Editing Hongwu Emperor (section)

===Establishment in Nanjing (1355–1360)===
[[File:Ming Dynasty eruptor proto-cannon.jpg|thumb|left|A [[cannon]] from the ''[[Huolongjing]]'', compiled by [[Jiao Yu]] and [[Liu Bowen|Liu Ji]] before 1375]]
In the beginning of 1355, Zhu, Guo, and [[Zhang Shicheng]], who was located further east, made the decision to leave the war-torn territories and cross the [[Yangtze]] River to the prosperous southern regions that had not yet been affected by the war.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|pp=68–69}} However, a dispute arose between Guo and Zhu over the city of Hezhou, situated on the banks of the Yangtze River. Zhu even formed an alliance with Sun Deya, Guo's old enemy. Before the conflict could escalate, Guo died.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=69}} Following this, the rebel Song emperor [[Han Lin'er]] appointed Guo's eldest son, Guo Tianxu,{{sfnp|Wu|1980|p=61}} as his successor. Guo's brother-in-law, Zhang Tianyu, was chosen as the first deputy of the new commander, with Zhu as the second deputy.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=44}} In order to cross the Yangtze River, the Hezhou rebels required a fleet, which they acquired in July 1355 when a group of rebels from Chao Lake arrived. They successfully crossed the river that same month.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=69}} Zhu immediately defeated the local Yuan commander, Chen Esen, who then surrendered to him. In September 1355, during an attempt to conquer Jiqing (present-day Nanjing), Chen Esen betrayed Guo Tianxu. In the ensuing battles, Guo Tianxu, Zhang Tianyu and Chen Esen himself were killed.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=70}}

In March 1356, Zhu once again marched on Jiqing. The new Mongol commander, Chen Zhaoxian ({{zhi|t=陳兆先}}), who was the nephew and successor of Chen Esen, surrendered with 36,000 men. In April 1356, Zhu successfully entered the city.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=70}} After conquering it, he renamed the city Yingtian, which means "In response to Heaven".{{sfnp|Mote|2003|p=552}} In May 1356, Han Lin'er appointed Zhu as the head of Jiangnan Province, one of the five provinces of the Song state.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=52}} Guo's remaining son was chosen as his deputy. Zhu soon accused Guo's son of plotting against him and had him executed. This allowed Zhu to establish clear leadership and he immediately began to build his administration, but he could not fully trust the loyalty of his generals. Until the [[Battle of Lake Poyang|victory at Lake Poyang]] in 1363, there were instances of betrayal and defection to the enemy.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=70}}{{sfnp|Farmer|1995|p=23}}

He was now in command of an army of 100,000 soldiers, which was divided into divisions or wings ({{zhi|c=翼}}; ''yi''). In Nanjing itself, there were eight divisions and one per prefecture.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=71}} From 1355 to 1357, he launched attacks against Zhang Shicheng in the direction of [[Suzhou]] and successfully occupied southern [[Jiangxi]];{{efn|He conquered Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Changxing, Jiangyin, Changshu, and Yangzhou.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=71}}}} after this, the border with Zhang's state was fortified on both sides and remained stable until 1366.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=71}} In [[Zhejiang]], from 1358 to 1359, he controlled four impoverished inland prefectures,{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=71}} while Zhang Shicheng held control over four prosperous northern coastal prefectures, and [[Fang Guozhen]] occupied the eastern coast of the province.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=72}}

In the summer of 1359, the Mongol warlord [[Chaghan Temur]] expelled Han Lin'er from [[Kaifeng]]. Han was left with only a few hundred soldiers, but as Chaghan Temur focused on conquering [[Shandong]], Han's group was able to survive in Anfeng, a prefectural city in the west of Anhui.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=68}} After the retreat from Kaifeng, the Song government's power weakened rapidly. Apart from Zhu Yuanzhang's effectively independent Jiangnan, no Song province survived 1362.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=53}} In 1361, Han Lin'er appointed Zhu as the Duke of Wu (''Wu Guogong''){{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=52}}{{efn|name=Wu}} and recognized his rule in all the territories he conquered,{{sfnp|Mote|1988|pp=52–53}} but Zhu feared the advance of the Yuan troops in the southern direction, all the way to Nanjing. As a result, he proposed cooperation with Chaghan Temur. After Chaghan Temur's army was unable to make progress in Shandong and he was murdered in the summer of 1362, the threat from the Yuan side disappeared. As a result, Zhu rejected the Yuan government's offer of the post of governor of Jiangxi province.{{sfnp|Wu|1980|p=79}}

The ideology of the Red Turbans did not resonate with Zhu. Instead of trying to establish a new intellectual elite based on the Manichean-Buddhist beliefs of the [[White Lotus Societies|White Lotus]], he chose to collaborate with Confucian intellectuals.{{sfnp|Farmer|1995|pp=5–6}} This shift in approach transformed him from a leader of a popular sectarian uprising to the leader of a political movement seeking traditional legitimacy. Nevertheless, he still relied on the support of his officers who shared his devotion to the teachings of the White Lotus.{{sfnp|Wu|1980|p=72}}

In 1354, he began working with [[Li Shanchang]], a landowner from Dingyuan County, the first county conquered by Zhu. Li Shanchang was responsible for running the civil administration, and as Zhu conquered more cities, he recruited more scholars to join his cause.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=48}} After repeated requests from Zhu in 1360, a group of prominent scholars, led by [[Song Lian]] and [[Liu Bowen|Liu Ji]], joined his service.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=54}} These scholars, known as the Jinhua school,{{efn|According to the [[Jinhua]] Prefecture in Zhejiang, where they were concentrated.{{sfnp|Dardess|1983|p=582}}}} had a clear vision of a unified state governed by a small but efficient bureaucracy. They aimed to eliminate corruption, which was prevalent during the end of the Yuan dynasty.{{sfnp|Dardess|1983|p=582}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Theobald |first=Ulrich |title=Chinese History - Yuan Dynasty 元朝 (1206/79-1368) event history. The End of Mongol Rule |url=http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Yuan/yuan-event.html |access-date=16 January 2011 |website=Chinaknowledge - a universal guide for China studies}}</ref> They believed that the state and its laws could be used to improve public morals and customs. While their motives may have differed from the emperor's, they shared a desire to bring about change through a strong state and an active monarch.{{sfnp|Farmer|1995|p=7}}

As an independent ruler, Zhu advocated for moderation in tax collection. However, other rebel leaders and his own generals prioritized military needs and often confiscated grain from peasants to feed their soldiers or prevent it from falling into the hands of their enemies.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1982|p=123}} In contrast, Zhu placed great importance on maintaining orderly government and promoting a peaceful life for the inhabitants of his territory. He achieved this by working closely with local elites and understanding the needs of the villagers, having grown up as the son of a poor peasant himself.{{sfnp|Fairbank|Goldman|2006|pp=128–129}} Zhu's principles also proved beneficial for the economy of the controlled territory. In 1361, he began minting coins, established a monopoly on the sale of salt and tea, and started collecting traditional customs duties in 1362. These measures resulted in an increase in tax revenues, which were crucial for funding successful military campaigns.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=54}}