On 7 November 1426, the Battle of Tot Dong was fought in Vietnam between the Dai Viet under Ly Trien against the Ming under Wang Tong during the Lam Son Uprising.
Why did it happen?
In 1406, the Chinese Ming dynasty invaded northern Vietnam on the pretext of intervening in a succession dispute in the Kingdom of Dai Viet, only to annex it the following year. Due to harsh Ming rule, many Vietnamese revolted and chose to follow a popular rebel leader named Le Loi in 1418, who established himself in the mountains, where he built up an army of several thousand men. In 1424, Le Loi began a guerrilla campaign against the Ming by attacking isolated Ming garrisons around Dong Quan (modern-day Hanoi). In April 1426, the Ming emperor sent an additional 100,000 Chinese soldiers under the experienced general Wang Tong to put down the rebellion. On 5 November 1426, Wang Tong began his offensive against the Dai Viet. He divided his force into three columns and advanced towards Cao So Ferry, Sa Doi Bridge and Thanh Oai Bridge. While two of these columns were ambushed and routed at Sai Doi and Thanh Oai, the third column under Wang Tong decided to attack the main Dai Viet forces under Ly Trien at Cao Bo and Tot Dong.
Who was involved?
The Dai Viet army at Tot Dong numbered 10,000 infantry and 3 war elephants. Despite being outnumbered, the Dai Viet army’s equipment and weapons were on par with the Ming, while their war elephants were formidable. As stated by Quang Minh, “These forces had grown in the fire of the patriotic war, gained experience in combat, and learnt to fight and win in unfavourable situations” (Minh, 2014, p.76). In addition, the Dai Viet army had the support of the people, who rose in rebellion against Ming rule. The Dai Viet plan was to ambush the Ming army as it advanced towards the villages of Tot Dong and Cao Bo before attacking the rear of the Ming army near Chuc Dong and Ninh Kieu. The Ming army at Tot Dong numbered 31,000 infantry, 16,000 cavalry, and 3,000 archers. The Ming army’s weapons consisted of spears, pikes, swords, shields, bows, crossbows, and gunpowder weapons. Wang Tong divided his army into two columns: while he led the main force along the mountain road for a frontal attack near Tot Dong, a second force under Ma Qi would attack the Dai Viet in the rear near Cao Bo.
What happened?
At 10am on 7 November, the Ming army under Wang Tong and Ma Qi crossed the Ninh River and advanced towards Tot Dong and Cao Bo. While they advanced, both columns unfurled their banners and beat their drums to catch the attention of Dai Viet forces. As Wang Tong approached Tot Dong, heavy rains turned the low-lying fields into mud. When artillery fire was heard from Cao Bo, Wang Tong ordered his soldiers to fall into combat formation and march towards the village. At that point, the Dai Viet infantry and war elephants stationed in the bamboo groves and rice fields around Tot Dong emerged to attack the Ming army. By 3pm, after five hours of fighting, Wang Tong was forced to retreat to the Ninh River with his remaining forces after Dai Viet archers had wounded him. At the same time, the second column under Ma Qi sent scouts to Cao Bo, only to find no signs of the Dai Viet forces. Upon hearing of the ambush at Tot Dong, Ma Qi withdrew his forces back towards the Ninh River. As he advanced between the villages of Ninh Kieu and Chuc Dong, Ma Qi’s forces were ambushed by the remaining Dai Viet forces, who killed 40,000 Ming soldiers and captured 10,000 as they tried to escape across the river.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Tot Dong was a decisive Dai Viet victory. In the aftermath of the battle, Wang Tong sent messengers to the Ming Court in Beijing to request reinforcements to continue the war against the Dai Viet. On 31 January 1427, the Ming Court dispatched a force of 115,000 infantry and cavalry from China’s southern provinces. However, these forces did not reach the border until 10 October, when they were defeated at the Battle of Chi Lang. A further defeat at the Battle of Xuong Giang on 3 November convinced the remaining Ming garrison in Dong Quan to sue for peace. In the resulting peace treaty, Wang Tong agreed to evacuate his troops in exchange for Vietnamese independence. Lei Loi subsequently became ruler of the Dai Viet Kingdom, ruling over it until 1433, with the dynasty he founded ruling Vietnam until 1789.
Bibliography
Diep, Doan. “Chien Thang Tot Dong - Chuc Dong 1426.” Diep Doan. Last revised April 10, 2010. www.diepdoan.violet.vn/document/chien-thang-tot-dong-chuc-dong-1426-3243379.html
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Minh, Quang. Some Historic Battles in Viet Nam. Hanoi, Gioi Publishers, 2014.