Editing Hongwu Emperor (section)

===Conquest of Wu and proclamation of the Ming dynasty (1364–1368)===
[[File:Changmen at Night.jpg|thumb|left|Changmen Gate in [[Suzhou]]. The ten-month conquest of Suzhou, the seat of [[Zhang Shicheng]], was one of the most fierce battles fought by Zhu's troops.]]
After Chen Youliang's defeat, Zhu took on the title of King of Wu (''Wu wang'') starting from the new year (4 February) of 1364, which was the same title used by Zhang Shicheng since October 1363.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=55}}{{efn|name=Wu}} Despite this, he still acknowledged his subordinate status to emperor Han Lin'er and used the Song era of [[Longfeng (Han Lin'er)|Longfeng]] as long as Han was alive, but he ran his own administration, following the model of the Yuan dynasty.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=55}}

In 1365–67, Zhu conquered the Zhang's state of Wu. Zhang attempted to attack in late 1364, before the enemy could exploit the potential of the newly conquered territories, but their offensive was repulsed in the spring of 1365.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|p=92}} Before launching a final attack on the enemy's heartland, the Suzhou region, Zhu and his generals decided to first "cut off the wings" of Wu by occupying the territory north of the Yangtze and the Wu part of Zhejiang. Xu Da was appointed as the supreme commander of the attacking troops, and the plan was executed with ease due to the attacking army's superiority. The ten-month siege of Suzhou began in December 1366.{{sfnp|Dreyer|1988|pp=92–93}}

In January 1367, Han Lin'er drowned in the Yangtze River.{{sfnp|Mote|1988|p=51}} As a result, Zhu's state of Wu officially declared its independence. A year later, in 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor and changed the name of the state. He followed the Mongol tradition of elevating titles{{sfnp|Dreyer|1982|pp=69–70}} and named the empire "Great Ming" (''Da Ming''; {{zhi|c=大明}}; 'Great Radiance'). He also renamed the upcoming "second year of the Wu era" as the "first year of the Hongwu era" ({{zhi|c=洪武}}; 'vastly martial').{{sfnp|Langlois|1988|p=111}}