22. The Creation of a War Machine That Could Conquer All Under the Sky
In order to fulfill his heavenly mandate and rule all under the sky, Genghis Khan set about to transform the Mongols into a war machine capable of conquering all under the sky. A good judge of men and a great talent spotter, he created a military meritocracy, in which advancement was open to all who proved themselves capable, regardless of their origins. He subjected the hitherto fractious nomadic warriors to strict military discipline that was hard, but not overly harsh or unreasonable. And he drilled and trained them constantly. He had good material to work with.
For thousands of years, Steppe nomads had preyed opportunistically on their settled neighbors. The nomads, who grew up and lived on horseback, had strategic mobility that allowed them to raid settled lands, loot, and leave before the locals could mobilize a response. That mobility also allowed the nomads to choose when, where, and whether to fight the forces sent to chastise them. Nomadic war bands often raided to seize booty, but when nomadic tribes were united under strong leadership, those raids could grow into devastating attacks that destroyed empires. As seen below, Genghis set out to maximize their destructive potential.
