W.Minh Tuan

From “The Seven Beheadings Letter” by Mr. Chu Van An,,,

Mr. Chu Van An is one of the most famous intellectuals in our country’s 4,000-year history of civilization, bỏn from Thanh Tri district, Hanoi today. The year he was born is unknown, but he died in the year Canh Tuat 1370, during the reign of king Tran Nghe Tong.

Chu Van An’s literary career left behind is not much, only 12 of his poems are scattered in many other books of later generations.

His works such as Four Books Thuyet Uoc, Tieu Hien Poetry Volumn, and Quoc Ngu Poetry are all lost and no longer exist. People of later generations only know the names of those works, but the content is unknown. But why do people always remember his name with deep respect?

It is because Mr. Chu Van An is the author of That Tram So-7 behead execution letter, the document asking to behead 7 traitors during the reign of king Tran Du Tong. That copy of That Tram So letter is no longer available today, people do not know the content of the letter. But people know the name of That Tram So letter, and that name alone, with the content of asking to behead 7 traitors, is enough for people to forever remember the name of Mr. Chu Van An.

The Tran Dynasty experienced 12 kings, from the first king Tran Thai Tong in 1225, to the last king Tran Thieu De in 1400. Thus, the Tran Dynasty lasted 175 years.

The Tran Dynasty is most famous for its three victories over the Yuan army, in 1257, 1284, 1287, with the most famous general in Vietnam’s history, Tran Hung Dao, along with other famous generals, such as Tran Nhat. Duat, Pham Ngu Lao, Yet Kieu, Da Tuong, Tran Quoc Toan, Tran Binh Trong,,, and gentle kings such as Tran Thanh Tong and Tran Nhan Tong.

Then in 1400, the Tran Dynasty was usurped by Ho Quy Ly, ending 175 years of glorious Tran Dynasty.

Mr. Chu Van An was born during the reign of the 6th king of the Tran Dynasty, king Tran Minh Tong, then lived through the reign of king Tran Du Tong, and died during the reign of the 8th king of the Tran Dynasty, king Tran Nghe Tong, in 1370.

The reign of king Tran Du Tong was the beginning of the decline of the Tran dynasty, and was also when Mr. Chu Van An offered a request to King Tran Du Tong to kill 7 traitors, hoping to save the Tran dynasty.

The Tran Dynasty achieved glorious victories over Mongol Kubilai.

However, the descendants of the Tran dynasty, the successors of Tran Thai Tong, Tran Nhan Tong, Tran Hung Dao… gradually destroyed the career their father left behind. The kings and officials began to indulge, engage in corruption, and exploit the people, the people were poor and miserable, and the kings and officials were happy and depraved.

King Tran Du Tong initially succeeded the throne, also appearing to be a gentle king, saying good things and taking care of the people.

Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu wrote that king Tran Du Tong at first knew how to “take care of martial arts, improve literature, and all his descendants submitted to him… But later, when he indulged too much, the Tran dynasty’s fortune weakened from there.” .

Mr. Chu Van An at that time was Quoc Tu Giam’s Tutor, which is the Principal of Quoc Tu Giam University as we say today.

Quoc Tu Giam University is the place where kings and mandarins’ children are educated, so the position of Director of Quoc Tu Giam is very prestigious and honour in the court.

Mr. Chu Van An, as well as the other honest and talented mandarins of that time such as Le Quat, Pham Su Manh… all felt far behind in the past Tran Dynasty’s illustrious career of defeating the Yuan army three times, which was now in increasing danger. Ruined by the greedy king, by the corrupt and courtiers, many people wanted to speak out and advise the king to save the inheritance left by their ancestors, an inheritance that gained by exchanging with the blood of so many people in the three resistance wars against the Yuan army.

But everyone is afraid of losing their seats, afraid of being labeled a reactionary against the court. So no one dared to say anything, only cowardly and angry keep silently in their hearts.

Only Mr. Chu Van An dared to say it out.

He was not afraid of losing his seat, not afraid of being labeled a reactionary against the court. He wrote That Tram So and sent it to king Tran Du Tong.

King Tran Du Tong finished reading the document, then hid it, not tell to anyone.

That letter has been lost.

Until now, more than 600 years have passed, no one knows the specific content of that terrible document, only know that the document asked to behead those who were corrupt and flattered in the court, those who would do anything wrong to collapse of the Tran Dynasty’s more than 100-year-old legacy.

No one knows the names of those traitors listed in that letter, but the people know that at that time, there were famous corrupt people and courtiers such as Trau Canh, Bui Khoan, Tran Ngo Lang… In fact, the people who deserved to be beheaded, who had to be overthrown to save the people from misery and save the career of the Tran Dynasty, was king Tran Du Tong, because this king at the end of his life was extremely debauched.

King Tran Du Tong hid the That Tram So and remained silent, not answering anything to Mr. Chu Van An, who was a teacher of many Tran kings.

“I don’t want to play with you guys corrupted anymore,” Mr. Chu Van An declared loudly, and he hung up his hat, resigned, and returned the powerful and lucrative position of  Director of Quoc tu giam University to the king to decide who will succeed him.

