Lan Yu

Lan Yu (died 1393) was a Chinese military general and official who contributed to the founding of the Ming dynasty. His ancestral home was in present-day Dingyuan County, Anhui. In 1393, Lan was accused of plotting a rebellion and put to death by the Hongwu Emperor. About 15,000 people were implicated in the case and executed as part of the Four Major Cases of the early Ming dynasty. Biography According to the History of Ming, in his early years, Lan Yu was a subordinate of Chang Yuchun, another general under the rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang (later the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming). Lan Yu was also the younger brother of Chang Yuchun's wife. As Lan Yu displayed courage in battle, Chang Yuchun spoke well of him numerous times in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, and Lan was later promoted from guanjun zhenfu to an administrative officer in the commander-in-chief's office. In 1371, Lan Yu followed Fu Youde to attack Shu (covering present-day Sichuan) and conquered Mianzhou around present-day Mianyang. In 1372, he accompanied Xu Da on a campaign against the Northern Yuan Dynasty in Mongolia, departing from Yanmen Pass and defeating the Yuan armies at Mount Luan and near the Tula River. Seven years later he followed Mu Ying to attack Tibet, capturing three tribal leaders and around a thousand men. For his efforts, in 1379, Lan Yu was conferred the title of "Marquis of Yongchang", in addition to receiving 2500 dan of grain and a shiquan, a type of plaque granted by the emperor to officials in recognition of their contributions. Hui Chinese generally claim that Lan Yu was a Hui as well. In 1381, Lan Yu was appointed "Left Deputy General Who Conquers the South" and accompanied Fu Youde to attack Yunnan and pacify the region. He was rewarded with 500 dan of grain and his daughter was granted the title of "Princess Consort of Shu". In 1387, Nahachu of the Northern Yuan invaded Liaodong and the Hongwu Emperor sent Feng Sheng, with Lan Yu and Fu Youde as his right and left deputies respectively, along with a 200,000-man army to attack him. Nahachu was defeated and surrendered. Lan Yu garrisoned the army at Jizhou.