Biography
Family Background and Early Life
Zhu Liangzu was from Liu'an in Luzhou Prefecture (present-day Liu'an, Anhui); his year of birth is unknown. During the disorders at the end of the Yuan, when rival forces rose throughout the empire, Zhu gathered local militia to defend his community. Because of his military record, the Yuan court appointed him a militia marshal. According to the *Tomb Inscription of Zhu Liangzu, Marquis of Yongjia*, he was later pressed by rival powers and led his militia east across Ruxu, passed Liangshan, crossed the Yangtze at Wuhu, and moved south into Jiangdong. He stationed himself at Ningguo Prefecture, whose seat was in present-day Xuancheng, Anhui, and became involved in conflicts with officials of Taiping Prefecture.
Two Captures and Submission
In 1356, the sixteenth year of the Zhizheng era, Zhu Yuanzhang captured Ningguo and took Zhu Liangzu prisoner. Admiring Zhu's bravery, Zhu Yuanzhang awarded him gold and allowed him to retain his former office. After only a few months in Zhu Yuanzhang's service, however, Zhu Liangzu defected back to the Yuan, repeatedly defeated Zhu Yuanzhang's troops, and reoccupied Ningguo. Zhu Yuanzhang was then engaged in the campaign for Jinling and had no forces to spare against him.
In 1357, the seventeenth year of Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Xu Da to besiege Ningguo. Zhu Liangzu fought desperately to break out and was so formidable that he wounded Chang Yuchun and the other commanders hesitated to advance. Zhu Yuanzhang personally came to supervise the battle before Zhu Liangzu was finally captured. Bound and brought before Zhu Yuanzhang, he said: “If you mean to kill me, then kill me. If you spare me, I will expend my life in your service.” Impressed by his words, Zhu Yuanzhang released him and retained him in the army. Zhu Liangzu subsequently accumulated merit and rose to an office in the Bureau of Military Affairs.
Pacifying the Rival Powers of Jiangnan
In 1363, the twenty-third year of Zhizheng, Zhu Liangzu followed Zhu Yuanzhang in the campaign against Chen Youliang, capturing Nanchang and Jiujiang and taking part in the Battle of Lake Poyang. The following year he joined the capture of Wuchang, which destroyed the Chen Han regime, and was promoted to Commander of the Guangxin Guard.
In 1365, the twenty-fifth year of Zhizheng, Li Wenzhong decisively defeated the Eastern Wu general Li Bosheng at Xincheng. Zhu Liangzu pursued the retreat, burned dozens of Wu camps, captured more than six hundred officers and commanders, and seized large quantities of baggage; Li Bosheng escaped with only a few riders. Soon afterward Zhu coordinated with Hu Shen, defender of Chuzhou, in operations against the Fujian warlord Chen Youding. Setting out from Qianshan, he advanced through Pucheng, Chong'an, and Jianyang and was credited with the greatest merit in the campaign.
In 1366, the twenty-sixth year of Zhizheng, Zhu Liangzu took part in the capture of Tonglu and Yuhang, was promoted to a provincial administrative office in Zhejiang, and assisted Li Wenzhong in defending Hangzhou.
In 1367, the twenty-seventh year of Zhizheng, Zhu Liangzu led tens of thousands of cavalry, infantry, and naval forces against Fang Guozhen. He captured Tiantai and Taizhou, routed Fang Guozhen's younger brother Fang Guoying, pursued him to Huangyan, accepted the surrender of the defending commander Ha'erlu, and captured Xianju and other counties. He then took Wenzhou, Rui'an, and Panyu, defeated Fang Guozhen's commander Fang Mingshan twice, and pursued him as far as Chumen. Eventually both Fang Guoying and Fang Mingshan surrendered to Zhu Liangzu.
