Why did the territory of the Ming Dynasty shrink from 6.5438+0.4 million square kilometers in the Yuan Dynasty to 4 million?

The actual territorial area of the Ming Dynasty has always been the focus of discussion among historical experts and scholars, and there are different versions of the conclusions, ranging from 3 million to 6 million to 6.5438+0.5 million or even 24 million. In the previous article, A History of Quiet Night also made a detailed analysis of the territory of the Ming Dynasty. To put it simply, the territory of the Ming Dynasty needs to be viewed in two stages. The first stage: from 1368 to 1435, the division of slave-child capital was abolished. At present, the peak territory is 9 million square kilometers, of which 3.5 million square kilometers are actually controlled and Jimmy rules 5.5 million square kilometers. The second stage: From 1435, Emperor Xuanzong of Ming Dynasty abolished the Nu-Han Dusi until 1644, when the Ming Dynasty perished. The peak territory at this stage is 4 million square kilometers, including 13 provinces, 2 cities and 3.5 million square kilometers, Qiwei in Kansai and Hetao Plain. Like the feudal dynasties in previous dynasties, the territory of the Ming Dynasty changed dramatically.

From more than 9 million square kilometers in its heyday to 3.5 million square kilometers in its demise, the territory of the Ming Dynasty shrank by more than 60%. The reason why this happens is closely related to the ruling form of the Ming Dynasty, especially the rise and fall of the control right in the border areas, which determines the advance and retreat of the Ming Dynasty. So, why is this happening? The History of a Quiet Night holds that there are mainly the following reasons:

Compared with other feudal dynasties, the special internal and external environment of Ming Dynasty was the unification of North and South, and Zhu Yuanzhang and his team created a unique miracle in feudal history. However, it is really because of such a different way of unification that there are many differences between the Ming Dynasty and other dynasties, especially the changes in territory. In the last article, A History of Quiet Night made a detailed analysis of the territory of the Ming Dynasty: the Ming Dynasty was the only dynasty that reached the peak of its territory during the founding of the People's Republic of China. This record broke through the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, enough to be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. However, the reason why the Ming Dynasty was able to reach the peak of its territory in the period of Zhu Yuanzhang was definitely not because Zhu Yuanzhang had many gods, but that the territory of the Ming Dynasty had never expanded on a large scale since Zhu Yuanzhang. This also shows from the side that the period of territorial expansion in the Ming Dynasty is too short, as short as only 20 -30 years!

Because the Ming dynasty attacked from south to north, it was impossible for the Ming dynasty to completely eradicate the remnants of the other side, like all the political powers that unified the country in the history. Facing the attack of the Ming army, the Yuan Dynasty voluntarily withdrew from the Central Plains, occupied the Mongolian Plateau, and confronted the Ming Dynasty. Because of its unfavorable position in the south, it was decided that it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to overcome many unfavorable factors such as logistics and climate and completely eliminate the remnants of Mongolia. Mongolia, on the other hand, can retreat to the farther north, rally its troops and make a comeback, and then invade the south at any time. The Ming dynasty turned from prosperity to decline, Mongolia became stronger and stronger, and the confrontation immediately reversed. Immediately, all the land north of the Great Wall occupied by the Ming Dynasty was occupied and had to rely on the Great Wall to resist. Because of the decline of the Ming Dynasty, especially after the death of Zhu Yuanzhang, the control of the Ming Dynasty on the border areas, especially Mongolia, has been weakening, so the retreat of the territory has become an inevitable process.