Understanding The Origin of The Mongol War and The Implemented Defense Strategy

This investigation will answer to what extent the Mongols used their military tactics to their advantage when trying to conquer other nations. Documents such as journal entries and second hand experiences have been analyzed for information, credibility, and value and put together to form an analysis of this portion of Mongol history.

The Mongols’ War/Defense System Soe:

The Mongols used their well developed battle strategy to conquer civilizations around them and gain more land and resources for their empire. They were one of the fastest warriors of the time period and lost fewer soldiers because of their ability to snipe the opposing enemy before they would be in range to fight with swords. They used silk to make their armor because it would not rip easily, but when it did, it would tear a whole piece of the fabric off that could be used to pop the arrow back out of the skin. The Mongols also used trickery in battle to confuse their enemy. For example, in the battle of Leignitz, where the Mongols were said to have defeated the Teutonic Knights and Polish Army combined, the Mongol Army sent a warrior through the Polish ranks in a Polish uniform screaming to retreat, tricking the army into thinking that it was a friend telling them to retreat, not an enemy, so they turned and fled . They also carried a flag filled with a noxious gas that, whenever shaken sent out a cloud of foul gas. When the Polish Army brought their best warriors forward, the Mongols retreated 100 paces while the flag bearer shook the flag and spread the gas over the army while the Mongol foot soldiers charged and slaughtered the soldiers that are gagging and struggling to stay upright, let alone fight . This trickery helped the Mongols win the battle because it caused a distraction for the opposing army that gave a chance for the Mongols to regroup and launch a counterattack. Also, they can distract the opposing army with a simple trick and slaughter half of the present soldiers without losing a single man. The Mongols also were also famous for their archery skill. With their new tactic, they could attack their enemies from a distance and wipe out a good chunk of their opponents before they have a chance to strike back . This is very helpful because they could strike the enemy from a place where they could not be hit back and not have the fear of being hit while firing an arrow. The Mongols were notorious for their innovative battle tactics that revolutionized the way nations tried to conquer one another.

The origin of this source is a soldier’s journal that was written on the battle of Legnica. The author’s purpose was to record his recollection of the battle and share his experience and impressions while fighting in the Mongol army in the battle of Legnica. This source is very valuable because it provides pictures and diagrams to enhance the ability of the author to thoroughly explain the article to its viewers. There is a map of the battlefield and which sides held which spots on the grounds. There are also quotes from soldiers and statistics to show the power and strength of each side and how the soldiers felt. Most importantly, there is an article written by a soldier that describes the scene at a battle, the horror and splendor of war and what happened while at war. The limitations of this source are its inability to show both sides of the battle. The person who wrote this entry is on the Mongol’s side and they have a very distinct point of view on the issue, so he cannot give an accurate account of how the battle was according to the Persian soldier. He was also not impartial because he was on was one of the sides of the army, so he was biased towards his own side.

"The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History." was compiled by the Columbia University; specifically a group called Asia for Educators, who specialize in world history, geography, and cultural studies for students and teachers to better understand the world of the Mongols. The purpose of this source is to inform people about the Mongol empire in Asia and what they did as a collective group of people. This source is valuable because it helps people who did not live in that culture understand why people in the Mongol Empire lived and what their life was like. The limitations of this source is its lack of how people in countries conquered by the Mongols felt about the Empire.

Data Analysis

The Mongols had an advanced war strategy that they used to conquer other civilizations around the world. For example, in the battle of Leignica, they used trickery to fool their opponents into thinking they had to retreat or some other trick to confuse or send their opponents into disarray. This was incredibly helpful, because no one else in that time had thought of using any tricks like that, nor had they considered how to defend themselves from any such attack. For example, the Mongols, when they were falling behind in battle, sent one of their own soldiers, dressed up as one of their opponents, run through the enemy lines screaming to retreat. This was incredibly beneficiary in battle because they could make their opponents flee from absolutely nothing, giving the Mongols a chance to gain ground, as well take a small break and recover . Also in that battle, the Mongols had a special flag placed in the middle of the army that was filled with a noxious gas and when the elite band of soldiers came to battle, the flag bearer shook the flag violently and the gas flew into the opposing soldier’s faces , blinding them and making them incapable of battle. When this was achieved, the Mongol warriors would charge in and slaughter the impaired soldiers . This was very useful when trying to conquer civilizations because they could quickly come in and kill all of the opposing soldiers and take the town without losing too many of their own soldiers in the process, leaving a larger force for the next skirmish or battle. Also, in the time of the Mongols’ reign, foot soldiers generally wore heavy armor that protected much of the body. The Mongols, however, wore silk beneath their armor and that helped them conquer other nations because it acted as a mail to go under their actual armor, so if an arrow got through a crook in the armor, the soldier could pull on both sides of the ripped cloth and pull it free. This also kept any poison out of the body, leaving less soldiers dead and more fighting to conquer land . The Mongols also had a highly efficient formation, with infantry and cavalry in the front and a large group of archers in the back, picking off enemies as the charged, causing disarray when the enemy tried to regroup, for some of their leaders would be missing and no would be there to give orders. The archers were also useful because the constant barrage of arrows and javelins angered the enemy, making them break formation and charge in blind rage, making the formation of the army less effective. This helped the Mongols defeat their opponents much more efficiently if their tactical formations were less effective. When formation is broken, it is much easier to take out a single warrior than an entire group of them. When a person breaks formation, they also leave a hole in their position that the Mongols could widen and scatter the opposing soldiers, separating each individual soldier and killing them.

When the Mongols came to battle, they brought with them fear and authority that only comes from their superiority in battle. They used speed to outmaneuver their opponents and lose fewer soldiers. Also, they used silk as armor to pull out stray arrows from their bodies and continue fighting. The also used tricks and facades to fool their opponents into thinking that they must retreat or blinding them with foul gas. The Mongols had an incredible grasp on the concepts of battle and used any possible advantage that they had to defeat their opponents.