A CRIMINAL HISTORY OF MANKIND

were the Mongols. When Manchurian nomads called the Chin (or Golden) forced the Sung emperor
to retreat south, the ‘Golden Emperors’ took over the court at Peking.
The Golden Emperor heard about this new and powerful khan and decided to suggest an alliance
against the Tartars. Genghis Khan was delighted; the Tartars were traditional enemies. He and
Torghril descended suddenly on their makeshift fortress and massacred the defenders. His old
enemies among the Mongols decided that it was time to unite to destroy him before he became too
powerful. They were too late. In a spectacular battle during a storm - raised, according to the
Mongol historian, by tribal sorcerers - he defeated the rival army and put all the chieftains to death.
This defeat is also the subject of a typical story of Genghis Khan. One of the enemy chieftains
escaped and was taken prisoner by one of his own servants, who had decided to change sides. On
the way to Genghis Khan, he relented and freed his prisoner; then he went to offer Genghis Khan
his loyalty, apologising for not bringing his master as a prisoner. ‘If you had,’ said Genghis Khan,
‘I would have put you to death.’ As it was, he made the man a trusted retainer. The story gives an
idea of why he inspired such powerful loyalty.
The conqueror now turned back to the Tartars and defeated them in a decisive battle in 1202. He
executed all prisoners but took two beautiful daughters of a Tartar chief as his wives - like most
world conquerors, he seems to have been sexually insatiable.
In the spring of the year 1206, Genghis Khan called together all the tribes of Mongolia to a great
assembly near the headwaters of the river Onon; there, once again, he was proclaimed khan of all
the Mongols. This event was to be as significant for Asia - and Europe - as Mahomet’s flight to
Medina. At last, the dozens of warring tribes were united under one ruler. Now they were prepared
to conquer the world.
In which direction should they expand? To the north lay Siberia, on the other side of the Altai
Mountains: there was nothing to attract them in that vast, empty land. To the south-west lay the
Persian Empire, now ruled by the Seljuk Turks. South lay China, whose northern half was ruled by
the Golden Emperor. This became Genghis Khan’s first objective. But for the moment, he was not
ready to attack the emperor. Instead he directed his attention to the only part of northern China not
under the emperor’s domination: the fertile province now called Kansu, ruled by a semi-Tibetan
people called the Tanguts. Genghis Khan began raiding them and his armies caused as much
inconvenience as terror. The great Silk Road, the trading route between Kansu and Persia, was at
their mercy and their threat strangled the economic life of north-west China. So after four years of
harassment, the Tangut decided to beg for peace. As a special inducement, they offered Genghis
Khan one of their princesses - Tangut girls, with their delicate features, were regarded by the
Mongols as particularly desirable. There was also a large tribute that included a herd of rare white
camels. The great khan made peace. Now he could turn his attention towards the Golden Emperor.
The old Golden Emperor - Genghis’s former ally - was dead, and his successor he regarded as an
imbecile. In 1211, Genghis began his attacks against northern China. But it was well-fortified and
most of his attacks were thrown back. Then a subject people called the Khitai decided to rebel
against their Chinese masters. They were Mongols, and Genghis was glad to send them a task force
under his lieutenant Jebe. They besieged the town of Liao-Yang, in Manchuria, and Jebe used a
technique that was to bring the Mongols many later successes: he pretended to retreat, allowed the
defenders to relax, then reappeared suddenly and took the town in a surprise attack. The Khitai
were installed on the throne - but as vassals of Genghis Khan.