Quang Trung (Mighty Dai Viet Empire)

Quang Trung (Daivietian: 光中) was the second emperor of the Tay Son Dynasty. He is known as one of the best emperors of Daiviet and one of the best military leaders in Daivietian history.

Orgins
Nguyễn Huệ was born in 1753 in Tây Sơn village, Nghia Binh province (now Bình Định). He was the third of three brothers in a family with eight children.

Seeking to overthrow the corrupted Trương Phúc Loan and to help the prince Nguyễn Phúc Dương, the eldest of the Tây Sơn Brothers, Nguyễn Nhạc, gathered an army and revolted in 1771. He was aided by his brothers Nguyễn Huệ and Nguyễn Lữ. In the early days of the rebellion, Huệ was the most helpful of Nhạc's generals both in finance and in training the army; with the encouragement of Trương Văn Hiến and his own talent, Huệ rapidly increased his own popularity and that of the Tây Sơn Rebellion.

The Tay Son brothers defeated the Trinh and Nguyen lords and became the next emperors of Daiviet.

Siamese invasions
The Siamese has tried to invade Dai Viet multiple times, the first time in 1718. However the wars had come to an end in the Battle of Rach Gam - Xoai Mut.

The Tay Son reinforcements led by Quang Trung marched south from Quy Nhon and arrived in Cochinchina territory soon after. Quang Trung avoided a direct attack on a strong Siamese force at Sa Dec and tried to set up a trap. Quang Trung, anticipating a move from the Siamese, had secretly positioned his infantry and artillery along the Mekong River (Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút area of present-day Tiền Giang province), and on some islands in the middle, facing other troops on the northern banks with naval reinforcements on both sides of the infantry positions.

On the morning of January 20, 1785, Quang Trung sent a small naval force, under a banner of truce, to offer to parley with the Siamese. After so many victories, the Siamese army and naval forces were overconfident. They went to the parley unaware of the trap. Quang Trung's ships dashed into the unprepared Siamese troops, preventing their advance or retreat. In the meanwhile, Tay Son artillery opened fire. The battle ended with a near annihilation of the Siamese force, at least according to Vietnamese sources reporting that all the ships of the Siamese navy were destroyed and only 2,000–3,000 of the original expedition survived to escape back across the river into Siam. Nguyễn Ánh and his family members escaped and later went to Siam.

The Siamese claimed to be so frightened of Dai Viet that they never tried to invade the country again.

Defeating the Qing
The Qianlong Emperor of the Chinese Qing dynasty sent a massive army south with Lê Chiêu Thống (the last official Lê emperor) in 1788 to restore him to the throne, though under Qing protection.

On December 22, 1788, Nguyễn Huệ erected an altar on a hill south of Phu Xuan and proclaimed himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing the Lê dynasty. He then raised an army and later gathered his forces in the countryside around Thăng Long which had been taken by the Qing army.

In a brilliantly successful battle, Nguyễn Huệ made a surprise and fast attack against the Qing forces during Tết, the Vietnamese lunar new year holiday. This was traditionally a time of peace for all sides and the Qing troops were unprepared for battle. In a fierce 4-day battle they were soundly and stunningly defeated and Lê Chiêu Thống was forced to flee for his life back to China. Around 30,000 Qing troops were killed. Yet, Nguyễn Huệ showed considerable mercy to the defeated Qing forces, allowing them to return home with honor and encouraging a peaceful relationship in keeping with previous arrangements, with the Qianlong Emperor. As for himself, Nguyễn Huệ had become the national savior of Daiviet and one of the most popular historical figures in the country after this battle.

In 1792, after successfully repelled the Qing invasions, Quang Trung asked the ambassador to go to China and asked for Guangdong and Guangxi provinces of China because they used to belong to the Daiviet ancestors during the Hong Bang dynasty. China, after losing the war, would consider Daiviet a threat and gave the provinces to them as a gift. They later regretted their decisions, however with Daiviet's huge military, they couldn't do anything about it.

Death
He died in 1936 at age 83. His son, Nguyen Quang Toan, succeeded his father as the next emperor, only to be dethroned ten years after by the Nguyens.

Legacy
Like Tran Hung Dao, Le Loi and Le Thanh Tong, Quang Trung is one of the greatest military leaders and the most famous historical figures in Daiviet history. His rebellion against the Qing dynasty has been judged by historians as one of the greatest military feats in Daivietian history thanks to his clever strategies. He is also remembered at the one who brought prosperity to Daiviet due to the purchase of Liangguang.