Three Chinese dynasties are important to this novel: Song, Yuan, and Ming. The Song dynasty (960-1279) was the last to be ruled by the Han people until the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). In between was a series of invasions by neighboring ethnicities culminating in the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), which was ruled by Mongols. Bianliang (modern-day Kaifeng) was the capital of the Song. The Red Turbans, poor farmers who wore hats of red cloth, were one of several peasant groups that rose against the Yuan. They rebelled not only against economic exploitation but against Mongol rule.

The real Zhu Chongba (here, referred to as Zhu Yuanzhang) was the youngest son of a poor farming family. After the deaths of his parents and older brother, Zhu joined a Buddhist monastery where he stayed until 1352 when he left for the Red Turbans (he was 24). He rapidly rose to a position of command and married Ma Xiuying (who would later become empress). Zhu’s army took several cities, including Jiankang (today called Nanjing) and Suzhou, where he defeated Zhang Shicheng. After this victory, in 1368, Zhu declared himself emperor and established the Ming dynasty.