Stop Blaming the Ming Emperors for Losing the West. Here’s the Brutal Truth.
The Ming Dynasty didn’t abandon the Western Regions out of weakness or isolationism. They simply lacked the people. Following centuries of war that shattered the demographic and ecological bedrock of the Hexi Corridor, Ming emperors couldn’t administrate a graveyard. It took the Qing Dynasty centuries of forced migration to literally rebuild the population before the West could be reclaimed.