Behind the Stone Wall: How Vietnam was able to defeat the strongest army in the world

Knowing his favorite native land well, the much weaker and the smaller army wins the invasion army, making it shamefully fleeing home. It is not a script of a feature film, but a real history of Vietnam's struggle against the Mongol invasion in the XIII century. Eight hundred years ago, the vast Mongol empire stretched from the Pacific and up to the Black Sea. In the west, it reached the borders of Russia (the Kingdom of Rus-then called the Galicia-Volyn principality)-our ancestral farm.

In the southeast, the Mongol invasion stopped at the borders of the Daviet state - so in the Middle Ages was called Vietnam. In 1257, the Mongols tried to finally conquer China, which in recent decades were able to maintain control only over the southeastern part of the once mighty Song empire. In order to take it in the tick, the Mongols wanted to go through the territory of Daviet (in China he was called Annam, so he was called the Mongols themselves).

However, the local ruler Chan Thai Tong refused the granddaughter of Genghis Khan Timudzhin Gubilay, who then headed the Mongolian campaign against the Chinese. In response, the Mongol, led by commander, the government invaded Daviet and devastated its capital Thang Long (since 1831 - Hanoi). The Vietnamese Emperor (namely, the rulers of this state were magnified) fled to the island and the next year recognized the power of the great Khan Mongol and agreed to pay the tribute.

 Returning back, the Mongol troops faced the resistance of the local Fu Tho tribes, which caused quite significant damage to the invaders. However, the Mongols, who felt very uncomfortable in the jungle, ignored these troubles and left Vietnam alone for several decades. During the same period, the Mongols of the Western Ulus Juchi (we know it more under the name "Golden Horde") tried to conquer the Galicia-Volyn principality headed by King Daniel.

He closed his possessions of the Mongols to Europe and in every way tried to turn out to finally obey the aliens from the Far East, as almost all other principalities of Russia did. Already in 1267, Thaya Thai Than Than Tong rejected the six duties of a vassal state, which he now sent him the lord of the Mongolian Empire Hubilai. Perhaps a cunning Vietnamese knew that in the Mongol empire there was then the turmoil and expected that the powerful nomads would not be for them.

The Mongol Empire then disintegrated, but its supreme ruler Hubilai decided not to save the Great Empire but to strengthen his power in the lands that he undoubtedly controlled, so in 1271 he proclaimed himself a Chinese emperor, establishing a new dynasty - Yuan. However, for eight years, he has been costing the final elimination of the previous Song dynasty. After that, the new Emperor China was able to focus on solving problems with his southern neighbors.

China has already owned the territories of modern Vietnam for more than a thousand years, until in the middle of the twentieth century it was kicked out. Local dynasties proudly called themselves the Chinese title "Hoang de" (analogue of the title "Emperor" used in Europe), although they really controlled only the northern part of modern Vietnam. In the south, the state of Champa is located, to which China simply could not reach.

Gubilai believed that the return of the former Chinese provinces would increase the legitimacy of its power. In the end, the Mongols were definitely better able to do the Chinese, then it was the new leader to fight these talents that they were going to demonstrate to their subjects. Moreover, both states supported the fallen Sun dynasty. As early as 1273, the Mongols were forced to pay tribute to Champa.

Local Raja Jaja Indravarman V immediately sent a tribute of 20 elephants, but in eight years he refused to pay it. In response, Khubila sent a maritime expedition to Champa, led by commander Sagati Soda. He was able to take the capital of the state of Vidzha, but Inderavarman himself, along with everyone who was able to wear weapons, went to the mountains. The Mongols were unprepared for prolonged confrontation between people who lived in a mountainous area, which was also covered by the jungle.

All this was paid to Daviet, where they realized that the invasion of Chinese Mongols was just a matter of time. Emperor Chan Niang Tong gathered all the chiefs of the tribes to a meeting to the capital, where he asked whether to submit to Gubilai, whether they were ready for battle. Everyone answered that they were ready to fight.

It should be clarified that both Daviet and Champa were ready to pay the symbolic tribute of Gubilai-which at different times did, for example, the Galicia-Volyn principality or the Polish kingdom in relation to the Mongol Golden Horde-which would mean a symbolic formal vassalage.

