ABSTRACT
The Ming dynasty’s retreat from Vietnam brought Ming territorial expansion to a close. Ming power generally declined until 1565, before briefly reviving from 1570 until 1610. This period exposed the problems of the Ming’s military system, while at the same time making it clear that decline was not inevitable and that effective reform was possible. The erratic and only occasionally effective Ming response to the empire’s many military problems highlights the political flaws in the system. Ultimately, Ming failures were more the result of the regime’s inability to make practical decisions because of political problems than of any kind of fundamental, irreconcilable military conditions.
