Some kindle the fire, others tend the flame. Lý Nam Đế named the spring Lý Phật Tử would make that spring a sharp sword. For the blood of the Việt people is not meant only to flow, but to build an immortal nation.
After Lý Nam Đế passed away in Khuất Lão Cave, Triệu Quang Phục led the righteous army, retreating to the Dạ Trạch Swamp, using the water as walls and the populace as a fortress.
Lý Phật Tử, a relative of Nam Đế, upon hearing the news, mobilized his troops to join forces. Amidst a rainy night, in the muddy camp lit by red torches, the two heroes met. Lý Phật Tử knelt down, his voice firm as bronze:
"I dare not claim succession, I only vow to follow Heaven's will and continue the flame of Vạn Xuân."
Triệu Quang Phục grasped his hand, the torchlight reflecting in his blazing eyes. The two swore under the moon:
"This nation belongs to no one individually, it only belongs to those who dare to rise up and defend it."
"We vow to remain united to protect the nation; though the body may perish, the will shall not fade."
The Liang army poured down, their weapons gleaming, but upon reaching Dạ Trạch, they only heard the drums echoing in the mist, yet saw no men. When night fell, Triệu Quang Phục commanded:
"Strike like ghosts, retreat like vanishing mist. Let the enemy see but not pursue, hear but not capture."
Lý Phật Tử rode beside him, smiling:
"We fight with the people's heart, and defend with faith. For when the people believe, the nation is strong."
The rain was heavy, the water murky. Every night, the righteous warriors would emerge from the ground, burning the enemy camps, seizing supplies, and then dissolving into the darkness. Three years later, the Liang army retreated, leaving behind only ashes and a nation reborn.
Triệu Quang Phục claimed the title Triệu Việt Vương (King Việt of Triệu), ruling the Giao Châu region. Lý Phật Tử claimed the title Lý Thiên Bảo, ruling the Ái Châu region. The two had sworn brotherhood, yet the nation was still divided, and the people's hearts were not whole.
One evening on the Đáy River, Lý Phật Tử looked at the surging waves and softly spoke:
"Our people have just escaped slavery; they cannot bear to be divided again."
His general asked:
"Then, Your Majesty, what do you intend to do?"
Lý Phật Tử replied, his eyes shining like steel:
"I will march North, not to seize the throne, but to unite the nation and continue the will of the ancestors."
In the year 571, the banners of both sides rose along the Tô Lịch River. For three days and nights, smoke and fire coiled into the sky. Finally, Triệu Việt Vương was defeated and retreated. Before leaving, he met Lý Phật Tử by the riverbank. The two held hands, tears mingling with blood. Triệu Việt Vương said:
"Your victory is not my defeat, but the fact that our nation has become one."
Lý Phật Tử bowed his head, his voice choked:
"Brother, please trust that I will not betray your will. I will establish a nation of Đại Thắng (Great Victory), so the people never have to kneel again."
Triệu Việt Vương smiled, offering his sword:
"This sword once served the nation now I return it to the nation. If one day the people suffer, my soul shall return in the wind."
Having spoken, he cast himself into the river. The water turned red like cinnabar, and the sky poured rain, weeping for the two heroes.
After unification, Lý Phật Tử proclaimed himself Đại Thắng Vương (King of Great Victory), establishing the national title Đại Thắng Quốc (Nation of Great Victory), meaning victory over foreign invaders, victory over internal discord, and victory over oneself. In the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven at Phong Châu, he knelt, holding Triệu Việt Vương's sword, and said:
"One person falls, a thousand stand up. One nation dissolves, a thousand years later it rebuilds. Today, I am enthroned not for myself, but for the soul of Việt, from Văn Lang, Âu Lạc, to Vạn Xuân."
The entire populace shouted:
"Long live Đại Thắng Vương! May the land and river forever hold their head high in the Southern Land!"
Later, when the Sui dynasty invaded, the Đại Thắng Quốc fell. Before his death, Lý Phật Tử carved onto a stone by the Tô Lịch River:
"The nation may be lost, but the Việt people shall never surrender. My blood today is merely the seed for tomorrow."
And indeed, from that blood, just over a hundred years later, rose the banners of Mai Thúc Loan, Phùng Hưng, Ngô Quyền... those who continued the will of Lý Nam Đế and Đại Thắng Vương, keeping the land and river continuous for eternity.
The blood spilled was not in vain, for from it, the land gained its soul. "Đại Thắng" is not just a dynasty, but the spirit of the Việt people that shall never be broken.