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Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
Preface
In the vast river of Chinese history, there are countless wonderful stories that people talk about. During the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, an unexpected diplomatic incident quietly occurred.
A small country begged China to change its name, a request that should have been courteous, but Emperor Jiaqing was furious and ordered the order of its names to be reversed.
What is the secret behind this order? Why did Emperor Jiaqing react like this? What is the historical origin behind this small renamed country that still uses this name today?
1. On the occasion of the Qin and Han dynasties: the fate of Jiaozhi turned around
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang accomplished an unprecedented feat – the unification of the Six Kingdoms. However, the eloquent monarch did not stop there. His gaze was set beyond the map of the empire, to the mysterious and distant southwestern land—Cochin.
Prior to this, the king of the Central Plains had rarely set foot in this area. First, it is because most of the ethnic minority tribes live here, and the cultural differences are huge; The second is due to the remote location.
Even from today's perspective, this distance is not insignificant, let alone China more than 2,000 years ago. It is this remoteness and mystery that has allowed Jiaozhi to wander outside the war in the Central Plains for a long time, and has become a characteristic that local residents are proud of.
However, Qin Shi Huang's ambition should not be underestimated. Since it is possible to unify the six countries, how can a single co-toe become an obstacle? As the iron hooves of the Qin army set foot in the southwest, Jiaozhi had no choice but to become part of the territory of the Qin Dynasty.
The Qin general Zhao Tuo was stationed here to guard the border. Who would have thought that the situation in the Central Plains would change drastically. Qin Shi Huang died, Qin II ascended the throne, tyranny triggered a peasant uprising, and the Central Plains fell into a great chaos. Zhao Tuo, who was far away in the southwest, took the opportunity to establish himself as king and established the Nanyue Kingdom.
After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, the relationship between South Vietnam and the Central Plains was good and bad. It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that Nanyue finally returned to the rule of the Central Plains. During this period, Zhao Tuo's role was quite complex.
He was not only a rebel who rebelled from the Qin Dynasty, but also a hero who opened up southern Xinjiang. This contradiction laid the groundwork for future history.
2. Separation and Integration: The Thousand Years of Ups and Downs in Sino-Vietnamese Relations
Over time, the relationship between Cochin (later Annam) and the Central Plains experienced many ups and downs. During the Song Dynasty, Annam declared independence and established his own state.
At that time, the Great Song Dynasty was worried about internal and external troubles, and had no time to take care of this distant vassal country, so Annan was able to enjoy an independent life for a long time.
This period of independence lasted until the Ming Dynasty. Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, the emperor who spent half his life on horseback, inherited the ambition of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He could not tolerate the independence of the surrounding countries, so he personally led his army to capture Annam.
However, the history of independence for nearly a thousand years has planted the seeds of independent consciousness in the hearts of the people of Annan, and Zhu Di finally failed to completely unify this land, so he had to give up.
This relationship lasted until the Qing Dynasty. During the reign of the Qing Dynasty, violent turmoil broke out within Annam. The rulers were incompetent, the peasants revolted one after another, and the situation was similar to that of the Central Plains. The rebels overthrew the old dynasty and established their own regime.
3. Qianlong's Dilemma: The Entanglement between the Xishan Regime and the Qing Dynasty
In the latter part of Qianlong's reign, the situation in Annam gradually stabilized. Nguyen Ngao ascended the throne as emperor and established his own regime. However, how could the belligerent Qianlong Emperor miss this opportunity?
After learning of the situation in Annan, Qianlong immediately sent troops, claiming to help Annan suppress the peasant uprising, but in fact he wanted to suppress the peasant army of the Ruan clan. However, the development of events was beyond Qianlong's expectations.
The original royal family, the Li clan, was so vulnerable, even with the help of the Qing army, it was still defeated by the Ruan clan. Seeing that the general trend had gone, Qianlong had no choice but to accept the reality and recognize the legitimacy of the Nguyen Xishan regime.
However, the peasant revolt was never a single force. In the Quang Nam region, another Nguyen faction, the old Nguyen, under the leadership of Nguyen Phuc Anh, united with the former ministers of the former dynasty to form a powerful army with the intention of overthrowing the Tay Son regime.
