Lan Yu | |||||||||||
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| 藍玉 | |||||||||||
 Statue of Yu atAilian | |||||||||||
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| Born | Dingyuan County, Anhui | ||||||||||
| Died | (1393-03-22)22 March 1393 | ||||||||||
| Cause of death | Execution | ||||||||||
| Occupation | General | ||||||||||
| Title | Marquis of Yongchang[a] (1379) Duke of Liang[b] (1389) | ||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||
| Battles/wars | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 藍玉 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 蓝玉 | ||||||||||
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Lan Yu (died 22 March 1393)[1] was a Chinese military leader and one of the most influential generals of theHongwu Emperor, the founder and first emperor of theMing dynasty. His exceptional military skills and the support of his relative, generalChang Yuchun, earned him a high-ranking position in theMing army. Throughout the 1380s, he rose to prominence as one of the empire's top military leaders. In 1393, he was accused of conspiracy and attempted coup, leading to his downfall and execution. His family and a large number of his relatives and subordinates were also executed, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people during the purge.
Lan Yu was fromDingyuan inAnhui Province. In the 1360s, his elder sister marriedChang Yuchun, the second most important general ofZhu Yuanzhang, who was establishing his own state during theRed Turban Rebellion against the Mongol-ledYuan dynasty. Lan served as an officer in Chang's army and quickly rose through the ranks during this period.[1]
By 1371, he had become a general inFu Youde's army, which was tasked with conqueringSichuan under the orders of Zhu Yuanzhang, who had established theMing dynasty in 1368 and reigned as the Hongwu Emperor.[1] The following year, Lan was transferred to the army of generalXu Da, which marched north fromShanxi to confront Mongol warlordKöke Temür. In April 1372, Lan led a separate force and defeated Köke Temür at theTula River.[2] He then continued to serve in the north, leading an expedition against the Mongols gathered north ofKalgan in 1374.[1] In 1375, Lan played a crucial role in the defense ofYan'an against the Mongols.[3]
In November 1378, the Emperor appointed him asMu Ying's deputy in the campaign against the Tibetans inGansu. In October 1379, the enemy suffered a defeat, and the generals returned to the capital. In December 1379, the Emperor awarded twelve of them noble titles, but most of them were later executed as members of the Lan conspiracy. He himself became the Marquis of Yongchang (永昌侯),[c] with an annual income of 2,000dan (about 119 tons) of grain.[3]
In September 1381, Lan served as General Fu's deputy during theconquest of Yunnan. In January 1382, after Ming troops defeated theYuan army in the first phase of the campaign, Lan led a separate detachment toDali and conquered it, gaining control of northwestern Yunnan. As a reward for his contributions, the Emperor increased Lan's income to 2,500dan and allowed his daughter to marry the Emperor's eleventh son, Zhu Chun, who was the Prince ofShu.[3]
In September 1385,Feng Sheng, along with two deputies Lan and Fu assumed control of the army inBeijing. After thorough preparations, they were tasked withsuppressing the Mongol forces in southern Manchuria in January 1387. Lan led the vanguard and defeated some of the Mongols. In July that year, the mainMing army emerged victorious against the enemy forces and captured their commanderNaghachu. In September 1387, Feng was dismissed due to his unsatisfactory performance during the campaign. Lan then took over as the commander of the army and established his headquarters east of Beijing. In November 1387, Lan was given the order to attack the main Mongol forces led by KhanTögüs Temür. By mid-May 1388, a massive army of 150,000 Ming troops had marched across theGobi Desert into northeastern Mongolia. The Mongols weretaken by surprise at Buir Lake, located 500 miles (800 km) north of Beijing. Although Tögüs Temür fled the battle, Lan's troops were able to capture tens of thousands of prisoners and defeat the Mongol general Qarajang on their way back. Upon returning toNanjing in September 1388, Lan and his subordinates were generously rewarded for their victory. On 19 January 1389, Lan was appointed Duke of Liang (凉國公) with an annual income of 3,000dan.[d] This was a significant achievement, as he was only the third duke to be appointed since 1370.[e] Lan was part of a new generation of generals who rose to prominence after the civil wars of the 1360s.[3] The Emperor also praised Lan as "comparable toWei Qing of theHan dynasty andLi Jing of theTang dynasty".[4]
