# Zhao Tuo

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traditional Chinese: [趙](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E8%B6%99)[佗](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BD%97); simplified Chinese: [赵](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E8%B5%B5)[佗](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BD%97); pinyin: *Zhào Tuó*; Wade–Giles: *Chao T'o*; Jyutping: *Ziu6 To4*; Cantonese Yale: *Jiuh Tòh* Chinese: [武帝](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A6%E5%B8%9D); pinyin: *Wǔdì*; Jyutping: *Mou5 Dai3*; Cantonese Yale: *Móuh Dai*; literally: *The Martial Emperor*

**Zhao Tuo** (240–137 BC), also known as **Emperor Wu** of [Nanyue](/source/Nanyue) and as **Triệu Đà** or **Vũ Đế** in [Vietnamese](/source/Vietnamese_language), was a Chinese general of the [Qin dynasty](/source/Qin_dynasty) and the first king and emperor of [Nanyue](/source/Nanyue). He participated in the [Qin conquest](/source/Qin_campaign_against_the_Baiyue) of the [Baiyue](/source/Baiyue) peoples of [Guangdong](/source/Guangdong), [Guangxi](/source/Guangxi), and [Northern Vietnam](/source/Northern_Vietnam). After the [fall of the Qin](/source/Fall_of_Qin), he established the independent kingdom of Nanyue with its capital in Panyu (now [Guangzhou](/source/Guangzhou)) in 204 BC.[1] Upon the establishment of the [Han dynasty](/source/Han_dynasty), Zhao initially accepted a position similar to [its other kings](/source/Kings_of_the_Han_dynasty), recognizing [Liu Bang](/source/Liu_Bang)'s nominal authority in exchange for good relations and autonomy. After relations became strained, he declared himself emperor of Nanyue in 185 BC, reigning until his death. Some traditional [Vietnamese historians](/source/Vietnamese_history) considered him the founder of the [Triệu dynasty](/source/Tri%E1%BB%87u_dynasty) while some contemporary historians contest that he was a foreign invader, due to his Han Chinese origin.[2]

## Life

### Establishment of Nanyue

Zhao Tuo was born around 240 BC in [Zhengding](/source/Zhengding), [Hebei](/source/Hebei), in northern [China](/source/China). The area had long been home to the [Beidi](/source/Beidi) [states](/source/Ancient_Chinese_state) of [Xianyu](/source/State_of_Xianyu) and [Zhongshan](/source/State_of_Zhongshan) but, by the time of Zhao's birth, had been annexed by the [Huaxia](/source/Huaxia) state of [Zhao](/source/Zhao_(state)). When [Zhao was defeated and annexed](/source/Qin_conquest_of_Zhao) by [Qin](/source/Qin_(state)) in 222 BC, Zhao Tuo joined Qin, serving as one of their generals in [their conquest of the Baiyue](/source/Qin_campaign_against_the_Baiyue). The territory of those conquered Yues was divided into the three provinces of Guilin, Nanhai, and Xiang. Zhao served as magistrate in the province of Nanhai until his military commander, [Ren Xiao](/source/Ren_Xiao), fell ill. Before he died, Ren advised Zhao not to get involved in the affairs of the declining Qin, and instead set up his own independent kingdom centered around the geographically remote and isolated city of [Panyu](/source/Panyu) (modern [Guangzhou](/source/Guangzhou)). Ren gave Zhao full authority to act as military commander of Nanhai and died shortly afterwards. Zhao immediately closed off the roads at [Hengpu](/source/Hengpu), Yangshan, and Huangqi. Using one excuse or another he eliminated the Qin officials and replaced them with his own appointees. By the time the [Qin fell](/source/Fall_of_Qin) in 206 BC, Zhao had also conquered the provinces of Guilin and Xiang. He declared himself [king](/source/Wang_(title)) of Nanyue, the Southern Yue.[3][4]

### Conflict with the Han

In June or July 196 BC,[5] [Emperor Gaozu of Han](/source/Emperor_Gaozu_of_Han) dispatched [Lu Jia](/source/Lu_Jia_(Western_Han)) to recognize Zhao Tuo as king of Nanyue.[3] Lu gave Zhao a seal legitimizing him as king of Nanyue in return for his nominal submission to the Han.

