…Joan of Arc of Vietnam
"The popular history of the Roman Empire is about conquest, expanding territories, assimilating the ‘less civilized' parts of Europe, and protecting the glory of Rome, no matter what. From the Germanic point of view, however, Rome was just another foreign invader. Likewise, Alexander the Great could not be welcome in India. It's a classic tale, a tale as old as history. In Asia, China's neighbors tell similar stories.
Vietnam fell under the rule of China, then the Han Dynasty, in AD 43. Chinese dynasties and kingdoms ruled Vietnam intermittently over the next several hundred years, but the Viet never accepted the foreign empire into their hearts.
In the early 3rd century the Han dynasty collapsed and China divided into three kingdoms (yes, the famous three kingdoms of romance). Vietnamese rebels rose up here and there, taking advantage of the turmoil to throw out their Wu dynasty overlords. It was a David and Goliath fight, only without divine help…"
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Armand
is a big fan of the Age of Sail, and these ships really speak to him - he loves transitional eras, and the Anglo-Dutch Wars was one of those.