True Size of a Mongol Army - Experience the Endless Horde! DOCUMENTARY

The power of the Mongol army is infamous and medieval accounts paint a grisly picture of their ferocious military inaction. 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. And I'm glad to say that today's sponsor has actually managed to rekindle a lot of that same passion. But it comes from an unlikely source, it's going to be Raid Shadow Legends, who has actually launched a limited 10-part series called Raid Call of the Arbiter, which expands the lore of their world. You can watch it in-game for free, with new episodes dropping every Thursday at 10am EST until July 20th. And I can honestly say, cards on the table, going into this with apprehensions as you might imagine, the first episode is pretty kickass. And I was actually gasping throughout that this thing actually got greenlit. 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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 Temüjin, this keshik would number only a few hundred. However, in the process of founding the Mongol Empire, he would change the nature of its armed forces. The first major change was the absorption of neighboring steppe tribes, which came as a result of his bloody wars of unification. These efforts would be formalized at the famous Kurultai of 1206. Here, Temüjin was proclaimed Chinggis Khan, ruler of the now-united tribes, which included the Merkits, Khitans, Kyrgyz, Karaites, Naimans, Tatars, Oigars, Oirat, and the Buryat. These once warring peoples were now recognized as a single united people, the Kamuk Mongol 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. 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 Xiongnu and the Turks before them, every able-bodied male from 15 to 60 was liable for service. For instance, sources writing about these post-unification years claim that in 1267, each household with two to three men within this age group was obligated to provide one of these as a soldier, while households of four to five men provided two soldiers, and households of six to seven men provided three 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 Mongol-led Yuan dynasty regarding the Khitan army. It claims that in ideal conditions, a steppe warrior was expected to possess nine 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 three, but rangers could go all the way up to 18 in some cases. For our model, we will assume an average of six 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. Returning to our list of soldier types, we will now briefly mention a final category, the non-nomadic forces. Typically, these were not integrated into the main steppe army, being instead used as garrison forces and sometimes auxiliary units for use in sieges. Such non-nomad units were known as Cheriks. The first Cheriks were very likely formed from deserting Jin troops during the Mongolian conquest of China. These men maintained their offices and organization and became the Hei Chun, or Black Army. They were responsible for holding the ground that the Mongols gained. Later, when the Cherik became too large to manage, the Hei Chun would be reorganized along more Mongolian lines into the Xin Chun, or New Army. All of these elements of the Mongol army would be given structure and purpose by the Mongol administration, which met at the Kurultai. The Kurultai was a gathering of the tribes and their leaders. It was a place of princes and chieftains. It was at the Kurultai that khans were elected, commanders were appointed, and campaigns were plotted. There was also a good deal of drinking, dancing, feasting, and gaming, as is natural when you gather thousands of people together. Following these Kurultai, the Mongol army would gather for war. They did so according to the decimal system. The smallest unit was the Arban. It was a unit of ten men commanded by the Arban Unoyat. This unit likely contained six horse archers and four light lancers. Each of these men brought with them around six remounts for a total of sixty horses, most of which were mares. We will also assume the presence of other animals, including three sheep and a camel. These might be herded by the men of the Arban, but sources suggest that the use of herding dogs was quite common. Thus, we will assume the presence of one Bankar dog per Arban. As a unit, we have also assumed that they share a single yurt or gur. This could be broken down and carried in a lele cart, hitched to one of the beasts of burden. This high proportion of animals which accompanied the Mongol army played a large part in keeping them supplied whilst in the field. Much of their diet was dairy-based. Mares were capable of producing several quarts of milk a day, which could be consumed in both liquid and dry forms. For instance, the Mongols were famous for producing a fermented milk known as koumess, which was prepared while on the ride using a special gourd. Milk could also be turned into a dried curd called kouret, which could be rehydrated in water for easy consumption. The Mongols were also known to drink the blood of their horses and would scavenge