The defense of Hongdu was fought by Zhu Wenzheng.

While Zhu Yuanzhang was marshaling his troops, Hongdu welcomed the desperate Chen Youliang, who raised the whole country, brought his family, and claimed an army of 600,000 men, and attacked the city of Hongdu, which was defended by Zhu Wenzheng. After holding the city for 85 days, Zhu Yuanzhang arrived, and Zhu Wenzheng destroyed Chen Youlang's grain ships, and Zhu Yuanzhang struck down Chen Youlang at Poyang Lake. Although Lan Yu was also a famous general in the Ming Dynasty, he was just a junior general at that time.

Historical evaluation of the Battle of Hongdu:

The Battle of Hongdu is a famous battle that took place in the Nanchang area of Jiangxi Province at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the two sides were Zhu Yuanzhang's army and Chen Youliang's army, and in the case of the extreme disparity of power, the two sides launched a fierce attack around the city of Hongdu, and finally Zhu's army defended the city for 85 days. The final result is that Zhu's army held the city for 85 days, Chen Youliang had to withdraw from the siege, and Zhu's army won a strategic victory.

The defending side was commanded by Zhu Wenzheng, the nephew of Zhu Yuanzhang, and other major generals such as Deng Gui and Zhao Desheng. This three-month-long defense of Hongdu enabled Zhu Wenzheng to give full play to his military talent and commanding ability, which was no less than that of any famous general of his time. It created the pinnacle of Zhu Wenzheng's life and catapulted him onto the mythical stage of the generals of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties.

The strategic significance of Hongdu is extremely important, this war decided Zhu Yuanzhang's hegemonic career, Chen Youliang's Han army in this war consumed a lot, the power of the great reduction, and finally in Poyang Lake was Zhu Yuanzhang all annihilated, the battle of Hongdu changed the whole situation of the end of the Yuan and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.