Introduction: I have always thought that the failure of the Ming Dynasty to complete the recovery of the Western Regions was a major loss of Daming. From another point of view, it even determines the life and death of Daming, and the Western Regions of the Great Unification Dynasty and the Great Wall in the North are all left and right fists that beat up the nomadic forces in the north. Daming gave up recovering the Western Regions because of the submission of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate (Also LiJiangli), which was equivalent to voluntarily breaking his left arm. Daming had no problems when the country was strong, and once it weakened, this problem was seriously exposed. You don't need others to use it, the Eastern Chagatai Khanate was conquered by the Warabya and then indirectly gained the appeal of the Golden Family through forced marriage (marrying his sister to Yexian) (the Chagatai Khanate was not a line of Kublai Khan, but also had a golden family bloodline). With the influence of the Golden Family, it also preceded the Valar Empire to dominate the steppe. The Tumubao Incident was the first bitter fruit that Daming tasted by abandoning the Western Regions, and the 200,000 elites of the Ming Dynasty were swept away. Emperor Ming Yingzong was captured, the offensive and defensive postures of Daming and The Mongols changed, and the Ming Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline.
As a great unified dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was obviously lacking in color in the middle and late period, and the loss of Wusizang, Duoganwei, and Nuer Gandusi caused Daming to curl up in a narrow area of the two capitals and thirteen provinces. If you look at the overall situation, it is a little more extreme, indicating that the overall vision of the emperors in the middle and late period of the dynasty is even inferior to that of the weak Song. The Northern Song Dynasty still knew how to collect taxes and train warhorses by establishing the Longyou Protectorate on the kaibian side of the river, thereby improving the combat effectiveness of the army against the Liao state and western Xia. Although the process of the Long Right was interrupted by repeated and Jin invasions, we cannot deny the efforts made for national security from the beginning of Song Shenzong.
We have used several articles before to emphasize the key role of the Western Regions and Hexi. In fact, the role of Hexi in the western region is generally three: 1. The depth of national defense can be expanded, and it can be deterred from the left and the north at the same time to the grasslands. In this way, the grassland tribes were concerned about one or the other, and they could not go south from the grassland to the Central Plains at will. 2, the opening of the Silk Road, while ensuring rich taxes can communicate things. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, when Western science and technology gradually grew, at least the advanced nature of thermal weapons could be guaranteed. If the Shenji Battalion could maintain the lead in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Hou Jin would not even think about it when it could break into the Central Plains. 3. The Western Regions have always been the birthplace of good horses and the birth of elite cavalry. As the saying goes, a hundred battles produce elite soldiers, and these resources will not collapse at least in the battle against Houjin. Let's first explain that after the loss of the Western Regions, the Ming Dynasty encountered several fatal threats. Then explain the reasons why Daming did not recover the Western Regions.
This led to the rise of Mongolia again decades later
Of course, the loss of the Western Regions was only one of the reasons for the re-emergence of Mongolia in the Wala era, and secondly, the Ming Dynasty's neglect of the steppe was also an important reason. First of all, the Walla was in the western part of the Mongolian steppe, and during the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to the western Mongolian Weyrat Department (Weyrat is the Walla). If it were not for the fact that the western region was no longer in his hands and the Tatar blockade in the east, how could Daming have allowed the steppe to be allowed for ten years. It was this decade that led to the annexation of Mongol ministries by the Wala to the east from Wuliangha (Tangnu Ulianghai, bordering the Golden Horde) and west to Korea (Wala had also threatened the Ming vassal state of Korea). It can be said that the entire grassland has been reunified by the Wallachians, and after the Northern Yuan went to the emperor, the grasslands were once again unified by the tribes of the non-golden family.
By the time Northern Yuan captured the Northern Yuan Clan in the Battle of the Blue Jade Fishing Sea and captured the Yuan Ting Seal Letter, the prestige of the Golden Family was lost. By 1402, when the last Great Khan of The Great Khan of The Unified Mongols was killed by Ghost Lichi and changed the name of the country to Tatar, the Mongol tribes of the steppe had lost absolute reverence for the Golden Family. At this time, the Walla gradually became stronger, but the blood of the Walla and the Golden Family was far apart (not even the Mongols before).
