This video explains the “Trung sisters,” who in 40 AD led a revolt that overthrew the Chinese rule of their region of Southeast Asia that is present-day Vietnam.

Following are points made in the video:

— 125 Years before the Trung sisters were born, the Han Chinese Empire conquered the Nam Viet region of southeast Asia, which is present-day southern China and much of Vietnam.

— Initially the Chinese ruled the region effectively, but they eventually attempted to dramatically raise taxes and they began a program to try to force the populace to adopt Confucianist patriarchal beliefs, which was not popular with the people, particularly among the women.

— Trung Trac and her husband gathered a meeting with the local aristocracy to plot a revolt over the rule, but spies found out about the plot and the conspirators were executed; however Trung Trac and the other women involved were not executed.

— Trung Trac and Trung Nhi were the daughters of a minor military official in charge of a rural district in North Vietnam, and they had been taught the art of war with weapons and strategy since a young age.  The sisters continued to plot the revolt and they continued to train the local peasants in the use of weapons.

— In 39 AD, the sisters surprised and defeated a Chinese garrison that was stationed in their hometown.  At first they were not taken seriously, but they eventually overtook villages, then towns, and then fortified cities.

— Their small army grew until it had over 80,000 people.  They employed over 60 female generals, including their mother.  Many of generals were likely widows of the men who were executed for attempting to organize the previous revolt.

— Their army seized and captured 65 fortified cities and Chinese military strongholds, with their campaigns being waged an effective rate, and organized opposition was constantly too little, too late.

— By the spring 40 of AD, the sisters were able to capture the provincial capital of the region, and the local lord was able to escape by saving off his hair and wearing a disguise.

— Trung Trac was crowned queen, and Trung Nhi was crowned vice-regent.  They immediately repealed the hated tax and cultural reforms, and they where unchallenged and ruled peacefully for close to two years.

— The Chinese Emperor then dispatched his most renowned and successful general Ma Yuan in 41 AD to reconquer his lost territory, where he commanded a vast army of veteran soldiers.  As his army advanced south, a well-built road was constructed behind them to secure their supply lines to China.

— During his campaign, Ma Yuan was continually successful in battle, and local lords defected and joined his cause.

— The Trung sisters knew that time was not on their side, and they had to force a decisive battle, which they did near modern Hanoi.  Accounts of the battle carry widely, but all of them agree that Ma Yuan won the battle.

— The fate of the Trung sisters is unclear.  They were either killed in battle, committed suicide, or they were captured and executed with their severed heads being sent back to China as trophies.  After their death, a long second Chinese domination of Vietnam began that lasted from 43 AD to 544 AD.

— Not long after their death, Buddhist temples and shrines dedicated to the Trung sisters sprouted up all over Vietnam, and even a few in China.

— Their story was the subject for many Vietnamese and Chinese writers and poets for more than a thousand years, and the Trung sisters often served as a source of inspiration and rallying cries during Vietnam’s many wars and revolts against foreign domination.

— Today the Trung sisters are a national symbol of Vietnam, and they are often depicted atop elephants, riding them into battle, and every year in February many Vietnamese celebrate a holiday commemorating their deaths.