A Sao relic site - echoes the oath by the Hoa River.
A Sao - a relic site in An Thai commune (Quynh Phu, Thai Binh) is a special land. Located along the Hoa River, adjacent to Hai Phong and Hai Duong ; converging the sacred energy of the river and sea, with a dangerous terrain, this place used to be the fief of Phung Can Vuong Tran Lieu, the father of Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan, whom Vietnamese people still call Duc Thanh Tran - a short but extremely respectful title.
This place is also identified as a military food warehouse serving the two resistance wars against the Yuan-Mongol army (1285, 1288) of the Tran Dynasty army and people, directly related to Tran Hung Dao. The folk song: " No matter who you are/ Passing A Sao temple, you must get off your horse " shows the solemnity and sacredness of the temple as well as this land.
According to legend, at the age of 18, Tran Quoc Tuan was awarded the title of Marquis of Thuong Vi and was assigned by the Royal Court to guard the land of A Sao.
According to the elders here, A Sao means “the nest, the nest” of the Tran Dynasty. In which “A” is Dong A - according to the word division, it means “Tran family”, while “Sao” is the nest, the nest. When the Tran Dynasty won three consecutive wars against the Yuan-Mongol army, the fighting spirit of the Tran Dynasty’s army and people became increasingly fervent and was called the heroic spirit of Dong A.
Journalist La Quy Hung, who has done a lot of research on the Tran Dynasty in Thai Binh, said that Tran Quoc Tuan was assigned by the royal court to build a military force and a system of warehouses to store military food. People from all over the region rushed to bring rice and grain, hoping to contribute their labor and money to the royal court to fight the enemy.
The warehouses in Me Thuong were all full, so more warehouses had to be built. "Food is enough to make strong soldiers", the system of food and weapons warehouses in A Sao became a solid rear base, together with Long Hung (Hung Ha), creating a great logistical potential for the Tran Dynasty's army to be strong enough to resist and defeat the Yuan - Mongol invaders.
After more than 700 years, this place still bears the traces of granaries associated with surrounding villages (in Quynh Phu district), such as Me Thuong village (rice granary), A Me (where Tran Dynasty rice was stored), Dai Nam (large granary), Am Qua village (sword granary), Go Dong Yen (horse saddle place)...
A Sao also has Ben Tuong associated with the story of an elephant getting stuck in the mud when Tran Hung Dao led a large army across the Hoa River to Luc Dau Giang to fight the Yuan-Mongol army led by O Ma Nhi in the third resistance war against the enemy in 1288.
When the war elephants got stuck in the mud, the people brought wood, bamboo, straw, and stubble. Some heroes even dismantled ironwood houses and rafts to try to save the elephants, but they could not pull them up. Meanwhile, the battle situation was too urgent, so the commander Tran Quoc Tuan had to swallow his tears and board a boat to cross the river to fight the enemy.
The war elephant looked at its commander with tears in its eyes, roared for a long time, then slowly sank into the silt. Mourning the righteous war elephant, Hung Dao Dai Vuong drew his sword, pointed it at the river, and shouted an oath: "This time, if I don't win, I will not return to this land."
Hung Dao Dai Vuong and the Tran Dynasty's army and people fulfilled that oath of life and death, defeated the fierce Yuan-Mongol invaders, and protected the beautiful land of Dai Viet. Hung Dao Dai Vuong had the Elephant's tomb built at the riverbank and the people built a temple to worship him. From then on, the riverbank was called Elephant Wharf, Elephant Wharf. Then the people of A Sao carved a stone Elephant statue to worship at the riverbank.
Ben Tuong is the place to worship the war elephant of Tran Hung Dao.
One of the questions related to the Tran Dynasty in general and Tran Hung Dao in particular that historians are still looking for an answer to is where Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan was born.
The military genius and outstanding cultural figure Tran Quoc Tuan, together with the Tran Dynasty's army, stopped and defeated the ferocious Mongol cavalry, firmly defended the borders of his ancestors and contributed to the nation a shining example of a loyal subject and a filial son.
Historians believe that Tran Hung Dao was born between 1226 and 1231. His hometown was also the hometown of the Tran Dynasty, which began with Tran Canh, also known as Tran Thai Tong, younger brother of Tran Lieu - Tran Hung Dao's father.
