vược. It is precisely due to this process of changing perspectives that King Quang Trung became a very unique figure in the region's history. Few kings in Southeast Asia have both defeated a large island army of a northern empire. just forcing the empire itself to recognize it in diplomacy. Nguyễn Hệ's story, therefore, is not merely a military victory, It also marks a significant political and diplomatic breakthrough between the two countries. Therefore, whether reading Vietnamese history or records from the Chinese side, Nguyễn Hệ's image still appears very vividly. He is like a storm appearing on the map of history. In a very short time, he swiftly launched his troops and fought a decisive battle. and thus completely altered the overall situation in the region. That is also why the name Nguyen He – Quang Trung is still mentioned to this day. as one of the most outstanding generals in Vietnamese history. If you find this story interesting, please like the video and subscribe to the channel. to continue watching the upcoming videos. Now, please don't say goodbye. See you in the next videos.