The Riders of Genghis Khan - (Subutai | Jebe | Jelme | Muqali | Bogurcu | Belgutai)

They came from the harsh steppes of Asia. There was death in their eyes and blood on their swords. Their names were invoked with fear and dread. In their wake, they left devastated cities, heaps of corpses, pools of blood, and towns ablaze with a thick stench of smoke. The most brutal armies in history were gathered around a man named Temüjin, also known as Genghis Khan, and these armies were led by his talented generals. All of these commanders were loyal to Genghis Khan. They fought for him, they killed for him, they conquered for him. Under their command, the Mongols had subdued all of Asia. Balgutai was Genghis Khan's half-brother on the paternal side and over time became one of his most important generals. He was a man who attracted attention with his sharp wit, sharp tongue, and diplomatic skills, and was sent as an ambassador to many countries by Genghis Khan due to his natural skills in Persuasion. In addition, it is described in the sources that he was quite successful in fighting and killing. On the other hand, unfortunately, not much has reached the present day about Balgutai. Rashiduddin Fazlullah, who spoke of him as a valiant warrior, stated that Balgutai lived to 110 years old, which is quite exaggerated for the conditions of the time. The Chinese historian Yuan Shi, who is the author of Yuan History, wrote that Balgutai was still alive in 1251 when the Möngke Khan came to the throne, and according to this information, Balgutai must have lived to be at least 90 years old. Genghis Khan's greatest desire was to take over the world, and to fulfill this desire, he needed reliable commanders who were loyal to him. The best example of these commanders was Bogur Junoyan. He had met Genghis Khan when he was a small child, when he was still called Temüjin. He had helped him find his stolen horses and then returned to his father, Naku Bayan. However, even after Temüjin returned to the camp, he did not forget about this brave and smart boy. Finally, he sent his brother Hazar to the place where Bogur Junoyan's tribe lived, asking him to bring the boy to his camp. From this moment on, little Bogur Junoyan became one of Temüjin's most loyal servants. When Khan's wife Börte was kidnapped by the Möngke, he had infiltrated the Möngke camp to spy with Balgutai and Çelme. When Temüjin took the title of Genghis Khan and became the Khan of all Mongols, he became the chief follower of the Khan together with Çelme. Under the heavy rain during the war with the Tatars in Dalan Murges, he held a piece of felt to Genghis Khan's head and spent the whole night motionless. For this superhuman effort, he was appreciated and rewarded by the Khan himself. According to the secret history of the Mongols, while on a pursuit mission in the war against Jamukha, his horse was hit by an arrow and thus lagged behind. However, he immediately continued on his way by stealing a horse and managed to catch up with the army. Later, Bogurju became the favorite and most trusted man of Genghis Khan's son Ögedei, so much so that the relationship between the two was more like a friendship. Mukhali belonged to the Jelayir clan, the hereditary predecessors of the Borjigins. His tribe was defeated by Temüjin during the wars in 1197 and his father and uncles had to submit to him. Besides, his father presented Mukhali to Temüjin as a slave to meet his However, the young man had a vicious nature. He did not want to serve as a slave and he had made this clear to his master. Temüjin, who was impressed by the boy's courage and frankness, rewarded him and became a close friend from that moment on. After Temüjin became Genghis Khan with Mukhali was given the command of the Turk division as well as the Mingans in the east. He played an important role in the Battle of Yehuling in 1211, which represented the first phase of the conquest of northern China. Genghis Khan trusted him so much that when he went on a he put the eastern armies under his command. For the campaign, most of Mongolian troops headed west. Mukhali had a division consisting of only 20 to 40 thousand soldiers under his command. Chinese sources state that the number of the army together with the auxiliary forces was around 70,000. Regardless, Mukhali had succeeded in capturing almost all of northern China with the troops left to him while Genghis Khan was busy with his western expedition and this success continued uninterrupted until his death in 1223. After his death, his son Bol was appointed in his place. In the Sacred History of the Mongols, written after the death of Genghis Khan and in some Genghis sagas, there are several commanders who have always remained loyal to Genghis Khan and never abandoned him under any condition. These are Chalme, Subutai, Kubilay and Jebe. In the work called the Sacred History of the Mongols, these commanders were nicknamed four war dogs of Genghis. So much so that in the lines written here, they were depicted as war dogs with sharp tongues, their jaws piercing like scissors, their heads as hard as iron, their sword tails as sharp as whips, and one of the Mongol commanders who was portrayed with such a frightening description was Chalme. Chalme, who lived between 1160 and 1207, was a member of the Urankai tribe, which is taught by some historians to be too untouched. His father's relation with Genghis Khan eventually paved the way for his sons to join his army and thanks to the meritocratic structure in the Mongolian army, both Chalme and his brother Subutai were able to climb to the top in this structure. According to the Sacred History, Chalme was given to Temüjin by his father Charchudai when he was still a baby but was handed over to his family because he was too young. Thereupon, Charchudai raised and educated his son for years and when the time came, he gave him to Genghis Khan again. However, at this point, sources remain silent about why Chalme was given to Genghis Khan. The most known event about Chalme was when Genghis Khan was shot with a poisoned arrow by Cebe, who would become one of his future commanders. Chalme saved his life by sucking the poison's blood. In addition, the young commander did not stop there. He infiltrated the enemy camp to search for milk to rub it into the wound but when he could not find milk, he brought diluted yogurt instead. Years later, he saved the life of Genghis Khan's younger son Tuluy, just as he had saved his father's life when he was about to die at the hands of the enemy. Due to his loyalty, Chalme had become one of Khan's favorite commanders. So much so that Genghis Khan announced