18. The Mongol Hordes
Mongol “hordes” are often imagined as vast swarms of barbarians attacking in wild charges to overwhelm enemies with numbers and reckless savagery. In reality, the Mongols seldom outnumbered their foes. Instead, they swept across Eurasia and conquered a vast empire despite being severely outnumbered by their enemies. Indeed, Chinggis and his warriors won routinely annihilated opposing forces that outnumbered them by factors of two to one, three to one, and four to one or more. They won despite their numerical inferiority because they were professionals, who were extremely good at warfare. The Mongols and other Steppe nomads absorbed by Chinggis had been riding horses since they were toddlers, and had been taught how to master the bow and arrow since early childhood. That made them prime cavalry material when they joined Chinggis’ army, where they underwent extensive training that transformed them into a mounted elite.
