Northern Yuan Remnants and the Mongolian Steppe Standoff (1390s)

Timeline

1. 1391–1392Around Buir Nor (Lake Buir) · Mongolian PlateauIn 1388, Ming general Lan Yu crushed the Northern Yuan at Buir Nor; Töghüs Temür, a descendant of Emperor Shun of Yuan, was killed and the authority of the Northern Yuan khaganate collapsed. Remnant imperial clansmen and tribes scattered across the northern and southern steppe, succession was chaotic, and the Ming took the opportunity to advance pacification and military deterrence.
2. 1392–1395Site of Karakorum · Mongolian PlateauAfter Töghüs Temür's death, his brother Küilüg and other factions contested the khaganate; the nominal Northern Yuan great khan became separated from the tribal leaders holding real power. The fortunes of the Tatars, Oirats, and other tribes waxed and waned, and steppe politics shifted from a single khaganate to a pattern of multiple coexisting tribes.
3. 1396–1400Northern line of the Ming Great Wall · North ChinaIn the late Hongwu era, the Ming consolidated defenses along the Nine Frontier Garrisons, established loosely governed guards for submitting Mongol tribes, and strictly forbade private trade and defectors fleeing north. Though the Northern Yuan remnants lacked the strength for major invasions, sporadic raids and tribal migrations still tied down Ming forces in the north.