At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, consecutive years of natural disasters, coupled with oppressive taxes and labor services as numerous as cow hairs, caused unbearable suffering among the people, who voiced their complaints everywhere. At this time, rebellions flared up across the land, and the empire had fallen into chaos. Seeing how corrupt the Yuan Dynasty had become, Zhu Yuanzhang was determined to overthrow it and seize control of the realm. As the saying goes: "An army of three hundred thousand is easy to find, but a single capable general is hard to come by!" Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang, accompanied by his strategist Liu Bowen and the warrior Hu Dahai, traveled far and wide in secret, searching for a great general so that when the time was ripe, they could immediately act.
One day, the three of them arrived within Sheng (shēng) County, Zhejiang. After walking for a while, they came to the bank of the Xiaojiang Bridge beside Cangyan Mountain. Zhu Yuanzhang noticed a dark object lodged in the bridge pier and exclaimed, "Ah! What is that?" Hu Dahai went down and retrieved it. "Huh," he said, "it's just a shoe!" Liu Bowen quickly stepped forward. "Yes! This shoe is so long—oh! It’s even woven from jige grass①! This person must certainly be no ordinary fellow." Zhu Yuanzhang happily said, "Exactly! Anyone needing such large shoes must be incredibly strong—perhaps even a pillar of the state! Quick! Let us search for him right away." Thus, the trio moved restlessly between villages and hamlets, sometimes visiting mountain farmers, sometimes questioning fishermen, but for the moment found nothing.
One day, after crossing seven ridges and circling around eight hills, they arrived at a small mountain village. Zhu Yuanzhang asked Liu Bowen to request lodging from a household near the edge of the village. The homeowner said, "Brother, I do have a small room you could stay in, but I don't have enough mosquito nets. Right behind my house is a bamboo grove, and there are terrible swarms of mosquitoes—I'm afraid it might make you uncomfortable..." At this, Zhu Yuanzhang loudly declared, "No problem! When Old Zhu stays here, let the mosquitoes go bite the bamboo instead!" And so, the three stayed with this family, venturing out during the day to conduct inquiries and returning each night. They continued this arrangement for eight nights straight.
During these eight days, using the village as their base, they carefully investigated all directions. From a woodcutter, they confirmed that not far from there indeed lived an exceptionally tall, robust, and immensely strong man who could eat a dou (an ancient unit of volume) of rice in one meal. Another person described it vividly, recounting how once, while gathering firewood, he personally saw this man using a stone mortar① to bail water. When asked why, the man explained that he had seen two large crucian carp in a small pond and wanted to catch them to take home for his mother. When asked where he was from and his name, he replied he was from "Chengzhukeng" and called himself "Chang Yuchun."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed. He quickly took Liu and Hu with him and began climbing mountains and traversing ridges. After traveling half a day, the terrain grew steeper and the trees thicker. Soon, ahead in a mountain hollow②, they saw several thatched cottages made of bamboo rafters, along with a small courtyard③, its gate slightly ajar. As Hu Dahai pushed open the door, suddenly—"whoosh!"—two striped tigers leapt out, baring blood-red mouths and advancing step by step toward him. Frightened, Hu Dahai gaped in shock and hurriedly grabbed a door pole to strike. Zhu Yuanzhang, seeing this, quickly stepped forward and shouted, "Beasts! I, Old Zhu, am here—behave yourselves! Go play back in the mountains!" Truly, "brine sets tofu—one thing subdues another." Upon being scolded by Zhu Yuanzhang, the tigers immediately crouched to the ground, as docile as lambs, then quietly left. The three entered the cottage. Though small, the thatched hut was neat and orderly. Just then, they heard a voice from inside: "Chun! Who has come with you?"
Looking, they saw an elderly woman sitting inside, blind in both eyes. Zhu Yuanzhang quickly approached: "Madam! It's us!" The old lady was greatly startled: "Ah! Who are you? How did you get in?" She thought to herself: she and her son had fled here as refugees, and already several years had passed; ever since she lost her sight, to guard their home, her son specially captured two live tigers from the mountains to keep as watchdogs. Since then, no outsider had ever entered. How could someone enter today? Zhu Yuanzhang respectfully replied, "Madam! The creatures at your door were quite friendly with us, wagging their heads and tails! Now I’ve sent them off to play for a bit."
Realizing these three were no ordinary people, the old lady politely invited them to sit and asked what brought them to this remote mountain valley. Zhu Yuanzhang then detailed the current state of the empire, explaining that their purpose was to seek out talented individuals and heroes, and asked her permission for Chang Yuchun to join them in founding a new dynasty. Upon hearing these words, Chang’s mother felt both joy and concern. She was happy because someone had risen to overthrow the Yuan and unify China, meaning her son could achieve great things. But she worried about her own advanced age and blindness—this would make life difficult, and since her son was filial, he surely wouldn’t want to leave. What should she do? She became anxious and restless. However, after careful consideration, she decided her son should indeed go. She said to Zhu Yuanzhang and the others, "My Chun’er has a rough temper. To convince him, I have an idea—though I don’t know if it will work?" Liu Bowen quickly asked, "What good idea?"
