In ancient Chinese history, there were many highly legendary emperors. When discussing these emperors, many people mention Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang's life, he went from being a peasant who couldn't even afford food to ultimately overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty, unifying the country as a sovereign, and creating the prosperous era known as the "Hongwu Reign." Peasant, monk, soldier, general, and finally emperor—these were the identities Zhu Yuanzhang held at various stages of his life. If even he cannot be called legendary, then who would dare to add the adjective "legendary" before their own name?
In 1328, Zhu Yuanzhang was born in Fengyang, Anhui. Originally named Zhu Chongba, he changed his name to "Zhu Yuanzhang" after joining the rebel army.
Zhu Yuanzhang was born into an extremely impoverished peasant family, occupying the lowest rung of society at the time. Although Han Gaozu, Liu Bang, also came from humble origins, he at least served as a minor official before rising to prominence, which was far more advantageous than Zhu Yuanzhang's utter destitution. Zhu Yuanzhang's family had been farmers for generations, and due to their dire circumstances, he often went hungry as a child, let alone had the chance to receive an education. All the knowledge he acquired came later in life through his own hard work and determination.
Driven by the harsh realities of life, Zhu Yuanzhang began working as a cowherd for a wealthy landlord at a very young age just to get a meal. However, Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally intelligent and, from childhood, harbored great ambitions that set him apart from others. Many children at the time were also cowherds like him, but because Zhu Yuanzhang was clever and resourceful, he always remained their leader. He often made his playmates kneel before him in homage, shouting "Long live the emperor!" No one could have imagined that such a absurd childhood game would become reality many years later—the little "emperor" Zhu Yuanzhang, who was just pretending back then, would decades later truly become the ruler of a nation. Among Zhu Yuanzhang's childhood friends was a boy named Tang He, who would later recommend Zhu Yuanzhang to join the rebel army.
In 1344, a severe drought struck northern Anhui. Following the drought, a plague of locusts descended, and then a widespread epidemic swept through the populace, with large numbers of people dying daily from the disease. Tragically, Zhu Yuanzhang's parents and eldest brother also contracted the illness and passed away one after another. Zhu Yuanzhang and his second brother wanted to bury their loved ones, but they could not scrape together enough money to buy coffins. Moreover, they did not even have land to bury them. The two brothers had no choice but to seek help from a landlord, who not only refused to assist them but also harshly scolded them. Returning home, they wept bitterly in grief before the bodies of their parents and brother. Eventually, a neighbor surnamed Liu, taking pity on the two brothers' dire situation, allowed them to bury their relatives on a patch of wasteland. Before the burial, the brothers searched their entire home and managed to find only a few tattered clothes to wrap the bodies, barely serving as makeshift coffins.
In Fengyang, Anhui at that time, disaster victims were displaced and had eaten all the tree bark and grass roots in the area, with countless people dying from illness and starvation each day. Zhu Yuanzhang and his second brother were left with no options, eventually having to go their separate ways to seek a chance to survive. At seventeen, Zhu Yuanzhang chose to become a monk at the Huangjue Temple, thinking that as a monk he could at least have some simple meals, but he never expected that during the famine years, even the monks would run out of food.
One day, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly received word that the abbot had ordered all the monks in the temple to gather, as he had an important matter to announce to everyone. It turned out that the temple's food supplies had run out, and for everyone to survive, they would have to go out and beg for alms. Zhu Yuanzhang and the other monks in the temple were thus dismissed, and at this time, Zhu Yuanzhang had been a monk for less than two months.
From then on, Zhu Yuanzhang carried his bowl and went door to door begging for alms, beginning a difficult life as a wandering monk. At that time, it was the late Yuan Dynasty, and the common people were impoverished and destitute. Having just endured a series of natural disasters, they could barely feed their own families, let alone spare any food for the young monk Zhu Yuanzhang. To avoid starving to death, Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to desperately head toward areas with better harvests. Over the next three years, his travels took him across Anhui and its surrounding regions. This experience had a profound impact on Zhu Yuanzhang's later development—his horizons broadened, his skills in dealing with people and worldly matters grew richer, and most importantly, he was exposed to anti-Yuan ideas. This made him begin to realize that, in the face of the brutal rule of the Yuan Dynasty, there was another option besides gritting his teeth and enduring: to rise up in resistance.
Three years later, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the Huangjue Temple, resuming his peaceful life of ringing bells and chanting Buddhist sutras each day. During this time, the Red Turban Rebellion erupted within Anhui Province and quickly spread across the entire country. Before long, Guo Zixing led his followers to join the uprising. The following year, Guo Zixing commanded the rebel forces to capture Haozhou in Anhui.
Guo Zixing was originally a wealthy landowner in Dingyuan, Anhui. During the late Yuan Dynasty, as peasants struggled to survive, even the lives of the wealthy were not easy. Guo Zixing was frequently extorted by local officials. Seeking an opportunity to take revenge on these corrupt officials, he befriended many heroes and outlaws and joined the White Lotus Society, an organization resisting Yuan rule. Because he was generous and charitable, the local people greatly admired him. As soon as he proposed joining the Red Turban Rebellion, a large number of people responded, and many outsiders came from afar to seek his patronage, among them Tang He, a childhood friend of Zhu Yuanzhang.
After Tang He established himself in the rebel army, he thought of his close friend Zhu Yuanzhang. Knowing that Zhu Yuanzhang was a rare talent who would surely achieve great things if he joined the uprising, Tang He wrote a letter to Zhu Yuanzhang, who was then meditating and chanting sutras at the Huangjue Temple, sharing his thoughts with him.
After receiving this letter, Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with both worry and fear, unsure of what to do. Someone suggested he consult a divination to see whether he should leave or stay, and the final result indicated he should leave. Believing that he could not defy the will of heaven, Zhu Yuanzhang packed his bags and went to join Tang He.
Thus, at the age of twenty-five, Zhu Yuanzhang joined the rebel army led by Guo Zixing. Zhu performed well in the military and was soon personally promoted by Guo Zixing. Every time Zhu led troops into battle, he always charged at the forefront and ultimately returned victorious. He achieved countless military exploits but never took credit for himself; no matter what accomplishments he made, he attributed them to the joint efforts of all the soldiers. After winning battles, he would also hand over all the spoils of war to Guo Zixing.
Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang gained Guo Zixing's appreciation and was appointed as deputy commander in the rebel army, earning widespread support from the troops. By this point, Zhu Yuanzhang had completed his transformation from a monk to a military commander, and in the days that followed, he began his struggle to claim the throne of a unified nation.