Life of Genghis Khan

Another important innovation of Genghis Khan was his messenger service. Because the Mongol army was huge and often spread across a vast terrain, Khan established a system of messengers on horseback. Everyone - from the humblest peasant to the wealthiest noble - was required to move aside to let the messengers through. The messengers were swathed in cloth bandages, head to toe, to protect them from the battering they took as they sped along for days at a time, sometimes even sleeping in their saddles. When their horses tired, they were replaced by fresh ones that had to be given freely by anyone along the way. The amazing messengers of Genghis Khan could cover in a few days, a distance that took normal riders weeks to travel. As a result, Khan always knew what was going on, even in the farthest corners of his realm, and his commanders were able to coordinate their efforts in a powerfully effective manner. He was also the first ruler of his time to demand that his messengers always tell him the truth. The custom before then was that messengers reported only the good news - those who inadvertently reported bad news were punished and even killed. Khan reversed this pattern, insisting on knowing both the good and bad news. As a result he had a tremendous advantage over his opponents who often had an inaccurate picture of what was happening on the field. He also used a simple but effective system of black and white signal flags by which commanders could direct the movements of their troops. When it was dark, the flags were replaced with a system of flaming arrows.

Khan was also one of the first to use psychological warfare - before every campaign he sent spies out to spread rumors about the terrible destruction and slaughter caused by the Mongols, to weaken the enemy's resistance. They spread the word that the Mongols were lenient with those who surrendered but vicious with those who resisted, propaganda that happened to be true. As a result, it was not unusual for an entire town to give up without a fight. But in spite of his occasional leniency, Khan once said: "A man's greatest work is to break his enemies, to drive them before him, to take from them all things that have been theirs, to hear the weeping of those who cherished them."

Finally the Mongols came to Beijing, the current capital of China. Although Beijing was smaller than it is today, it was still one of the largest cities in the world and was surrounded by a 26-mile long wall with 12 closely guarded gates. Khan's army managed to set the entire city on fire, then looted it of its valuable jewels, silk, gold, silver and artisans.

All along the way, in every city, Khan valued the captured scholars, craftsmen, and officials. The artistic and cultural achievements of each conquered area were quickly integrated into the Mongol society, which soon became the most advanced on earth.

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