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The Mongol cavalry was created by Genghis Khan as a well-trained, disciplined, tactically flexible, intelligent and courageous whirlwind force. The following Sinology Talk Xiaobian brought relevant content to everyone and shared it with you.
In the long history of rising and falling, I am afraid that there is no century, like the thirteenth century, that makes people think of it now. This is because the thirteenth century was a century that belonged to the Mongols. Since the unification of the entire Mongolian steppe, the Mongol Iron Horse has almost swept across the entire Eurasian continent. In particular, the Second Western Expedition, its troops pointed directly at Venice, an important commercial center in Europe at that time. Of course, in the Asian region, the Mongolian Iron Horse did not stop its own expansion, after several generations of Mongolian Khans management and efforts, the Mongolian Iron Horse finally completely swept away the Western Xia, Jin and Southern Song Dynasties, which were distributed in the vast southern desert region.
When we look back at this history of iron and blood in the thirteenth century, we can find that the Mongol iron horse is almost invincible everywhere it goes. Even if these dynasties were founded militarily, they would not be able to escape the sanctions of the Mongol Iron Horse in the end. For example, the once mighty Jin Dynasty, under the iron horse of the Mongols, lasted only 23 years. The Southern Song Dynasty, which was weaker than the Jin Dynasty, resisted the Mongol iron horse for 45 years at that time. So, why did it take 45 years for the once invincible Mongol Iron Horse to completely destroy the Southern Song Dynasty?
What kind of concept is it that the Southern Song Dynasty persisted under the iron horse of the Mongols for 45 years? In this nearly half a century, the Southern Song Dynasty became a witness to the rise and division of the Mongol Empire. Under such circumstances, not only Chinese scholars, but even Western scholars, but also marveled that this dynasty of literary prosperity and decline was able to persist under the mongols' military front for nearly half a century. Especially compared with the rapid death of the Jin Dynasty, the persistence of the Southern Song Dynasty can be called a miracle for many scholars. Of course, there are many reasons behind the reason why the Southern Song Dynasty did not perish rapidly under the fierce attack of the Mongol Iron Horse like the Jin Dynasty.
First of all, we cannot deny that the Song Dynasty lasted for three hundred years, although it has been prosperous and declining. However, the Song Dynasty army, especially the Southern Song Army, can be called a strong army that is rare in the world at that time. This situation lies in the fact that the Song Dynasty accumulated considerable experience in defensive warfare in the course of confrontation with the northern powers in the course of confrontation with the northern powers for hundreds of years. Moreover, the defensive equipment of the Southern Song Army at that time, after continuous practice testing, can be said to be very mature. Especially at that time, although it was the era of cold weapons, the military application of gunpowder can be said to be very extensive. According to the relevant records of the Song Dynasty's "Records of Defending the City", the Xiangyang garrison of the Southern Song Dynasty at that time had advanced defensive equipment. In the middle of this are advanced weapons such as gunpowder arrows, thunderbolt cannons, and fire bulls. This is also an important reason why the Mongol army could not conquer many southern Song army fortresses for a long time.
At the same time, the terrain of the southern region was not conducive to the Mongol army at that time, which quickly attacked the Southern Song Dynasty. As a people on horseback, the Mongol cavalry is arguably the most powerful in history, which has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that if you encounter field battles, then almost no one can be the opponent of the Mongolian Iron Horse. But once encountering complex terrain, as well as water battles. Well, it was a nightmare for the Mongols. Because of the complex water system in the Yangtze River Basin and the complex mountainous areas in the western region at that time, the Mongol army fell into confrontation with the Song army for a long time.
Especially in the Diaoyu City and Xiangyang area, the Song army and the Mongol army at that time were in a long confrontation. At that time, the Mongol Great Khan Möngke, who was on an expedition to the Southern Song Dynasty, fell into a dilemma in the Diaoyu City at that time, and eventually died in the Diaoyu City. This is also an important reason why Kublai Khan detoured to Dali at that time and detoured to encircle the Southern Song Dynasty. Because, for the Mongol army at that time, the northern front that the Southern Song Dynasty operated for many years was always an important line of defense that could not be easily broken.
Secondly, the internal contradictions in Mongolia at that time also bought respite for the Southern Song Dynasty. Especially in the process of the second conquest of the Song Dynasty, because of the sudden death of Möngke, it led to the retreat of the Mongol army at that time. Moreover, this was followed by a struggle for the throne within Mongolia and a split in the Mongol Empire. Under such circumstances, the Southern Song Dynasty relied on the wealth of the Jiangnan region, and soon after, it was able to restore and strengthen, and the defense of the original area greatly delayed the pace of the Mongol attack.
The Southern Song Dynasty, in the face of the Mongol Iron Horse, insisted on for nearly half a century, which can be said to be an extremely rare presence in the history of the Mongols in the thirteenth century. Although the Southern Song Dynasty eventually inevitably went to extinction, from a certain point of view, the enemies faced by the Southern Song Dynasty were too powerful. But even so, the Southern Song Dynasty was still close to the last person, although it could not turn the tide, but this forty-five years of fighting spirit is worthy of continuous remembrance by future generations.
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