The Mongol Empire established by Genghis Khan stretched from the Sea of Japan in the east to the Black Sea in the west, spanning Eurasia and covering an area of more than 20 million square kilometers.
This is a miracle in the military history of mankind, and some scholars believe that Sun Tzu is the master of the art of war. Genghis Khan practiced Sun Tzu's art of war in war.
Genghis Khan's army was mainly cavalry, of which light cavalry accounted for 60% and heavy cavalry accounted for 40%.
The light cavalry is flexible and mobile, suitable for being the vanguard force. Heavy cavalry, on the other hand, carried out the work of harvesting heads after the enemy formation was disrupted.
It is also a cavalry, so when the Mongolian iron horse meets the European heavy cavalry, what kind of spark will be wiped out?
In 1241, the Mongol Iron Horse of Genghis Khan met the heavily armored knights of medieval Europe, and the two sides were on the verge of a major war.
This European army was a coalition of three armies, Germanic, Hungarian, and Austrian, representing the strongest fighting force in Europe at that time.
Most Europeans considered this a battle to be won, as the European cavalry was heavily armored and heavily armed. It can be said that the knife and gun are not penetrated.
On the other hand, the Mongol cavalry, wearing only a thin layer of leather clothing, had almost no protective effect, how could they beat us?
However, the facts apparently surprised the Europeans, and the European heavy knights were soon defeated by the Mongol cavalry.
Why?
The first is weapons. The long-range weapons of the Mongol cavalry were mainly bows and arrows. According to the "Record of KaoGong", the Mongolian composite bow is composed of dry horn, beef tendon, glue wire and lacquer, and the production process is complex and durable.
It takes 2 years to make a good Mongolian composite bow, mainly because the materials that make up the bow are glued in different seasons.
This bow can easily penetrate 20cm thick pork chops, with a range of up to 200 meters and high accuracy.
Is this bow still useful in the face of the metal armor of the European heavy cavalry?
There are 2 types of arrows in the Mongolian bow, one of which is large and heavy. The other type of arrow is small and lightweight.
When attacking from a distance, use light arrows, the main target of which is the enemy's horses.
European heavy knights were incapacitated, and the loss of horses would also be lost in combat effectiveness.
Heavy arrows are used at close range, which are heavy and suitable for use as armor-breaking arrows. Some experts have done experiments, this kind of arrow can shoot through the armor of European cavalry, up to a depth of up to 8cm. This can already deal fatal damage to the enemy. Not to mention that medical conditions were poor at that time, and infection was equivalent to being sentenced to death.
The Mongolian compound bow is powerful, but it also requires superb archers. Mongolian children began to play with bows at the age of seven or eight, and were already masters of bows and arrows at the age of seventeen or eighteen. With this compound bow that is a dozen a quasi.
What's more, the Mongol cavalry generally entered 50 meters away from the enemy before shooting arrows, and the shooting accuracy could be guaranteed.
The melee weapons of the Mongol cavalry were mainly bone.
You may be unfamiliar with this weapon, which is a stick with a head similar to a garlic head and made of metal.
Bone
When used, it uses gravity to hammer enemies, but this weapon requires a lot of strength on the user.
The Mongol soldiers had good physical fitness, learned martial arts since childhood, and wrestled. In terms of strength, it is enough to control this weapon.
When facing heavy armor, even the sharpest blade can only draw a mark. The blunt object can cause serious internal injuries to the attacker through the conduction of force.
Some experts have done experiments, put a whole piece of pork chops with European medieval armor, and then hit them with bones, and the result is that the spine of the pig is broken, which shows the great power.
This weapon was effective against heavily armed European heavy cavalry.
Of course, only the weapons of the hand were not enough, and the Mongol legions could not win without their superb tactics.
In the face of European heavy cavalry, they first used light cavalry to harass, simply put, to fight and run, European heavy cavalry because of their own weight, in terms of speed is not as fast as the Mongol cavalry.
After chasing for a while, it was necessary to stop and rest, and as soon as they took a breath, the Mongol cavalry came back to kill again. After several repetitions, the European heavy cavalry could not be physically supported.
The Mongol soldiers could do whatever they wanted at this time. They dragged the heavily armored knights off their horses, stripped them of their armor, cut off their heads, and took them back for merit.
Riding the battlefield of Europe, the invincible heavy cavalry has ended up in such a fate, which is really regrettable.
As the saying goes, one thing drops one thing, and the tactics of the Mongol light cavalry completely restrained the European heavy cavalry.
Another necessary condition for the use of this tactic is horses with strong endurance.
The horses of the Mongol army were all ponies, with good endurance, strong survivability, low requirements for food, and could withstand the cold of -40 degrees, suitable for long-distance marching.
The horses of the European armies were tall and physically strong, but because of the heavy knights and their own vests, the weight was too large, and the sprint speed was not as good as the Mongolian horses.
Of course, Mongolian horses also have tired times. The Mongol cavalry also had a response to this.
The rear of the Mongol army would be followed by a large number of Mongol horses, and the horses of the cavalry would be replaced when they were physically weak, and sometimes even in battle. Ask who can stand this wheel war.
Mongolian horse
With the brave and warlike Mongolian warriors, the endurance of the Mongolian horse, the penetrating Mongolian compound bow, and the armor-breaking artifact "Bone Flower". The Mongol army swept across Eurasia, leaving behind myths of war.