Genghis Khan.

Mariana cordoba

History HL

28-nov-16

Genghis Khan: A great leader

Genghis Khan is recognized as one of the historical characters with more training and organization on the battlefield. It was not only his determination that achieved that his ideals on the battle transcend until today but were the different tactics he implemented. Since he was a baby, Genghis was born in a society that demanded great warriors to develop several skills in order to survive. His potential in order to become a great leader was shown at an early age when he escaped from Tartugal’s army (an enemy who was first an ally of his father) by hiding in a cart loaded with wool and later escape on horseback even though they speared him in his leg showing his ability to survive giving him a lot of followers and his leadership started to be notice when he defeated Targutal’s army.

Genghis knew he was not going to be successful on his own so he started forming alliances with the Khongirad Khan from he claimed his bride and with the Keralt Khan defeating the Merkits tribe. Due to his incredible skills, he was elected as the Borjigin Khan. He built a regular army based on the decimal system and established his communications branch to receive and deliver messages. This was considered as an organization of combat because they move fast, strike hard and finish rapidly. An example was in 1198 when the Chinese emperor Madaku asked to join him to defeat the tartars. One of Khan’s strategies was to surprise his enemy. He surrounded the Tartars in a river by both banks and attacked them. Genghis army used offensive plans as a tactic being named “the raging torrents”.  

He used the tactics of gathering intelligence and anticipating the decisions of his enemy. He saw the enemies’ vulnerabilities and attack fast and hard. He anticipated the events of the battlefield. He preempted several attacks from other tribes after learning of the plot from his intelligence system. Using this, he learned much critical information about the Karzamian Empire before attacking in 1219. Merchants supplemented information gained from scouts and spies. He gave closest attention to details of terrain, fortifications and enemy strengths and weaknesses. Another example of the implementation of this tactic was shown when he fought Jamuga, a Jurist Mongol tribe. Before they concentrated forces, Genghis attacked them. When Jamuga created a second coalition seeking revenge, he obtained unity of effort and sent a spearhead to pretend to flee and he surprised them with an attack showing both his objective and surprise tactics.

He learned to apply the unity of his warriors after one of his allies turned against him. He united his army focusing on training and gaining battle skills. He learned how to be patient in the battle camp. He ensured unity of effort. Genghis communicated his plan to his warrior and assigned different generals. He trusted his generals to make the right decision. He trained his warriors in a rigid way using light cavalry with longbows and sometimes, heavy cavalry.  During his campaign in East Asia, he wanted to defeat the Chinese however he knew their strength so he decided to attack the state of His Hsia because they had experience on the Chinese tactics. He analyzed the tactics of the state and developed special equipment and training for siege warfare achieving one of his great demonstrations of leadership when he attacked and defeated the Chinese army. He also defeated the forces of the Shah attacking them in different cities and surprising the Shah by crossing a dessert being “impassable”. During this, he moved fast to concentrate forces and to attack hard in the most vulnerable point of the enemy. He used mobility and maneuver to defeat his opponent. Also, in the campaign in Eastern Europe, his army used deception as the generals pretended to flee. The Georgian followed them into an ambush where they were defeated. His generals Sabutai and Jebel rode across the Caucasus into Russia. They retreated for some days and then concentrated at one point at a time and disperse the enemy. He also pressed the fight and displayed flexibility in fighting and combined arms and weapons. When they assaulted the Karzamian city of Nishapur in 1221, they brought weapons, catapults and ballista’s pressing the fight until they destroyed the enemy.

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