Northern Borderlands

Northern Borderlands

Cao Bang Norias
Some of the old norias still working away in upper Cao Bằng

2005: Coming back from our visit to the "Western Capital" in Thanh-Hóa, Văn and I spent the night in Hanoi before heading north to explore the historic route through the mountains to China. This would take us on the “envoy road” towards China, through Lang Sơn and the Chi-Lăng Pass, the site of many legendary battles with Chinese armies coming down from Guangxi, then along Route 4, the mountain road where so many French soldiers and North African soldiers died in 1950, over to Cao Bằng to look for signs of the palaces of the Mạc rulers and to visit Hồ Chí Minh’s hideout at Pác Bó.

Chi Lăng Pass

Chi Lang Pass

This photo was taken from the northern approach to the pass. Surveying the scene, I wondered why the armies from China would take the narrow pass to the right, when there was a wide stretch of level terrain to the left. Văn had the answer: the broad, level terrain to the left may already been converted to rice fields—even back then—that would have been difficult for a large army to traverse.

That made sense, especially when I considered that rice fields were probably flooded. Flooding the rice fields and emptying the granaries was a standard defensive measure in anticipation of an invasion. The chronicles mention this in passing, but the hardship involved must have been immense. I was reminded of the great famine that swept the country after the armies of Kublai Khan had been routed.

devil's eyes
"Devil's Eyes" – Văn pointed out this feature: two caves in the reddish rock face that are known as "the devil's eyes" (lower left in the picture). Here, it is said, the Viet defenders beheaded the Chinese general Liu Sheng. Liam Kelley has also noted a “ghost skull” outcropping near Chi Lăng, in his translation of a 10th century poem titled “Ghost Gate Pass” (see notes below).

The most famous battle at Chi Lăng took place in 1427, when Vietnamese defenders used this narrow passageway to ambush and rout the Ming army that had been sent to rescue the besieged garrison of Thăng-long (Hanoi). When the news reached Thăng-long, the Chinese garrison surrendered and were given safe conduct north, ending the 20-year occupation of the country.

As for the unfortunate general Liu Sheng, the Ming officials claim that he had been warned that a trap was being laid for him. Geoff Wade has translated an entry dated October 1, 1427 in which two of the counselors at the Ming Court are said to have warned Minister Li Qing:

It appears from his words and countenance that the supreme commander [Liu Sheng] is haughty. A haughty general is dreaded by the troops. The bandits [rebels] are wily and deceitful. Perhaps they are pretending weakness to entice us into error. The Imperial orders have repeatedly contained warnings and instructions that we should guard against ambushes by the bandits. We are at the juncture between safety and danger. You must urgently speak with him. From the online resource, Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-Lu.

The leader of the resistance, Lê Lợi, assumed the throne, taking the name Lê Thái Tổ ("first founder" of the Le Dynasty). His scholarly adviser, Nguyễn Trãi, wrote a famous proclamation summarizing the end of the war:

The two relief armies were shattered before they could escape
Captured generals, tigers reduced to impotence, implored pardon;
Generous victors, sensitive to the will of Heaven, we granted them quarter;
For Ma Ky and Phuong Chinh we provided five hundred junks;
Out at sea their faces were still green with fear;
To Vuong Tong and Ma Anh we gave several thousand horses;
Back in their country, their legs still shook with terror.
Fearing death, they asked for peace;
We preserved our forces and let our people rest. From now on our land is safe.
Rivers and mountains will see a new era.
Calm comes after the storm.
Light has driven away darkness.
Forever we have cleansed ourselves of shame.
Forever we shall have peace.

[translation from "Vietnamese Literature"
by Nguyen Khac Vien and Huu Ngoc]

Cao Bằng

Cao Bằng is the northernmost province in Vietnam, sharing a border with the mountainous Chinese province of Yunnan. Winter is probably not the best time to go there, but nonetheless, we made our journey in February of 2006 to find the vestiges of the later Mạc lords, who had retreated here after being driven from Đông Kinh (Hanoi).

