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How did Zhu Di’s forces capture Nanjing in 1402?

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Yongle The Yongle emperor, detail of a portrait; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

In 1402, Zhu Di (the prince of Yan) successfully captured Nanjing by leveraging a series of military and political maneuvers during the final stages of his rebellion against the Jianwen emperor.1

After a long stalemate, Zhu Di’s forces achieved a decisive breakthrough against imperial armies in the north in early 1402. Following this victory, his troops advanced rapidly southward along the Grand Canal with little opposition. Upon reaching the Yangtze River, they secured the surrender of the imperial fleet. Finally, in July 1402, Zhu Di’s forces were admitted into the walled capital of Nanjing by court defectors.1

Following the city's fall, the Jianwen emperor disappeared amidst a fire in his palace, and Zhu Di ascended the throne, later adopting the reign name Yongle.12