Chang’s mother said, "When my son returns, just say you are my long-lost younger brother…" Before she finished speaking, a thunderous sound boomed outside: "Ma! What happened? Where are the two mountain cats?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked and saw Chang Yuchun—towering ten feet tall, broad-faced and big-eared, with a bear-like waist and tiger-like back, imposing and dignified. Delighted, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply. But upon seeing the three men, Chang Yuchun also jumped in surprise: "Ah! So that’s why the mountain cats are gone—it was you meddling! Pah! Where did you mountain spirits and wild ghosts come from? Daring to stir up trouble on the head of the God of War! Return my mountain cats, or else you won’t take another step out of here!" With that, he rolled up his sleeves and prepared to fight. His mother hastily scolded: "Chun! Don’t be rude! Who do you think they are? Look! This is your maternal uncle! Alas! We siblings were separated by Yuan soldiers over twenty years ago. Come and pay your respects quickly." Chang Yuchun hurried over to apologize to Liu Bowen. Then, Liu Bowen spoke broadly, discussing everything from court politics to common people, astronomy to geography, covering vast topics. Although Chang Yuchun agreed in principle with overthrowing the dynasty and seizing the realm, he said, "My mother is over seventy and blind. Even though we have a place to live, I simply cannot leave her now. Wait until after she passes away, then I will certainly come and join you in this great undertaking."
Seeing her son’s character, his mother said, "Chun, you have no other close relatives. From now on, you must listen to your maternal uncle. Chun! Guests have come from afar, and we have no side dishes. Quickly go fetch some mountain game and return." Chang Yuchun repeatedly agreed, bowing to the three men. Then, with a leap, he was gone in an instant—leaving even Hu Dahai staring in astonishment. At this moment, Chang’s mother solemnly smoothed her hair and said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Very well! I entrust Chun’er to you. But to get him to leave right now, we’ll need a plan. I think if we do it like this… though it will require you three to endure some discomfort." Hearing this, the three all agreed it was a good plan and followed the old lady’s suggestion, deliberately pretending to be tied up backwards against a large tree outside the house.
After the three had completed their disguise, the old lady checked each one carefully, then quietly slipped into the back thatched room. But not long after, suddenly—"bang!"—a loud noise, followed by thick smoke pouring out, and instantly flames shot skyward. Zhu Yuanzhang hadn’t expected this and was frantic with anxiety, yet unable to move. At that moment, Chang Yuchun appeared, carrying a wild ox under his left arm and two wild boars in his right hand, leaping over mountains and streams, with the two tigers—the ones guarding the door—following behind him like hunting dogs. Seeing the firelight, he froze in shock, dropped his game, and sprinted forward.
From afar, he cried out desperately: "Ma! Heaven! My Ma!" When he pulled his mother’s still-smoldering body from the ashes, he immediately knelt on the ground, hugging the corpse and wailing uncontrollably.
At this moment, tears streaming down his face, Liu Bowen said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Chang’s mother is truly a wise and noble mother. To free her son from worry, she chose to burn herself alive—what a heroic woman!" Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly: "Indeed! If I, Old Zhu, one day ascend the dragon throne, I will surely honor this profoundly righteous and enlightened mother properly!"
As for Chang Yuchun, he initially suspected the three visitors might be responsible, but when he angrily confronted them, he discovered they were bound tightly to the tree. He quickly asked, "What happened here?" Liu Bowen then recounted according to the old lady’s instructions: "Shortly after you left, a large group of Yuan soldiers suddenly burst in. Seeing us three, they dragged us into the courtyard for interrogation. Apparently, an officer demanded your mother hand over ten chickens. She pleaded that she truly had none, but those villainous ruffians were unreasonable—they slapped her with an open palm, knocking her to the ground. When we rushed over to reason with them, these beasts, relying on their numbers, surrounded us and forcibly tied us up backwards, accusing us of meddling and threatening to starve us to death! Later, these bandits burned your mother alive! Alas! Is this world still fit for humans to live in? Now, you’ve been ruined and orphaned by the Yuan soldiers, with no lingering worries—so settle your heart and come fight for the empire with us!" Zhu Yuanzhang added, "Yes! Didn’t your mother tell you to listen to your maternal uncle? Now, national hatred and family vengeance both compel you to rebel. Come with us!"
And thus, Chang Yuchun wholeheartedly followed Zhu Yuanzhang, fighting campaigns across the north and south, throughout the nation. He rose to become a great general and later emerged as a renowned founding hero of the Ming Dynasty.
① Jige Tun (tun): A kind of wild grass used for weaving straw sandals.
① Stone Mortar: A stone tool used for pounding rice.
② Ao (ào): A local dialect term meaning a flat area in the mountains.
③ Daodi: A local dialect term meaning courtyard or patio.