In 1407, the nation of Đại Việt fell into the hands of the Ming Dynasty. The capital was seized, the King captured, and the people were forced into assimilation. The enemy forced the people to melt bronze to cast statues for the Celestial Court, burned historical records, buried scholars, and changed "Việt" to "Giao Chỉ." From Thăng Long to Thanh Hóa, the sound of weeping mingled with the crack of whips. People were shackled, exiled to work as laborers for the enemy. The Mã River ran red with blood, and the Lam Sơn mountains were shrouded in resentment.
But amidst that pitch black night, a farmer from Thanh region rose up. His name was Lê Lợi, a man of simple appearance but with eyes bright as a divine sword.
In 1418, under the shadow of an ancient banyan tree, Lê Lợi raised the banner of uprising. Beside him were his brothers in simple clothing: Lê Lai, Nguyễn Trãi, Trịnh Khả, Lê Thận... On the banner were embroidered three words:
"Bình Ngô Đại Nghĩa" Quell the Ming Invaders, Preserve the Nation's Righteousness.
Lê Lợi spoke, his voice deep and resounding like a bronze drum:
"The people are the root. If the people agree to rise with me, then even if the mountains collapse and the rivers run dry, Đại Việt will live!"
The Lam Sơn army then numbered only a few hundred, with rusty swords, tattered clothes, living on wild yams and stream water. The enemy mockingly called them "grass bandits," but those very grass bandits grew throughout the land.
When the rebel army was besieged in the Chí Linh mountains, surrounded on all sides, rations depleted, and men falling, Lê Lợi considered surrendering himself to save his troops. But General Lê Lai knelt down:
"If the Lord dies, the nation will be lost. Allow me to wear the Lord's royal robe and go into battle to bait the enemy, so that you may live to save the nation!"
Lê Lợi wiped away his tears:
"One man sacrifices himself for me, his name will be remembered for a hundred generations."
Lê Lai mounted his horse, brandished his sword, and charged into the sea of enemies. His blood dyed the Chí Linh forest red, illuminating the path of Lam Sơn with heroic blood.
After being saved, Lê Lợi and the rebel army retreated into the deep forest, fighting and withdrawing strategically, conserving their strength. It was then that a scholar sought him out Nguyễn Trãi, a man who had been imprisoned by the enemy, but whose soul remained unbroken. He said:
"Fighting the enemy is not only done with the sword, but with righteousness. Tyranny will lose to benevolence, for Heaven sides with the hearts of the people."
From then on, Nguyễn Trãi composed the Proclamation to the Army (Quân trung từ mệnh tập), sending letters to the enemy generals, urging them to submit, while simultaneously inspiring the hearts of the people. His every word was like a sword slicing into the enemy's heart.
After ten years of resistance, Lam Sơn grew from a small forest band to a great army. The people donated rice, young men joined the military, women carried ammunition, and even children acted as spies, blowing conch shells to raise the alarm.
By 1426, the Lam Sơn army advanced North. In the Tốt Động, Chúc Động Battle, the rebel army routed 100,000 Ming troops, their blood staining the plains red.
Trần Nguyên Hãn roared amidst the battlefield:
"This one battle is worth a hundred years of washing away humiliation!"
By 1427, the Ming reinforcement of 150,000 men, led by Liễu Thăng, advanced. At Chi Lăng, the rebel army ambushed them, Liễu Thăng was beheaded, his head displayed on a spear. The enemy army completely collapsed.
In December 1427, the Đông Quan Citadel surrendered. The nation was cleansed of the enemy's shadow. Nguyễn Trãi, by royal decree, penned the Great Proclamation Against the Ming (Bình Ngô Đại Cáo) the first Declaration of Independence of Việt Nam after a thousand years of Northern Domination.
"As for the Việt nation, from old,
It has long been known for its civilization.
Its mountains and rivers, its borders are distinct,
The customs of North and South are different...
The essential task of benevolence is to pacify the people,
The first priority of a punitive expedition is to eliminate the tyrannical."
When the Proclamation was finished, the golden sun shone down upon Lam Sơn, and the sound of bronze drums echoed throughout the mountains. The people knelt and wept, knowing that Việt Nam had been revived.
Lê Lợi ascended the throne, establishing the Later Lê Dynasty, restoring the national title Đại Việt, and building the dynasty with sweat, blood, and the people's heart.
The Lam Sơn mountains were henceforth revered as the nation's spiritual mountains. People passed down the saying:
"Whenever the land and rivers are in peril, the soul of Lam Sơn will rise again, holding the sword to defend the nation."