名人轶事:Who Was the Real Genghis Khan大漠英豪成吉思汗

The name Genghis Khan probably makes many people think of conquering warriors 1

on horseback leaving burning cities and piles of dead bodies behind them.

While there is no doubt that Genghis Khan was the leader of a highly

efficient killing 2 machine, there was much more to him than military skill. He

was also a talented politician with excellent diplomatic abilities.

In the 1160s, the tribes of the Central Asian steppes were almost constantly

at war with one another. In the middle of the chaos 3, one of the tribal 4

leaders had a son named Temujin. When the boy was nine years old, his father

was poisoned by enemies. The tribe then abandoned the family, leaving them to

survive by eating rats and insects.

Despite his difficult childhood, Temujin grew up strong enough to claim his

hereditary 5 position as tribal leader. He became adept 6 at forming alliances,

as well as fighting battles. By 1206, all the Mongol tribes were ready to

recognize him as supreme 7 leader. They gave him the title Genghis Khan, which

means "emperor of all emperors."

Having united the tribes of Central Asia, Genghis Khan turned his attention

elsewhere. His ambition was world conquest, and he advanced at an astonishing

rate. He invaded northern China and captured Peking, but was unable to subdue 8

the whole country. Instead, he turned westwards. By the time of his death in

1227, he had created an empire that stretched from the Pacific coast to the

Caspian Sea.

The Mongols were superb horsemen who won their victories with a technique of

pretending to retreat, then launching a surprise attack. Their discipline and

organization made them extremely effective fighters. They were expert archers 9

and could maintain total control of their horses while keeping both hands

free for fighting.

Genghis Khan's armies were divided into tightly organized units which were

directed by an efficient signaling system using black flags. Their favorite

tactic 10 in open battle involved provoking an attack, and scattering 11 as the

enemy came forward. The Mongols would harass 12 the enemy from the sides until

the latter were exhausted 13, then close in for the kill.

After capturing a city, Mongol armies would test the sincerity 14 of the

inhabitants' surrender. They would pretend to go away, leaving behind a small

number of representatives. If these were killed, the Mongols would return to

murder the entire population. They seldom took prisoners.

Despite his ruthless methods, Genghis Khan was not an impulsive 15 killer 16. He

avoided battle if diplomacy 17 would work, and he was skilled at using spies to

help achieve his aims. He also maintained the tradition of choosing leaders

in a mass meeting, and people under his rule were able to advance by ability

rather than noble birth.

For the citizens of modern-day Mongolia, Genghis Khan is a folk hero and a

symbol of their emerging democracy. A main street in the capital of Ulan

Bator has been named after him, and his image is on a banknote. He even has a

brand of vodka named after him, not an unusual memorial for one of history's

greatest conquerors 18. Perhaps Genghis Khan would appreciate this more than his

traditional reputation as a ruthless killer.