Genghis Khan, a Mongol beggar, in 1206, established the Great Mongolian State at the source of the Nan River, and Genghis Khan was an outstanding military figure and statesman in world history.
Why did the Mongol Iron Horse led by Genghis Khan sweep across Eurasia? What is his superiority?
Fight for survival and for resources
First of all, let's analyze why Genghis Khan was eager to attack the Southern Song Dynasty.
Genghis Khan rushed to attack the Southern Song Dynasty, not for power, nor for territory, but for survival.
In order to survive, because the northern region is mostly desert areas, water sources are scarce, resources are scarce, so the nomadic people in the north are living a nomadic life, where there are resources to move to wherever they are, so there are many tribal conflicts. The Southern Song Dynasty occupies a vast central plains region, where there is fertile land and suitable climate, water sources are sufficient, and the possibility of major natural disasters is relatively small, so the Central Plains region has been an important grain production area in China since ancient times, and the geographical location of the Central Plains is very important, which is a place where soldiers and families of all generations must compete. Genghis Khan could not have let go of this place.
Genghis Khan once said, "Let everywhere the grass be covered with grass my herding land." "It shows how simple but great Genghis Khan's ambitions were.
Before Genghis Khan unified the Mongols, it was a small vassal state of the Jin Dynasty, with a small sphere of influence and weak strength, and was often excluded and oppressed by the Jin Kingdom.
The heroic and unrestrained character of the Mongolian people, the fierce folk style,
Let them not allow others to bully them.
Genghis Khan once said: "When my strength is not enough, I have to endure, against my heart!" ”
On the other hand, the thinking of the Mongols was also constantly improving, and in the process of contact with the Han people and the Song Dynasty, he realized that if he did not plunder and not start a war, then his power would become weaker, he would be annexed, and he would starve to death.
Therefore, Genghis Khan has to fight this battle, and if he doesn't fight, he has to fight, and if he fights, there is still a glimmer of life.
If you don't fight, there are only two endings, one is to starve to death, and the other is to be annexed by other countries such as the Jin Dynasty and the Western Xia.
Has first-class generals
It is also inconceivable to say that Genghis Khan and his descendants took 200,000 people on a campaign, first swept through the powerful Jin Dynasty, then killed Hua Lazimo, and finally destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, and then swept through Eurasia, hitting the Black Sea coast of Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
In the fourth year of Song Jiading (1211), Genghis Khan personally led a large army to cut gold, and annihilated a large number of elite Jin troops at Yehuling (northwest of present-day Wanquan, Hebei) and Huihe Fort (southeast of present-day Huai'an), and then defeated more than 100,000 Jin troops at Huailai Jinshan, and the speed and combat effectiveness of the Mongol army made the Jin army feel afraid, because the Mongol army was good at exerting the superiority of cavalry, so it was known as the "Mongolian whirlwind". After sweeping through the living forces of the Jin army, in the tenth year of Jiading (1217), Genghis Khan led the main force back to Mongolia to prepare for the western expedition.
In the second year of Baoqing (1226), the Mongols launched a large-scale war to destroy Xia, and in July of the following year, the late Xia Emperor Li Xi surrendered and was killed, and Western Xia was destroyed.
In the eleventh year of Song Jiading (1218), Genghis Khan sent Zhebi to take the lead in destroying the Western Liaoju forces and clearing the obstacles to the Western Expedition, and the following year, on the pretext that the Haier Khan of Huarazimo killed 499 Mongol merchants, for the purpose of military expansion and plundering of property, he personally led 200,000 troops to march westward.
The Mongol army is a nomadic people, from a young age to learn to ride a horse archery, training a good martial art, so from the overall point of view, the strength of the Mongolian army is very strong, and Genghis Khan is a gifted military genius, to create a powerful Mongolian iron horse, the troop discipline is strict, the men are loyal to their duties, Genghis Khan often hangs on the lips of a sentence:
"Without iron discipline, chariots don't drive far."
