Translation: “Office of the Grand Marshal” or “Supreme Military Command”
🧭 Overview:
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Thái Úy | Highest military title in the court (equivalent to Grand Marshal or Commander-in-Chief) |
| Thái Úy Phủ | The central military command office, managing strategy, officer appointments, training, and logistics |
| Mandate | Directly under the emperor’s authority; oversaw land-based and riverine military operations |
🏹 Supporting Military Frameworks:
1. Cấm Quân (禁軍) – Imperial Guard / Palace Troops
- Elite soldiers stationed around the palace and capital (Thăng Long)
- Served as personal guards of the emperor and last line of defense
2. Quân Ngụ Binh Ứ Nông (軍寓兵於農) – “Soldiers by Season” System
- Military personnel worked as farmers in peacetime and soldiers in wartime
- A powerful military-civil fusion model attributed to the Trần Dynasty
3. Học Viện Võ Bị – (Unofficial name: Military Training Schools)
- While not formally named, martial exams existed alongside civil service exams.
- Training in archery, swordsmanship, tactics, and formations was part of the state system for martial mandarins (võ quan)
🧠 Famous Military Figures from These Systems:
- Trần Hưng Đạo – Supreme Commander who defeated the Mongol invasions
- Lý Thường Kiệt – Led bold offensive campaigns into Southern China
- Lê Lợi & Nguyễn Trãi – Masterminds behind anti-Ming resistance and independence
🏆 Legacy:
- Đại Việt’s military institutions were deeply integrated with its Confucian bureaucratic system, with both civil (văn) and military (võ) mandarins ranked by merit.
- It produced some of the most effective asymmetric warfare, riverine strategies, and national defense tactics in Southeast Asian history.