In March 1389, he was sent toSichuan,[3] and the following year, he suppressed revolts in southwesternHuguang. Upon his return to the capital in September 1390, his income was increased to 3,500dan. In April 1391, he was sent toShaanxi with two other dukes and several marquises to command the frontier army.[5]
In February 1392, the Emperor dismissed several influential generals from their commands, including Lan,Li Jinglong, Chang Sheng, and others. The Emperor had developed a distrust of the military elite as a whole, but Lan still retained his favor, despite his occasional tactless behavior. In March, he was appointed commander inLanzhou, where he fought against the Mongols. In Sichuan, the commander of theJianchang guard, Yelü Temür (月魯帖木兒), gained the support of local non-Chinese tribes and rebelled. Despite the efforts of loyal troops, they were unable to stop him. As a result, Lan was sent with his army to confront the rebellion. Before his arrival, the rebels were defeated in July 1392, and their commander was captured by the end of the year. In order to prevent future rebellions, Lan proposed relocating a larger number of soldier-peasants to Sichuan. This recommendation came at a time when the government was unsuccessful in addressing the abuse of soldiers and soldier-peasants by their commanders. The Emperor, angered by this issue, used it as a pretext to recall Lan to Nanjing in December 1392.[5]
In August 1392, a purge of military commanders was initiated. Zhou Dexing, Marquis of Jiangxia,[f] was accused of colluding withHu Weiyong, a chancellor who had been executed in 1380, and was subsequently executed. In September, Ye Sheng, Marquis of Jingning and a relative of Lan, was also put to death. Additionally, several dukes and marquises were relieved of their commands and sent back to their respective fiefs.[5]
In late 1392, Lan was sent to the northwest to suppress the Mongol rebellion of Orlug Temür. He defeated the rebels in December that year. Upon his return to Nanjing, he demanded levies from local peasants for further campaigns in the west. This request was refused by the Emperor, who then relieved Lan of his command.[6] Lan was deeply affected by this dismissal and in January 1393, he was given an honorary title ofgrand tutor (taifu) as partial compensation. However, he loudly complained his colleagues Feng and Fu held a title one level higher (grand preceptor,taishi), which only increased the Emperor's aversion towards him.[5]
Zhu Di, the fourth son of the Emperor, was known for his military prowess and played a significant role in fueling the Emperor's distrust towards his arrogant generals. One of his main targets was Lan, whom he saw as a threat due to his close relationship with the heir to the throne.[g] In order to solidify his own power, Zhu Di deliberately directed the Emperor's suspicions towards the generals. According to historianWang Shizhen (1526–1590), Zhu Di was the main instigator behind Lan's arrest and execution. He was also linked to the suspicious deaths of Feng and Fu in late 1394 and early 1395.[7]
In the early months of 1393, theEmbroidered Uniform Guard arrested several of Lan's former subordinates and coerced them into confessing against him.[5] In February 1393, four of the Emperor's sons were hastily sent to the northern frontiers, with three of them not even having built their own residences yet.[6] In March 1393, Lan, along with a large number of his subordinates and allies, was arrested and accused of conspiracy and rebellion. They were subsequently executed on 22 March.[5]
In the subsequent purges, approximately 20,000 people were executed, including one duke and fourteen marquises.[8] During the purges of the early 1390s, the Emperor eliminated the military nobility, leaving a power vacuum eventually filled by individuals closely associated with the Emperor, particularly his sons.[9] It is possible the removal of influential and meritorious individuals was a strategic move to ensure a smooth transfer of power to the heir to the throne.[8]
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