ABSTRACT
‘During the Great Pure Dynasty, several families have ruled Vietnam in succession, but every one of them accepted the status of vassal, and regularly paid tribute. To Li the one bright spot in the general gloom was that for the time being at least he could restrict the deployment of forces to those already in the South, without touching his precious Northern Army. Even so, he set off on his mission with a noticeable absence of alacrity, and pounced eagerly upon an excuse for loitering in Shanghai. The plan was, briefly, to establish and consolidate French control of the delta, and to sever political ties, and even direct communication, between Hue and Peking. As to this, Tricou’s messages, after his meetings with Li, were confident that China would not go to war, but would acquiesce in a French ‘act of virility’.
