Hịch Tướng Sĩ
Trần Quốc Tuấn
Not only will I have accomplished my aspirations in this life, but your fame too will endure for a
hundred centuries to come. Not only will my name be immortalized, but yours too will find a place
in our nation s history. At that moment, would you not be perfectly happy even if you did not expect
to be?
I have studied every military treatise in order to write my manual entitled "Principles of Military
Strategy". If you will make an effort to study it conscientiously, to instruct yourselves in its
teachings, and to follow my directions, you will become my true companions-in-arms. On the other
hand, if you fail to study it and ignore my advice, you will become my enemies. Why? Because the
Mongols are our mortal enemies; we cannot live under the same sky with them.
If you refuse to fight the Mongols in order to wash away the national shame, if you do not train your
soldiers to drive out these barbarians, it would be to surrender to them. If that is what you want, your
names will be dishonored forever. And when the enemy has finally been defeated, how will you be
able to hold your head high between Heaven and Earth?
The purpose of this proclamation is to let you know my deepest thoughts.
