List of emperors of the Ming dynasty includes the first, the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang who commanded forces that conquered China.
Zhu Yuanzhang
 As famine, plagues and peasant revolts swept across China in the 14th century, Zhu Yuanzhang rose to command the forces that conquered China, ending the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty and forcing the Mongols to retreat to the Eurasian Steppe. 