that he exempted him from nine different crimes. In 1201, Genghis Khan was badly wounded by an arrow which hit his neck during a battle against Jamukha. We have just talked about the role played by one of his commanders Chalme in his recovery, but this event would forever change the fortunes of not only the one who helped him but also the one who injured him. After Genghis Khan won the war, he started an interrogation. He had learned that the offender was a young man named Charkudai belonging to Besut clan of the Tachut tribe. More precisely, Charkudai had personally admitted that the hand holding the arrow that shot the Khan's horse belonged to him and he stated that if he was allowed to live, he would serve the Khan faithfully until the end of his life. Genghis Khan valued courage and frankness among his warriors. For this reason, he forgave Charkudai and gave him the name Jebe which means arrow and weapon in the Mongolian language. This was one of the most important decisions Genghis Khan made in his life because in the following years Jebe would be able to honor him many times with his victories. Jebe had become one of the most well-known generals of the Mongols only in three years. He successfully commanded the left wing of the main army in the Chinese campaign in 1211 and rose to the rank of Mukhali and Subutai. Zhe Hong, one of the Song dynasty historians, wrote that he commanded the elite troops in Genghis Khan's army, being the equivalent of a third-ranked Chinese governor, and such a rise is an indication of the kind of success that can only be explained by successive military victories. In 1218, he organized successful expeditions against the Karahitai, subdued the last rulers of Kuchluk, and succeeded in taking the Karahitai country under Mongol rule. After that, Jebe participated in the Khaverizm expedition led by Genghis Khan himself. In 1219, with a small number of accompanying forces, he crossed the Tian Shan mountain pass under severe winter conditions. It was one of the greatest military successes in Mongolian history, for which he drove back or at least stalled Muhammad Shah's 50,000 elite troops. After that, Jebe, together with Subutai, defeated the Georgians and the Caucasian steppe tribes, who were preparing to participate in the Fifth Crusade, and then they defeated the Kievan Rus at the Battle of the Kalka River. However, after this battle, Jebe suddenly disappeared. It was as if he had suddenly disappeared from the stage of history. Although historian Stephen Paul claims that he was killed by a Kipchak Turk in the Battle of Kalka River, Jebe's death still remains a mystery. And despite this mysterious disappearance, Jebe, with his victories in China, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe, managed to write his name indelibly in Mongolian history. In his book Introduction to Asian History, Leon Cahun used the expression, By the time Subutai retired, he had subdued 32 nations and trampled most of the known world under his horse's hooves. His campaigns from Asia to Europe had earned him the title of the general who conquered the most territory in the world. He was victorious in every battle he entered, and had never been defeated in his life. As an innovative commander, he tried to use siege tools in field battles, and his groundbreaking strategic moves and tactics continued to be used by his successors for centuries. Subutai was the son of a blacksmith named Chachudai, who belonged to the Urankai tribe, thought to be one of Tuvan Turks. Just like his older brother Chelme, he left the Siberian forests, the living space of his tribe, at an early age and joined Genghis Khan's army. In the first years, he was appointed as the gate guard of the Khan, but his fortunes began to change with the campaign on the markets in 1197. This was the first time the young commander had the chance to command independently. During the same expedition, he infiltrated the market camp as a spy and played a major role in achieving victory. Sources state that he served as the commander of the pioneer unit in the military campaign against the Naiman tribe in 1204. After that, he participated in the China campaigns carried out by Genghis Khan and then his son and achieved significant success. Over time, Genghis Khan's interest began to turn to Central Asia. Acting on his orders, Subutai defeated the Merkits and their ally Kumankipchak Federate troops in 1217 and 1219. The movement of the Mongols towards the center of Asia ultimately brought them against Muhammad Khwarazmshah. In 1219 and 1220, the Mongols destroyed important cities of Central Asia such as Bukhara, Odrar and Samarkand. Although Muhammad tried to resist the Mongolian attacks, he finally had to leave his country and take refuge on an island in the Caspian Sea. Subutai and Jebe were assigned by Genghis Khan to follow him. However, with the sudden death of the Shah on the island where he took refuge, this mission turned into an expedition. After that, the Mongol storm turned towards the Caucasian mountains and the Russian troops supported by the Georgians and then the Kipchaks were defeated. This expedition which was completed in 1223 did not give new lands to the Mongols, but it did provide Subutai with information about the peoples of Europe. Crossing the Don River in 1238, Subutai conquered most of Russia during the period until 1240. In early 1241, the Mongols began to advance into Europe from five different regions. Hungarian armies supported by Polish troops in the battles of Legnica and Mohi were defeated one after another. The Mongols had no intention of stopping. However, when the news of Ögedei's death reached the headquarters in 1242, the army had to return to Mongolia. When he received the news of Khan's death, Subutai was making plans to invade the Holy Roman Empire. However, these new developments upset all his plans. Subutai, who carried out successful expeditions against the Song dynasty in 1246 and 1247, retired and settled on the banks of the Tule River. He was 72 or 73 years old when he died peacefully. His death was greeted with joy in many countries, especially in China. However, it would always find a place in the memory of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. Genghis Khan's commanders had carried him from victory to victory. They fought with the They were the fiercest warriors of an age molded by violence, molded by brute force. The empire they fought for was shattered within a few centuries and sunk into the dusty pages of history. Yet, their achievements constituted the most striking chapter of Mongolian history, engraved in these dusty pages.