Xu Da - Biography

Biography

Xu joined the Red Turban rebels in 1353 to overthrow the Mongolian-ruled Yuan Dynasty in China. He was placed under the command of Zhu Yuanzhang (future Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty) and he helped Zhu conquer several regional warlords. In 1369, two years after the founding the Ming Dynasty, Xu, along with various deputies, led an attack on the Yuan capital city of Beijing and forced the last Yuan ruler, Emperor Huizong, to flee northward.

Xu led a pursuit on the retreating Yuan forces and he encountered Yi Seonggye (founder of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea), who was commanded to take out the Chinese army. Xu's presence struck fear into the Korean generals, who in turn, allied themselves with the Chinese instead. Afterwards, Xu's army entered Mongolian territory and routed Mongol reinforcements throughout the empire. Eventually, Xu's force sacked the Mongolian capital at Karakorum, and captured thousands of Mongol nobles in 1370. His army ventured to Transbaikalia and reached the furthest north that any other Chinese army had never reached before.

Xu died in 1385 under mysterious circumstances. He was not accused of plotting an assassination on the Hongwu Emperor, although many others who contributed to the Ming Dynasty's founding had been put to death by the emperor for allegedly plotting rebellions. In legend, an illness made Xu allergic to goose and the Hongwu Emperor sent him goose to eat, ensuring that Xu ate it and died.