The Mongol army, however, did not remain static, rather, it constantly evolved as the situation demanded. When he faced fortified cities in northern China, he added carious catapults and siege machines that his men could disassemble into sections and carry on pack animals. When needed engineer and medical skills were not available within his own ranks, he conscripted or captured experts from other countries.

The gold coin issued by the People's Republic of China in memory of Gengis Khan.

Terror, both as a psychological tool and as a characteristic of the warfare of the time, played an important role in Khan's tactics. His army rarely took prisoners, often butchering civilians as well as soldiers as they captured cities. So fearful did the Mongol reputation become that potential enemies often fled rather than attempt to stand against Khan's "barbaric hordes."

Once Khan had eliminated all opposition in his native territory and effectively established the Mongol nation, he looked elsewhere to expand his empire. In 1206 he invaded China and within two tears breached the "Great Wall." Through systematic offensives, he defeated all of China by 1215 and in 1218 added the peninsula of Korea to his empire.

In 1219, in retaliation for the murder of Mongol traders, he turned his army westward against the Turks and soon captured the region that today includes Iraq, Iran, and western Turkestan. Khan then attacked and occupied the area of modern northern India and Pakistan. With the territories to his south and west under his control, Khan invaded Russia in 1222 and occupied lands from the Persian Gulf to the Arctic Ocean.

Although Khan plundered and murdered all across Asia, he did not neglect the people of a defeated country who had managed to survive the initial onslaught. He established viable governments, often with local officials left in charge, and ensured the availability of ample food and security for all as well as allowing prevailing religious observances to continue without persecution. As caring in peace as he was vicious in war, he left many of the Mongol-occupied areas and defeated local inhabitants to experience an improvement in their quality of life.

By 1226, Genghis Khan ruled an empire that stretched from Poland in the west to Korea in the east and from Vietnam in the south to Russia's Arctic Ocean shores in the north. Yet it was not complacency that slowed the Mongol leader; it was age. Over sixty and in failing health, he attempted to return to Mongolia from a campaign to put down a revolt in China but died during his journey. Shortly before his death, he placed one of his sons in charge of the army and directed his to slaughter the Chinese rebels after their defeat.

Gengis Khan's mausoleum in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Khan's empire lasted for more than 150 years after his death due to able leadership by his sons and grandsons. Both within and outside Asia, the name Genghis Khan remains synonymous with world domination and military might. His accomplishments were vast and lasting, and his military skills were superior in every manner. He easily ranks as one of the all-time most influential military leaders in history, eclipsed only by George Washington, Napoleon I, and Alexander the Great.

(Text: ub-mongolia.mn / Photo: baidu.com)

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