4. Jiaqing New Deal: The Rise and Ambition of Nguyen Phuc Anh
As the war progressed, the Nishiyama regime retreated. Although he had been defeated before, Old Ruan had a deep heritage after all. What's more, they have a very capable leader – Nguyen Phuc Anh.
In the hard-fought battle, Nguyen Phuc Anh displayed extraordinary military talent and political wisdom. He was adept at using various forces to maneuver between the Qing court, the Xishan regime, and local forces.
Finally, in the ninth year of Jiaqing (1804), Nguyen Phuc Anh successfully unified Annam, founded the country as emperor, and changed the era name to Jinglong. However, Nguyen Phuc Anh knew that a military victory would not be enough to truly consolidate power.
He had to be recognized by the Qing Dynasty. To this end, Nguyen Phuc Anh took a series of measures to curry favor with the Qing court. He took the initiative to express his willingness to establish a vassal relationship with the Qing Dynasty and did what he liked in some small matters. At that time, the Jiaqing Emperor was plagued by the problem of piracy.
Nguyen Phuc Anh seized the opportunity to hand over the pirates they had captured to Qing officials. This move really pleased Jiaqing and won the emperor's appreciation.
5. The battle over the national name: the anger of Gia Khanh and the birth of Vietnam
Taking advantage of the emperor's great joy, Nguyen Phuc Anh played to Gia Khanh and asked to change the name of his country. After careful consideration, he chose the name "South Vietnam". This choice is no accident.
The state of Nanyue did exist in history and ruled for almost a hundred years. In this way, Nguyen Phuc Anh hopes to demonstrate the legitimacy and historical continuity of his regime.
However, the development of events was unexpected by Nguyen Phuc Anh. thought it was a sure thing, but it was sternly rejected by Jiaqing. Not only that, but this request also angered Emperor Jiaqing. Why would a seemingly inconsequential country name change provoke such a strong reaction?
It turned out that Emperor Jiaqing was keenly aware of the ambitions that might be hidden behind this national name. He recalled the history of the South Vietnamese Kingdom: South Vietnam included not only the current Annam, but also Guangxi, Guangdong and other places.
In Jiaqing's view, does Ruan Phuc Ying's choice of this country name imply his coveting of the territory of the Qing Dynasty? What made Jiaqing even more vigilant was that he remembered the past of Zhao Tuo, the founding monarch of the South Vietnamese Kingdom.
Zhao Tuo was originally a general of the Qin Dynasty, but later took advantage of the chaos to stand on his own, not only founding the country and becoming the emperor, but also expanding many times. Does Ruan Phuc Anh's move also imply that he has similar ambitions?
All kinds of doubts were intertwined, which not only made Jiaqing refuse Ruan Phuc Ying's request, but also aroused his anger. He believes that this is not only an affront to the Qing Dynasty, but also a naked provocation. Faced with Jiaqing's anger, Ruan Phuc Anh suddenly panicked.
He was well aware of the serious consequences that could result from offending the emperor of a powerful neighboring country. In order to save the situation, Ruan Fuying hurriedly expressed his willingness to be named by Jiaqing himself. Gia Khanh pondered for a long time and finally wrote two words on the paper - "Vietnam". This seemingly simple country name actually contains deep meaning.
Gia Khanh reversed the word "South Vietnam" so that the word "Vietnam" was placed above the "south", which not only retained the geographical direction, but also implied a warning: Vietnam, that is, not to cross the south, implying that Nguyen Phuc Anh should keep to himself and not have the heart to covet Chinese territory.
Although this country name is far less imposing than that of "South Vietnam", Nguyen Phuc Anh has no choice. Despite the establishment of the state and the proclamation of the emperor, Vietnam's strength is still very different from that of the Qing Dynasty. In this way, the name "Vietnam" was established and is still used today.
epilogue
In the pages of history, the naming of a country often contains profound political wisdom and power games.
The origin of Vietnam's national name not only reflects the influence of ancient Chinese dynasties on vassal states, but also reflects complex geopolitical relations.
Today's Vietnam, although it is an independent and sovereign country, this national name given by the Qing Dynasty emperor still silently tells the ups and downs of history.