He fought more than sixty battles in his life, almost never failed, how could he sweep across Eurasia? So what did he rely on?
The Mongol army used first-class weapons and equipment
This is the most commonly used bow and arrow by the Mongols -
Mongolian bow
The Mongols are good at riding and shooting, this kind of bow and arrow is almost a must for everyone, but the Mongol army brought to the battlefield is not only this ordinary bow and arrow, this is a combination bow and arrow, so when this combination bow and arrow is tightened, its killing range can reach three hundred meters, can penetrate a very thick armor,
This combination bow and arrow can be used on a large scale, with long range and large lethality.
On the battlefield, it was invincible and frightening the enemy, but the most important weapons of the Mongol army were more than this.
This is the sabre that the Mongols wear with them --
Mongolian sabre
, only thirty centimeters long, the appearance is small and exquisite, but the lethality can not be underestimated, its knife tip is very sharp, if hit the key, it can be done with the knife to kill, the Mongol bow and arrow and machete are very special, if used well, it can often get miraculous effects on the battlefield.
At this point, you may ask, bows and arrows, machetes, other countries also have ah, the Mongol army's advantage of having bows and arrows and machetes will be greatly offset, why can the Mongol army be invincible?
The real secret weapon of the Mongol army, this is a kind of huge cannon that they have worked so hard to get from the western region --
Back to the cannon
, the history books have recorded,
Once this giant cannon is activated, it is a sonic shock to the heavens and the earth, and the carboxy base is indestructible and seven feet into the ground.
Seven feet is two meters three, you can see how powerful the back giant cannon is, imagine, the back to the giant cannon muzzle pointed to the city, even if the city wall is thicker than two or three meters, so the Mongol army siege is not more relaxed, and the Mongolian army also re-transformed the back giant cannon, the original back giant cannon range is only about one hundred meters, and after the transformation of the range can reach two hundred meters,
When the Mongols defeated the Song army at Xiangyang City, the Hui Giant Cannon played an important role.
First-class cavalry units, first-class tactics
The Mongol army fought, was known for its "fastness", and was called the "whirlwind force" by Europeans.
In 1219 AD, Genghis Khan and Tetsubetsu fought a fabulous battle, when they were attacking the city of Khwarazm, because the fortifications in the city were strong and could not be attacked for a long time, Zhebetsu first withdrew the army to 500 miles away, so that the defenders thought that the Mongol army would not attack the city for the time being, so that the defenders relaxed their vigilance. As a result, the defenders in the city really let down their vigilance when they saw this scene, and the only thing waiting for them was failure, because they certainly did not expect that the Mongol army could march 500 miles in one night, and suddenly appeared under the city the next morning, and the defenders in the city were caught off guard, and the Mongol army captured the city.
The Mongol army could march 500 miles in one night, relying on flexible tactics, and the Mongol army marched unusually fast because their cavalry was too strong, first of all, the horses their cavalry rode
Mongolian horse
Although this kind of horse is short, but it is very flexible to run, strong in physique, hardy, suitable for long-distance travel, so this is very advantageous for the long-distance combat of the Mongol army; the Mongolian army's mode of combat is also known for its speed, the heavy cavalry charges forward, and the light cavalry moves back and forth on both wings, forming an encirclement with the heavy cavalry on the front, constantly attacking the enemy, so the Mongol army often has the upper hand on the battlefield, which is called by posterity
"Mongolian Shooting Method"
。
Genghis Khan took his military talents to the extreme, and he created a whirlwind force with first-class equipment, first-class tactics and first-class discipline, so that he could win victories in battles large and small, invincible, and victorious in every battle.
However, Genghis Khan was not able to fulfill his wish, and at the time of his death he was still unable to unify the world, but his descendants fulfilled his wish and realized the grand blueprint for world domination.
Comrade Mao Zedong called Genghis Khan "a generation of heavenly pride";
MacArthur said: "His success overshadowed the achievements of most commanders in history";
Napoleon said: "I am not as good as Genghis Khan, his four tigers are all vying to serve him, I have no such good luck".