Zhao Tuo
Zhao Tuo ɖˠiᴇuX dɑ Triệu Đà 趙佗 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emperor of Nanyue | |||||
Emperor of Nanyue | |||||
Reign | 203–137 BC | ||||
Successor | Zhao Mo (Triệu Mạt) | ||||
Born | 240 BC Zhengding County, Shijiazhuang, China | ||||
Died | 137 BC (aged 103) Nanyue | ||||
Burial | |||||
| |||||
House | Triệu dynasty |
Zhao Tuo | |
---|---|
Chinese name | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Zhào Tuó |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Jiuh Tòh |
Jyutping | Ziu6 To4 |
IPA | [tsiːu˨.tʰɔː˩] |
Emperor Wu | |
---|---|
Chinese name | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Wǔdì |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Móuh Dai |
Jyutping | Mou5 Dai3 |
Zhao Tuo (
Life
Nanyue
Zhao Tuo was born around 240 BC in
Conflict with the Han
In June or July 196 BC,[5] Emperor Gaozu of Han dispatched Lu Jia to recognize Zhao Tuo as king of Nanyue.[3] Lu gave Zhao a seal legitimizing him as king of Nanyue in return for his nominal submission to the Han.
In 185 BC, Empress Lü's officials outlawed trade of iron and horses with Nanyue. Zhao Tuo retaliated by proclaiming himself Emperor Wu of Nanyue and attacking the neighboring kingdom of Changsha, taking a few border towns. In 181 BC, Zhou Zao was dispatched by Empress Lü to attack Nanyue, but the heat and dampness caused many of his officers and men to fall ill, and he failed to make it across the mountains into enemy territory. Zhao began to menace the neighboring kingdoms of Minyue, Western Ou, and Luo. After securing their submission he began passing out edicts in a similar manner to the Han emperor.[6]
In late 180 BC, Emperor Wen of Han made efforts to appease Zhao. Learning that Zhao's parents were buried in Zhending, he set aside a town close by just to take care of their graves. Zhao's cousins were appointed to high offices at the Han court. He also withdrew the army stationed in Changsha on the Han-Nanyue border. In response, Zhao rescinded his claims as emperor while communicating with the Han. However, he continued using the title of emperor within his kingdom. Tribute bearing envoys from Nanyue were sent to the Han and thus the iron trade was resumed.[7]
Conquest of Âu Lạc
Having mobilized his armies for war with the Han dynasty, Zhao Tuo found the conquest of Âu Lạc both "tempting and feasible".[8]
The details of the campaign are not authentically recorded. Zhao Tuo's early setbacks and eventual victory against King An Dương were mentioned in Records of the Outer Territories of the Jiao province (交州外域記) and Records [about the Era] of Jin Taikang (晉太康記).[9] Records of the Grand Historian mentioned neither King An Dương nor Zhao Tuo's military conquest of Âu Lạc; just that after Empress Lü's death (180 BCE), Zhao Tuo used his own troops to menace and used wealth to bribe the Minyue, the Western Ou, and the Luo (Âu Lạc) into submission.[10] The campaign against the Âu Lạc inspired a legend whose theme is the transfer of the turtle claw-triggered crossbow from King An Dương to Zhao Tuo. According to this legend, ownership of the crossbow conferred the political power. As described in one account, Cao Lỗ is quoted as saying:“He who is able to hold this crossbow rules the realm; he who is not able to hold this crossbow will perish.”[11]
Unsuccessful on the battlefield against the supernatural crossbow, Zhao Tuo asked for a truce and sent his son
Zhong Shi had Mỵ Châu show him her father's sacred crossbow, at with point he secretly changed its trigger, thus neutralizing its special powers.[14] He stole the turtle claw, rendering the crossbow useless, then returned to his father, who thereupon launched new attack on Âu Lạc and this time defeated King An Dương.[15] History records that, in his defeat, the King jumped into the ocean to commit suicide. In some versions, he was told by the turtle about his daughter's betrayal and killed his own daughter before killing himself. A legend, however, discloses that a golden turtle emerged from the water and guided him into the watery realm.[13]
Zhao Tuo subsequently incorporated the regions into his
Death
Zhao Tuo died in 137 BC at the age of 103, and was succeeded by his grandson, Zhao Mo.[7]
Legacy
His memorial is in Tuocheng Town, Longchuan County, Guangdong, China.
