How did Buddhist millennial beliefs contribute to the fall of the Yuan dynasty?

Buddhist millennial beliefs played a significant role in the collapse of the Yuan dynasty through the rise of the Red Turbans, a peasant rebel movement in the mid-14th century.1

The movement was fueled by widespread famine and social instability, which created a fertile environment for religious fervor. The leaders of the Red Turbans identified their cause with the bodhisattva Maitreya, the future Buddha whose arrival was prophesied to usher in a new era and end suffering. By framing their opposition to the alien Mongol rule in these millennial terms, they galvanized the peasantry against the dynasty.1

Furthermore, the general decline of the Yuan empire led many to seek refuge in monastic life, and monks became active participants in the various rebellions that eventually toppled the regime. Notably, the first Ming emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, had himself been a monk, illustrating the deep entanglement between Buddhist institutions and the anti-Yuan uprisings.231