A letter of justice - Nguyen Quang Bich

    A LETTER OF JUSTICE

The person who wrote this letter was Nguyen Quang Bich, who passed successfully the imperial exam to become Doctor of Confucianism in 1869, and was a mandarin in Nguyen dynasty. Fighting many battles with French colonialist force, maintaining the Can Vuong movement in Hung Hoa, Phu Tho for 4 years after the fall of the capital.
He passed away at the end of the year of Ky Suu in 1890 when he was 60 years old, leaving Ngu Phong Thi Tap poetry collection made during the time of Can Vuong.
The following quoted letter answers to the French call for surrender.
"... When you came here, one you said that it was for peace, two you said that it was for protection, then you occupied our strongholds, dismissed our king, expelled our generals, and then established Dong Khanh as new king himself. It was merely a trick of the person who covers his ears while stealing the bells. Political interests are in the hands of you. Our civil and military mandarins are all hamstrung by you. Oh ! what else you can say ? That's what you called peace, that's what you called protection? We took the side of "rebel", and you do so, try to ask who is right and wrong? Suppose there was another big country's soldiers that came to your country, occupied your country as you did in our country, would you comply with their orders ? Or you would feel motivated by justice in heart, your anger would reveal on your face, then you would also do as we are doing? Hoping that you would repress your feeling, calmly think again, and bring hundreds of strongholds back to our king, and let the King Ham Nghi back on the throne, so that our king and our people enjoy peace and harmony, and your country and our country has the same business cooperation as before. Isn't that the big righteousness ?
Otherwise, if you still rely vaingloriously on your advantages and your strength, so we will not give up on our disadvantages and our weakness; And if we win, and live, we will be noble men of the nation, but unfortunately if we lose, and die, we will be also sacred ghosts to kill the enemy.
I'd rather to be guilty of you, decided not to be guilty of the king, would rather be guilty at this moment, decided not to be guilty for thousands of next generations. A word "surrender" from now on, please don't repeat it again, please don't advice nonsense. We are willing to die for the sake of our king.
You take care of yourself. "
The text of this letter is simple and clear. The sharp, and trenchant argument reflects the heroic spirit of a person who places righteousness above the loss and death of himself.
This letter can be considered as a common voice for righteous Vietnamese during the time the destiny of their country is in misfortune.
I translate this letter from the book "The wisdom of the ancients" - Lam Giang Nguyen Quang Tru



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