16. Training Hard to Fight Well
Sixty percent of Chinggis’ Mongols were trained as light cavalry archers, and the rest were trained as armored heavy cavalry, wielding lances as their main weapon. One of Chinggis’ favorite tactics, for which he incessantly trained his men, was to whittle down the enemy from a distance with arrows. Once the enemy was sufficiently weakened, a signal would be given for a charge by the heavy cavalry, who skewered the enemy with their lances before setting about them with sabers. Another favored tactic in which he drilled his men was a feigned retreat, to lure the enemy into pursuing them. Then, at the right time and place, the pursued Mongols would suddenly turn and countercharge or surround their pursuers. Chinggis’ military machine was centuries ahead of its time, with features that were not seen again until the modern era.
