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Promulgation of the Bình Ngô đại cáo

Type Event Region Southeast Asia Time 1428

In 1428, after Ming forces were driven out, Lê Lợi ascended as emperor; Nguyễn Trãi drafted and issued the Bình Ngô đại cáo, calling the Ming 'Wu' to…

Timeline

  1. 1420Lam Sơn · Thanh Hóa ProvinceNguyễn Trãi, appointed by Lê Lợi, drafted the anti-Ming proclamation at the Lam Sơn base. In Chinese parallel prose he catalogued the heavy taxes and corvée, corrupt and cruel officials, and killings of innocents since the Ming occupation of Jiaozhi, arguing the justification for taking up arms.
  2. 1420Lam Sơn rebel camp · Thanh Hóa ProvinceThe Bình Ngô đại cáo was read aloud in the rebel camp and transcribed and circulated far and wide. 'Bình Ngô' meant pacifying the 'Wu' bandits occupying Annam (i.e., the Ming army); in the style of an imperial edict instructing subjects, it proclaimed Lê Lợi's continuation of the Trần dynasty's legitimate line and his mission of saving the people from suffering.
  3. 1420Villages of Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An · VietnamThe rebel army distributed transcribed copies of the Bình Ngô đại cáo in the villages and markets of Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An, winning support from the gentry and the populace. Combining literary brilliance with moral argument, the proclamation strengthened the narrative of the uprising's legitimacy and drew more local talent and grain and funds to the Lam Sơn camp.

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