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Ngô dynasty

First Vietnamese dynasty after the Third Chinese domination of Vietnam (939–965)

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Around 930, as Ngô Quyền rose to power, northern Vietnam was militarily occupied by the Southern Han and was treated as an autonomous province and vassal state of the Later Tang Dynasty, referred to as Tĩnh Hải quân. Every year the Jiedushi of Tĩnh Hải quân had to pay tribute to its Chinese master in exchange for peace and political support. At the beginning of the 10th century, China was domestically plagued and weakened by civil war during what is known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Chinese were preoccupied with these civil struggles and lost their grip on Tĩnh Hải quân periodically. Tĩnh Hải quân took advantage of this opportunity and proclaimed its independence and seceded from China. Under the rule of Lord Protector Dương Đình Nghệ, the Tĩnh Hải quân state initiated a full blown military campaign for independence.

Background

Pre-independence

After defeating the Sui dynasty, the Tang dynasty adjusted its administrative divisions and provinces, maintaining Chinese rule in Vietnam. In the late 9th century, however, civil unrest increased and the rebellion of Huang Chao weakened the Tang dynasty. At the beginning of the 10th Century in 905, a member of the Khúc clan of Vietnam, Khúc Thừa Dụ took advantage of the continuing turmoil in China, seized power from the weakened Tang, and appointed himself Jiedushi (Vietnamese: Tiết độ sứ) establishing a degree of autonomy for Vietnam.

In 906, the Tang recognized Jiaozhi as an autonomous state, however a year later the Tang dynasty ended when Zhu Wen overthrew Tang rule establishing the Later Liang Dynasty for himself and ushered in the division of China into the short-lived empires of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. During this time of civil war in China, the Khúc clan attempted to increase its power and control over Vietnam. In Guangzhou province of south China, however, the former Tang governor, Liu Yan declared himself the emperor of the emergent Southern Han kingdom.

In 917, Khúc Thừa Mỹ succeeded Khúc Hạo as Jiedushi of Tĩnh Hải quân and reached out to the Liang Dynasty in northern China, seeking political support as a vassal state. The action angered the Southern Han and in 930 emperor Liu Yan attempted to bring Tĩnh Hải quân under his control by invading the capital city and taking Khúc Thừa Mỹ captive. Shortly thereafter, however, Dương Đình Nghệ, the governor of the Ái Châu district of Tĩnh Hải quân, sent troops to rescue Khúc Thừa Mỹ, defeating the Southern Han army and in the process appointing himself Jiedushi of Jinghai. In 937, Dương Đình Nghệ was assassinated by his official Kiều Công Tiễn who declared himself loyal to the Southern Han's emperor. Immediately thereafter, Dương Đình Nghệ's son in law, general Ngô Quyền, Governor of the Ái district, initiated hostilities against Kiều Công Tiễn.

Battle of Bạch Đằng River

Ngô Quyền (897–944) was Dương Đình Nghệ's most loyal general and son-in-law. He served under Dương Đình Nghệ's command and married one of his daughters. After the murder of father-in-law, Ngô Quyền sought revenge. He launched an attack and defeated Kiều Công Tiễn in 938. The latter, before his death in battle with Ngô Quyền, he sent an emissary to Southern Han court to ask for military re-enforcement. The Southern Han state's emperor then sent an army to the South land to assist Kiều Công Tiễn in 938. However, Ngô Quyền's forces were tipped off over the advancing Southern Han army and therefore he quickly mobilized his forces and strategically stationed them in key battle sites.

To defeat the Southern Han army coming to supply aid to his rival, Ngô Quyền and his troops planted iron spikes underneath the Bạch Đằng River and timed the attack of the Southern Han navy. The attack began during high tide which concealed the spikes beneath the water. The Vietnamese forces purposefully held the enemy in check for hours, waiting for the tides receded and the spikes to impale the Chinese armada. With the Southern Han navy in disarray, the Vietnamese forces followed the impalement with ferocious fire attacks and annihilated hundreds of giant warships. The Southern Han navy and the Prince of Southern Han were killed in the battle, thus ending the Southern Han's military ambition over Annam.

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