Planning of the Yongle-era Vietnam Campaign

Timeline

1. 1412Capital (Nanjing) · JiangsuAfter being appointed provincial administration commissioner of Jiaozhi in Yongle 8, Chen Jikuo still raised arms in rebellion, and Mu Sheng, defending Jiaozhi, contracted his lines. The Chengzu emperor was furious; in March of Yongle 10 he again appointed Duke of Ying Zhang Fu as commander-in-chief and Duke of Qian Mu Sheng as deputy, sending them south to quell the Jiaozhi rebellion and consolidate Ming direct rule over the region.
2. 1412Yuechang River, Jiaozhi · VietnamUpon arriving in Jiaozhi, Zhang Fu first executed the ineffective commander Huang Zhong to boost morale, then in July led troops to Yuechang River and defeated Chen Jikuo's forces. He then halted for rest due to malarial disease while planning joint land-water operations for the next stage of attack on Nghia An (Chen Jikuo's base).
3. 1412Shentou Hai · VietnamIn August Zhang Fu commanded a naval battle at Shentou Hai; the Chen forces resisted with four hundred warships in three divisions. Ming forces struck their center with small-boat assault teams, fighting from morning to noon, crushing the Chen army, capturing seventy-five leaders, and seizing four hundred enemy ships. The Ming camped at Nghia An Prefecture, where Chen commanders kept defecting, dealing the rebellion a heavy blow.
4. 1412Aizi River, Thuan Zhou · VietnamOn the seventh day of the twelfth month, Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng combined forces at Thuan Zhou and crushed Chen general Nguyen Suai's troops at Aizi River, capturing fifty-six officers including captain Nguyen Do and eight hundred seventy soldiers, then pursued to Aimo River and defeated them again; the remnants scattered and many surrendered. This battle further compressed Chen Jikuo's room to maneuver, clearing the way for the capture of Chen Jikuo's whole family in the first month of Yongle 12.