Xu Da


Xu Da, courtesy name Tiande, known by his title as Duke of Wei, later posthumously as Prince of Zhongshan, was a Chinese military general and official who lived in the late Yuan dynasty and early Ming dynasty. He was a friend of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder and first ruler of the Ming dynasty, and assisted him in overthrowing the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty and establishing the Ming dynasty. He was also the father of Empress Xu, father-in-law of the Yongle Emperor, and maternal grandfather of the Hongxi Emperor. All but two subsequent Ming and Southern Ming emperors were descended from him.
Xu Da was cautious and skilled in governing the army, making outstanding contributions to the establishment of the Ming dynasty and the recovery of Chinese territory. Zhu Yuanzhang praised him as "the Great Wall" of Ming. After his death, Xu Da was posthumously honored as "Prince of Zhongshan", ranking first in the Imperial Ancestral Temples and Portrait Temples of Meritorious Officials.

Biography

Xu Da was described as a stalwart man with a slim face and high cheekbones, he joined the Red Turban rebels in 1353 to overthrow the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in China. Xu served as a general under Zhu Yuanzhang, a prominent rebel leader, and assisted him in defeating other rival warlords and opposing forces. In 1368, the year when the Ming dynasty was founded, Xu Da and other Ming generals led an attack on Khanbaliq, the Yuan capital, and forced the last Yuan ruler, Toghon Temür, to flee northward.
Xu Da led a pursuit on the retreating Yuan forces. Afterwards, Xu Da's army entered Mongol territory, routed Mongol reinforcements, sacked the Mongol capital at Karakorum, and captured thousands of Mongol nobles in 1370. His army ventured to Transbaikalia and reached further north than any other Chinese army had ever before.
Xu Da contracted carbuncle in 1384 and died in 1385 of illness. He was not accused of plotting an assassination on the Hongwu Emperor – although many other generals who contributed heavily to the founding of the Ming dynasty were put to death by the emperor for allegedly plotting rebellions. There are some legends that state that Xu Da was allergic to goose, so the Hongwu Emperor sent him a goose dish and ordered the emissary to ensure that Xu ate it and died. However, this legend came to be after his death and is not corroborated by contemporary sources, which say his relationship with the Hongwu emperor was strong until his death. His family was still very prominent in the Ming dynasty and married heavily into the royal family.

Family

  • Lady, of the Zhang clan
  • Princess Consort of Zhongshan, of the Xie clan, daughter of Xie Zaixing
  • * Xu Yihua, Empress Renxiaowen, 1st daughter
  • **Married Zhu Di, 5th son of Hongwu Emperor, in 1736 and had issue
  • * Xu Huizu, Duke Zhongzhen of Wei, 1st son
  • * Xu Tianfu, 2nd son
  • * Xu Zengshou, Duke of Ding, 3rd son
  • * Lady Xu, Princess Consort of Dai, 2nd daughter
  • **Married Zhu Gui, 13th son of Hongwu Emperor, and had issue
  • * Lady Xu, Princess Consort of An, 3rd daughter
  • **Married Zhu Ying, Prince of An, 22nd son of Hongwu Emperor
  • Lady, of the Sun clan
  • * Xu Yingxu, General-in-chief, 4th son
  • Lady, of the Jia clan
  • * Xu Miaojin, 4th daughter

    Ancestry

In fiction

Xu Da appears as a minor character in Louis Cha's wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. As a member of the anti-Yuan Ming Cult, Xu Da participated actively in the rebellions to overthrow the Yuan dynasty under the leadership of Zhang Wuji. Zhang passes Xu the Book of Wumu, a text on military strategy written by the Song dynasty general Yue Fei. Xu benefits greatly from reading the book, becomes a brilliant military commander, and assists Zhu Yuanzhang in overthrowing the Yuan dynasty and establishing the Ming dynasty.
Xu also appeared as a character in Shelley Parker-Chan's historical fiction novels, She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World, although some of the events depicted in the novels were fictional and not based on real-life history.