Grand Chancellor, Duke Le Long

Arriving at Tho Vuc commune (Trieu Son), we visited the temple of Thai uy khang quoc cong Le Long - one of the people with great contributions during the early Le dynasty.

Grand Chancellor, Duke Le Long Temple of Grand Marshal Le Long, in Tho Vuc commune (Trieu Son).

The sacred temple is located in village 6, Tho Vuc commune, and is currently being looked after by Mr. Le Cong Dinh, the 18th generation descendant of the Le Cong family, who has been taking care of the temple for more than 60 years. He took us to visit the temple and the stele recording the merits of Grand Chancellor Khang Quoc Cong Le Long. Mr. Le Cong Dinh said that the temple is about 400 years old, and is currently worshiping Grand Chancellor Khang Quoc Cong Le Long, his four concubines, and his second son Le Khac Kiem, who was an official under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong and King Le Hien Tong. The temple is preserving 7 royal decrees about Grand Chancellor Khang Quoc Cong Le Long. In 2011, the temple was ranked as a provincial historical and cultural relic.

According to documents, stele at the temple and through the story of Mr. Le Cong Dinh, Thai Uy Khang Quoc Cong Le Long was born in Binh Ty year (1396), in Kha Lam village, Luong Giang district, Thanh Do prefecture (now Lam Son town, Tho Xuan district). There are also documents stating that he belonged to Mieng village, Phuc Thinh commune and Nhu Ang village, Kien Tho commune (Ngoc Lac). He was of Muong origin, held the positions of Suy Trung Bao Chinh Cong Than, Sung Tien Tong Mau Phu, Nhap Noi Kiem Hieu Thai Uy Binh Chuong Quan Quoc Trong Su, Thuong Tru Quoc, and served under 4 early Le dynasty kings: Le Thai To, Le Thai Tong, Le Nhan Tong and Le Thanh Tong. His father was Le Mieu, an official under the Tran dynasty, his mother's name was Lau, she gave birth to 2 sons, Le Long was the eldest. In 1418, when he was just an adult and saw the scene of the Ming invaders looting and threatening the people, he followed the Commander-in-Chief Thai To Cao Hoang De Le Loi to raise the flag of Lam Son uprising. After pacifying the Ming invaders, he and his officials joined Le Loi to consolidate politics , build the country and serve during the 4 dynasties of the early Le Dynasty. He had a wife, Huy Nhan Le Thi Lo, and concubines, Nguyen Thi Ngai, Le Thi Kinh, and Lai Thi Phong. During his 37 years as an official, he was promoted 13 times.

On Dinh Mao day (September 23) of At Dau year 1465, he passed away at Kim Su palace (Thang Long capital). In the palace, there was a time when he was sick, the king ordered famous doctors to take his pulse and treat him; when he was about to die, he was ordered to have a painter draw a picture of his appearance, the court gave him many gifts to take care of the sacrifice. Posthumously awarded him full funeral clothes, took 3 days off from the court, then took a boat back to his hometown for burial. During his time as an official, he left a good reputation for the next generation, was ranked as the first meritorious official of the early Le dynasty and was also mentioned many times in national history. The stele at the temple reads: "He was quiet, strong, but determined, serving as an official under 4 kings, wholeheartedly assisting the king, fighting in the East and the West, truly having great achievements, his steadfast heart from beginning to end deserves to be mentioned." Later, his descendants continued the good tradition, becoming mandarins of the royal court, their virtues respected by the people. His eldest son was Le Khac Can, holding the position of Nhap Noi Thieu Uy in the royal court; his second son was Le Khac Kiem, a mandarin under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong and King Le Hien Tong, holding the position of Bac Quan Do Doc Phu; General Le Cong Hieu; Right District Duke Le Cong Hoa...

Today, in Tho Vuc commune, the temple of Thai Uy Khang Quoc Cong Le Long is worshiped by the people all year round. Especially on the 23rd day of the 9th lunar month, the anniversary of his death, the people in the village and commune prepare offerings, sincerely worship, and pray for him to bless people with good health and prosperity, and for their lives to become more and more prosperous.

Mr. Le Van Tu, Vice Chairman of Tho Vuc Commune People's Committee, said: In order to commemorate the great contributions of Thai Uy Khang Quoc Cong Le Long, Trieu Son district has implemented a project to expand the Le Long temple grounds in Tho Vuc commune. At the same time, a compensation plan was developed, support for site clearance, land compensation plan, land allocation for resettlement of the project and received the support of households subject to compensation and local people. After expanding the grounds, the temple will be restored and embellished to its full potential, and the locality is aiming to propose to be ranked as a national historical relic.

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