Triệu Thị Trinh , known in Vietnamese as Bà Triệu or Triệu Ẩu (225 – 248) is a Vietnamese fighter who successfully led a resistance movement against the Kingdom of Wu (China) which occupied Vietnam.
Why should I kowtow and be a slave?
Triệu Thị Trinh was born in 225 in the village of Son Trung (Thanh Hoa province), a region then dominated by the Kingdom of Wu, one of the three kingdoms struggling for control of China between 220 and 280. Triệu Thị's parents Trinh died as a child and was raised by her older brother and his wife, during which time she was reportedly treated as a slave.
According to some texts, following repeated altercations, Triệu Thị Trinh kills his sister-in-law and flees into the mountains to set up a resistance movement against the Kingdom of Wu. To his brother who wanted the To dissuade her, she reportedly replied, "I only want to ride the wind and the waves, kill the whales of the East Sea, clear the borders and save the people from drowning." Why should I imitate others, bow down and be a slave? Why should I resign myself to thankless household chores? » . At these words, her brother would have decided to follow her.
Triệu Thị Trinh in battle
She gathers military forces, sets up a camp and confronts the enemy. In battle, she wears golden armor, rides a war elephant, and arms herself with two swords. She liberates and claims a region in the north of the country, and wins victory after victory. In 248, the armies of the Kingdom of Wu finally managed to defeat Triệu Thị Trinh and regain the lost territories from him. In order not to be made a living prisoner, she commits suicide, depending on the version, by throwing herself into a river or by allowing herself to be trampled by her elephants.
Triệu Thị Trinh is a heroine in Vietnam; a national holiday, as well as a major festival, are dedicated to him.