Beyond the Great Wall: the North and the Ming Border Defense: 1368-1644

This book is the representative work of the famous sinologist Dou Deshi. Based on detailed historical materials, the work tells the history of the Ming Dynasty's border defense, and conducts an in-depth analysis of the Ming Dynasty's political system, local management, and military thought from the perspective of war history. This book divides the history of northern border defense of the Ming Dynasty into 14 periods, discusses how the emperors, officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty thought, argued and made decisions when actually dealing with border defense issues, and explores how the Ming Dynasty ensured territorial integrity during its 276-year rule. This book provides a unique perspective for examining the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty. It is helpful for a comprehensive understanding of the Ming Dynasty's northern border defense system, for understanding the changing process of the Ming Dynasty's military decision-making mechanism and military defense thinking, and for thinking about the impact of northern border defense on the Ming Dynasty's politics and economy.