Ghengis Khan

             and various aristocrats of the numerous tribes and their families joined him (Temu-jin). .
             They offered their allegiance to him after realizing he was an ideal Steppe Warrior. " .
             While still in his twenties they elected him Khan and gave him the name Jenghiz, .
             expecting him to lead them to conquer rich pastures, capture beautiful women and .
             acquire good horses and hunting grounds" (Janic). At the beginning still unstable he .
             knew he had to protect himself from sudden raids, so he set up a guard of warriors, 80 .
             night guards (kabtaut) and 70-day guards (Tunghaut) providing protection of the herds of .
             horses thus beginnings of his army.
             .
             Their rigorous life style provided them with the ability to hunt skillfully and .
             handle whatever came their way. Genghis Khan realized these hordes of horsemen were .
             not an army they needed discipline and organization to make an effective fighting force. .
             Genghis Khan made up routines for his army to practice their skills and obedience. One .
             such stimulated battle was he had them all set up in a circle with their weapons blazing .
             with eyes on the prey and were not allowed to fire until he gave the command. These .
             types of exercises made the armies united and act as one a whole. While also showing .
             their obedience to the commander. " In tight formation they wheeled and retreated by .
             turns, shooting over the back of the horses, turning again to attack still maintaining tight .
             Well- ordered formations" (Macpherson). The keys to his victorious army was the .
             strong discipline and tight organization.
             .
             The Mongols now formed one united army under the nine tailed white banner .
             and set forth to conquer territory and mold it into an empire. His unity of the tribe laid the .
             foundations to build the empire. " armies of today still use the military tactics of .
             softening up the enemy by artillery fire, pioneered by the Mongols, the difference being .
             the Mongols used arrows, and stones and other missiles fired from siege engines instead.