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Prompt: Speech on the legend of Sword Lake
Sharing impressions of the Sword Lake legend
Assignment:
Returning to beloved Hanoi, everyone desires to visit the enchanting Sword Lake, a place that has witnessed numerous historical ups and downs, where the splendid scenery has been tinted by the passage of time. Despite the historical transformations, the lake remains crystal clear, like a precious gem, nestled peacefully in the embrace of the capital, deeply engraved in the memories of the locals with the legend of Sword Lake.
With captivating and intriguing prose, the Tale of Sword Lake succinctly outlines the campaign against the Ming invaders, praising the heroism, brave spirit of combat, and profound national pride of our people during that time. The symbolic act of gifting a sword represents the ancient belief in divine justice—whenever one upholds righteousness, the heavens, with their keen insight, will support and protect in some way, ensuring that those who stand for justice ultimately triumph despite facing numerous challenges. This motif and narrative structure are commonly found in Eastern literature, providing a unique perspective and leaving a deep moral impression on the audience.
During that era, the Ming invaders took advantage of the chaos within the Hồ family to infiltrate our country with the sinister intention of annexation, subjecting our nation to their rule. Under the cruel oppression and exploitation of the enemy, the lives of the people were immensely miserable and painful to contemplate. The Lam Sơn righteous army, led by the commander Lê Lợi, rose up against this aggression. However, in the initial years, the righteous forces faced numerous challenges. They were inexperienced and lacked skilled leaders, suffered from shortages of troops, provisions, and weapons. They had to constantly evade detection, avoiding Ming forces while waiting for a strategic opportunity to unfold.
Understanding the situation and admiring the patriotism and heroism of the righteous forces, exemplified by Lê Lợi, Long Quân lent the divine sword to aid in repelling the Ming invaders. However, to achieve success in life, one must endure some challenges. Instead of directly handing the sword to Lê Lợi, Long Quân ingeniously utilized Lê Thận, a humble fisherman, who, after three times of catching the sword, recognized its extraordinary nature and wisely kept it for future use, displaying foresight. Whether the event of retrieving the sword influenced Lê Thận's destiny is unknown, but shortly after, he joined the righteous forces, became a talented general under Lê Lợi, made significant contributions, and facilitated the war with the assistance of skilled individuals.
During a visit to Lê Thận's home, Lê Lợi suddenly noticed the sword's gleaming blade in a corner, with the inscription 'Thuận Thiên,' translated as aligning with the will of heaven, suggesting the sword was a divine gift to support righteous deeds. In the dim space, the sword unexpectedly radiated a bright light, perhaps acknowledging the presence of the brilliant commander Lê Lợi. This luminosity served as encouragement from the spiritual realm, clearly indicating the path of resisting the invading forces, which was challenging at the time. Despite its mystical nature, the sword had to wait for a fitting hilt before reaching its full potential.
Not long after, during a battle where our forces were at a disadvantage and had to retreat, Lê Lợi, in the process of escaping, coincidentally spotted a gem-adorned sword hilt shining in the forest atop a tree. Utilizing the sharp wit and memory of a skilled leader, Lê Lợi immediately recalled the 'Thuận Thiên' sword from Lê Thận's house. With a complete sword, unleashing its formidable power, our forces achieved victory after victory, astonishing the Ming forces and ultimately forcing them to a humiliating defeat before returning home. The sword symbolizes the power of 'heavenly timing, advantageous terrain, and human harmony,' above in accordance with the heavens and below in harmony with the people. Lê Thận retrieving the sword from the river and Lê Lợi obtaining the gem-adorned hilt from the forest symbolize the deep connection between the land's advantages and the unity of our people and righteous forces. The details of the sword and hilt fitting perfectly convey the meaning of unity, mutual support, and inseparable bonds between our forces and people, united in the common goal of vanquishing the Ming invaders.
The path to obtaining the sword faced challenges similar to the struggles against the Ming invaders. There is a saying, 'desire for speed leads to failure.' Anything requires a well-thought-out plan and a complete strategy. What comes easily is often not enduring, as it is usually undervalued. This can be seen as a lesson that Long Quân wanted to convey along with bestowing the divine sword to assist the righteous forces in defeating the enemy, bringing peace and independence to Dai Viet.
