Nguyen Nhac’s brilliant tactic in the attack on the Quy Nhon fortress (1773)

The Tây Sơn Dynasty (1778-1802) was established by three brothers—Nguyễn Nhạc, Nguyễn Lữ, and Nguyễn Huệ—who led an uprising against the ruling Nguyễn lords. At the time, Vietnam faced a worsening economic situation, with widespread poverty and inequality. Peasants, who made up the majority of the population, suffered from high taxes and forced labor, while the ruling class lived in luxury. Being peasants themselves, the Tây Sơn brothers sympathized with the people’s hardships and organized an uprising, gaining widespread support from other oppressed peasants and commoners, eventually forming a powerful army to challenge the Nguyễn rulers. Attacking the Quy Nhơn fortress was an important victory at the beginning of the uprising.

The Quy Nhơn fortress was constructed with a laterite wall on a high mound, surrounded by a deep moat, making it incredibly strong and difficult to breach. As a result, the Tây Sơn army struggled to attack it. In an attempt to motivate his forces, Nguyễn Khắc Tuyên, the general who was in charge of this fortress issued a proclamation, offering a reward to anyone who could capture Nguyễn Nhạc or bring back his head.

Nguyễn Nhạc cleverly used this announcement to his advantage. Disguised in a crib, he had his subordinates, dressed as ordinary civilians, carry him toward the capital. Upon hearing that the cribs had arrived, Tuyên ordered the gates to be opened. That very night, Nguyễn Nhạc broke out of the crib, jumped out, and opened the gates, signaling with firecrackers. This was the cue for the Tây Sơn army, stationed outside, to storm the fortress. They set fire to the palace, killed the generals, and overran the entire city. In the chaos, Khắc Tuyên had no time to prepare and fled the citadel.

With this victory, Nguyễn Nhạc immediately led his forces to capture Cần Dương and Dạm Thủy forts, seizing all the grain and supplies stored there. The fortress had also become a haven for merchants, who, frustrated by the oppressive laws imposed by the Nguyễn court, had turned to financially support the Tây Sơn uprising.