any deceased livestock to make a quick meal or long-lasting dried meats. As an example, records indicate that during the Khwarazmian campaign, Mongol riders were required to carry three and a half quarts worth of dried sheep per Arban. These were typically boiled in a salted water stew known as shulun. within the unit's single ceramic cauldron. Returning now to our army structure. The next unit after the Arban was the Jagun, or Jagut in the plural. In decimal fashion, it consisted of ten Arban and thus contained sixty horse archers and forty light lancers. These men were commanded by a Jagun-Unoyad, or the Lord of the Jagun. Based on our previous assumptions, each Jagun brought with it a herd of six hundred horses in addition to thirty sheep, ten camels, ten dogs and ten carts. In camp, these men would have been housed in around ten standard gurs. As a point of comparison, we will now drop in a standard Imperial Roman sentry. Here you can see that while both might have roughly the same number of men, their associated gear and support elements are quite different. The Mongol force has many more mouths to feed. On the one hand, they require simple grass and water, but on the other hand, the quantities of both are massive. Thus, so long as a Mongol force could find sufficient pasturage, its war machine could chug on. But once this became unavailable, Mongol forces were on a very tight logistical leash that required them to always keep moving or return to the steppe entirely. If you were to find a Jagun on its own, it would most likely be acting as a scouting unit known as an Alginchi, or those of the vanguard. These men would operate as scouts and raiders anywhere from thirty to seventy-five miles in front of the main column. As such, they might identify sources of supply and drive off locals from their farms in anticipation of the army's arrival. In peacetime, the Alginchi acted as the eyes and ears of the occupying Mongol armies, which were too large to leave the pasturage of the steppe for long. Thus it was that these scouts helped them keep tabs on their new domains and signal back to the army when a larger deployment of forces might be needed. If, say, for instance, a vengeful foe thought it was safe to emerge from their fortresses it would challenge the Khan's grip on these lands. The next step up in the decimal system would be a grouping of ten Jagut known as the Minggan. It consisted of one thousand riders, six hundred of which were archers and four hundred of which were lancers. These were, in turn, commanded by the Minggan-Unoyad. In days past, this might be the warhost of an important chieftain, but now it represented but a fraction of the unified steppe army. Once more, we can use our prior assumptions to calculate their associated elements. Each Minggan brought with it a herd of six thousand horses in addition to three hundred sheep, one hundred camels, one hundred dogs and one hundred carts. In camp, these men would have been housed in around one hundred standard gurs. Now we will add an additional wagon gurd to house the important figure and his retinue, which helmed this force. The Minggan was the smallest operational group of the Mongol army whose size allowed it to act independently. In fact, they were regarded as social military units which functioned essentially as nomadic tribes, complete with women, children and elders. Such Minggan typically resided on the borders of the steppe and might be clustered in groups of two or three. From here, they served as home bases for the roving Alginchin. As such, they could pull important supplies and stand ready to act as a first response to any threat. In the early days of Mongol conquest, they also served as a collection point for tribute. Later, this duty would be transferred to government officials as the Mongols accustomed themselves to the sedentary practice of taxation. When the call to war was sounded, these Minggan could easily break down their bases on the steppe and push forward into enemy territory. In this capacity, they typically acted as a vanguard force for the main horde. As such, they helped support the leading units of Alginchin and secure advanced bases of supply. It was this line of march that gave the Mongolians their reputation for speed. Next, ten Minggan would be grouped into a single Tumen of 10,000 men, 6,000 of which were archers and 4,000 of which were lancers. These men were commanded by the Tumen Unoyad, which was an immensely prestigious position. The original lords of the Tumet were appointed by Chinggis Khan himself. In addition to its 10,000 men, a single Tumen brought with it a herd of 60,000 horses in addition to 3,000 sheep, 1,000 camels, 1,000 dogs and 1,000 carts. In camp, these men would have been housed in around 100 standard gurs and 10 wagon gurs. Such a force would have been expected to carry out more significant military operations and thus likely had a force of some 500 engineers and skilled laborers. These men would have been conscripted into Mongolian service from defeated foes such as Jin China and the Kingdom of Xisha. At this point, we should