By early November 1426, Lam Sơn forces were hidden at Tốt Động and Chúc Động near Cao Bộ, after moving north from Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An into the Red River region. Wang Tong brought Ming reinforcements from Đông Quan to attack the area. 🔥🌾

The decisive rupture came when Lam Sơn commanders learned of the Ming use of cannon fire as a signal, then fired a cannon signal of their own. The Ming columns kept advancing into restricted ground, where the concealed troops struck from multiple directions and broke the formation.

The episode grounds the battle in muddy rice fields, sedge, difficult footing, and the roads that compressed the advancing force. It also follows the capture of horses, military supplies, and weapons after the retreat, along with the concealed positions at Tốt Động and Chúc Động and the sound of gunfire used as a signal.

The exact day remains reconstructed, with the engagement placed between 6 and 10 November 1426 and probably on 7 November. The casualty totals also remain unsettled, with Vietnamese sources giving about 50,000 killed and more than 10,000 captured, while other estimates are lower. Jewels of History examines when the battle was fought, how the signal was used, and why the numbers remain uncertain.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Routes Toward Cao Bộ
02:20 The Gun Signal
03:35 Mud and Restricted Roads
04:44 After the Counter-Offensive

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