Although the prestige of the Golden Family was deteriorating at this time, both the Tatars and the Vala needed to fulfill their appeal by supporting the Puppet Khan of the Golden Family. However, Vara also first became the Great Khan of himself, and to complete the unification of the Mongol tribes and even restore the Mongolian yuan territory, he had to find a way to contact the Golden Family in the bloodline. Therefore, by conquering the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, Varaz forced The Khan to marry his sister, who also had the blood of the Golden Family, to Ye xian. In this way, Vala indirectly gained the prestige of the Golden Family, so with the blessing of force, the unification of the steppe was completed. In particular, the Wallachian division also killed the Tatar Arutai first, and then captured The Ming YingZong Zhuqi Town at Tumu Fort to reach the peak.
The change of Tumu Fort was the first bitter fruit that the Ming Dynasty tasted when it lost the Western Regions, but not all. Even more frightening is the next link - due to the lack of communication channels between the Eastern and Western civilizations, the thermal weapons of the so-called leading Daming Shenji Battalion in East Asia are gradually lagging behind. Compared with the Jurchen and Mongol warriors who had been skilled in bowing and horse since childhood, they attacked others purely with their own shortness.
The loss of the Western Regions and the severance of the Silk Road indirectly led to the Ming Dynasty's hot weapons from the original leading world to the backwardness of the West.
We do not deny that in the early Ming Dynasty (Zhu Yuanzhang) period, there were invincible generals like Huaiyuan Hei Taiyi Chang Yuchun, but after Zhu Yuanzhang's killing, this situation has changed during the Ming Chengzu Zhu Di period. That is to say, the Ming Dynasty attacked Mongolia many times during the Chengzu period, and the key to victory was not the Shenji battalion in the three battalions that was more important to ride and shoot. The leading opponent of the hot weapon was an important reason for the hanging of Mongolia during the Chengzu period. However, after the change of Tumu Fort, the three battalions were completely destroyed, and Daming lost his position as a man or his leader.
From the time of Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, the Ming Dynasty gradually gave up the exploration of the ocean. Daming began to jinghai, perfect measures for the original leading marine era. If the Ming Dynasty lost the ocean, if the Western Regions were still in hand, they could still get the gradual development of Western technology on the Silk Road to improve the level of their own Divine Machine Battalion. But the Western Regions are also not in the hand, which is equivalent to Daming breaking his left foot while his right foot is also a little lame.
These are not exaggerated at all, the Dzungar Khanate was able to confront the Qing Dynasty for 70 years, in addition to riding and shooting, it was more important to import the hot weapons imported from the West. Dzungar can still do this, if Daming has the Western Regions, why not?
Why did Daming not recover the Western Regions?
From the time of Genghis Khan, when the four sons were divided, the position of the Western Regions was given to the second son Chagatai. Therefore, this area also became the Chagatai Khanate of the Four Great Khanates, and Timur established the Timurid Empire with the western Chagatai Khanate. By the time of the Ming Dynasty, the Yili Gangli we usually refer to was the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. Although the Ming Dynasty set up the Seven Guards of the State of Kansai, hami wei and Huozhou were soon abandoned. Not to mention the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, so Daming himself did not attach importance to the Western Regions.
The Eastern Chagatai Khanate only paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty once again implemented a policy of restraint. But can clans and direct jurisdictions mean the same thing? Therefore, I personally feel that the overall situation view of the Ming Emperor seems to be a little narrow, of course, we are looking at the problem from the perspective of later generations.
brief summary:
The Ming Dynasty gave up its occupation of the Western Regions because of its respect and submission, which was a major mistake. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty soon tasted the bitter fruit of losing the Western Regions. Whether it was the blows suffered by the change of Tumu Fort or the backwardness of hot weapons such as the Divine Machine Battalion and artillery, it made the Ming Dynasty miserable.
I am the emperor of history, welcome your attention; if there is a flaw, the axe is right.