Genghis Khan by Kassi Radomski

Author:Kassi Radomski
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC

The Mongols forced captured Chinese engineers to build siege weapons to attack walled cities.

WEAPONS OLD AND NEW

Mongol armies used battle tactics unlike anything the world had seen. Their lightning-fast cavalry attacks decimated opponents in the open fields of the steppe.

As horse soldiers, Mongol warriors used weapons that took advantage of their speed and mobility. Mongols used composite bows made from animal tendons, horns, and bone. Their range was more than 350 yards (320 m), much further than other bows of that period. Mongol horsemen carried all the supplies they needed in saddlebags that contained cooking pots, dried meat, yogurt, and water. Lightweight Mongol saddles, made of wood and leather, allowed their horses to travel long distances.

As they invaded new lands, however, the Mongols encountered enemies who remained behind the walls of their fortified cities. Genghis Khan learned from his opponents and used their own weapons to lay siege to their cities. Captured Chinese engineers helped the Mongol army build siege weapons such as:

Catapults: Groups of men would pull back large, wooden arms under tension. Rocks or other projectiles would then be placed in a bowl or holder at the end of the arm. The arm was then released, flinging the rock toward an opposing army or even over a city wall. Smaller catapults could throw a 20-pound rock (9–10 kg) nearly 150 yards (140 m). Larger machines could hurl heavier stones even further. Other weapons included trebuchets, which resembled giant slings and could fling rocks even further than catapults, and ballistas, large crossbows that could shoot huge arrow-like bolts hundreds of feet.

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