Yuan · Rebel Emperor Little Ming King

Han Lin'er 韓林兒

Hán Lín'ér

Attested AD 1355 - AD 1366

Passages: 26
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Han Lin'er as a rebel, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 26 passages from 1 chapter across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Han Lin'er	韓林兒	Hán Lín'ér
Surname	Han	韓	Hán
Personal name	Han Lin'er	韓林兒	Hán Lín'ér
Given name	Lin'er	林兒	Lín'ér
Title	Little Ming King	小明王	Xiǎo Míng Wáng
Alternate name		李氏子

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0078

Roles

Rebel
Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Manner: uncertain; alternate report of drowning at Guabu
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0151, mingshi:122:s0152

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 十五年二月 · Western Year: AD 1355
Explicit event contextual date · mingshi:122:s0089, mingshi:122:s0090
Source Date: Text: 林兒卒 · Western Year: AD 1366
Explicit event contextual date · mingshi:122:s0151

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Child of Han Shantong (韓山童)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological
Child of Lady Yang (楊氏)
Kinship Term: mother / 母 · Parentage: biological

Career and standing

Title: emperor / Little Ming King / 皇帝／小明王 · Action: claimed
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0090

Places and affiliations

Polity Id: yuan · Relation: rebelled-against
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0090
Place: Luancheng / 欒城 · Relation: native
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0078
Place: Anfeng / 安豐 · Relation: fled-to
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0096, mingshi:122:s0130
Place: Bianliang / 汴梁 · Relation: capital
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0111
Place: Bo / 亳 · Relation: capital
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0090
Place: Chuzhou / 滁州 · Relation: resided
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0149
Organization: Red Army / Incense Army / 紅軍／香軍 · Relation: leader-of
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0088, mingshi:122:s0090

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: enthroned · Action: proclaimed emperor at Bo as Little Ming King · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 十五年二月 · Western Year: AD 1355
Explicit event contextual date · mingshi:122:s0089, mingshi:122:s0090

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: absorbed rivals allowing Taizu to build realm · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0157, mingshi:122:s0158
Assessment: bandit origins, no great ambition, hollow title under Futong · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0120

Source notes

Field: death · Statement: Some say Taizu ordered Liao Yongzhong to escort Lin'er; boat capsized at Guabu
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0152
Statement: some say he was a son of the Li clan
Uncertain · mingshi:122:s0078
Statement: usurped reign lasted twelve years
Explicit · mingshi:122:s0164

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

History of Ming, Chapter 122Volume 122 Biographies 10: · 26 passages

郭子興韓林兒 Guo Zixing; Han Lin'er

子興死，韓林兒檄天敘為都元帥，張天祐及太祖副之。 After Zixing's death, Han Lin'er appointed Tianxu commander-in-chief, with Zhang Tianyou and the future emperor as his deputies.

林兒復以天爵為中書右丞。 Lin'er then appointed Tianjue Right Chancellor of the Secretariat.

韓林兒 Han Lin'er

韓林兒，欒城人，或言李氏子也。 Han Lin'er was from Luancheng; some said he was actually a son of the Li clan.

元末，林兒父山童鼓妖言，謂「天下當大亂，彌勒佛下生」。 Late in the Yuan, Lin'er's father Shantong preached sedition: "The realm will soon be in chaos; Maitreya Buddha is coming down to earth."

林兒與母楊氏逃武安山中。 Lin'er and his mother, Lady Yang, fled into the Wu'an mountains.

十五年二月，福通物色林兒，得諸碭山夾河； In the second month of year 15 (1355), Futong found Lin'er between the rivers at Dangshan;

迎至亳，僭稱皇帝，又號小明王，建國曰宋，建元龍鳳。 brought him to Bo, where Lin'er was proclaimed emperor and styled Little Ming King; the state was named Song and the era Longfeng.

既而元師大敗福通于太康，進圍亳，福通挾林兒走安豐。 Soon Yuan forces routed Futong at Taikang and besieged Bo; Futong fled with Lin'er to Anfeng.

而福通出沒河南北，五月攻下汴梁，守將竹貞遁去，遂迎林兒都焉。 Meanwhile Futong ranged across Henan; in the fifth month he took Bianliang, the defender Zhuzhen fled, and he installed Lin'er as his capital there.

然林兒本起盜賊，無大志，又聽命福通，徒擁虛名。 Yet Lin'er was a bandit chieftain at heart, without grand ambition, and obeyed Futong—holding only a hollow title.

林兒兵出戰輒敗，嬰城守百餘日，食將盡。 Lin'er's forces sallied out and were beaten each time; after more than a hundred days of siege, food was nearly gone.

福通計無所出，挾林兒從百騎開東門遁還安豐，後宮官屬子女及符璽印章寶貨盡沒於察罕。 Futong, at his wits' end, fled through the east gate with Lin'er and a hundred horsemen back to Anfeng; the harem, officials, children, seals, and treasures all fell to Chaghan.

元兵急攻益都，穴地道以入，殺豐、士城，而械送猱頭于京師，林兒勢大窘。 Yuan forces stormed Yidu, tunneled into the city, killed Feng and Shicheng, and sent Yaotou in chains to the capital; Lin'er's position collapsed.

明年，張士誠將呂珍圍安豐，林兒告急于太祖。 The following year Zhang Shicheng's general Lü Zhen besieged Anfeng, and Lin'er appealed to the future emperor for help.

太祖擊走珍，以林兒歸，居之滁州。 The future emperor drove Lü Zhen off, brought Lin'er back, and installed him at Chuzhou.

又二年，林兒卒。 Two years later Lin'er died.

或曰太祖命廖永忠迎林兒歸應天，至瓜步，覆舟沉于江雲。 Some say the Hongwu Emperor ordered Liao Yongzhong to escort Lin'er to Yingtian; at Guabu the boat capsized and he drowned in the river—or so it is said.

初，太祖駐和陽，郭子興卒，林兒牒子興子天敘為都元帥，張天祐為右副元帥，太祖為左副元帥。 Early on, while the future emperor was stationed at Heyang, Guo Zixing died; Lin'er issued an edict appointing Zixing's son Tianxu commander-in-chief, Zhang Tianyou right deputy marshal, and the future emperor left deputy marshal.

時太祖以孤軍保一城，而林兒稱宋後，四方回應，遂用其年號以令軍中。 At that time the future emperor held a lone city with a small force; Lin'er claimed to be heir to the Song, the realm answered from all sides, and he adopted Lin'er's era name to command his troops.

林兒歿，始以明年為吳元年。 After Lin'er's death, the next year was reckoned as the first year of Wu.

其年，遣大將軍定中原，順帝北走，距林兒亡僅歲餘。 That year he sent a great general to pacify the Central Plains; Emperor Shundi fled north, barely more than a year after Lin'er died.

林兒僭號凡十二年。 Lin'er's usurped reign lasted twelve years in all.

林兒橫據中原，縱兵蹂躪，蔽遮江、淮十有餘年。 Lin'er dominated the central plains, his armies ravaging the land and shielding the Yangzi–Huai region for more than a decade.

太祖得以從容締造者，藉其力焉。 The future emperor was able to build his realm at leisure in part because Lin'er absorbed his rivals' attention.