This is a remote area, surrounded by mountains and accessible only through narrow passes. Consequently, it has provided a safe haven for rebel chieftains since time immemorial. During World War II, Hồ Chí Minh used the mountains just north of the town of Pác Bó as a base for his insurgency against the Japanese and the French. And in the 11th Century, it was the home to a renegade lord, Nung Trí Cao, who tried to set up his own upland kingdom on the periphery of the nascent Lý Dynasty in Vietnam and the Song Dynasty in China.

About 20 miles north of the town of Cao Bằng, the road started following a valley with a clear mountain stream tumbling down a steady grade. Water buffalo grazed along its banks and antique water wheels fetched up the river water in its small cups, emptying the contents into rickety bamboo troughs.

Above this gentle valley, the landscape became a little rougher and drier, with yucca plants and cacti lining the road. The valley was narrowing as it reached the imposing ridge line to the north. This was Pác Bó ("pack baw"), where Hồ Chí Minh took advantage of French weakness during World War II to launch the Việt Minh resistance movement.

Pác Bó is now a national heritage site, which means a little bit of domestic tourism. We parked in the muddy lot and took the concrete trail across irrigated vegetable fields and up along the upper reaches of the stream, which now looked perfectly alpine. In about 20 minutes, we came to a beautiful pool and the rocks that had been propped up to make a seat and writing bench. The water was the perfect turquoise color you see in limestone country, and the scene was idyllic. It occured to me that one might as easily write a couple of novels here as run a resistance movement.

On the way back from Pác Bó, we had determined to find an old temple near the village of Na Lam that has a particularly long history, eventually becoming part of a citadel of the last remnants of the Mac Dynasty. Asking directions as we went along, we finally ended up on a muddy road around the market center of a small village, where we were told we'd have to disembark. We were directed to a couple of local gentlemen who said that they'd walk us over to the place.

These two men turned out to be local officials, and it was apparent that they were quite sociably drunk. They kept grabbing Văn's arm and mine and chatting him up, which made him a bit nervous, who was concerned because the tour company that had provided the car and driver had not bothered to get together the required authorization for a trip into the highlands.

It might have been a mile and a half when we saw the outline of an earthen wall along the road. Văn said this was the old wall of the original citadel, which was said to have been built by Nung Trí Cao, a local leader who rebelled against the Lý kings in the 11th Century. The Mạc rulers must have taken advantage of this old fortification when they built their palace or temple (it wasn't clear which).

Just beyond the wall, we saw the ruined walls of an old building on a small hill. We hastened up the decaying steps and wandered around through its rooms, now roofless. From the debris inside, it looked like some local men had found it to be a good hangout for drinking around a small fire.

Mac Le Temples

Mac Le Temples 2

Someone had hung a truck wheel from one of the rafters, evidently to use as a gong. I tapped it lightly with my camera, and it gave a suitable ringing sound. The inebriated gentleman indicated with a frown that I was not to do this again.

We found a stone stele leaning against the wall, inscribed with Chinese characters, as is common at the royal temples.

Cao Bang Stele
Stele found in the ruins of a (reputed) palace building or temple on the site of the 17th-century citadel of the Mạc rulers; later converted to a temple under the Restored Lê Dynasty. Location: near Nuoc An, northwest of the provincial capital of Cao Bằng. 22.42.457 N 106.10.583 E

Li Tana has generously provided the following the translation of this text:

Cao Bang Stele text

Li Tana notes: Same would be with Mrs. Hoang's birthday and the anniversary of her death. This stele was apparently made when Mr. Hoang had died and his wife was still alive. The anniversary of his death was 18 September, but there was only information on her birthday.

We left the premises and headed back down the unpaved road, still accompanied by our two "official" hosts. Despite Văn’s best efforts to disengage from our new friends, we could not refuse the invitation to stop at their house for a pot of tea.

