Why was the Ming Dynasty able to defeat the Mongolian cavalry?

The reason why the Mongolian cavalry was invincible in the 13th century was not because of the "iron" cavalry, but because of the "light" cavalry. The Mongols gave full play to the power of their cavalry, brought their own supplies, outflanked them, cut off food and harassed them, and shot at the infantry to achieve the tactical goal of annihilation. Mongolia rarely fought head-on with the enemy in cavalry tactics.

Sun Tzu’s Art of War emphasizes the fundamentals of logistics. Logistics is fundamental to the enemy. The success of the Mongols lies in logistics, and the defeat of the Mongols lies in logistics.

So, by the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the questions you asked can be easily answered:

1. The internalization of party struggle at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (main reason)

1355 In 2001, Zhang Shicheng defeated the main force of the Yuan Army's "Central Army" of more than 400,000 men in the Battle of Gaoyou. The Yuan Army lost more than half of its main force and lost its initiative on the battlefield. With the rise of warlords in various places, various factions within the Yuan Dynasty began to win over warlords from all over the world. The conflict between the prince and Emperor Shun of Yuan Dynasty began to evolve into a military struggle between warlords within the Yuan army. Does it look familiar? It seems to have happened in the late Western Jin Dynasty. Human bad nature. . .

The main force of the Yuan army was mainly Mongolians and Semu people from the Western Region and Mobei area. After the Battle of Gaoyou, the armies of warlords in various places were actually not so "pure". They were a large number of Mongolian, Semu, and Han mixed armies. Their combat effectiveness was much inferior to the established "Mongolian cavalry" and they were unable to execute the "invincible" tactics of their ancestors. "tactics.

While the rebel armies were confronting each other in Jiangnan, what were the warlords of Yuanting doing?

After Wang Baobao (Zhangjiao Timur) pacified the Red Scarf Army in the Central Plains, he believed that Zhu (Yuanzhang), Chen (Youliang), and Zhang (Shicheng) were not enough to cause trouble, so he sent his troops north to participate in the palace party disputes. Fighting with another warlord Polo Timur.

In 1363, Polo Timur and Wang Baobao competed for Shanxi and Hebei.

In 1364, Polo Timur was dismissed from his position by the crown prince, so he sent troops to attack Dadu as foreign aid to Emperor Shun. The crown prince and Wang Baobao attacked Datong. He led his troops to the capital and was ordered by the emperor to serve as the right prime minister of Zhongshu. He controlled the army and horses of the world, eliminated eunuchs, reduced money and food, and banned Buddhist monks in Xifan.

In 1364, Polo Timur invaded Dadu in the name of "Qingjun side", and the prince went into exile in Taiyuan, Wang Baobao's territory

In 1365, the prince led an army to attack the capital. Polo Timur was defeated and was secretly assassinated by Emperor Yuan Shun. Father and son reconciled, and Wang Baobao became Prime Minister Zuo.

In 1366, Wang Baobaocai went south to Henan, preparing to attack Zhu Yuanzhang. At this time, Xu Da had already stationed troops in Jianghuai.

In the same year, Wang Baobao had a conflict with the four warlords in Guanzhong, Li Siqi, Zhang Liangbi (Sidao), Kong Xing, and Tuoliebo, due to military jurisdiction issues. The four warlords formed an anti-Wang Baobao alliance in 1367. In October of the same year, Wang Baobao was stripped of his official position and retreated to Shanxi.

What is Zhu Yuanzhang’s timetable at this time?

In 1364, Chen Youliang's forces were annexed. In 1367, Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen were eliminated. In October of the same year, he embarked on the Northern Expedition.

The two time points finally come together. The four warlords in Guanzhong and Wang Baobao's younger brother were in disarray. They were quickly defeated one by one. Wang Baobao sat back and watched most of them being surrounded without saving him, while Emperor Yuan Shun fled north.

2. Top-down improvement of the Ming army

In terms of military system, Zhu Yuanzhang established a complete military system at the beginning of his army. From infantry to cavalry and firearms units, reorganization has greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the army.

As for the generals, Xu Da is good at strategy, making decisions before taking action, Chang Yuchun charges into battle, and is good at fierce battles. Liu Bowen is also an eternal strategic wizard. The general ensured that there was no problem with the army's combat direction.

3. Correct and executable Northern Expedition route

At that time, the warlords in the Central Plains were fighting in a melee. Zhu Yuanzhang immediately launched the Northern Expedition after eliminating Zhang Shicheng, and all the warlords were caught off guard.

The Northern Expeditionary Army was divided into two groups: the main force captured Shandong along the Grand Canal and detoured to Henan. The other route was along Luoyang to attack Chang'an. Cut off the two major flanks of Dadu to ensure the safety of both flanks of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Then march into Hebei and Dadu. Finally, they attacked Shanxi and Shaanxi and eliminated Wang Baobao's main force. Facts have proved that roundabout tactics and steady attack are very successful.

4. Changes in the balance of power in the ruled areas

The warlords in the Central Plains region have been fighting for a long time, causing serious damage to both the economy and the population. In 1367, Zhu Yuanzhang already controlled half of the country's population. The population of the Central Plains area under the control of the Yuan Dynasty was only half of the area controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang. At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang began to farm as early as 1360, accumulated a large amount of military supplies, achieved the basic conditions for the Northern Expedition, and took away Yuanting.

5. Multi-arm coordination and the application of firearms

As mentioned earlier, the application of firearms greatly increases the speed of siege, improves the mobility of troops, and eliminates the need for multi-arm coordination The advantage of the Yuan army's cavalry on the plains was eliminated.