Pacifying Guangdong and Guangxi and Enfeoffment as Marquis
In 1368, the first year of the Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty and became Emperor Taizu of Ming. Zhu Liangzu was appointed Deputy General Who Conquers the South and followed Liao Yongzhong by sea into Guangdong, where he accepted the surrender of the regional military leader He Zhen. Zhu then advanced into Guangxi, took Wuzhou, killed the Yuan official Puxian Temür, and pacified Yulin, Xunzhou, Guizhou, and other places. He later joined the senior commander Yang Jing in taking Jingjiang, present-day Guilin, and together with Liao Yongzhong captured Nanning and Xiangzhou, completing the pacification of Guangxi.
In 1370, the third year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu conferred titles on the founding meritorious officials. Zhu Liangzu received a series of honorific military and civil ranks, including Pillar of State, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yongjia with an annual stipend of 1,500 shi and an iron tally. The title was made hereditary. Among thirty-four meritorious officials designated by Emperor Taizu, Zhu ranked twenty-seventh.
Regional Service and Punishment
In 1371, the fourth year of Hongwu, Tang He and Fu Youde campaigned against Shu by water and land against the Ming Xia regime but advanced slowly. Emperor Taizu therefore appointed Zhu Liangzu Right Deputy General Who Conquers the Caitiffs and sent him as reinforcement. By the time Zhu reached Shu, Ming forces had already captured Chengdu and destroyed Ming Xia, so he was assigned to subdue prefectures and counties that had not yet submitted. After the army returned, he received no reward because he had killed military officers without authorization.
In 1375, the eighth year of Hongwu, Zhu guarded Beiping with Fu Youde and later supervised military agriculture with Li Shanchang while inspecting the coastal routes. In 1377, Emperor Taizu sent eighteen dukes and marquises to divide the sacrifices to the sacred mountains, regional peaks, seas, and major waterways; Zhu Liangzu was assigned to sacrifice to the South Sea.
In 1379, the twelfth year of Hongwu, Zhu Liangzu was posted to Guangdong and mobilized 30,000 soldiers and civilians to enlarge the northern wall of Guangzhou. A military man of great courage and fighting ability but little learning, he committed many unlawful acts in office and became deeply hostile to Dao Tong, the strict magistrate of Panyu.
Dao Tong was upright by temperament and refused to yield to Zhu Liangzu's pressure or inducements. At the time, powerful local magnates in Panyu dominated the markets and would falsely accuse and imprison townspeople who resisted them. Dao arrested the ringleader of these magnates, placed him in a cangue, and paraded him through the streets. The magnates rushed to bribe Zhu Liangzu and asked him to intervene. Zhu therefore invited Dao Tong to a banquet and raised the case. Dao refused and rebuked him: “You are a great minister; how can you allow petty men to make use of you?” When Dao would not comply, Zhu sent men the next day to smash the cangue, release the arrested magnate, and then found a pretext to have Dao flogged.
Dao later punished a wealthy member of the Luo family who abused influence. Because the Luo family was related to Zhu Liangzu's favored concubine, Zhu intervened and took the man away. Unable to tolerate Zhu's conduct any longer, Dao submitted a memorial to Emperor Taizu reporting Zhu's illegal acts. Zhu Liangzu, however, sent a memorial first, falsely accusing Dao of arrogance and disrespect toward his superiors. Not knowing the details, Emperor Taizu sent an envoy with an order for Dao's execution. He later received Dao's memorial, realized what had happened, and hurriedly sent another envoy with a pardon. The two envoys reached Panyu on the same day, but Dao had already been killed by the time the pardoning envoy arrived.
In the ninth lunar month of 1380, the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Liangzu was recalled to Nanjing and flogged to death together with his son Zhu Xian. Remembering Zhu's previous service, Emperor Taizu still ordered that he be buried with the rites of a marquis and personally composed his tomb inscription. In 1390, the twenty-third year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu issued the *Record Proclaiming the Treasonous Faction*. Zhu Liangzu was posthumously classified as a member of Hu Weiyong's treasonous faction, his title Marquis of Yongjia was abolished, and his second son Zhu Yu was executed by implication.