Tang He

He came from the same village as Zhu Yuanzhang and joined Guo Zixing's Red Turban Rebellion, a millenarian sect related to the White Lotus Society, at the time of its original uprising, in March 1352.

[2][3] In 1367, he was sent south to defeat Fang Guozhen's and Chen Youding's forces, and then campaigned in Shanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia under the command of Xu Da.

[3] In 1352, because of the natural disaster and the Yuan dynasty's incompetent governing, a rebellious group named the Red Turbans rose.

[1] Tang joined the rebellion with several other ambitious young men, and invited Zhu Yuanzhang, who became a novice monk at the Huangjue Temple, to the Red Turbans.

Early in 1354, Tang was selected by Zhu Yuangzhang, then Guo's protege, to be one of twenty-four men to serve as the core of his personal command.

[3] In year 1356, serving under Xu Da, Tang took part in the conquering of Jiqing (present-day Nanjing), which became the base of Zhu's operation and the capital of the Ming dynasty.

Following these successes, Tang was promoted to Yuan Shuai(wing commander), and he was placed in Changzhou with the rank of deputy assistant chief of Shumiyuan (Commission of Military Affairs).

Tang quickly destroyed Zhang's navy in Lake Tai and Wujiang, and rejoined the main army that besieged Suzhou.

Tang was granted a great reward by Zhu after the battle, and was given the nominal title of instructor to the heir apparent in February of the following year.

[4] After the collapse of their last great enemy, Zhang, Tang was put in charge of the southern expedition with Wu Zhen as his deputy, and ordered to lead the former garrisons of Jiangzhou, Jiangxing, and Jiangyin to suppress Fang Guozhen.

[3] Tang conquered Yuyao, Shangyu, and Qinyuan successfully at the end of November, but Fang escaped over the sea, with the loss of only few units.

Tang occupied the port after a short siege, and this led the coastal cities, including Xinhua, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, to surrender soon afterward.

In March 1366, Tang returned to Ningbo to transport grain by sea to the north with Fang Guozhen's former staff, and put Liao in command of the fleet.

His army stayed at the upper bend of Yellow River until the end of the year, when Tang and several other generals were recalled to Nanjing to a ceremony and to receive noble titles from the emperor.

Since the beginning of 1376, Tang, with Fu Youde and several other generals, stayed in Shanxi and resisted invasion from the Mongols for almost two years, until Boyan Temür left the region.

At the beginning of 1381, Tang, as a deputy of Xu Da, achieved great success in the campaign against Mongols, and he remained in the newly occupied region for the following years.

[1][3] In year 1385, the emperor sent his sixth son, the king of Chu, Zhu Zhen, to suppress the rebellion in Guizhou known as the Wumian peasant revolt.

Though impressed by his plea, Zhu Yuan Zhang thought Tang was still vigorous and assigned him a lighter mission to supervise the coast defenses in Zhejiang.

[1][3] The trust he gained from the emperor was based on the good friendship at childhood, and constantly support he gave at the time Zhu was challenged.

[3] His lineage received a hereditary title of marquis of Lingbi, and an annual salary of 1000 Shi that was inherited to the end of Ming dynasty.