In 185 BC, [Empress Lü](/source/Empress_L%C3%BC)'s officials outlawed trade of iron and horses with Nanyue. Zhao Tuo retaliated by proclaiming himself emperor of Nanyue and attacking the neighboring kingdom of [Changsha](/source/Changsha), taking a few border towns. In 181 BC, [Zhou Zao](/source/Zhou_Zao) was dispatched by Empress Lü to attack Nanyue, but the heat and dampness caused many of his officers and men to fall ill, and he failed to make it across the mountains into enemy territory. Zhao began to menace the neighboring kingdoms of [Minyue](/source/Minyue), [Western Ou](/source/%C3%82u_Vi%E1%BB%87t), and [Luo](/source/L%E1%BA%A1c_Vi%E1%BB%87t). After securing their submission he began passing out edicts in a similar manner to the Han emperor.[6]

In late 180 BC, [Emperor Wen of Han](/source/Emperor_Wen_of_Han) made efforts to appease Zhao. Learning that Zhao's parents were buried in Zhending, he set aside a town close by just to take care of their graves. Zhao's cousins were appointed to high offices at the Han court. He also withdrew the army stationed in Changsha on the Han-Nanyue border. In response, Zhao rescinded his claims as emperor while communicating with the Han. However, he continued using the title of emperor within his kingdom. Tribute bearing envoys from Nanyue were sent to the Han and thus the iron trade was resumed.[7]

### Conquest of Âu Lạc

Having mobilized his armies for war with the Han dynasty, Zhao Tuo found the conquest of Âu Lạc both "tempting and feasible".[8]

Zhao Tuo's early setbacks and eventual victory against King An Dương were mentioned in *Records of the Outer Territories of the Jiao province* (交州外域記) and *Records [about the Era] of [Jin](/source/Jin_dynasty_(266%E2%80%93420)) [Taikang](/source/Emperor_Wu_of_Jin#Late_reign:_setting_the_stage_for_disasters)* (晉太康記).[9] The *[Records of the Grand Historian](/source/Records_of_the_Grand_Historian)* mention neither King An Dương nor Zhao Tuo's military conquest of Âu Lạc; just that after [Empress Lü](/source/Empress_L%C3%BC)'s death (180 BC), Zhao Tuo used his own troops to menace and used wealth to bribe the [Minyue](/source/Minyue), the [Western Ou](/source/%C3%82u_Vi%E1%BB%87t), and the [Luo](/source/L%E1%BA%A1c_Vi%E1%BB%87t) (Âu Lạc) into submission.[10] The campaign against the Âu Lạc inspired a legend whose theme is the transfer of the turtle claw-triggered crossbow from King An Dương to Zhao Tuo. According to this legend, ownership of the crossbow conferred political power. As described in one account, Cao Lỗ the military engineer is quoted as saying: “He who is able to hold this crossbow rules the realm; he who is not able to hold this crossbow will perish.”[11]

Unsuccessful on the battlefield against the supernatural crossbow, Zhao Tuo asked for a truce and sent his son [Zhong Shi](/source/Tr%E1%BB%8Dng_Th%E1%BB%A7y), to submit to King An Dương to serve him.[12][13] There, he and King An Dương's daughter, Mỵ Châu, fell in love and were married.[13][14] A vestige of the matrilocal organization demanded that the husband came to live in the residence of his wife's family.[15] As a result, they resided at An Dương's court until Zhong Shi managed to lay his hands upon the magic crossbow that was the source of King An Dương's power.[15] Meanwhile, King An Dương treated Cao Lỗ disrespectfully, and he abandoned him.[16]

Zhong Shi had Mỵ Châu show him her father's sacred crossbow, at with point he secretly changed its trigger, thus neutralizing its special powers.[14] He stole the turtle claw, rendering the crossbow useless, then returned to his father, who thereupon launched new attack on Âu Lạc and this time defeated King An Dương.[15] History records that, in his defeat, the King jumped into the ocean to commit suicide. In some versions, he was told by the turtle about his daughter's betrayal and killed his own daughter before killing himself. A legend, however, discloses that a golden turtle emerged from the water and guided him into the watery realm.[13]

Zhao Tuo subsequently incorporated the regions into his [Nanyue](/source/Nanyue) domain, but left the indigenous chiefs in control of the population with the royal court in Cổ Loa.[17][18][19] For the first time, the region formed part of a polity headed by a Chinese ruler.[20] He posted two legates to supervise the Âu Lạc lords, one in the [Red River Delta](/source/Hong_River_Delta), which was named [Jiaozhi](/source/Jiaozhi), and one in the [Mã](/source/M%C3%A3_River) and [Cả River](/source/C%E1%BA%A3_River), which was named [Jiuzhen](/source/Jiuzhen). Some records suggest that he also invested a king at Cổ Loa who continued to preside over the Âu Lạc lords. The legates established commercial outposts accessible by sea.[21]

### Death

Zhao Tuo died in 137 BC at the age of 103 and was succeeded by his grandson, [Zhao Mo](/source/Zhao_Mo).[7]

