How did the Ming dynasty restore Chinese rule after the Yuan dynasty?

The Ming dynasty restored native Chinese rule following the collapse of the Yuan dynasty through a combination of military consolidation and the establishment of a centralized government under its founder, Zhu Yuanzhang, known as the Hongwu emperor.12

By the 1340s, the Yuan government had been weakened by internal factionalism and natural disasters, leading to widespread rebellions. Zhu Yuanzhang, a former monk who rose to prominence as a successful rebel general, established his headquarters in Nanjing in 1356. Between 1360 and 1367, his forces absorbed rival rebel states in the Yangtze valley, allowing him to proclaim the Ming dynasty in 1368.21

The Ming military then launched vigorous campaigns to drive the Mongols out of northern China, eventually securing control over the entirety of China proper and extending influence into frontier regions. To maintain this authority, the Hongwu emperor centralized power by abolishing the Secretariat and managing the government directly, while organizing a hereditary military system that garrisoned strategic locations across the empire.13