However, both countries were strongly opposed to real vassalage, or even more so the accession to the Yuan empire in the status of its province, which in the middle of the XIII century agreed, for example, the princes of Northeast Rus (Zalissia), which subsequently formed modern Russia. The real vassaitis was the Mongol troops placed in the territory of states with broad rights of their officials, who would be in fact becoming Governor General of the region.

And also the so -called courtyard - arrival to the capital on the first call. Typically, the Mongols were subjected to such rulers with various humiliating rituals or could be executed in the event of disobedience (all this agreed to Princess Zalissia, who obediently came to the horde to Khan at the first call, essentially giving him to his mercy; sometimes such trips for the princes ended). Such orders of Hubilai now wanted to introduce China with his vassals.

After refusing, Nan Niang Tonga, he ordered his son to punish his son to punish his son. The reason for almost thirty years ago was the reluctance of Davyt to let the Mongol army into his territory for a hike to a hampe. In Daviet, everyone who could hold weapons mobilized to a single army under the command of Prince Chang Hung Dao. He turned to a local army with a speech that is considered a masterpiece of his medieval literature in Vietnam ". . .

How can you serve the enemy without feeling hatred? How can you listen to music that welcomes hostile messengers without breathing in anger? You spend time looking at roosters, playing gambling, looking after your gardens, taking care of your wives and children. You are busy making money and forgetting about state affairs . . . ”. The country was ready to repel the invaders. The Mongols with all responsibility treated this hike. They divided the army into two parts.

The first, under the command of the same soda, landed on the coast to distract the main Vietnamese forces, and the main led by the prince struck it from the north, leaving the Vietnamese suddenly. An important fact is that most Vietnamese soldiers have made themselves a tattoo with the inscription: "Death of the Mongols. " He ordered the execution of everyone who will find this tattoo, which only intensified the resistance of the warriors of Daviet, which now remained only one road.

Prince Chang decided to apply the "scorched land" tactics, which the Vietnamese have already used more than a hundred years before these events in the fight against the Cambodian Empire of the Khmer. The Mongols controlled settlements that had almost no people and food. Therefore, the products had to be delivered separately and the guerrillas were beaten with these convoys. They were fired at poisonous arrows.

The main advantage of the Mongols, which allowed them to conquer most of Asia, was their cavalry. But in the conditions of thick horses, which had to be fed faster than ballast. Instead, the Vietnamese combat elephants felt at home. Because they were home! The military weakened by the military began to ill with the jungle of the disease common in them. So the troops began to be removed. The prince himself was taken out in a copper chest to avoid injury by a poisonous arrow.

Gubilai was extremely angry with this result and spent the next two years to prepare a new great invasion. It was decided to assemble an army of much larger numbers to occupy all major settlements of the country, not just strategic units. To do this, the local Chinese population was mobilized. In order to avoid logistics problems, it was decided to organize it with rivers and apply hundreds of ships for these needs. In 1287, the most invasion of the Yuan empire to Daviet took place.

The Land Army headed again. He was joined by the younger brother of the ruler Davieta Chan Ich such that, according to the plan of Hubilai, he had to repay the patriotic perseverance of the Vietnamese a little. The fleet, which was to organize the provision of the army, was headed by Admiral Omar Baatur. The Vietnamese went back to hard places and focused on the guerrilla struggle. The Land Army was even allowed to take the capital of Thang Long.

However, the main mistake of the Mongols made on the water. Their high -speed warships broke away from the slower cargo ships, which were taken by all supplies. The latter became easy prey for small Vietnamese fighting boats. Thus, history was repeated - only this time even a numerous army of the Yuan empire was again on the territory of Daviet in fact.

Chang Hung Tao ordered the destruction of bridges, blocking all the ways in all possible ways - just to do as much harm as possible the enemy's logistics. Elections with the use of poisoned arrows were increasing. In that, trying to save the remains of the fighting spirit of his army himself headed the battle during such an outing, but was wounded by a poisoned arrow and taken to China. After that, the invasion army finally crumbled.

