Nguyen Tri Phuong was a famous god of the Nguyen Dynasty who had the merit of defeating the French invaders everywhere from the South to the North, in which his typical feat was the fierce resistance against the French to keep the citadel of Hanoi. He died heroically at the end of 1873.

There have been many research papers on Nguyen Tri Phuong, including Nguyen Tri Phuong’s work – a passionate research work of researcher Dao Dang Vy, conducted for 28 years (1945 – 1973). , has almost fully reflected the portrait of a famous general of the Nguyen Dynasty, through seemingly legendary stories…

The work has just been re-published by Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House with modifications and supplements compared to the first publication in 1974, through which the life of the hero of Phong Dien Nguyen Tri Phuong (1800 – 1873) comes to life. , from his military career to his private life and especially his great contribution to the southern land, which the works of the Nguyen Dynasty’s National History and the French documents had not been clarified before.

Famous general Nguyen Tri Phuong through the drawings of the French

The King of Kings has established 100 villages in Cochinchina

“Sacred air unmolded by mountain pass

Toughness competes with subordinates

Show your heroic martial arts/Help your country shine bright”.

For a long time, the historical figure Nguyen Tri Phuong has been praised by his contemporaries through folk poetry and is known as a brave general. But studying his life carefully, Dao Dang Vy said that “in Nguyen Tri Phuong’s career, there is a great work that is rarely mentioned, which is the merit of reclaiming and establishing a hamlet in Cochinchina”.

It is known that after coming from the district to work as a mandarin in the capital, in 1850, he was renamed from Nguyen Van Chuong to Nguyen Tri Phuong by the king with the meaning of bravery but also a lot of cunning, and then was appointed Kham sent President Quan. Served as Ambassador in Cochinchina, then appointed as the Chief of Mission of the Cochinchina.

In the South, Nguyen Tri Phuong learned and was well aware of the abundant agricultural resources here, saw that the people are now nomadic, with an unstable life. He offered to the king to ask for permission to establish a plantation to benefit the people, organize the village guard so that the people could do business in peace, and asked for a pardon from the market tax and boat tax. The envoy also recruited people, set up plantations to reclaim wasteland for agriculture, so that “additional rice is not only enough for use but also sold surplus, transported to the central provinces”. People urgently need land, can own the fields, do business in peace, and live a more prosperous life. As a result, 21 plantations were established, and 100 villages were contiguously settled and settled.

In order for the national policy of the plantation to be carried out in a regular, long-term and peaceful manner, Nguyen Tri Phuong proposed and approved by the king when assigning responsibilities to the mandarins of the six provinces from the governor to the tri-district to pay attention and regularly visit. urge people to reclaim land, take care of plowing, treat thieves and robbers; Those who do well will be rewarded, those who are late will be severely punished. He himself often goes to practice, learns about people.

With those measures, in 1857, the work had initial achievements as he told the king: “Currently, the six provinces have a full rice season. If the harvest is always like that, the plantation will be accomplished.” Nguyen Tri Phuong’s career in public safety has been so clearly affirmed by the work.

Not only that, Nguyen Tri Phuong also has a foresight when proposing to set up a rice warehouse in case of crop failure; allocate a little rice from Cochinchina in each province to use for military work when needed…

North Gate Relics

North Gate RelicsThe story of martyrdom in Hanoi citadel

During his military career, General Nguyen Tri Phuong experienced hundreds of battles from his youth to his gray hair. When he fought against Chan Lap and Siam, when he calmed the Black Flag enemy, when he put down rebellions throughout Cochinchina and Tonkin, he made the French army miserable in the first few battles…

A special feature is that when commanding troops on the battlefield, he is a general who understands the battlefield, clearly identifies the enemy’s position, and always takes the lead before the three troops. King Minh Mang praised him for “personally going up to the citadel before the soldiers, being strong and having a plan”. King Thieu Tri also acknowledged: “Because of such bravery, he attracted the soldiers to be enthusiastic, so he won”. That bravery to the enemy like J.Dupuis in Le Tonkin must also be admired.

Dao Dang Vy’s book also tells about the hero’s glorious and tragic death. When the French attacked Hanoi for the first time in 1873, our army fell. The citadel died, Nguyen Tri Phuong fell into the enemy’s hands, but the spirit of the person who “sees death as light as a red coat” is not subdued. Even the French were astounded as L’Empire d’Annam recorded that he “refused the care of French doctors, and took off the bandages on the wound himself”. The family genealogy of the Nguyen family still clearly records this story through a record kept by the author: “My uncle and son, Nguyen Lam’s consort, sent their troops to the Southeast gate to cross the citadel to fight the enemy. Pho Ma was killed by a bullet in the head. The old man was also injured, and the soldiers carried him into the palace. The French brought medicine to tie it, he pulled it out, and when he put food on, he spat, didn’t swallow, saying: If we only try to infect and live, how can we die indifferently about the cause?

Researcher Dao Dang Vy commented: “His martyrdom also has a very special point that he accepted death transparently, while waiting in agony for almost a month […] and be brave instead!”.

Another remarkable point that few people know is the deaths of Nguyen Tri Phuong and F. Garnier, who commanded the attack on Hanoi citadel one day apart. The number is the Black Flag piece of Luu Vinh Phuc who once stirred up the northern border, then was defeated by General Nguyen Tri Phuong and followed him back to the court. When Hanoi citadel fell to the French on November 20, 1873, Nguyen Tri Phuong died on December 20, 1873. Only a day later, F.Garnier died at the hands of the Black Flag. It was the Black Flag that avenged the death of Nguyen Tri Phuong.

Currently, his altar is built next to the altar of Governor General Hoang Dieu on the Bac Mon gazebo in the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.

Source: Compilation