Who is the leader of the unique pigeon army in Vietnamese history?

The person mentioned is General Nguyen Chich.

According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, Nguyen Chich (1382 - 1448) was from Dong Son district, Thanh Hoa province. Born into a poor farming family, his parents died early, he had to make a living from a young age.

Growing up in the turmoil of the country in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, witnessing the defeat of the Ho Dynasty against the invading Ming army, and the harsh ruling policies of the invaders that caused our people to suffer, all influenced the thinking and choice of career path of the young man Nguyen Chich.

Before joining Le Loi's army, Nguyen Chich raised the flag of uprising against the Ming invaders in the Dong Son region. This army controlled a large area, and the Ming army came to persuade him to surrender many times but failed. Nguyen Chich's qualities and talents quickly reached Le Loi's ears, who brought him letters inviting him to join the Lam Son army many times.

Not only was he knowledgeable about geography, military strategy, and battle formations, Nguyen Chich also had another hobby: raising pigeons. Taking care of the birds every day, he discovered that they had the advantage of finding directions very accurately.

After a long time of training, his flock of pigeons could fly hundreds of miles and still find their way home. Surprisingly, those small, seemingly harmless birds helped him achieve many glorious feats.

General Nguyen Chich was once the leader of the only pigeon army in Vietnamese history. (Illustration photo)

According to historical records, the Lam Son insurgents' headquarters was once attacked by the Ming army, and the situation was critical. At this time, Nguyen Chich released a flock of pigeons, which were professionally trained, to fly to the nearest insurgents' station to report reinforcements.

Unexpectedly, a large army from behind with great momentum attacked the Ming invaders again. The battle turned around, our army won a great victory, the enemy army was terrified and looked for a way to escape.

With his talent and virtue, not only his contemporaries, but also his descendants today honor him as a famous person and general of Vietnam. Because of his great contributions in the cause of repelling the Ming invaders, after the Lam Son uprising was victorious, Le Loi ascended the throne, established the Later Le dynasty, Nguyen Chich was given the title of Dinh Thuong Hau, and given the king's surname Le. From then on, he was called Le Chich.

In the book Kien Van Tieu Luc, historian Le Quy Don praised him: "There are many stories about talented and hardworking officials among the subjects who have contributed to the founding of the country, but the reason why King Le Thai To was able to pacify the whole country was due to Le Chich's strategy. He did not need to fight to gain Dong Do citadel, and ended the war with peace. Although it was Nguyen Trai's strategy, first of all, making the foundation strong to gain complete victory was essentially started by Le Chich."

After his death, King Le posthumously awarded him the titles of Nhap Noi Kiem Hieu and Tu Khong Binh Chuong Su Thai Bao Hien Quoc Cong. The court erected a stele in his hometown to commemorate the achievements of the founding hero, who had made many contributions to the cause of repelling foreign invaders and protecting the country.

Kim Nha

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thu-linh-doi-quan-chim-bo-cau-doc-nhat-trong-9su-viet-la-ai-ar903273.html