Before Genghis Khan unified the steppe, there was no writing, and all communication was transmitted through oral information. It was not until 1206 AD, after Genghis Khan completely unified the steppe, that he discovered the importance of writing, so he ordered people to create their own scripts.
The Mongolian script was founded by a captive, and after the prisoner created the script, Genghis Khan was so proud that the first time he used his own script, he ordered his generals: first give the Western Xia a copy of the war book.
However, Genghis Khan's war book with its own words not only failed to shock the Western Xia, but also was ridiculed.
In 1204, genghis Khan took only a few months to wipe out the Naimanbu.
After the elimination of the Naimanbu, it means that Genghis Khan has no opponents in the steppe, and the whole grassland is his territory, such a feat, for thousands of years, although Genghis Khan's ancestors have been working hard, no one has ever achieved it.
At this time, Genghis Khan, only 42 years old, was full of ambition, feeling that his brilliant feats could stand in the annals of history, and he should record his achievements in words for future generations to remember.
This was the inspiration that Genghis Khan had learned from the process of eliminating the Naimanbu. The Naimanbu were the most powerful tribe in the steppe at that time, and the level of civilization was already very high, not only living a semi-settled life, but also their own writing.
After Genghis Khan captured the Nabhu Minister Tata Tong'a, he also decided to let him create a script for himself. Tata Tong'a was a wise man of the Nai Man Tribe, who not only knew the Wu'er script, but also the Chinese language.
At first, Tata tong'a wanted to create a Mongolian script based on the Chinese script, but Genghis Khan felt that Chinese characters were too difficult to write, so he ordered him to create a Mongolian script based on the Wu'er script.
It is precisely because of the Mongolian script that there is the "Secret History of Mongolia", a book that records the deeds of Genghis Khan, and only then can we understand the history of that time. Our current study of Genghis Khan is also based on the Secret History of Mongolia. All this is due to Genghis Khan's long-term vision at that time and the creation of writing.
Unfortunately, the Mongolian script did not bring benefits to Genghis Khan's descendants, because Genghis Khan's descendants did not like to learn, were not interested in culture, and eventually became too chaotic in governing the country, leaving the Yuan Dynasty short-lived in history.
After Genghis Khan became the lord of the steppe, the Great Mongolian State he established was not recognized by the surrounding countries, which forced Genghis Khan to find a way to establish good relations with the surrounding countries.
Since the Western Xia controlled the Silk Road and trade was developed, Genghis Khan had to import some daily necessities from the Western Xia in order to meet the living needs of the herders on the grasslands.
At this time, Genghis Khan had no diplomatic experience, and he did not despise any diplomatic means. Genghis Khan, who had been growing up in the war, knew very well that the best way to make others submit was to make others afraid of him, and this method was to use force.
After having the text, Genghis Khan also believed that in dealing with others, it was necessary to first salute and then soldiers, so he ordered someone to issue a war book to Li Safe, the emperor of Western Xia. The tone of this battle book is very blunt, which roughly means:
I am Genghis Khan of the Great Mongol Kingdom, you are the Emperor of the Western Xia, and your country is too small to need someone to protect you. I can protect you, but only if you bow down to me.
Of course, no one in Western Xia could understand this battle book under Genghis Khan, and under the translation of Genghis Khan's emissaries, Li An, the Emperor of Western Xia, understood Genghis Khan's meaning, and his heart was very uncomfortable, and in front of Genghis Khan's emissaries, he mocked Genghis Khan as a barbarian and did not recognize his status at all.
The war book for the Western Xia was only to prove to the world that the Mongols already had writing, and he did not care about the attitude of the Western Xia to himself. After the unification of the steppe, Genghis Khan's strength increased greatly, not only with great wealth, but also with the most powerful cavalry in the world, attacking Western Xia, has long entered his plan.
However, we can also see from this war book that Genghis Khan was really not good at diplomacy at that time. Or, Genghis Khan didn't want to have a good relationship with Western Xia at all.
References: The Secret History of Mongolia, Manuscripts of the History of Western Xia