## See also

- [History of China](/source/History_of_China)
- [History of Vietnam](/source/History_of_Vietnam)
- [Qin's campaign against the Yue tribes](/source/Qin's_campaign_against_the_Yue_tribes)
- [Nanyue](/source/Nanyue)
- [Triệu dynasty](/source/Tri%E1%BB%87u_dynasty)
- [Phiên Ngung](/source/Phi%C3%AAn_Ngung)
- [Trọng Thuỷ](/source/Tr%E1%BB%8Dng_Thu%E1%BB%B7)
- [Han-Nanyue War](/source/Han-Nanyue_War)
- [An Dương Vương](/source/An_D%C6%B0%C6%A1ng_V%C6%B0%C6%A1ng)
- [Âu Lạc](/source/%C3%82u_L%E1%BA%A1c)
- [Phiên Ngung Palace](/source/Phi%C3%AAn_Ngung_Palace)
- [Museum of the Mausoleum of King Triệu Mạt](/source/Museum_of_the_Mausoleum_of_King_Tri%E1%BB%87u_M%E1%BA%A1t)
- [Luobowan Tomb No.1](/source/Luobowan_Tomb_No.1)
- [Đông Sơn culture](/source/%C4%90%C3%B4ng_S%C6%A1n_culture)
- [Changsha (state)](/source/Changsha_(state))
- [Minyue](/source/Minyue)
- [Yelang](/source/Yelang)
- [Bách Việt](/source/B%C3%A1ch_Vi%E1%BB%87t)

## References

### Citations

1. Ulrich.

1. Brantly Womack (2006). *China and Vietnam: the politics of asymmetry*. Cambridge University Press, 2006. p. 100. ISBN 0-521-85320-6.

1. Watson 1993, p. 208.

1. Amies, Alex & Ban, Gu (2020). *Hanshu Volume 95 The Southwest Peoples, Two Yues, and Chaoxian: Translation with Commentary*. Gutenberg Self Publishing Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-9833348-7-3.

1. The 5th month of the 11th year of Liu Bang's reign (including his tenure as King of Han), per vol. 12 of *Zizhi Tongjian*. The month corresponds to 18 June to 16 July 196 BC in the [proleptic Julian calendar](/source/Proleptic_Julian_calendar).

1. Watson 1993, p. 209.

1. Watson 1993, p. 210.

1. Taylor 1983, p. 24.

1. both quoted in [Li Daoyuan](/source/Li_Daoyuan)'s *[Commentary on the Water Classic](/source/Commentary_on_the_Water_Classic)*. "vol. 37", ["section Yi Province Yeyu River"](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E7%B6%93%E6%B3%A8/37#%E7%9B%8A%E5%B7%9E%E8%91%89%E6%A6%86%E6%B2%B3)

1. Watson 1961, p. 241.

1. Nam C. Kim 2015, p. 5.

1. Leeming 2001, p. 193.

1. Taylor 1983, p. 25.

1. Kelley 2014, p. 89.

1. Taylor 2013, p. 15.

1. Taylor 2013, p. 16.

1. Jamieson 1995, p. 8.

1. Brindley 2015, p. 93.

1. Buttinger 1958, p. 92.

1. Kiernan 2019, p. 69.

1. Taylor 2013, p. 17.

### Bibliography

- Taylor, K.W. (1983), "The Birth of the Vietnamese", University of California Press
- Taylor, K.W. (2013), "A History of the Vietnamese", Cambridge University Press
- Watson, Burton (1993), "Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian: Han Dynasty II (Revised Edition", Columbia University Press
- Ulrich, Theobald (2000). ["Chinese History"](http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/history.html). *ChinaKnowledge.de – An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History, Literature and Art*. Theobald Ulrich. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- Watson, Burton (1961). [*Records Of The Grand Historian Of China*](https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532974/page/n247/mode/2up). Columbia University Press.
- Buttinger, Joseph (1958). *The Smaller Dragon: A Political History of Vietnam*. Praeger Publishers.
- Leeming, David (2001). *A Dictionary of Asian Mythology*. [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press). ISBN 978-0-19-512052-3.
- Kiernan, Ben (2019). *Việt Nam: a history from earliest time to the present*. [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press)
- Brindley, Erica (2015). *Ancient China and the Yue: Perceptions and Identities on the Southern Frontier, C.400 BCE-50 CE*. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-08478-0.
- Higham, Charles (1996). *The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia*. [Cambridge World Archaeology](/source/Cambridge_University). ISBN 0-521-56505-7.
- Kelley, Liam C. (2014), "Constructing Local Narratives: Spirits, Dreams, and Prophecies in the Medieval Red River Delta", *China's Encounters on the South and Southwest: Reforging the Fiery Frontier Over Two Millennia*, Anderson, James A. & Whitmore, John K. (eds.), United States: Brills, pp. 78–106, ISBN 978-9-004-28248-3
- Jamieson, Neil L (1995). *Understanding Vietnam*. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20157-6.
- Miksic, John Norman & Yian, Go Geok (2016). *Ancient Southeast Asia*. [Taylor & Francis](/source/Taylor_%26_Francis). ISBN 978-1-317-27903-7.
- Kim, Nam; Lai Van Toi; Trinh Hoang Hiep (2010). "Co Loa: an investigation of Vietnam's ancient capital". *Antiquity*. **84** (326): 1011–1027. [doi:10.1017/S0003598X00067041](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00067041). [S2CID 162065918](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:162065918)
- Nam C. Kim (2015). *The Origins of Ancient Vietnam*. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-998089-5.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Zhao Tuo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Tuo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Tuo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.