[Teaser] The True Size of a Mongol Army, draft

Happy May Day, patrons! Here's a teaser of the script for the upcoming addition of True Size featuring the Mongol Army. Release date TBA (apologies for the delay), but for now, enjoy this preview of what's to come!

Intro

The power of the Mongol Army is infamous and medieval accounts paint a grisly picture of their ferocious military in action. However, one dimension of this experience which often goes missing is the scale of such affairs:

…from their camps… to their marching formations… and their battle lines…

So today let’s bring to life the True Size of a Mongol Army.

Steppe Soldier (Definition)

Early on, Mongol armies were composed primarily of the men from their tribe. These took the field as horse archers or lancers. The most elite among these would be selected to serve as the personal guard of powerful warlords. During the early reign of Temujin, this Keshik numbered only a few hundred. However, in the process of founding the Mongol Empire Temujin would change the nature of warfare on the steppe.

The first major change was the absorption of neighboring steppe tribes during Temujin's bloody wars of unification. These efforts would be formalized at the famous Kurultai of 1206. Here Temujin was proclaimed Chinghis Khan, ruler of the now united tribes which included the Merkits, Khitans, Kirghiz, Keraites, Naimans, Tatars, Uyghurs, Oirat, and the Buryat. These once warring tribes were now recognized as a single united people, the Qamuq Monggol Ulus. But to outsiders, they would simply become known as the Mongols.

Such a simplification glosses over some important details. However, these new steppe forces acted in a very similar capacity to their Mongol counterparts and will be depicted as such in this video.

Steppe Soldier (Vignette)

Thus united, these people of the steppe represented a significant pool of manpower. This was made even more pronounced by Chinggis Khan’s military reforms. Like the Hsiung-Nu and the Turks before them, every able bodied male from 15-60 was liable for service. For instance, sources writing about these post-unification years claim that in 1267 each household with 2-3 men within this age group was obligated to provide one of these as a soldier while households of 4-5 men provided 2 soldiers and households of 6-7 men provided 3 soldiers.

Each Mongol conscript was expected to bring his own mount and equipment. If he could not provide his own, then his immediate superior was required to make up the deficit. While their kit likely varied over the years, we are provided a rather detailed reference list by the Liao Shi, a Chinese historical book compiled in the 13th century under the the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty regarding the Khitan army. It claims that in ideal conditions, a steppe warrior was expected to possess: 9 pieces of iron armor, four composite bows with 400 arrows, as well as a long spear, a short spear, a club, an axe, and a halberd. They were also expected to have a small banner, a hammer, a knife, a flint, and rations.

Each man was also expected to supply his own horses. Apparently the minimum amount was 3 but ranges could go all the way up to 18 in some cases. For our model, we will assume an average of 6 remounts per rider. These would have been critical for the mobility of the Mongol army which would have not only rotated through their horses while on the move but also used them as a source of sustenance.