He returned to Chi Linh mountain, Hai Duong, and built a house between the two mountains Ky Lan and Phuong Hoang to live in hiding.

At that time, more than 600 years ago, there were still many “ceremonies, righteousness, wisdom, and trust“, so king Tran Du Tong, although he was a debauched and depraved king, did not crown Mr. Chu Van An with a label of rebelling against the royal court.

One time, the king even intended to invite him to become a mandarin again. The king’s wife is also a reasonable person stubborn, so she advised the king: “He is someone who cannot be made a slave, you king can’t tell him what to do.”

Occasionally, king Tran Du Tong also went to Chi Linh mountain to visit Mr. Chu Van An. His students, such as Pham Su Manh and Le Ba Quat, who are Executive Minister, still travel every year to visit him. When talking to teacher Chu Van An, they still maintain the proper relation of teachers and students, kneeling to listen to his teachings.

But at that time there was no household registration book like there is now, and private ownership of land still existed. So Mr. Chu Van An hung up his hat, returned from the mandarin to build a hidden house in Chi Linh mountain, and no one had any trouble with him about real estate documents, household registration, etc.

Suppose if any high-ranking official now resigned because he “didn’t want to hang out with corrupt people” and returned to Chi Linh mountain to hide, it would probably be difficult because of all kinds of paperwork and documents. Not to mention the possibility of being accused of this or that.

And then, now are there any leaders who still come back to visit people “hanging the seal of resignation” like when Chu Van An did?

Intellectual people today

Today, does our country have famous and courageous intellectuals like Mr. Chu Van An?

Yes.

During the French period, there were famous intellectuals like Mr. Pham Quynh.

Mr. Pham Quynh was born in 1892, died in 1945, and was formerly the Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet Office of King Bao Dai, a position like the Head of the Government Office today, but had power only after the king, and did not perform clerical duties

Mr. Pham Quynh advocated gaining independence through non-violent struggle, and did not advocate opposing the French, but advocated relying on the French to revive the country.

Mr. Pham Quynh’s opinion is not much different from Mr. Phan Chu Trinh’s opinion, which is to see the weakness of our Vietnamese people, feudalism, backwardness, so we Vietnam need to take advantage of industry, culture, and civilization of France to revive the country.

And Mr. Pham Quynh’s opinion on building an independent Vietnam, within the French Union (Commonwelth), is very similar to President Ho Chi Minh’s opinion during the new period of gaining power in 1946.

Ho Chi Minh in the period 1945 and 1946 also advocated building an independent Vietnam within the French Union. On March 6, 1946, Uncle Ho signed the Preliminary Agreement with France in Hanoi.

And on September 14, 1946, Uncle Ho signed the Provisional Agreement with France, in France. These two Treaties both have the same opinion as Mr. Pham Quynh, that the independent country of Vietnam is part of the French Union.

Mr. Pham Quynh is the father of two famous intellectuals, the late professor and doctor Pham Khue, former Director of the Institute of Geriatrics, and musician Pham Tuyen, former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Music.

Mr. Pham Quynh’s grandson is Professor Dang Vu Minh, former Director of the Vietnam Academy of Sciences.

Mr. Pham Quynh’s idea of peaceful independence was considered by some communists with an extreme nationalist spirit to be embracing France and betraying the Fatherland, so after the success of the August Revolution, Mr. He was captured by guerrillas in Hue on August 23, 1945, and killed a few days later.

Mr. Phan Chu Trinh, (1872-1926), was a famous intellectual during our country’s French colonial period. Mr. Phan Chu Trinh passed the Pho Bang exam, in the same class as Uncle Ho’s father, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac. Mr. Phan Chu Trinh founded the Duy Tan movement. The slogan of the Duy Tan movement at that time was: Strengthening the people’s energy, opening up the people’s wisdom, and following the people’s livelihood.

The movement’s method of operation is non-violence, openly working to civilize the nation, reform in all fields, encourage education to move away from learning from chapters, launch the movement to learn the national language, and expand the public sector, commerce, revitalizing technology, abandoning superstition, calling for short hair and nails, etc.

Today, our country of Vietnam also has a number of famous intellectuals who also have moderate courage, dare to speak frankly, and give slightly constructive opinions, for the benefit of the country and the people, such as Historian Duong Trung Quoc, mathematician Ngo Bao Chau, scientist Nguyen Lan Dung, teacher Phan Dinh Dieu, economist Tran Dinh Thien, Nguyen Dinh Cung, business scientist Pham Chi Lan,,.

But these intellectuals still do not dare to talk about the 1946 Constitution, do not dare to talk about the 8-point demands of the An Nam people sent to the Verssailles Conference in 1919, and do not dare to talk about President Ho Chi Minh’s letter to the States and Provinces, District, and Village, in which, in that letter, President Ho Chi Minh said:

“If the country is independent, but the people do not enjoy happiness and freedom, then that independence has no meaning“,

And that:

“Whatever is beneficial to the people, we must do our best.

Whatever is harmful to the people, we must try our best to avoid.”

If today, our country had many brave intellectuals like Chu Van An, Pham Quynh, and Phan Chu Trinh in the past, then the Vietnamese people would be different, not as average as they are today.///