Tang He

Tang He, courtesy name Dingchen, was a significant character in the rebellion that ended the Yuan dynasty and was one of the founding generals of Ming dynasty. 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. Tang was promoted quickly in rank as Guo's army grew. After conquering Jiqing City and Zhenjiang City, which was under the command of Zhu Yuanzhang, he was promoted to Yuan Shuai, and after conquering Changzhou in April 1357, Tang was placed in command there with the rank of deputy assistant chief of the commission of military affairs. 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. He was granted the title Duke Xingguo. Tang He died in August 1395, one of the few founding generals of the Ming dynasty who had a natural death.