Yu Dayou

Timeline

1. 1535–1551Jinjiang, Quanzhou · JinjiangHereditary hundred-household of Quanzhou Guard, he passed the military jinshi examination in the 14th year of Jiajing, subsequently defending Kinmen and serving in the Guangdong Regional Military Commission. In his early years he trained troops and prepared against wokou along the Fujian–Guangdong maritime frontier, forming a style of planning before battle and emphasizing naval-land coordination, laying the foundation for later commanding the Yu Family Army.
2. 1552–1561Zhejiang coast · ZhejiangAfter the 31st year of Jiajing he was transferred to Zhejiang–Zhili to fight wokou, cooperating with Lu Tang and others, and taking part in great victories such as Wangjiangjing. Implicated by court politics, including the framing of Governor-General Zhang Jing, he was himself repeatedly demoted and imprisoned, yet was repeatedly restored to service along the coasts of Zhejiang and Southern Zhili.
3. 1562–1564Pinghaiwei, Xinghua Prefecture · PinghaiweiAfter Xinghua city fell he was appointed general-in-chief of Fujian, advocating besieging and awaiting reinforcements. In the fourth month of the 42nd year of Jiajing he jointly attacked Pinghaiwei with Qi Jiguang and Liu Xian, recovering Xinghua and dealing a heavy blow to the wokou entrenched there. In the merit ranking Qi Jiguang came first, and Yu received only a reward of silver and silk, after which he promptly yielded the post of general-in-chief to Jiguang.
4. 1565–1579Chaozhou and Haifeng area, Guangdong · GuangdongAfter transferring to the two Guang he cleared sea-borne armed forces such as Wu Ping and Zeng Yiben, compiling the Recent Events of Pacifying the Sea. In his later years he rose to Right Chief Commander, dying in the seventh year of Wanli and posthumously granted Left Chief Commander. His Sword Classic and Collected Works of the Hall of Righteousness summarize a lifetime of military thought and literary writing.