As mentioned earlier, the Yuan had requested Đại Việt to allow their troops to pass through to attack Champa. However, by this time, they had already gathered forces near the Đại Việt-Yuan border. When Đại Việt’s rulers received this intelligence, they suspected that the Yuan’s true intention was to invade Đại Việt first, not Champa. In response, a military council was convened at Bình Than in 1282 to discuss strategies for the impending war. It was during this event that the famous story of Trần Quốc Toản began.
Trần Quốc Toản, though eager to attend the council, was deemed too young to participate. He waited all morning until noon without being granted entry, which made him furious. When soldiers tried to stop him from entering the grounds, he forcefully pushed them aside, drawing his sword and declaring,
- “I want to see the King! Don’t stop me!”
As this occurred, the King’s vessel arrived. Seizing the moment, Trần Quốc Toản approached the King and pleaded: - “Please don’t let them pass through to attack Champa! If you do, they’ll conquer our country! We must fight them!”
After speaking, he placed his sword to his own neck, prepared to accept punishment for entering without permission. The King, instead of punishing him, lifted him up and said: - “I should penalize you, but for caring so deeply about our country at such a young age, you deserve praise!”
The King then gave him an orange as a token. Despite this, Trần Quốc Toản left feeling unsatisfied, thinking, “The King gave me an orange, but he still sees me as a child and won’t let me discuss warfare with the others!” Filled with frustration and anger at both his treatment and the cruelty of the enemy, he unknowingly crushed the orange in his hand. When others saw him leaving, they noticed the crushed orange, a symbol of his determination.
Upon returning home, Trần Quốc Toản mobilized over a thousand household servants and civilians, purchased weapons, and built ships. His banners boldly proclaimed: “Defeat the enemy, repay the Emperor’s grace!”
Later, he was appointed to the battlefield, where his troops fought valiantly. His bravery helped force the Yuan army into retreat. He played a key role in the decisive victory at the Battle of Hàm Tử and continued to fight under Prince Chiêu Minh at the Battle of Chương Dương, where Sogetu’s navy was nearly annihilated.
While some historians suggest that Trần Quốc Toản died at the age of eighteen during one of these battles, other historical records claim that he married a princess from the fallen Song dynasty, traveled to Song to assist in their resistance against the Mongols, and died there. His exact fate remains a mystery.
See also: Tran dynasty: the dynasty that defeated the Mongols 3 times
