Qiu Fu (1343–1409) was a Chinese military general of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, who achieved high rank during the reign of the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Chengzu of Ming, personal name Zhu Di, was the third List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 142 ...

, but fell in battle against the Mongols. Qiu Fu was from the

Fengyang Fengyang County () is a county in north-central Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Chuzhou, a prefecture-level city. The county was home to 765,600 people as of 2013. Administrative divisions Fengyang County is divided into ...

region and was a member of the household of

Zhu Di The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Chengzu of Ming, personal name Zhu Di, was the third emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. He was the fourth son of the Hongwu ...

, Prince of Yan, during his youth. He quickly rose through the ranks and, during the civil war of 1399–1402, became one of the leading generals in Zhu Di's army alongside Zhu Neng. In 1402, Zhu Di ascended to the throne as the

and bestowed upon Qiu Fu the title of Duke of Qi () in October of that same year. This elevated Qiu Fu to one of the highest-ranking generals in Ming China. During discussions about the succession to the throne, Qiu Fu advocated for the appointment of the emperor's second son,

Zhu Gaoxu Zhu Gaoxu (30 December 1380 – 6 October 1426) was the second son of the Yongle Emperor and Empress Renxiaowen. During the Jingnan campaign, which brought his father to the throne, he proved himself to be a capable military leader. In 1426, he ...

, but in 1404, the emperor chose his eldest son Zhu Gaochi as his successor and Qiu Fu became his tutor. Mongolian campaigns Yongle emperor

In 1409, the emperor entrusted Qiu Fu with leading a punitive expedition against the Eastern Mongols, who were under the leadership of Öljei Temür Khan Bunyashiri and

Arughtai Arughtai, also known as Alutai (; d. 1434), was a chingsang of the Northern Yuan dynasty who fought against the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty and the Four Oirats. According to the Mongolian and Chinese chronicles, there are similar named fig ...

, but in September of that year, his forces were defeated by the Mongols in the

Battle of Kherlen The Battle of Kherlen () was fought between the Eastern Mongols and the Ming dynasty at the banks of Kherlen River (Kerülen River) on the Mongolian Plateau on 23 September 1409.Tsai, Shih-Shan Henry (2001). ''Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Em ...

, and Qiu Fu was killed in action. The Yongle Emperor held Qiu Fu responsible for the defeat and as a result, stripped him of all his titles, positions, and honors. He also exiled Qiu Fu's entire family to

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

Island. The following year, the Yongle Emperor personally led a campaign against the Mongols, marking the first of his five expeditions against the Mongols.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Qiu, Fu 1343 births 1409 deaths Chinese generals Ming dynasty generals Chinese military personnel killed in action