I was comfortable enough with these proceedings, and relaxed on the foot-high stool in the dark unlit common room as the host cleansed the small tea cups by pouring a bit of hot water into one, rinsing it around, and pouring it into the next. The bottom of the cups were cracked and stained with years of tea, and it seemed like this process was more ceremonial than hygienic. An ancient television was perched on the cabinet; I have no idea what the reception was like, or what kind of signal the Cao Bắng station put out.

The two described themselves as honest villagers of modest means, a common way to introduce oneself to guests from faraway. I could not help but reflect on the women we had seen working in their fields as we drew near the house. An honest living entails some serious labor, and this family had both laborers and administrators. The advantage of being an administrator is being able to drink in the mid-afternoon.

Three gentlemen of Cao Bang
Three gentlemen of Cao Bằng

Văn was desperate to get us out of there, and succeeded within the half-hour. Our hosts insisted that we pose for pictures on our way out, even though there was no way for them to see the results.

Driving back from Nà Lữ, we came to Đền Kỳ Sầm. This small temple is dedicated to the 11th-century leader, Nung Trí Cao. Although the Đại Việt branded him a "rebel," he is still revered in Cao Bắng as a protective spirit of the realm.

Though the temple appeared closed, Văn insisted on stopping and rousing the caretaker. It was a very small place, rebuilt in the 19th century. The caretaker related that an American airman had been shot down here during World War II and had spent a night (at the temple or in the vicinity) before being shepherded off to the Việt Minh headquarters, where he was welcomed as a friend. In fact, the Việt Minh had been anxious to make contact with the Americans in the hope of obtaining weapons and—perhaps more importantly—to gain their support in the impending struggle for independence from France.

Towards the end of the war, the U.S. parachuted some OSS agents into the North to work with the Việt Minh, after Hồ Chí Minh had moved his headquarters further south. The members of the OSS “Deer Team” were impressed with the Việt Minh, and some, such as Archimedes Patti, concluded that it was the only effective resistance organization in the north. They have since been accused of naivete, but they were not fools, and the idea of working with the Việt Minh had considerable merit. Many see this episode as a “missed opportunity,” and I would be inclined to agree—though it seems nothing could have been done to persuade the policymakers in Washington to take any such action that would jeopardize America’s relationship with the French.

CODA: In 1997, several of the OSS officers met with their old Việt Minh contacts in a reunion held at the Asia Society in New York City.

Lạng Sơn (2006)

The northern outpost of Lang Son lies just to the north of the Chi Lang Pass, but I did not make that far during my 2005 trip. Now, as we made a great arc along the northern border in 2006, I was able to see the fabled ruins of a citadel that dates at least as far back as the 17th century, when it was occupied by the Mạc. I was surprised to find it rising up in the middle of the city, a natural fortress enclosed within three peaks that look like an upturned tripod (a significant image in the Chinese tradition). The gaps between these peaks are protected by stone walls which put me in mind of the surving Roman walls in England.

Lang Son Mac Citadel

Long after the last of Mạc had faded from the scene, Lang Sơn was one of the salient positions in the border war between French and Chinese troops in 1884-1885. In 1945, when the Japanese command decided to take over direct control of Vietnam, the French garrison at Lang Sơn staged a brief but doomed resistance. The Japanese were no more chivalric to those who fought bravely than they were to those who surrendered meekly: they beheaded the French commanders. (At the border town of Đồng Đăng, just to the north, the Japanese killed over 50 French captives by beheading or bayoneting them to death.)

Lang Sơn was not only a military outpost, but an important way-station for diplomatic envoys traveling between the lands of Đại Nam ("The Great South") and Trung Hóa ("The Central Efflorescence"). Appointment to an official mission to the royal court of China was an honor accorded only to preeminent Vietnamese literati and poetic remembrances of the journey became a genre all their own. (Liam Kelley discusses these poems and the experience of the envoy journey in Beyond the Bronze Pillars.)

 

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