once more mention the idea that each of these terms for Mongolian units doubled as both military and social labels. For instance, the Arban represented 10 households, the Jagun 100, the Minggan 1,000 and the Tumen 10,000 households. This highest level was often taken to represent an entire nation of people and thus to be appointed commander of such a Tumen was incredibly prestigious. The first commanders of the Mongolian Tumet were all close companions of Chinggis Khan, whom the secret history refers to as follows. These are the four dogs of Temujin. They have foreheads of brass, their jaws are like scissors, their tongues like piercing awls. Their heads are iron, their whipping tails swords. In the day of battle, they devour enemy flesh. Behold, they are now unleashed and they slobber at the mouth with glee. It would be these men who led their Tumet to conquer the vast Mongol Empire, often acting as the vanguard for the main horde which followed in their destructive way. A prime example would be in 1220 when Subutai and Jib led their Tumet on an audacious reconnaissance in force through Eastern Europe, devastating army after army over three bloody years. The operational independence of these Tumet is quite impressive and it's amazing to read about what these mere 10,000 men managed to achieve on their own. However, we should remember that while on paper their fighting strength seems quite low, they were accompanied by an estimated 60,000 horses and many thousands of additional support staff and animals, which rarely get counted. The supply needs of the entire force was thus quite large, requiring vast quantities of water and pasturage wherever they went. As a quick calculation, an average-sized mature horse requires around 1 to 3 acres of pasturage per month. Thus, a Tumen with 70,000 horses requires around 70 to 210,000 acres a month. That's 110 to 330 square miles or 280 to 850 square kilometers. Truly mind-boggling numbers to imagine, especially when you consider what this looked like on the ground level as the Tumen descended upon an area like a horde of locusts. However, as in nature, a large swarm may risk exhausting its own food supply if consumed too quickly. Mongols therefore had to balance the strength of their forces with their supply needs. In this regard, it seems that the Tumen represented the most practical deployment of Mongol military strength. But the truly monstrous size of the Mongol army comes into focus when at least three Tumet combined into an army, which is referred to as the Cherek or the Chun by our sources. For this video, we shall use the latter. A single Chun of 30,000 men boasted 18,000 horse archers and 12,000 lancers. These fell under the command of an Orlug, which has been loosely translated as Paladin. Such men were incredibly powerful figures appointed directly by the Khan himself. Generally speaking, it would be the duty of the Orlug to then appoint the Tumet commanders who in turn would appoint the Mingat commanders and so on down the line. This three-Tumen strong Chun brought with it an estimated herd of 180,000 horses, in addition to 9,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 3,000 dogs and 3,000 carts. In camp, these men would have been housed in around 300 standard gurs and 30 wagon gurs. In addition, they brought with them a support staff of about 1,500 engineers and some imprecise number of other herd animals, people and materials, which we will not seek to approximate in this model. In summary, let's provide an accounting of their numbers according to our idealized model. Together, they number 253,500. Of all the beings within this area, 12% are humans and 88% are animals. Among the people, about 47% are horse archers, 38% are horse lancers, 10% are officers, 5% are specialists. Using these figures, we can roughly calculate that such a Chun would require around 210 to 630,000 acres of pasturage a month. That's 330 to 990 square miles, or 840 to 2,520 square kilometers. Given all this, it is no exaggeration to say that the passage of a single Chun left the countryside desolate and destroyed for miles in every direction. But this sort of concentrated, parade-rest deployment we are currently showing is quite ahistoric. More commonly, you would find a Mongol army in their camp, on the march or in battle. Let's take a look at the true size of each of these. The most important point to make is that a full Chun would not usually stay united. Rather, it would more often break up into its component tumet to ease its logistical burdens and to outmaneuver its foes. As these advanced, they would usually set up a nightly camp. At the center would be the commander's tent, which was said to have had an offset of two bowshots, or about 400 to 600 meters, within which no one but the guard and approved personnel could enter. Beyond this would radiate out the rest of the tumet, likely in accordance to their decimal structure. In this way, the macro-level organization of the army could be preserved, while at the micro-level, foot traffic was made easy as each Gur oriented its entrance to the south. Based on our