The Vietnamese Thục Dynasty has only one ruler, Thục Phán himself, last prince of Shu (state) of China, who proclaimed himself king An Dương Vương. He ruled Âu Lạc, the new name the new king gave to the country, from 257 BCE to 207 BCE. His longevity, said to be around 100 years, is quite disputed. Shu (蜀) was an ancient state in Sichuan, China. ... (Redirected from 257 BCE) Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC - 250s BC - 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC Years: 262 BC 261 BC 260 BC 259 BC 258 BC - 257 BC... (Redirected from 207 BCE) Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC - 200s BC - 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC Years: 212 BC 211 BC 210 BC 209 BC 208 BC - 207 BC...

Thục Phán's Origins & History

The Thục family was an obscure family of generals. Thục Phán himself was sent by his father first to explore the southern Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan and second to move his family there to escape from China's turmoil at that time (see details below) during the latter stage of the Warring States Period and rise of Qin. Thục Phán came upon the Âu Lạc territory (modern-day North Vietnam, Guangdong, and Guangxi province). After assembling an army, he defeated King Hùng Vương XVIII, the last ruler of the Hồng Bàng Dynasty around 257 BCE. He proclaimed himself An Dương Vương, "King An Dương". He then renamed his newly acquired state from Văn Lang to Âu Lạc and established the new capital at Phong Khê in the present-day Phú Thọ Province in North Vietnam. Cổ Loa Thành (Co Loa Citadel), the spiral-shaped fortress/barricade which he also built, lies approximately ten miles north of that new capital. Guangxi (Zhuang: Gvangjsih; old orthography: ; Simplified Chinese: 广西; Traditional Chinese: 廣西; Pinyin: GuÇŽngxÄ«; Wade-Giles: Kuang-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Kwangsi), full name Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Zhuang: Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih; old orthography: ; Simplified Chinese: 广西壮族自治区; Traditional Chinese: 廣西壯族自治區; Pinyin: GuÇŽngxÄ« Zhuàngzú ZìzhìqÅ«) is a Zhuang autonomous region of... (Simplified Chinese: 云南; Traditional Chinese: 雲南; pinyin: Yúnnán south of the clouds) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the far southwestern corner of the country. ... Alternative meaning: Warring States Period (Japan) The Warring States Period (Traditional Chinese: 戰國時代; Simplified Chinese: 战国时代; Pinyin: Zhànguó Shídài) covers the period from sometime in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the Qin in 221 BC. It is nominally considered to be the second part... The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: 秦朝; Pinyin: Qín Cháo; Wade-Giles: Chin Chao) (221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded by the Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. ... China, and should not be confused with the former Kwantung Leased Territory in north-eastern China. ... Hung Vuong was the first emperor of Van Lang or Lac Viet(Vietnam at the time). ... The Hong Bang Dynasty is a dynasty that ruled in Vietnam for over 2000 years, until the third century B.C. Its founder was Hung Vuong. ... Phu Tho Province is a province in Vietnam. ...

Thục Phán and Âu Lạc’s Administration

There is not much recorded and or written about how the new Âu Lạc was administered and organized. Historians admit there are a lot of writings about other Vietnamese National dynasties such as the Lê, Lý, Trần, Hồ, etc. except for the period of 257 BCE to 207 BCE, which was under his rule. Nonetheless, based on Thục Phán's accomplishments, he must have been an astute, clever, and significant figure. Certainly he was a talented general who knew how to exploit the confusion and turmoil in China during that period, not only to grab a piece of land for himself but also to secure his state's prosperity and survival. Around that same time, circa 260 BCE - 250 BCE, when Thục Phán ascended to power, further north in China, various states are fighting each other to take control of China. Eventually, the Qin state rose to power and unified China under Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Upon Qin Shi Huang's ascension to the imperial throne, he descended into paranoia-fueled Legalist practices. Hoping to prevent potential civil unrests and rebellions, he ordered the burning of millions of books, other significant official documents from previously conquered warring states, and forced thousands of intellectual officials to be buried alive. Qin Shi Huang also ordered the beginning of the construction of the Great Wall, and around the same time, further south, An Dương Vương had begun the construction of a spiral-shaped fortress called Cổ Loa Thành to fend off future northern invasions and attacks. // Lê Lợi (1382-1433), emperor Lê Thai To(1428-1433) Background and aspiration Lê Lợi came from a family of wealthy landowners. ... The Lý Dynasty (Vietnamese: nhà Lý, pronounced like Lee), sometimes known as the Posterior Lý Dynasty (nhà Hậu Lý), was a Vietnamese dynasty that began in 1009 when Lý Thái Tổ overthrew the Anterior Lê Dynasty (nhà Tiền Lê) and ended in 1225 when the queen L... The Trần Dynasty (陳朝 Trần Triều; or vernacularly Nhà Trần, meaning the Trần House) was a Vietnamese dynasty that ruled Vietnam (at that time known as Đại Việt) from 1225 to 1400. ... The Hồ Dynasty was a short-lived seven-year reign of two emperors, Hồ Quý Lý in 1400 who, after 9 months of reign, gave the throne to his second son, Hồ Han Thuong, who reigned from 1400 till 1407, a habit from the previous Tran Dynasty to bequest the... (Redirected from 260 BCE) Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC... (Redirected from 250 BCE) Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC - 250s BC - 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC Years: 255 BC 254 BC 253 BC 252 BC 251 BC - 250 BC... Qin or Chin (Wade-Giles) (秦), pronounced something like Shin, (778 BC-207 BC) was a state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Legalism, in the Western sense, is an approach to the analysis of legal questions characterized by abstract logical reasoning focusing on the applicable legal text, such as a constitution, legislation, or case law, rather than on the social, economic, or political context. ... Great Wall can refer to several things: Great Wall of China Great Wall of Galaxies, part of the Coma Cluster This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The Legend of Cổ Loa Thành and the Magic Crossbow

