Lý Tài ( vi-hantu, 李才,
Wade–Giles
Wade–Giles ( ) is a romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It developed from the system produced by Thomas Francis Wade during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert Giles's '' A Chinese–English Dictionary'' ...
: ''Li Tsai'', ?–1777) was a general during the
Tây Sơn Rebellion.
Lý was a Chinese merchant. After the Tay Son rebellion broke out, he organized an army named ''Hòa Nghĩa Quân'' (和義軍, "Harmony Army") to join in the rebellion. All members of this army were from
Qing China
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty ...
in Chinese costume.
The
Trịnh lords Trịnh is a Vietnamese family name
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full na ...
, who ruled the northern half of the country, sent a large army to attack in 1775, which forced
Nguyen
Nguyễn (阮) (sometimes abbreviated as Ng̃) is the most common surname of the Vietnamese people.
Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as ''Nguyen''.
By some estimates 30 to 39 percent of Vietnamese peopl ...
king
Nguyễn Phúc Thuần
Nguyễn Phúc Thuần (31 December 1754 – 18 October 1777) was one of the Nguyễn lords who ruled over the southern portion of Vietnam from the 16th-18th centuries. The collapse of the Nguyễn lords intensified during Thuần's reign, many u ...
to flee to
Quảng Nam.
Nguyễn Phúc Dương
Nguyễn Phúc Dương (died 18 September 1777) was one of the Nguyễn lords who ruled over the southern portion of Vietnam from the 16th-18th centuries. Duong was the first son Nguyễn Phúc Hiệu, who is the son of lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoá ...
, who was the crown prince of Nguyen, was captured by Lý Tài, and taken to
Hội An
Hội An () is a city of approximately 120,000 people in Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Along with the Cù Lao Chàm archipelago, it is part of the Cù Lao Chàm-Hội An Biosphere Reserve ...
. Dương was used by Tay Son rebels to gain popularity among Southern Vietnamese.
The Tay Son army was defeated by Trinh lord in Cẩm Sa (a place in modern
Hòa Vang District,
Quảng Nam). Meanwhile, Nguyễn Phúc Thuần entrenched himself in the south and tried to regain the lost territory.
Nguyễn Nhạc had to be reconciled with Trinh, and directed their fire at Nguyen lord, forcing Thuần to flee to
Long Xuyên
Long Xuyên (), formally named Thủ Đông Xuyên, is the capital city of An Giang province, in the Mekong Delta region of south-western Vietnam.
History
In 1789, a group of explorers established a small outpost in the Tam Khe canal, naming i ...
.
Nguyễn Phúc Dương escaped and fled to Gia Dinh (modern-day
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025.
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
) in 1776, and Lý Tài betrayed Tay Son army in the same time. He installed Dương as the new Nguyen lord, and was granted a title named ''Bảo giá đại tướng quân'' ( vi-hantu, 保駕大將軍, ''the great general who escorts the king'') by Dương.
Lý Tài came into conflict with another important general
Đỗ Thanh Nhơn
Đỗ Thanh Nhơn (died 1781) was an 18th-century Vietnamese military commander.
Early life
Details of Nhơn's early life are unknown except that he was a low-ranking naval officer of lord Nguyễn Phúc Thuần.
The Dong Son army
In the early ...
, and forced him to flee to Vĩnh Long (in modern-day
Bến Tre
Bến Tre () is the provincial capital of Bến Tre Province, in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. Located southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, the city covers an area of 65.75 km2 (25.39 sq mi) and has a population of 124,499 at ...
). Nhơn set up a defensive position there. In the midspring of 1777, the Tây Sơn defeated the Nguyễn and captured Gia Dinh. Lý Tài fled, and was captured and killed by Đỗ Thanh Nhơn.
1777 deaths
Tây Sơn dynasty generals
Mandarins of the Nguyễn lords
Chinese diaspora in Vietnam
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