After the banner of Vạn An was destroyed by the Tang sword, the Việt land once again sank into darkness. The people suffered, the fields became desolate mounds, and blood mixed with the river. Northern officials stepped on the necks of the Việt people, forcing them to pay taxes, submit gold, and surrender their lives.
But in the Đường Lâm region, where the red earth was like blood and trees grew around the ancestors' tombs, lived two brothers, Phùng Hưng and Phùng Hải one strong as thunder, the other wise as the clouds. Both were born into hardship, but grew up with a single oath:
"If Heaven has forgotten the Việt people, then we shall make Heaven remember the name Việt Nam."
Phùng Hưng worked as a buffalo trader; his every step made the ground tremble. His hands could lift stones weighing thousands of pounds, yet his eyes were gentle as water. Meanwhile, Phùng Hải, the younger brother, was quiet and rarely smiled, but skilled at crafting crossbows and building fortresses. In battle, he fought as if possessed by a deity.
One day, the Tang governor, Cao Chính Bình, ordered taxes to be collected three times a year, threatening death to anyone who failed to pay. Phùng Hưng tightened his belt and said:
"They want to take all the wealth from our people therefore, I will take back all the land for our people."
Phùng Hải remained silent, merely placing his hand on his elder brother's shoulder; a nod was worth a thousand words:
"Brother, lead the way I shall open the path."
On a rainy December night, drums sounded in the Đường Lâm forest. The two brothers gathered thousands of people, carrying swords, spears, and torches red as blood. Phùng Hưng cried out:
"People of Việt! The time has come to rise up, because if we do not defend this land, our descendants will have nowhere left to call home!"
The populace shouted in response, shaking the mountains. The drum sound "THÙNG! THÙNG!" was like the heartbeat of the Fatherland.
The rebel army advanced to the Tống Bình headquarters. Cao Chính Bình was terrified and led a thousand troops out of the citadel gate. Phùng Hải, riding a black horse, swung his spear, cutting through the wind, shattering the enemies' spears, and roaring:
"Whoever blocks the path of Việt is an enemy of Heaven!"
Phùng Hưng beat the drum to urge the army forward when his sword struck, the light flashed like a falling star. The Tang army dissolved, and Cao Chính Bình perished at the citadel.
After the victory, Phùng Hưng was revered by the people as Bố Cái Đại Vương (Great King Father and Mother). "Bố" means Father, and "Cái" means Mother, signifying a leader who was both firm as iron and gentle as water. He did not claim the title of Emperor or establish a dynasty, only saying:
"I do not need a throne I only need the people to live with their heads held high."
Phùng Hải remained by his side, the quiet younger brother, guarding the citadel and managing supplies. He stayed awake many nights drawing defensive maps, understanding that winning the enemy once was easy, but maintaining the people's resolve was difficult. When Phùng Hưng fell gravely ill, he held his brother's hand and softly said:
"Hải, if I depart tomorrow, continue to protect these people, for you are the other half of my soul."
Phùng Hải wept and replied:
"Brother, rest assured. Even if your soul returns to the clouds, I shall transform into the wind, so the wind forever carries the name of Việt."
After Phùng Hưng's death, the people of Đường Lâm built a temple honoring the two brothers, calling them the Father and Mother of the Việt people. Every windy season, people tell that two white tigers can still be seen traversing the mountains, one looking up at the sky, the other gazing down at the earth, as an oath that the Việt land shall never kneel again.
Phùng Hưng was the strength, Phùng Hải was the wisdom. One made the thunder of the sky, the other preserved the fire. Both merged into the soul of Đại Việt, where loyalty and righteousness endure like rivers that never run dry.