Cổ Loa Thành and Âu Lạc

After Thục Phán defeated the last Hùng Vương King and ascended to the throne as An Dương Vương, he renamed Văn Lang to Âu Lạc and established Cổ Loa as the new capital. He saw the strategic and geographic importance of Cổ Loa. On two of its sides, Co Loa was surrounded by impenetrable mountains and forests. There was also a river flowing by. No one knows why did An Dương Vương favored the spiral, shell-like shape of Cổ Loa Thành, but legend has it that its construction was extremely tough, and difficult to complete. Each time it seemed it was almost done, it was undone at night by a coalition of spirits which were thought to be allied to the son of a previous king.

The Legend of Cổ Loa and the Magic Crossbow

An Dương Vương burnt incense, prayed, made offerings, and evoked all the gods of those days to help him. One night, in a dream, a very, very old and venerable man with long, white hair came to him and told him the only person who could help him out of this conundrum was a golden turtle that lived somewhere around Cổ Loa. Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal sources, intended to release fragrant smoke for religious, therapeutic, or aesthetic purposes as it smolders. ...

A few days later, while wandering in a boat on the river and thinking about the meaning of his dream, a gigantic golden turtle appeared suddenly at the surface of the water. The golden turtle told An Dương Vương that he would need one of its claws in order to accomplish anything in his life. Pulling out one of its claws and throwing it to An Dương Vương, the turtle vanished.

An Dương Vương had Cao Lỗ, his weaponry engineer, build a crossbow incorporating this claw. It is said a single arrow shot from this crossbow of the Golden Tortoise could kill hundreds, even thousands of enemies. Indeed right after obtaining this claw, An Dương Vương saw his fortunes change. His capital started taking shape. His kingdom prospered and soon was coveted by neighboring states. Among one of those who coveted his territory was Zhao Tuo (Triệu Đà in Vietnamese), a Qin general under the reign of Qin Shi Huang and his successor. For a period of ten years around 217 BCE to 207 BCE, Triệu Đà attempted many invasions to conquer Âu Lạc state, but failed each time due to An Dương Vương's military skills and defense tactics. Zhao Tuo (Traditional Chinese: 趙佗; pinyin: Zhào Tuō) or Triệu Đà in Vietnamese, was a Chinese commanding general of the Qin dynasty who later founded the kingdom of Nanyue, or Nam Việt (南越). He was also the founder of the Zhao Dynasty (Trieu Dynasty) of Nanyue. ... (Redirected from 217 BCE) Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC - 210s BC - 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC Years: 222 BC 221 BC 220 BC 219 BC 218 BC - 217 BC...

Triệu Đà's Scheme

Triệu Đà having been beaten several times, devised a new plan. Keeping to himself that it was just a temporary ploy to buy time, he negotiated a peace treaty with Âu Lạc state. He set out to determine where lay the strength and strategies of his foe. He even went so far as to propose marriage between An Dương Vương’s daughter, Princess Mỵ Châu (Mei Zhou) and his son Trọng Thủy (Zhong Shu'i). In time Triệu Đà found out through his daughter-in-law Mỵ Châu that An Dương Vương had a magic crossbow that made him almost invincible. In reality, the secret military technology of bronzed-cast arrows with some kind of fire-attachment invention by the Âu Lạc state was one of their famous arsenals that was used against the Qin armies and soundly defeated them on many occasions in the past. Eventually, when Triệu Đà figured out a new scheme to infiltrate the war arsenal secrets and military tactics of Âu Lạc was when he told his son Trọng Thủy to sneak into his father-in-law's armory and steal this "magic crossbow", replacing it with a fake. Triệu Đà, with the magic crossbow in his hands, launched a final, decisive attack on his foe and in-law An Dương Vương. An armory is a military depot used for the storage of weapons and ammunition. ...

The loss of Cổ Loa and the Magic Crossbow

Miraculously enough, Cổ Loa fortress fell into Triệu Đà's hands. For An Dương Vương this was a major disaster. He grabbed Mỵ Châu, his only daughter, and fled the scene of the battle. Riding on his horse with Mỵ Châu behind him he called out in despair, “What happened to my crossbow? It does not work anymore! Why? Why?” At that very moment, the giant golden turtle An Dương Vương had not seen for years and years, suddenly reappeared in the river. He replied to An Dương Vương, “The person responsible for this disaster, the enemy you are looking for, is sitting right behind you, your majesty!”

An Dương Vương reined in his horse and confronted his daughter, who was in tears. Angered, feeling betrayed by his daughter and son-in-law, the king slew his daughter. Then he jumped into the river with the giant golden turtle. Some say he drowned himself; some say his faithful servant the golden turtle took him to the depths of the river.

Trọng Thủy, searching for his beloved wife, arrived a few minutes later at the scene. The body of his beloved wife was lying in a pool of blood and his father-in-law was nowhere to be seen. In accordance with conjugal fidelity and devotion, he drew his sword and killed himself as well, in order to be with his wife forever and eternity.

Having achieved the defeat of his rival, Triệu Đà annexed the newly conquered territory to his own, ascended to the throne, and proclaimed himself a new emperor, founding the Triệu Dynasty (207 BCE-111 BCE). To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... (Redirected from 111 BCE) Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC - 110s BC - 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC Years: 116 BC 115 BC 114 BC 113 BC 112 BC - 111 BC...