The work not only records important milestones in the expansion of the Southern territory under the Nguyen Lords, but also reconstructs historical anecdotes based on highly informative sources, such as the official history books "Dai Nam Thuc Luc", "Quoc Trieu Chinh Bien", "Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu"; original documents; documents recorded by foreigners... Through an engaging storytelling style, historical figures such as Lord Tien Nguyen Hoang, Lord Sai Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, Nguyen Huu Canh, Princess Ngoc Van... have appeared vividly, associated with special decisions, actions and mindsets to advance to the South.
A typical example is the story of the prophecy "Hoanh Son nhat dai, van dai dung than" by Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem which helped open a direction for Nguyen Hoang, and at the same time started the process of Southward expansion that lasted more than two centuries.
The work also shows that land expansion, in addition to the use of force, often has to start with diplomatic solutions, culture, and even family relationships. One of the typical examples recreated in the work is the marriage between Princess Ngoc Van and King of Cambodia Chey Chettha II - an event that was both political and a flexible diplomatic move. Thanks to this marriage, along with the support of Lord Sai Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, the Dang Trong court established a tax collection base in Prey Nokor, thereby laying the foundation for the formation of Saigon - Gia Dinh later.
The book also devotes a lot of space to talking about characters such as Nguyen Huu Canh - the person who established Dai Viet's sovereignty over the Saigon - Gia Dinh area at the end of the 17th century; or Mac Cuu - the person who offered Ha Tien land to Lord Nguyen. These characters are all told in a simple, familiar way, making readers remember them longer.
Not only is it a story about the royal court, the work also mentions the cultural, social and religious life of the new land, from customs, dress, contact with Buddhism to the relationship between the Vietnamese and the indigenous peoples and the Chinese community, the Minh Huong people, and Western merchants. Thanks to that, readers can see the diversity, complexity and rich identity of the South right from its beginning.
Each anecdote in the book is told concisely with the author's concise comments and assessments at the end, as a suggestion for readers to find historical and humanistic values through each story associated with the official history of the nation.
“Lord Nguyen and the anecdotes of the Southern expansion” successfully “retells” the history of the Southern expansion through folk tales familiar to readers, while opening up many scholarly approaches worth pondering.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/hanh-trinh-mo-dat-phuong-nam-qua-cac-giai-thoai-dac-sac-707144.html
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