Trieu Dynasty - Trieu Da or Zhao Tuo

Trieu Da or Zhao Tuo

Trieu Da (r. 204-136 BC), the founder of the dynasty, was an ethnic Chinese born in the Kingdom of Zhao, now Hebei province. He became military governor of Nanhai (now Guangdong) upon the death of Governor Ren Xiao in 208 BC, just as the Qin Empire was collapsing. He asserted Nanhai's independence declared himself the king of Nam Việt in 204 BC, established in the area of Lingnan, the modern provinces of comprises Guangdong, Guangxi, south Hunan, south Jiangxi and other nearby areas. He ruled Nam Việt and committed acts of defiance against Emperor Gaozu of Han and he severed all ties with China, killed many Chinese employees appointed by the central government and favored local customs. Being a talented general and cunning diplomat, he sought a peaceful relationship with China, both with the Qin Empire and the succeeding Han Empire.

In 196 BC, Emperor Gaozu sent the scholar Lu Jia to the court of Triệu Đà. On this occasion, Triệu Đà squatted and wore his hair in a bun, in the Yuè manner. "You are a Chinese and your forefathers and kin lie buried in Zhending in the land of Zhao," Lu told the king. "Yet now you turn against that nature which heaven has given you at birth, cast aside the dress of your native land and, with this tiny, far-off land of Yue, think to set yourself up as a rival to the Son of Heaven and an enemy state....It is proper under such circumstances that you should advance as far as the suburbs to greet me and bow to the north and refer to yourself as a 'subject'." After Lu threatened a Han military attack on Nam Việt, Triệu Đà stood up and apologized. Lu stayed at Panyu for several months and Trieu Da delighted in his company. "There is no one in all Yue worth talking to," said the king, "Now that you have come, everyday I hear something I have never heard before!" Lǔ recognized Triệu Đà as "king of Yue." An agreement was reached that allowed legal trade between the Han Empire and Nam Việt, as the people of Nam Việt were anxious to purchase iron vessels from China. When Lǔ returned to Chang'an, Emperor Gaozu was much pleased by this result.

Lü Zhi, the Han dowager empress, banned trade with Nam Việt in 185 BC. "Emperor Gaozu set me up as a feudal lord and sent his envoy giving me permission to carry on trade," said Triệu Đà. "But now Empress Lu... treating me like one of the barbarians and breaking off our trade in iron vessels and goods." Triệu Đà responded by declaring himself an emperor and by attacking some border towns. His imperial status was recognized by the Minyue, Western Ou, and the Luolou. The army sent against Nam Việt by Empress Lǚ was ravaged by a cholera epidemic. When Trieu Da was reconciled with the Han Empire in 180 BC, he sent a message to Emperor Wu of Han in which he described himself as, "Your aged subject Tuo, a barbarian chief". Trieu Da agreed to recognize the Han ruler as the only emperor.

Peace meant that Nam Viet lost its imperial authority over the other Yue states. Its earlier empire had not been based on supremacy, but was instead a framework for a wartime military alliance opposed to the Han. The army Trieu Da had created to oppose the Han was now available to deploy against the Âu Lạc kingdom in northern Vietnam. This kingdom was conquered in 179-180 BC. Triệu Đà divided his kingdom into two regions: Cửu Chân and Giao Chỉ. Giao Chỉ now encompasses most of northern Vietnam. He allowed each region to have representatives to the central government, thus his administration was quite relaxed and had a feeling of being decentralized. However, he remained in control. By the time Trieu Da died in 136 BC, he had ruled for more than 70 years and outlived his sons.

In modern Vietnam, Triệu Đà is best remembered as a character in the "Legend of the Magic Crossbow". According to this legend, Trieu Da's son Trong Thủy married Mỵ Châu, the daughter of King An Dương of Âu Lạc, and used her love to steal the secret of An Dương's magic crossbow.