Hok-lam Chan 
Ming Taizu (r. 1368-98) and the Foundation of the Ming Dynasty in China [PDF ebook] 

This second collection of studies by Hok-lam Chan focuses on the person and the image of Ming Taizu, the founder of the Ming dynasty, and a powerful, brutal and autocratic emperor who has had a significant impact not only in late imperial China, but also in East Asia, over the last six centuries. Individual studies look at the legitimation of the dynasty, particular military and religious figures, policies of persecution and punishment, and struggles over the succession.