Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms: Volume 3

When they sought aid from China, it was the fifty-third year of the Qianlong era 1788. The following year, the Imperial Court ordered Sun Shiyi, the Viceroy of Liangguang The Governor-General overseeing the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, to lead a military expedition to punish Nguyen Hue The youngest and most capable of the three Tay Son brothers who led a massive uprising in Vietnam.

Nguyen Hue was defeated and fled, allowing Le Duy Ky The last emperor of the Later Le Dynasty, known historically as Le Chieu Thong to be restored to his throne. However, that winter, Nguyen Hue regrouped the forces of Quang Nam A region in central/southern Vietnam then under Tay Son control and launched a massive counter-attack with his entire strength. Sun Shiyi’s army collapsed and retreated back across the border.

Le Duy Ky once again fled to China for refuge. Meanwhile, Nguyen Hue changed his name to Nguyen Quang Binh. He presented himself at the border pass to apologize and request surrender, claiming that his family had ruled Quang Nam for generations as a rival state to Annam Refers here to the northern territory held by the Le, rather than as rebellious subjects of the Le family.

He requested to travel to the capital in the fifty-fifth year 1790 to pay homage and offer congratulations for the Emperor's Eightieth birthday celebration. An imperial edict was issued enfeoffing Nguyen Quang Binh as the King of Annam. He died in the fifty-seventh year (1792), and his son, Nguyen Quang Toan, inherited the title.

Originally, the Nguyen family had ruled Quang Nam for generations, with the seaport of Hue Thuận Hóa, the strategic gateway to the southern territories serving as their gateway. Their territory bordered both Champa An ancient kingdom in central Vietnam eventually absorbed by the southward expansion and Siam Modern-day Thailand. After Nguyen Quang Binh seized the country through military force, the nation's resources were depleted and merchant ships ceased to arrive. Consequently, he dispatched over a hundred black-rigged ships original: 烏艚船 (wūcáochuán); sturdy, fast-sailing wooden vessels used for both trade and naval warfare and twelve high-ranking commanders. Under the pretext of "procuring military supplies," they recruited many Chinese...