The shrine dedicated to him is located at Dong Xam Temple in Hong Thai commune, Kien Xuong district, Thai Binh province, Vietnam.
A street in Hiệp Phú Ward, District 9, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was named after him, but the street now has a new name instead.[citation needed]
See also
- History of China
- History of Vietnam
- Qin's campaign against the Yue tribes
- Nanyue
- Triệu dynasty
- Phiên Ngung
- Trọng Thuỷ
- Han-Nanyue War
- An Dương Vương
- Âu Lạc
- Phiên Ngung Palace
- Museum of the Mausoleum of King Triệu Mạt
- Luobowan Tomb No.1
- Đông Sơn culture
- Changsha (state)
- Minyue
- Yelang
- Bách Việt
Citations
- ^ Ulrich
- ISBN 0-521-85320-6.
- ^ a b Watson 1993, p. 208.
- ISBN 978-0-9833348-7-3.
- ^ 5th month of the 11th year of Liu Bang's reign (including his tenure as King of Han), per vol.12 of Zizhi Tongjian. The month corresponds to 18 Jun to 16 Jul 196 BCE in the proleptic Julian calendar.
- ^ Watson 1993, p. 209.
- ^ a b Watson 1993, p. 210.
- ^ Taylor 1983, p. 24.
- ^ both quoted in Li Daoyuan's Commentary on the Water Classic. "vol. 37", "section Yi Province Yeyu River"
- ^ Watson 1961, p. 241.
- ^ Nam C. Kim 2015, p. 5.
- ^ Leeming 2001, p. 193.
- ^ a b c Taylor 1983, p. 25.
- ^ a b Kelley 2014, p. 89.
- ^ a b c Taylor 2013, p. 15.
- ^ Taylor 2013, p. 16.
- ^ Jamieson 1995, p. 8.
- ^ Brindley 2015, p. 93.
- ^ Buttinger 1958, p. 92.
- ^ Kiernan 2019, p. 69.
- ^ Taylor 2013, p. 17.
References
- Taylor, K.W. (1983), The Birth of the Vietnamese, University of California Press
- Taylor, K.W. (2013), A History of the Vietnamese, Cambridge University Press
- Watson, Burton (1993), Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian: Han Dynasty II (Revised Edition, Columbia University Press
- Ulrich, Theobald (2000). "Chinese History". ChinaKnowledge.de – An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History, Literature and Art. Theobald Ulrich. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- Watson, Burton (1961). Records Of The Grand Historian Of China. Columbia University Press.
- Buttinger, Joseph (1958). The Smaller Dragon: A Political History of Vietnam. Praeger Publishers.
- Leeming, David (2001). A Dictionary of Asian Mythology. ISBN 978-0-19-512052-3.
- Kiernan, Ben (2019). Việt Nam: a history from earliest time to the present. Oxford University Press.
- Brindley, Erica (2015). Ancient China and the Yue: Perceptions and Identities on the Southern Frontier, C.400 BCE-50 CE. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-08478-0.
- Higham, Charles (1996). The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia. ISBN 0-521-56505-7.
- ISBN 978-9-004-28248-3
- Jamieson, Neil L (1995). Understanding Vietnam. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20157-6.
- ISBN 978-1-317-27903-7.
- Kim, Nam; Lai Van Toi; Trinh Hoang Hiep (2010). "Co Loa: an investigation of Vietnam's ancient capital". Antiquity. 84 (326): 1011–1027. S2CID 162065918.
- Nam C. Kim (2015). The Origins of Ancient Vietnam. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-998089-5.