Li Wenzhong

Also known as Zi Siben

Li Wenzhong, courtesy name Siben, childhood name Bao'er, was the son of Zhu Yuanzhang's elder sister and came from Xuyi; after his mother died when he was eleven he wandered with his father Li Zhen through the war zones, until two years later they reached Zhu at Chuyang and Zhu adopted him. At eighteen he commanded Zhu's personal guard, campaigned across eastern Zhejiang, took Jiande, and beat back the Miao troops of Yang Wanzhe. In 1370 he made a forced march on Yingchang and captured Maidaribala, son of the Yuan heir Ayushiridara, together with the palace women, and that year he was made Duke of Cao. In 1372 he led the eastern column against Karakorum and fought his way back from the Aluhun River, and in 1379 he helped Mu Ying put down the tribes of Taozhou, before heading the Chief Military Commission and overseeing the Directorate of Education. He died in 1384 at forty-five with the posthumous title Prince of Qiyang, and his son Li Jinglong inherited the dukedom.