After the demise of the Yuan Dynasty, why did the Mongols quickly quit the Central Plains and declined?

When the Mongols withdrew from the Central Plains, the total population of the entire Mongolian grassland was still about 4 million, which was far more than that of Genghis Khan's era in terms of quantity. According to common sense, nomadic tribes with a population of 4 million who controlled the vast grassland should have no problem at least in self-protection, even if they can no longer compete with other ethnic groups.

However, the reality is cruel. Instead of rising again, Mongolian ministries have completely and completely declined at an incredible speed. This ending seems strange on the surface, but after carefully studying the relevant history, the author believes that this is completely historical necessity! First of all, the traditional living space of Mongolian ministries is continuously squeezed.

The living space of Mongolia was squeezed from the Ming Dynasty. Out of the painful memories and fears of being completely conquered by other ethnic groups, there was a generation in the Ming Dynasty, which maintained a continuous high-pressure situation on Mongolian tribes from beginning to end. Ming Taizu and Ming Chengzu dynasties, constantly sent expeditionary forces into Mobei, looking for the main force of the Mongolian army and trying to strike and expel it. Later, the Ming court stationed a large number of troops along the Great Wall, and spared no expense to painstakingly manage Liaodong, blocking Mongolia from both sides of the southeast-eventually it ended in a lose-lose, and the Qing Dynasty took the opportunity to rise.

Secondly, the introduction of Yellow Religion has a far-reaching impact on Mongolian society. Luxurious, extravagant, cumbersome and numerous rituals waste a lot of means of production and living, so the part used to support the population will inevitably be greatly reduced. In addition, the labor productivity caused by the absorption of a large number of labor and social wealth by religion has decreased, which has aggravated the economic recession of Mongolian society.

the last reason is the economic invasion of the Han nationality represented by Shanxi merchants. Before Yellow Religion was introduced into Mongolian grassland, Mongolians never had the habit of settling down. In the past, Han merchants from the mainland had to wait in the traditional border trade market if they wanted to do business with them. However, with the large number of fixed buildings such as temples appearing, and monks and temples had a large demand for mainland goods, a temple-centered market naturally formed, so Han merchants went deep into the hinterland of grassland and started business.

Grassland economy is characterized by strong seasonality of harvest and no way to store it. Han merchants wisely discovered and used this point, buying low and selling high, and lending usury by the way. As a result, many herders fell into the debt trap and embarked on a road of no return, from the owners of pastures and herds to the Mongolian princes and temple hosts who should have come forward to stop them. Instead of helping out, they cooperated with Han merchants and squeezed herders together.

In addition, with the acquiescence and even connivance of the Manchu government, countless Han people settled down on the grassland border and reclaimed land. Because of their technological advantages and hard-working and restrained nature, Han people quickly established a competitive advantage with nomadic economy. The inevitable trend of internal and external situation development, coupled with the help of Manchu rulers, made Mongolian ministries decline like this-forming an alliance with Manchu should be the most failed decision made by Mongolian ministries!