THE WORLD CIVILIZATIONS AND INDIA , PART-103

VIETNAM ( SERIES -21 )

THE ADMINISTRATION OF LY CONG UAN

Emperor LY CONG UAN abandoned the scheme of the previous government of Emperor DINH BO LINH ( 968 AD to 979 AD ) which had plan to divide the plain into ‘Ten Circuits’ . He replaced it by twenty four routes . Though these were not administrative jurisdictions , yet they were itineraries designating various localities . For the purpose of garrisons and patrols , he organized the southern provinces into military outposts . There was no centralized salary distribution system for the officials , instead they were entirely depended upon local resources for their salaries . The soldiers also received some largesse as they were expected to do some farming of their own . The local village communities used to send some of their resources to the local lords who out of them used to send some of them to the throne as tributes . This sort of administrative system , to some extent , resembled that of the South-East ASIAN MANDALA system . Emperor LY CONG UAN raised a large army in 1011 AD . He attacked rebels in the southern provinces of THAHN HOA and NGHE AN . He wasted there for two years burning villager and capturing local leaders . And while he was returning by sea in 1012 AD , he faced a great storm threatening to sink his boat . Then he realized that a divine judgment upon him had come for the violence and misery he had brought upon so many people in the southern provinces . Similarly, LY CONG UAN sent soldiers into northern mountains of modern HA GIANG province to pacify HANI people who had allied with the DALI Kingdom of YUNNAN province of CHINA .

TAX REFORMS DURING LY CONG UAN

Emperor LY CONG UAN brought about reforms in the tax system in 1013 AD by creating six types of tax classifications which were as follows : 1. Tax on fishing and seafood production ; 2. Tax on agricultural production ; 3. Tax on logging , wood and masonry ; 4. Tax on salt production ; 5. Tax on luxury goods production like — taxes on ivory , silk , precious metals etc. ; and 6. Tax on fruits and vegetables production . These classifications of taxes enabled the Royal Court to effectively and efficiently collect taxes . In 1016 AD , when a severe earthquake occurred , Emperor LY CONG UAN prayed to the Gods who were in charge of the mountains surrounding the capital . He journeyed around the Kingdom both to propitiate its disparate genies and co-opt them by having them declared himself to them .

FOREIGN POLICY OF LY CONG UAN

In 1010 AD , the SONG DYNASTY of CHINA recognized LY CONG UAN without much delay . The SONG Emperor conferred upon him the usual title of vassalage . In the same year , Emperor LY CONG UAN caught thirteen persons of DICH LAO ( BANDIT ) ethnicity and presented the captives to the CHINESE Court . At the same time in 1014 AD , he sent a mission to CHINA . He presented sixty horses to the SONG COURT as gifts . He also notified the SONG Court that he had subdued a HANI community . The SONG DYNASTY of CHINA , that time , was preoccupied with maintaining internal stability . It was trying to recover from past defeats/skirmishes with the LIAO DYNASTY and the western XIA . The LIAO DYNASTY , also known as the KHITAN Empire , was the Imperial Dynasty of CHINA which existed between 916 AD to 1125 AD , ruled over Northeast CHINA , the MONGOLIAN Platue , the northern part of KOREAN PENINSULA , southern part of the RUSSIAN Far East and the northern tip of the North CHINA Plain . In 1004 AD , the LIAO DYNASTY launched an Imperial expedition against the Northern SONG DYNASTY . After heavy fighting and large casualty between the two Empires , both sides worked out treaty of CHANYUAN. And it was , for approximately 120 years , heralding an era of peace and stability between the two powers . Similarly , the Western XIA or the XI XIA was a TENGUT-led BUDDHIST Imperial Dynasty of CHINA from 1038 AD to 1227 AD . It had extensive stance among the other Empires of the LIAO , SONG and JIN . Sweet and sour relationship went on between the SONG and the Western XIA for long . All these incidents provided an opportunity for the DAI CO VIET to have better relationship with SONG DYNASTY which the latter willingly accepted .