Zhu joined the Red Turbans, a rebellious peasant group fighting against the Yuan’s forced labor policies and poor governing. According to World History, Zhu ingratiated himself to the cause and eventually married one of the leader’s daughters, and led the movement by 1355, commanding a force of around 30,000 men. By welcoming Confucionists, Zhu was able to add the educated to his cause, and within a year had captured the capital of Nanking. Over the years, he defeated rival armies and drove the Mongols back to Mongolia, eventually declaring himself Hongwu Emperor in 1368.

The newly-declared Hongwu would oversee great economic and cultural development during his reign as the first Ming Dynasty emperor. He set about centralizing Chinese government — preventing rebellions similar to the one that brought him to power — and anyone who dared dissent found themselves dead. A meticulous code of law was drafted that frowned upon foreign trade and commerce but benefited agriculture. Hongwu promoted local schools to educate the masses, and arts flourished. He was not well-liked by members of his court, however, as the paranoid emperor frequently dished out punishments and oversaw the execution of thousands of perceived dissenters. The ruthless emperor’s legacy would be secured by his Ming Dynasty, which would carry on his dreams of centralization and unify Han China, cementing his rebellion as one of the most successful in history.