model, we approximate a circular tumet camp footprint of around 0.8 square miles, or 2 square kilometers. For context, such a camp with an outer diameter of 1.6 kilometers would take about 20 minutes to walk across and 2.5 minutes to gallop across. Though it should be pointed out that the effective footprint of the camp would have been significantly extended on account of its vast herds, which grazed the surrounding areas. When it came time to move, the order to strike camp was given by pounding the Nakara drum, which was also the symbol of the Orlug's authority. The first beating of the drum signaled preparation of the horses, the second was to strike tents and gather into marching formation, and the third was the order to move. In an idealized depiction, the Mongol army would have marched out in a radial formation. At the center was the commander. The major elements would have been the left and right wings, as well as the vanguard and rearguard. Additional units of scouts and patrols were extended beyond these. How loose or tight this arrangement set would be up to the commander's discretion, and was likely a factor of both the terrain and the threat level of the enemy. Such a force, with all its elements present, would have actually moved quite slowly to allow its animals to graze sufficiently and its supply elements to keep up. For instance, during Hulegu's march to the Middle East, the Mongols moved as slowly as 14 miles a day, a pace comparable to a foot-based army. Their reputation for lightening speed is therefore better attributed to their flying columns, which could advance rapidly in smaller numbers unhindered by baggage trains. In such cases, an impressive 60 miles or more could be covered in a single day. Now let us see what this force would have looked like when riding into battle. Typically, this was achieved by deploying the army's tumet into three wings. These were as follows. The Je-un-ga on the left, the Kwol in the center, and the Baragun-ga on the right. Depending on the situation, these could be stretched out or compressed. In this way, a Mongol force could fluidly adjust its frontage in a manner that would be difficult for more rigid foot troops, which required a minimal depth to maintain cohesion and repel cavalry charges. The Mongol army, unshackled by such constraints, could thus easily contort itself to outmaneuver a foe. Let us now see how this might be achieved. A common tactic would be an encirclement. Here, the Mongols would repeat the tactics of a step-hunt or nurge, whereby riders would surround and corral their prey. From here, they could begin to pick off stragglers or harass strong positions. The ultimate aim was to tease apart enemy formations so they could more readily be destroyed. One way to achieve this would be through wave attacks. Our sources report that the Mongols tended to deploy in ranks of five, the first three lines composed of horse archers and the last two composed of lancers. The attack would begin with the first line of horse archers riding towards the enemy. These could begin to loose arrows at a range of about 300 meters, which was made possible by the Mongolian composite bow. However, its true killing power would be achieved when the riders advanced up to within 50 meters of the enemy. At this point, they would wheel about and return to their main line, firing backwards as they rode. As they did so, the next wave of archers would have been unleashed. In this way, a near-continuous barrage of fire could be delivered. By the third wave, thousands of arrows would have left the enemy in a state of shock. At this point, the final two waves of lancers could crash upon the foe before it had regained cohesion. If anyone were left standing, the cycle could simply be repeated. More obstinate foes could be induced to break ranks through feigned flight. Here, the Mongols would pretend to retreat, sometimes over the course of days, before turning back to obliterate their disorganized pursuers. If the enemy did not take the bait, then the Mongols might employ a final psychological trick they had learned from the hunt. Here, they would encircle the enemy army but leave an intentional path of escape. This ray of hope would often induce soldiers to flee rather than stand their ground. But this was a trap. Once a panicked, animalistic flight began, it would be nearly impossible to reverse. Now, the Mongols could easily swoop in to destroy their prey with minimal effort. Shown at its true size, I hope you can appreciate the incredible nature of the Mongol army. Stay tuned for more episodes on the Mongols and let us know what topics we should cover next. Be sure to head on over to our Patreon to participate in polls, to catch episode previews and to download our art. A big thanks to our current patrons for funding the channel. A big thanks as well to the researchers, writers and artists for making this episode possible. We couldn't have done it without this team and our community. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like and subscribe and check out these other related episodes. See you in the next one!