Genghis Khan, though the product of an illiterate and barbaric people plagued by internal warfare, transformed the Mongol warriors into a brilliant military machine that frequently defeated the civilizations of China, Islam, and Eastern Europe. Legend has it that Genghis Khan was born with a blood clot in his hand, a harbinger of greatness. Regardless of the omens, Genghis Khan’s cruel, creative and cunning mind was clearly responsible for his truly legendary success.

For example, in 1207, when his Mongol army had been blocked by the fortified city of Volohai, he proposed to the city’s leaders that he would end their siege if they paid him a strange tribute of 1,000 cats and 10,000 swallows. The strange demand was met by the city and then Genghis Khan told his Mongols to tie locks of wool to the animals’ tails and set them on fire. Terrified by the burned pieces of wool, the cats and swallows were released. They fled back to their lairs and nests within the city and spread fire across the walls. The Mongols then successfully stormed the walls of Volohai while its defenders were busy with the numerous fires. Another tactic employed by the Mongols during one of their many campaigns against the Chinese was to round up women, children, and old men from the countryside and bring them before their army as a human shield so that the defenders on the walls would not fire.

Despite his intelligence, Genghis Khan realized that he could not depend on deception forever. He needed to address weaknesses within the Mongol military. Siege equipment and techniques were to be added to the swift and bloodthirsty Mongol hordes.

Genghis Khan was always willing to learn from the civilizations he conquered, including the arts of war. He ordered each tribe under him to assemble siege equipment and learn how to use and transport it. In addition to these technical advances, he raised an elite corps of professional commanders who would devote themselves to training for war. This innovation in their command structure surpassed the long tradition of Mongol warriors who, despite their wicked skills, were amateurs. They followed orders as long as victory was near, but grew restless at setbacks or failures. Wanting only easy loot, the traditional Mongol warrior hadn’t put much thought into long-term strategies. The new command corps would provide the structure and discipline necessary to transform the Mongol warriors into a versatile and adaptable force.

Genghis Khan also understood that an army is supported by its society, and he allowed Mongolian civil society to advance with the help of codified laws that he ordered his adviser and scribe Tatatungo to write. The newly written Mongol code called for all men to work and always be ready for battle, stated that even a leader was subject to law, insisted that all religions be tolerated and even respected, and that the rights and responsibilities of women on the management of family assets should be considerably expanded. This inclusion of women in running society as opposed to outright oppression allowed Mongolian society to function while men were at war. Genghis Khan did not allow the strict patriarchy to weaken his army. His codification and application of written laws also promoted discussion and judgment within Mongol society to resolve disputes rather than the petty wars that had been raging permanently for countless generations. With Mongol society now enjoying a higher level of peace, it would be able to better maintain the engines of conquest.

With the natural talents of the Mongol warriors now enhanced by strategic thinking, professional leadership, and siege technology, the many kingdoms of Asia would soon collapse under the hooves of the nomadic masses turned conquerors. Even with such power at his disposal, Genghis Khan did not strike out without thinking. He is well known for his cunning use of terror. He cultivated a reputation so hideous that cities and kingdoms surrendered to him rather than be assaulted by his bloodthirsty hordes. Genghis Khan required total and immediate submission to bestow mercy on him. Any resistance invited brutal horrors. Although he does not condone the slaughter and plunder of his armies, his conscious use of terror was a well-thought-out practice that often brought him an efficient victory without wasting the lives of his soldiers and wasting resources and time.

The Mongols under Genghis Khan were such a colossal force that resistance was almost always futile. The fierce and highly skilled Mongol warriors seemed unrivaled on the open battlefield. Mongol warriors were magnificent horsemen and capable of shooting arrows while riding. The speed and precision of this highly mobile force could outmaneuver and outmaneuver almost anyone they encountered. The Turks hoped that Samarkand, the great city on the Silk Road, would hold out against the Mongols for at least a year, but even with 100,000 Turkish fighters to defend it, the Mongols were able to put the great city to the sword after only three years. days. A ruthless slaughter descended on Samarkand for having the audacity to resist Genghis Khan, but he showed mercy to those within the city who sided with him, and, thoughtful as ever, spared the artisans and laborers who were killed. useful to the Mongols.

Even with such glorious successes to his name, Genghis Khan felt the inevitable pressure to provide his people with new success, and for the Mongols this meant new victories and spoils. Historian Peter Brent, author of “Genghis Khan: The Rise, Authority, and Decline of Mongol Power” described this hungry cycle of continual warfare as the “debauchery of conquest.”

The empire created by Genghis Khan and maintained by a few generations of his heirs was truly epic in scale. It imposed the will of a nomadic people on the glorious towers of civilization, and millions of people, from Chinese kings to Russian peasants to Persian traders, lived in fear of Mongol invasions during the 12th and 13th centuries. Genghis Khan lived between 1167 and 1227, and is truly one of the most impressive figures in history. Clever and ruthless, but a thoughtful administrator who managed his society on many levels, Genghis Khan was always a larger-than-life figure, even to his contemporaries. Taller than most men and famous for his handsome beard, he received countless tributes and literally plundered the world’s rich. It is unknown if he took any of his wealth to his grave. The location of his grave remains unknown. Rest somewhere among the cold hills of Mongolia.