2. In the 13th Century there was a little boy named Bataar. Bataar was so
proud of his name because it means hero and he wanted to grow up to
become just that.
3. He would practice his wrestling every day with the other children and he
was a great learner. Pretty soon Bataar was the best wrestler of all the
other children and this made his father very proud.
4. When Bataar’s father saw the great potential in him to be a warrior, he
decided to teach Bataar everything he knew about the Mongolian army.
5. Bataar’s father decided to begin by explaining the decimal system. This was the system
of command of the Mongolian Army. The men of the army from 14 to 60 years old
were put into groups of 10 then 100 then 1000 and finally 10000. Each group had a
specific name and was under an individual leader who ruled as he felt was best.
6. After Bataar fully understood the decimal system, Bataar’s father moved on to
the mobility of the units which was of the utmost importance. Each soldier
owned 3 or 4 horses which would allow the fastest transportation times as
they could switch from horse to horse when one needed a break.
7. Bataar’s father told Bataar of the intense training that the warriors must go
through before they are initiated into the army. He said that individual combat
such as jousting was emphasized more heavily than group combat tactics.
8. Bataar’s father then continued to explain the intense and utmost loyalty
that members of the army had to one another. The system of the warriors
would completely shut down if any one turned out to be a traitor. Bataar
knew immediately that to become a hero he would have to be the most
loyal and most obedient warrior in the whole army.
9. To practice their fighting tactics the Mongols would drive their cattle into the
center of a huge circle that would be made of all the warriors riding on their
horses. Once the command was given by the lead warrior the men would begin
their slaughter. Even though Bataar was sad about the deaths of the animals he
knew that they must be killed in order to practice obedience.
10. Next Bataar’s father explained to him the cavalry that made up the Mongolian
units. He explained that in each unit of ten their were six men who were light
cavalry horse archers and the other four men were heavily suited and armed
lancers.
11. Bataar was most excited to hear about the weapons that the Mongolian army
used in battle. His father told him that Scimitars were used. Bataar had no idea
what a scimitar was so his father explained that scimitars were just like axes.
12. Other weapons that are used are the Mongol Bow which was a recurve bow
that was known for its accuracy, force, and reach. Also the sword is a powerful
weapon for slashing. Bataar’s father pulled out his sword and Bataar was
honored to even be able to touch its magnificence.
13. Bataar’s father told him that Siege Machines and Catapults are also affective
ways to slaughter the opponents. He also explained to Bataar the use of
Kharash which took captives and made them run in front of the warriors to
take the initial round of arrows. Bataar thought that was very smart.
14. “We also use psychological warfare,” said Bataar’s father. He explained that
the Mongolians instill great fear into their opponents and so before they go
and take over their city they allow the people to surrender and instead pay
tribute to the Mongolians.
15. The last tactics that Bataar’s father explained to his was the flanking idea
where the Mongolians would split up into different groups to encircle the
city so that no one could escape. Also, he explained that the Mongolians
were well practiced in the feigned retreat were they would fake defeat and
then surprise the opponents when they attacked again.
16. Bataar was fascinated by the whole procedure, but wondered if it really
worked like his dad said it did. His dad answered with an of course and told
Bataar that they had captured almost all of continental Asia, the Middle
East, and parts of Eastern Europe.
17. Bataar was truly amazed and when he went to bed that night he
dreamed of the day when he would be able to become a warrior just like
his father.
