In his early years, he and his brother Zhao Zhongzhong guarded the water village, stationed troops at Chao Lake, and later surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang.
[1] Later, he was promoted to the post of Assistant Administrator (參知政事), and together with Yu Tonghai (俞通海), Liao Yongzhong (廖永忠), and others, he attacked Kanglang Mountain and later occupied Wuchang, Luzhou, Anfeng, Huaidong, Hai'an, and Taizhou.
In 1368, he concurrently served as the Crown Prince's Vice Supervisor of the Household (太子副詹事) and later followed the armies to conquer Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi.
He had the greatest merits, but because he kept slaves in Yingchang privately, he could not be granted the title of Duke, so he was named Marquis of Nanxiong (南雄侯).
In 1387, he and the Prince of Yan Zhu Di came out of Gubeikou and persuaded Nayir Bukha (乃兒不花) to surrender.