Why was the Mongolian army so powerful back then?

In the 13th century, Genghis Khan's Mongol army launched several large-scale western expeditions to Europe and was almost invincible.

In these Western expeditions, the number of Mongolian armies was usually small, with a total of no more than 200,000 at most (it never exceeded 150,000 on the European battlefield), and the number in a single battle was even smaller. There was no reproduction of the Mongol army that attacked Jin Guojun in the past.

In the battle of Zhouzhou, the formations were "layered on top of each other, 20 miles thick", but they won every battle.

What is the reason for this? Born to be fighters. Like other nomadic peoples in northern China, the Mongols have been fighters since they were young. They grew up on horses. Their toys when they were young were bows and arrows. As adults, they can be regarded as professional soldiers.

Because they grew up in a cold and difficult environment, they have extremely tough and hard-working characters, and they are almost never particular about material conditions, which makes the Mongolian army's logistical burden seem very light.

Their will and ability to fight continuously make it difficult for the pampered aristocratic cavalry in the West to match them.

The social organization of the Mongols is also very adaptable to war. The leaders of each tribe are not only the management organizers of life and production, but also the management organizers of military operations.

When waging war against foreign countries, the entire population can be mobilized, and all men, women, old and young can participate in combat operations.

For example, in the long-term siege of the Khwarezm Kingdom, all the people participated, grazing and living under the city, and maintaining the army's continuous attack power until the city was captured.

Mongolian horses are not necessarily inferior. If you look at them from a modern perspective, Mongolian horses should be regarded as the most inferior horses in the world.

This kind of horse is not only short in stature and slow in running speed, but its ability to overcome obstacles is far inferior to that of the tall European horses.

However, Mongolian horses are the most tolerant horses in the world and have the lowest requirements for environment and food.

Whether in the alpine deserts of Asia or the vast plains of Europe, Mongolian horses can find food at any time.

It can be said that Mongolian horses have the strongest adaptability.

They can run long distances without stopping and can survive in the wild regardless of severe cold or heat.

At the same time, Mongolian horses can be used for riding and pulling heavy loads at any time, which is why all traditional Chinese horses were eventually replaced by Mongolian horses.

In addition to being used as riding tools, Mongolian horses are also a source of food - the Mongolian cavalry uses large numbers of mares, which can provide mare milk, which also reduces the logistics requirements of the Mongolian army.

This special advantage of the Mongolian horse gave the Mongolian army a speed and maneuverability that was unmatched by any army at the time.

For example, in the winter of 1241, the main cavalry of the Mongolian general Subedai crossed the Carpathian Mountains from the Ruska Pass and suddenly appeared under the Gran City in the Danube River Valley in just three days.

The distance between them is more than 300 kilometers, covered with snow and mostly roadless mountainous areas.

Invincible Weapons The new Central Plains weapons such as trebuchets and rockets used by the Mongols were originally weapons used by the Central Plains countries to defend against the Mongolian army when they defended strong city defenses.

After the Mongols destroyed the Jin in 1234 AD, they looted all the craftsmen, workshops and firearms captured in Kaifeng and other places, and incorporated the gunpowder craftsmen and firearms hands of the Jin army into the Mongolian army.

The following year, the Mongolian army launched its second Western Expedition, and the newly integrated firearms troops of the Mongolian army also accompanied the army on the expedition.

Gunpowder and rocket weapons appeared in the cold weapon age, and their power is naturally amazing. In addition, they also have a huge psychological shock effect on enemies who have never seen them.

The Poles at that time described the Mongols firing rockets in bunches from a wooden tube, which was called the "Chinese Fire-breathing Dragon" because the wooden tube was painted with a dragon head.

On European battlefields, many times before gunpowder weapons completely damaged city walls, the defenders would lose the will to fight and begin to abandon the city and flee.

The Mongols also had the longest-range and most lethal combined bow at the time.

This weapon usually consists of an animal sinew on the back, a layer of horny material on the belly of the bow, and a wooden frame in the middle.

The draw weight of this kind of bow is between 50 kilograms and 75 kilograms, and it is very short and easy for cavalry to use freely.

The arrows fired from this bow have a killing range of up to 300 meters. If the arrows are equipped with sharp metal arrows, they can penetrate the thickest armor.

This powerful weapon combined with the mobility of the Mongolian cavalry allowed the Mongols to travel across Europe and Asia unstoppable.

The Mongols were extremely good at what the ancient Romans called "Parthian Archery", that is, while escaping, they shot arrows at the enemies in the rear.

(The Mongols call this method of warfare "Mangu evil").

The essence of this tactic is: first, attack the enemy from a long distance; second, attack the enemy continuously; third, do not give the enemy a chance to fight back.

Under such an attack, no matter how strong the enemy's spirit and armor are, it is only a matter of time before they completely collapse.

At that time, most European knights were equipped with heavy helmets and armor. Although they were very powerful in close combat, their mobility was not comparable to that of the Mongolian cavalry.

If you encounter a Mongolian cavalry archer, you will not only be unable to catch up, but you will also be unable to escape. You will only be used as a target.

Moreover, the Mongolian cavalry did not rely entirely on force attacks like the European knights. They often used bows and arrows to kill most of the enemies before engaging them in close combat.

In April 1241, the Mongolian cavalry relied on this method of warfare to defeat Europe's most elite 100,000 Hungarian army (led by King Béla IV of Hungary) on the banks of the Danube River. They killed more than 70,000 enemies and played a song with bows and arrows.

The "Red Danube" almost completely wiped out European resistance.