Genghis Khan assembled a large Mongol army to conquer lands across Russia, the Middle East and China in the 13th century. The Mongol soldiers were skilled horsemen and warriors, well-trained in tactics like mounted archery. They used cavalry and archers effectively in battle, surrounding enemies on horseback and picking them off from a distance with bows and arrows. Through their loyalty, discipline and mobility provided by their horses, the Mongol armies were able to achieve major conquests and expand Genghis Khan's territory and power across Eurasia.

1. Mongol war tactics, weapons, and conquest in the 13 th century A Children’s story by: McKenzie Souther

2. Once upon a time, there was an Asian leader named Genghis Khan. He was a very greedy man who wanted more power and land for himself. Bad

3. He assembled a huge army of soldiers who were ordered to go to many countries like Russia, the Middle East and China and conquer as much land as possible.

4. Smaller cities and towns gave in easily because they did not have the leadership of a strong empire to protect them. Despite this, thousands of people were slaughtered in the Mongol conquests.

5. The soldiers were very brave men and fantastic warriors. They had many weapons and strategies that helped them gain so much land.

6. They rode everywhere on horses. Each Mongol usually had to take care of three or four horses. This let them go at full speed for many days without their ponies getting too tired.

7. The bow and arrow was commonly used in battle. Six out of ten soldiers were horse archers, which means they shoot the enemy while riding. This let the Mongols kill as many of the opposing side as possible.

8. The portion of soldiers who were not archers were called lancers. They were also on horseback and covered in protective armor. They carried long lances, usually with a sharp end, and used that to stab the opposing side.

9. Light calvary soldiers were called keshik. They did not partake in as much heavy battle. Instead, they were the ones in charge of skirmishing and raiding.

10. Mongol soldiers were mostly just regular people, like peasants or militia. There were a few knights and professional men at arms as well. They tended to have more power.

11. These soldiers practiced fighting every chance they had to make sure they were ready for enemy attack at any time. They focused on individual fighting like jousting and sometimes group fighting methods.

12. The Mongol soldiers were very loyal to those in charge as well as each other. This meant there was no need for unnecessarily strict rules and regulations.

13. Even though they were very loyal to each other and their leaders, there was a very harsh punishment for anyone who ran from danger in fear. The soldier and the nine friends from his area of battle were killed.

14. Gathering food was particularly interesting for these soldiers. They would all make a circle around a group of animals and force them to the center, all while practicing war maneuvers. As the circle got smaller, they waited for their leaders order to begin killing off the animals. This let them practice war moves as well as get enough food for a feast!

15. As you can see, Mongol soldiers were very hard working, skilled men. They are the only reason Genghis Khan was able to conquer so much land. Without these soldiers, the world today would be much different.

17. &quot;Mongol military tactics and organization.&quot; Wikipedia . 21 November 2009 . Web. 21 Nov 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_military_tactics_and_organization>. &quot;Mounted archery.&quot; Wikipedia . 20 November 2009. Web. 21 Nov 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_archer>. &quot;Light cavalry.&quot; Wikipedia . 30 October 2009. Web. 21 Nov 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_cavalry>.