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Lan Yu
Early Ming general, brother-in-law of Chang Yuchun, who routed the Northern Yuan at Buyur Lake in 1388 and was executed for treason in 1393 in a purge that claimed some fifteen thousand lives
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
- Roles
- Commanders
Lan Yu came from Dingyuan in Haozhou, in present-day Anhui, and was the younger brother of Chang Yuchun's wife; he began his career under Chang and rose quickly through hard fighting. He joined Fu Youde's conquest of Yunnan in 1381 and was made Marquis of Yongchang. In 1388, as grand general with one hundred and fifty thousand men, he struck deep into the Mongolian steppe to Buyur Lake and smashed the Northern Yuan army; its ruler Toghus Temur fled with a few dozen riders, while Lan captured his second son Dibaonu and tens of thousands of consorts, officials and followers, and was raised to Duke of Liang. Thereafter he grew arrogant, keeping large numbers of bondservants and adopted sons and breaking the law. In 1393 Jiang Huan of the Embroidered Uniform Guard accused him of plotting rebellion; he was imprisoned and executed, and Zhu Yuanzhang published a record of the conspirators. According to the History of Ming, fifteen thousand people were killed with their families in the case.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–1393 CE