Everyone tried to escape how he could mainly climb the warships, which, unlike the Land Forces, remained a terrible force. The Vietnamese had nothing to oppose the powerful Mongol-Chinese fleet except . . . their own history. The fact is that Daviet was formed as a result of the naval battle against the Chinese, who, having been a river civilization, paid considerable attention to the shipbuilding. However, on foreign rivers they had some problems.

Vietnamese rivers have tides and outflows, which are only known by local.   Prince Chang learned when the enemy fleet planned to go back, and during the next outflow he ordered the entire bottom of the Bach-Dang river with pegs with metal tips. When the tide came, they were flooded. At this time, ships could swim over them.

Therefore, the task of the Vietnamese fleet was to make the Mongols flowing into a given place during the tide, when the trap was hidden under a layer of water, but also remained to the outflow so that the exposed pegs damaged their ships. For this, it was decided to join local battles with small Vietnamese boats, which, of course, brought considerable losses to the Vietnamese, but allowed Canga to manage the battle time.

And when the enemy ships were in the right place during the outflow, they all sat down not on a shallow, but on harvested pegs. The Mongol fleet and their entire army were destroyed, and Admiral Omar was captured. Hubilai sent his son to exile and started negotiating with Daviet to exchange prisoners. He wanted to return his admiral. However, Chang Hung Dao broke the exchange, killing Admiral Omar.

This act again angry, which ordered the preparation of a new hike to Daviet, but his death in 1294 did not allow it to happen. With the new emperor Temur (Chinese version of Zhen-Tzin), Daviet rulers were able to find a common language. The Vietnamese agreed to pay the tribute of the Yuan empire, and the latter did not crawl into the affairs of her Dannik. All returned to the pre -war status of CVO. This state of affairs allowed both warring rulers to declare their population of victory.

In the future, neither the Mongol dynasty nor the following dynasties until the Communist Party had the desire to contact the Vietnamese states.   Until the situation was replaced by Dan Xiaopin, who organized the invasion of the China's army into Vietnam in 1979. But this is a completely different story.

Vietnamese history is a clear proof that the mentality of a certain people is not a abstract concept, but a very real phenomenon, because it was the Vietnamese who have managed to fight for a thousand years of their history and once after to defeat similar tactics the strongest states of their time.

The Vietnamese in the truest sense twice in one river won the invaders from the north - first in the tenth century, using strife, and later against the fully consolidated China under the row of the Mongol dynasty Yuan. And the difference between these events is more than three hundred years.   And after six hundred years, the Vietnamese already fought against Americans who had such technical capabilities that neither the Mongols nor the Chinese of the Middle Ages could imagine.

But the Vietnamese also took the mountain.   And in the end, when communist China tried to invade this freedom -loving state again, he had stuck on the same rake as his predecessors and six hundred years before. The tactics were modified in accordance with the technological progress of mankind, but its basis remained unchanged - a more powerful enemy can enter the territory of Vietnam, but the land of the free people will become a grave for him.

And it is indifferent, what is the number of the army in the enemy and what weapons, albeit space ships.   What is the likelihood of Vietnam's victory in the hypothetical war against the PRC or the United States now when their arms are armed with drones and satellites? Will this change the course of war? No one wants to try anymore. And an indispensable prerequisite for such tactics is the national unity and readiness of every citizen for an uncompromising struggle close to the ideal.

These are not idealistic words, but the realities of Vietnam's history, the key to success in the fight against a much stronger enemy. In Ukraine, an example of such a desperate struggle against the same Mongols is the legend of Zakhar Berkut, sung by Ivan Frank and screened in 2019.

The most striking example for comparison is the principalities of the Russian Zalissya, which in similar geographical conditions (thick forests, where Mongol cavalry could be easily lost and a thick network of rivers) chose the Horde Khan.   Instead of the struggle, they chose humility, instead of the national unity of humiliation of their own birth, instilling their mentality from slavery from which they cannot still recover.

While the lands of Southwestern Russia, headed by King Daniel and his successors, chose a different way. Yes, it was not as rigid as the struggle of Daviet (the Golden Horde was weaker than the Yuan empire), but in the history of Russia-Ukraine also has its own river Bach-Dang, namely, the blue waters that marked the expulsion of the Mongols from the Ukrainian part of Russia.