Zhu Yuanzhang: Ming Taizu's Longxing and Governance

This book focuses on the ups and downs of the life of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Starting from the famine year of Haozhou in the fourth year of Zhizheng in the Yuan Dynasty (1344), the sixteen-year-old Zhu Chongba lost his relatives in the plague and became a lonely boy, experiencing the hardships of survival for the lower class people. He later joined the Red Scarf Army, emerged in the internal strife in Haozhou, married Ma family members, gathered talents, and gradually formed his own power. Following Zhu Yuanzhang's life trajectory, it meticulously restores his magnificent journey of crossing the Yangtze River to capture Yingtian, fighting Chen Youliang at Poyang Lake, defeating Zhang Shicheng to unify the south of the Yangtze River, and the Northern Expedition to destroy the Yuan Dynasty and build the Ming Dynasty. It also provides an in-depth analysis of his establishment of institutions, rectification of officials, and strong government after he ascended the throne. The practice of centralized governance, as well as the complex choices and hidden worries faced by the hero group and the succession of the throne in his later years, until the historical foreshadowing of the Jingnan Campaign in the aftermath of Hongwu, present readers with a history of Hongwu that has both historical depth and storytelling.