According to the book Dong A liet thanh tieu luc, the holy father Tran Lieu - Tran Hung Dao's father - was the eldest son of the retired emperor Tran Thua, the eldest grandson of Tran Ly, the great-grandson of Tran Hap, the great-great-grandson of Tran Kinh. Later, the Tran family followed the riverbank down the Nhi River to make a living as fishermen. During the Tran Kinh era, they fished on the Tuc Mac River ( Nam Dinh ).
Tran Hap moved to the river area in Ngu Thien (Thai Binh) to fish, then changed his career to farming. During the Tran Ly dynasty, he became famous in Luu Xa (Hung Ha, Thai Binh). According to official historical sources, within about a century, the four previous generations of Tran Quoc Tuan, from his paternal great-grandfather Tran Hap, paternal great-grandfather Tran Ly, paternal grandfather Tran Thua to his father Tran Lieu, all lived and made a living in Luu Xa, Long Hung district, now Hung Ha (Thai Binh).
But the above places are only his hometown, but where was Hung Dao Dai Vuong born? So we have to find out what is related to his father, Tran Lieu. When his wife, Princess Thuan Thien, was brought into the palace and made Queen in 1237, Tran Lieu gathered his troops at Cai River to cause a rebellion. To settle this trouble, King Tran Thai Tong gave land in Yen Phu, Yen Duong, Yen Sinh (Dong Trieu, Quang Ninh), An Bang in Yen Hung (Quang Ninh) for Tran Lieu to establish a village.
Tran Lieu was also granted land in A Sao, located next to the Hoa River. It can be seen that a series of estates of Tran Dynasty princes granted here appeared at the same time or after the Tuc Mac area was built to become the second capital of the Tran Dynasty from 1239 to 1262.
While official history states that Tran Lieu's fiefs, including A Sao, were established after Tran Quoc Tuan was born (as mentioned above, official history determined his birth year from 1226 to 1231) and there are no documents recording his birthplace, many elders with the Tran family living near A Sao believe that Hung Dao Dai Vuong was born here.
Mr. Tran Duy Khang - Keeper of A Sao Temple, said that A Sao is not only associated with Tran Hung Dao's childhood but also with the career of this outstanding military leader of the Tran Dynasty.
Talking to us, Mr. Khang said that according to what he was told by the elders in the family, when choosing to settle in A Sao, Tran Lieu's wife (whose given name was Mrs. Nguyet) was very diligent in burning incense and worshipping, respecting the Three Jewels above, being filial to her ancestors below, helping orphans and widows, and helping the poor and needy. Tran Lieu's virtue was high, his wife's heart was bright, so it reached the ninth heaven.
She gave birth to an exceptionally handsome boy. 100 days later, Tran Lieu brought the child to the capital for his younger brother, King Tran Thai Tong, to name him. Looking at the handsome child with a wide chin, big mouth, and clear eyes, the King named him Tran Quoc Tuan, meaning a handsome Tran son of the Southern country.
After the three-year confinement, Tran Quoc Tuan went to the capital to become the adopted son of Princess Thuy Ba - the biological sister of King Tran Thai Tong. Princess Thuy Ba invited learned teachers to educate and train Tran Quoc Tuan. At the age of 18, Tran Quoc Tuan was more skilled in military strategy and literature than others.
After the first victory over the Yuan-Mongol army in 1258, the Tran Dynasty determined that the enemy would continue to invade, so it had to establish a place to store food, weapons and train soldiers in preparation for the upcoming wars. Tran Quoc Tuan was then granted the title of Marquis of Thuong Vi and was assigned by the Royal Court to guard A Sao.
According to historian Le Van Lan, A Sao was a familiar area of Tran Hung Dao. This place was closely related to Tran Hung Dao in leading his troops to fight the Bach Dang battle. A Sao had two functions, one was a reserve of food through all the resistance periods of the Tran Dynasty and two was located on the road Tran Hung Dao used to advance to fight Bach Dang, even to advance to attack the A Lo fort of the Yuan-Mongol army left behind from the second invasion in 1285.
According to the strategic division of labor in the Bach Dang battle, the Tran Kings were stationed upstream (now Chi Linh), while the downstream near the estuary was under the responsibility of Tran Hung Dao.
