Genghis Khan
A Powerful Man
Battle Strategies
Genghis Khan used a lot of great battle strategies. The night before a battle, each of the men in an army will light a fire. But the night before Genghis Khan's battle with Jamuka, when people from Jamuka were watching, Genghis Khan ordered all of his men to light 5 fires. By doing that he made his army appear way larger than it was, this is called psychological warfare, which not a lot of armies did back then. During battle his army would start a couple of rows at a time, saving people for later. The other armies would all charge at the same time. Another thing Genghis Khan would do was, put his prisoners at the front of a battle. Using these new and different techniques definitely helped his empire grow.
flickr photo by Thomas's Pics http://flickr.com/photos/60900612@N08/9285812653 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license
Fighting the Chinese
His campaign to China took 6 years. When they reached China they started taking people as prisoners. When they arrived Beijing there was a problem, there was a wall in between the Chinese and the Mongols. So they set up their yurts and waited. While they were waiting they learned some new technology from Chinese engineers. When the time was right they battled using catapults and arrows. However the Chinese had more technology and responded with bombs. As Genghis Khan's army started climbing up the wall, the Chinese Commander commited suicide which ended the battle.
What They Learned From the Chinese
After their battle with the Chinese, the Mongols learned new technology and medical care, through the Chinese. Genghis Khan ordered his followers to create a record of all his rules and judgements. Then Genghis Khan built Karakorum, a place for his people to trade. Genghis Khan wanted to exchange his conquest west, but not by war, by trade. He sent men to Persia creating the first pony express. One day one of his men returned with a package for him, inside was the head of Genghis Khan's ambassador. After that he sent his army to Persia to battle.