Vietnam was intermittently governed by China for nearly a millennium in ancient times, which is a well-documented historical fact. Modern Vietnamese official history even meticulously records the \"just resistance\" of the Vietnamese people throughout this long period. This is partly because Chinese history carries a peculiar tradition: whenever the empire experienced internal stability, the Central Plains dynasties would dispatch military campaigns to assert control over Vietnam and Korea.
Thus, during the Qin, Western Han, Eastern Han, Wu, Wei, Western Jin, Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, Chen, Sui, Tang, Southern Han, and Ming dynasties, Vietnam was officially considered part of Chinese territory. However, the stable control over Vietnam during these periods owes much to a notable general from the Eastern Han dynasty. This general left behind a powerful legacy—a six-character inscription—that served to intimidate Vietnam for over two thousand years.
After the establishment of the Eastern Han, Emperor Guangwu appointed Su Ding as the governor of Jiaozhi. Local tribal chiefs, who had enjoyed considerable autonomy, were unwilling to submit to this new authority. Their reluctance is understandable—imagine a local ruler, comfortably entrenched as a regional king, suddenly having to accept a foreign overseer from the Han court.
In 40 CE, two siblings, the sister-commander Tr?ng Tr?c and her younger sister Tr?ng Nh?, led a rebellion against Han rule. The fact that women could lead such uprisings seems to reflect a longstanding Vietnamese tradition. At that time, Su Ding was powerless, lacking troops, and was forced to retreat after the sisters' uprising gained momentum. Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangwu was furious and ordered the storage of military supplies across the empire, preparing to crush the rebellion decisively.
Two years later, in 42 CE, the emperor sent General Ma Yuan, titled Marquis of Fubo, along with Liu Long, commanding 8,000 troops to attack Jiaozhi. Their advance was relentless, breaking enemy lines with ease. Ma Yuan’s forces decisively defeated the Vietnamese rebels, killing over a thousand and accepting the surrender of thousands more. By January of 43 CE, Ma Yuan had successfully captured and executed Tr?ng Tr?c and Tr?ng Nh?, sending their heads back to the imperial capital Luoyang as proof.
Emperor Guangwu gave Ma Yuan a personal imperial edict emphasizing the thorough suppression of the rebellion. With this directive, Ma Yuan continued his campaign southward, killing more than 5,000 insurgents and ultimately pacifying the entire Lingnan region. After the conflict ended, Ma Yuan erected a bronze pillar in the southernmost territory of Han rule—corresponding roughly to central Vietnam today.
Inscribed on this pillar were six characters:
\u003cb>“Bronze pillar broken, Jiaozhi destroyed”\u003c/b>—a stark warning to discourage any future rebellions.
This bronze pillar remained a potent symbol in Vietnam for centuries, so much so that even today the \"Ma Yuan Bronze Pillar\" is regarded as a local taboo.
Ma Yuan, a celebrated Eastern Han general and an ancestor of the famous general Ma Chao, was involved in critical military and administrative duties. In the 15th year of the Jianwu reign, after Liu Xiu executed more than ten governors due to faulty land surveys, the emperor confided to Ma Yuan that he somewhat regretted the severity of the punishments. Ma Yuan responded with firm resolve, saying, “Those who deserved to die, how can it be too many? But the dead cannot be brought back.” This candid reply made Emperor Guangwu laugh heartily.
In the 16th year of Jianwu, Ma Yuan was appointed Tiger Guard Central Commander. The following year (41 CE), he was promoted to Marquis of Fubo and dispatched southward to quell the rebellion led by the Tr?ng sisters in Jiaozhi, earning the noble title Marquis of Xinsi for his success. Later, when the Xiongnu and Wuhuan tribes threatened the northern borders, Ma Yuan expressed his readiness to fight, famously stating that a true man should die on the frontier wrapped in his horse’s hide, not lie idle at home under the care of women. Though initially restrained by the emperor due to his age, Ma Yuan’s determination won Guangwu’s favor, and he was sent out with additional generals to lead further campaigns.
Ma Yuan also authored a well-known family letter titled \"Admonitions to Nephews Yan and Dun,\" in which he included the famous phrase, “Attempting to draw a tiger but ending up looking like a dog.” His resolute words on dying honorably on the battlefield reflected his dedication to the state over personal ties.
According to Pei Songzhi’s annotations to the \"Records of the Three Kingdoms,\" Ma Teng and Ma Chao, prominent military leaders of the Three Kingdoms era, were descendants of Ma Yuan.
Today, Ma Yuan’s legacy is commemorated through several memorials: his shrine is located in Bigong Village, Wiquan Town, Yangling District, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province; a temple called Fubo Temple dedicated to him stands by the Lijiang River in Lukou Town, Hunan Province; and his tomb is situated in Fubo Village, 3.5 kilometers west of Fufeng County in Shaanxi Province.