The Bach Dang battle was also commanded by Tran Thanh Tong and Tran Nhan Tong. When he captured O Ma Nhi on the Bach Dang River, General Do Hanh led the prisoners to surrender but surrendered to the wrong place. Do Hanh went upstream from the downstream to the upstream of Bach Dang, the area where the two Tran kings were commanding. Instead of surrendering O Ma Nhi to his father, King Tran Thanh Tong, Do Hanh handed over the enemy general to Tran Nhan Tong. That is why there is a story that after the Bach Dang battle, Do Hanh was not promoted or advanced in his career.
On the 30th day of the 2nd lunar month of the year Mau Thin 1288, the beginning of the Bach Dang campaign, the Yuan-Mongol infantry returned home by mountain road, while the navy followed the river route. At this time, the Tran Dynasty closely monitored and decided to attack the navy, not the infantry commanded by Thoat Hoan.
The Tran Dynasty King commanded the interceptions, sniping and especially the destruction of the parallel and escort formations of the Yuan-Mongol army. Our army destroyed the Dong Trieu bridge, preventing the enemy's infantry and cavalry from moving forward to closely follow O Ma Nhi's navy.
Tran Hung Dao, who was downstream, was responsible for calculating the time and route that the enemy navy took after the battle at Dong Trieu, from Da Bac, Bach Dang, and Gia River. To reach those areas, Tran Hung Dao had to pass through A Sao, which at that time was a logistics and strategic reserve.
Historian Le Van Lan affirmed that A Sao was a strategic logistics reserve location, similar to Tran Thuong (Ha Nam). The Tran Dynasty was smart in establishing logistics warehouses in all strategic locations in case of need, not establishing the A Sao food warehouse in a year, a month, or a day.
Painting of Tran Hung Dao and the Bach Dang victory.
Professor Le Van Lan believes that Tran Hung Dao's return to Van Kiep reached a world, human and historical level.
In 1289, 1 year after the Bach Dang battle, Tran Hung Dao was crowned Dai Vuong. He left Thang Long, far away from politics, glory, wealth, fame which was certainly illusory, and the complications of the post-war period...
“ Leaving Thang Long, Tran Hung Dao had many places to go, such as “Sinh Kiep Bac, Thac Tran Thuong, Huong Bao Loc” but he chose to return to Van Kiep, where he fought the second major battle. And Tran Hung Dao knew that in Luc Dau Giang, no matter what enemy came from the North, they would have to pass through there. He considered himself living there as an old soldier volunteering to guard the strategic location that the enemy had to pass through every time they entered and exited ,” said historian Le Van Lan.
Tran Hung Dao's dual goal created greatness: to give up the glory, wealth and dangers of the post-war period, but not to give up completely or absolutely, but to volunteer to become an old soldier in Van Kiep to guard the country.
“ In addition to its strategic military position, Van Kiep also has spiritual significance. The belt there has two mountains, Nam Tao and Bac Dau, symbols of heaven and the upper world. I went to the Kiep Bac temple yard, excavated archaeology, peeled back 1 meter of soil, and underneath was a yard paved with red embossed chrysanthemum tiles. Every time the sunlight shines on it, it is very sparkling and splendid, ” commented Professor Le Van Lan.
Van Kiep has a geographical location, natural landscape and especially spiritual value that is number 1 on a small scale, and on a large scale, it is the place that guards the entire Luc Dau Giang intersection.
Tran Hung Dao chose Van Kiep to show the eyes of a geomancer, the eyes of a magician, the eyes that can see the universe. Tran Hung Dao lived in Van Kiep for 11 years. He also sent his subordinates and servants to help the court such as Tran Thi Kien, Truong Han Sieu, Pham Ngu Lao...
In August 1300, Tran Hung Dao was dying. King Tran Anh Tong sailed from Thang Long through Dong Bo Dau wharf, entered the Duong river mouth to Luc Dau Giang, climbed up to Phu De (Kiep Bac temple). The King asked: " If unfortunately the King dies, and the Northern enemy comes, what will we do? "
Hung Dao replied: “ …the enemy relies on long battles, we rely on short troops… In peacetime, we should be lenient and relax the people to create a plan that is deep and lasting, that is the best policy to protect the country .”
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