In the 13th century, there was a huge empire in the world, and its territory encompassed almost the entire eurasian continent. This vast empire was the Mongol Empire created by Genghis Khan.
The reason why the Mongol Empire was able to occupy such a vast territory was because of the strong combat effectiveness of the Mongol army. The Mongol cavalry swept across the entire Eurasian continent like a whirlwind, and its powerful combat power brought the world at that time to the feet of the Mongol Empire. So how spectacular was the size of the brave and warlike Mongol cavalry when they went out?
1. The Mongol cavalry
In medieval Europe, there was a word used to describe the Mongol army, and that was "whirlwind". In the hands of Genghis Khan, this force became the most powerful force in the world at that time. But this force is not won by quantity, and the size is not very large.
People usually think of nomadic troops as a ragtag bunch of unorganized and undisciplined people, but the Mongol cavalry under Genghis Khan was different. This force is extremely disciplined and is usually outnumbered in battle than the enemy.
According to the organizational system that Genghis Khan shaped for the Mongol army, a standard Mongol cavalry usually consisted of three columns, and the number of each column was about 10,000 people.
There are also several levels of organizational units under this column. It was precisely because of such a strict organizational system that Genghis Khan made the Mongol army exert its amazing combat effectiveness. And each Mongol cavalry did not go out on a single horse when they went out on the expedition, usually carrying a few extra horses, and there were also a large number of mares to accompany them.
Second, extremely "horse-consuming" battles
According to historical records, when a Mongol army went out on a campaign, the total strength of the army never exceeded 250,000, and at this time, these 250,000 people could still attack the city after a long-distance raid, which was determined by the special configuration of the Mongol army. The Mobility of the Mongol Army was unmatched, but such a powerful maneuver came at a cost, and that was a particularly large loss of horses.
Although a Mongol army will not have a large number of soldiers actually engaged in the course of combat at the time of the expedition, generally not more than 250,000 people. Each soldier would carry an additional four or five horses, which meant that 250,000 soldiers would carry nearly 1 million horses.
Moreover, in the process of fighting, the Mongol army involved high-difficulty tactics such as detours and interspersed, and the requirements for the state of the horses were particularly high, and when fighting, it must be a horse in its heyday to give full play to the combat strength of the Mongolian army.
At that time, the war horses of the Mongol army were mainly relatively short Mongolian horses with extremely strong endurance, but even the Mongolian horses could not stand the long-distance attacks of the Mongol army.
In order to ensure the speed of the army's march and the combat strength, each Mongol soldier would carry four or five spare horses in addition to the horses he rode. The role of these four or five spare horses was to replace the Mongol soldiers at any time during the long journey. And once the horses were cut by the enemy during the battle, the Mongol soldiers could change horses at any time so that they would not be left behind by large troops.
Third, the Mongol army dragging the family and the mouth
The Mongols are a nomadic people, and the nomadic people are characterized by having no fixed place to live and relocating their families at any time. Therefore, in the time of Genghis Khan, when The Mongol soldiers went out on expeditions, they usually brought their families with them, and these people added up to nearly 400,000 to 500,000 people. It can be said that the Mongol army was "dragging the family with the mouth" when it went out on the expedition, and all the members went into battle. Therefore, the size of the Mongol army was large, and the Mongol army would not set up logistics specifically.
On the one hand, when each Mongol soldier carried a long-distance raid, most of the warhorses carried were mares, and the soldiers could rely on the mare's milk to feed their hunger, which reduced the requirements for food and grass security; on the other hand, when the Mongol army went out, the soldiers' families would also accompany them, and these family members would act as logistics.
These accompanying families were not completely incapacitated, and after Genghis Khan unified the Mongol tribes, the Mongols began to transform from a nomadic people to a "fighting people". Waging foreign wars and wanton plundering has become the basis for the survival of the Mongols, and grazing has become secondary.
In this context, all Mongols were born to serve the war. According to historical records, the three- and four-year-old children of the Mongols have begun to receive military training, and these children have also formed a special combat unit, which is the reserve source of the Mongolian army. And each woman is responsible for setting up tents, collecting and unloading saddle horses, and rewing. These families will also follow with cattle and sheep, which can be used for dairy products or slaughtered as military food.
Therefore, when each soldier goes out on a campaign, the family members he carries are also the reserve force of this unit. Taking the Mongol army's war against the Khwarazm State as an example, in this battle, Mongolia was fully involved, regardless of men, women and children.
Soldiers are attacking cities, tribesmen are grazing and living on the spot, in order to ensure the logistics and life of the troops, and they are constantly multiplying during the battle. Such a Mongol army was not only suitable for long-distance raids, but also had a strong continuity in terms of combat effectiveness.
Fourth, there is no indestructible siege equipment
At the beginning, the Mongol tribes were just scattered sand, and the tribes were constantly engaged in civil wars. But since Genghis Khan unified the tribes, the nation has exerted great fighting power.
But the Mongols were a nomadic people before, and although they had strong fighting power, they had a huge gap with the Central Plains Dynasty in terms of manufacturing technology. When launching foreign wars, Genghis Khan found that the Invincible Mongol cavalry in the steppe could not do anything when they encountered the tall walls of the Central Plains Dynasty cities, so Genghis Khan learned the manufacturing process of siege machinery from the Central Plains. These siege equipment was originally used by the Central Plains Dynasty to resist the Mongol cavalry attack on the city, and under the use of the Mongol army, it became an indestructible siege weapon.
In the time of Genghis Khan, the Mongol army would carry ladders, stone shooters, crossbows and even "hot weapons" such as gunpowder and rockets when they went out on expeditions. Many times the Mongol army would also use local materials and cut down local trees to make these siege equipment.
It was these elaborate siege instruments that shocked the medieval European countries, and with the help of these siege instruments, the Mongol army easily broke through the tall walls of European countries.
Such an army with long-distance attack capabilities and heavy firepower was a near-invincible presence for that era. Moreover, the Mongol army also maintained a high ability to innovate, and often modified these siege equipment according to the actual situation of the battlefield to make it more suitable for the actual battlefield.
It was by relying on such an army that Genghis Khan was invincible, and in less than 20 years, he successively destroyed the Liao State, the Flower Thorn Model State, the Golden State, and the Western Xia, and sounded the battle horn against Europe.
Text/Leyu
Reference: "The Immediate Logistics of the "Mongolian Whirlwind", Zhang Liansong