Plot

Genghis Khan, ruthless leader of the Mongols and sovereign over the vastest empire ever ruled by a single man, was both god and devil - not just in the Middle Ages, but for centuries to come.

Born in 1162, called Temujin. He was born clutching a blood clot, which was a sign from the Gods that he would be a great warrior. Temujin was an uneducated outcast who managed to convert the feuding tribes of Mongolia into a single nation and converted the Mogol hordes into a disciplined army. Eventually he came to rule the largest land empire ever known.

Temujin's dad killed when he was 9, by a rival tribe. His mother asked him to seek revenge against his father's enemies. Temujin grew up to lead a small tribe, which was no more than an extended family. He used marriage to create alliances & strengthen his tribe, but rivals steal his wife. Temujin decided to escape as there was no way to win that battle. Temujin's wife had no option but to submit to her kidnappers.

Jamuka was his blood brother who helped him rescue his wife by eliminating the rival tribe. Temujin sought help from his father's blood brother for his army. With the large army at his back, Temujin attacked the rival tribe settlement and set fire to it, after rescuing his wife. Temujin was only 20 years old and had already eliminated Mongolia's largest tribe. 9 months after the raid, Temujin's wife gave birth to a son.

Temujin shared the leadership of the tribe with Jamuka. Temujin wanted to promote meritorious warriors to the rank of nobles, but Jamuka came from nobility and believed that nobility could only be attained by birthright. Jamuka splits the tribe over leadership issues with Temujin. Jamuka returns 2 years later when he accuses a member of Temujin's tribe of stealing horse. Jamuka attacks Temujin's tribe & decimates it as Tamujin and his army were caught unprepared. Jamuka was brutal and he boils the generals of Temujin's tribe alive.

Temujin vows not to be beaten again & builds a professional army based on meritocracy. He exercised his authority through an elite officer core. Temujin made training in archery compulsory for all soldiers. Mongol bows were made of wood and bones and had a range of 500 yards.

In 1204 Temujin attacks Jamuka, who is the first general beaten by a man who eventually conquered 12 million miles, using modern battle tactics, reserves & decoys. Temujin camped outside Jamuka's tribe, and every soldier lit 5 fires at night to give the impression of a huge force. Temujin kept his forces in reserve and led Jamuka's soldiers into traps where his archers picked them off easily.

Jamuka escaped the battlefield and hid in the mountains. A year later, his own generals betrayed him and delivered him to Temujin. Temujin executes the generals and offers Jamuka to rejoin him, despite protests from his wife. Jamuka refuses stating that there can only be one sun in the sky. Jamuka asks for a noble death and Temujin grants this by breaking Jamuka's back. Jamuka's death installed Temujin as the sole leader of all Mongol tribes & named Genghis Khan, which meant Universal King, The ruler of all men.

GK knew that the Chinese would never tolerate a strong leader so close to their border. GK attacked China with 50,000 men going around the great wall. GK and his army crossed the Gobi Desert, but the Chinese knew how to fight dirty. They had put iron spikes in the path of the approaching Mongols.

He plundered North Chinese villages & slept with their high-class women. Beijing was a sophisticated and rich city at the time, overflowing with gilded temples and silks. The city was surrounded by a huge wall. He laid siege to Beijing in 1210 & built catapults & battering rams to break down the city wall. The Mongols were in no hurry as they feasted on the supplies they captured. Chinese starved in Beijing & turned cannibals. Many Chinese surrendered to GK during the siege and were taken prisoner.

Despite the months of starvation, Chinese general controlled a large garrison with an array of powerful weapons. Genghis attacked with Chinese prisoners in front line, captured, burned & sexually assaulted the city. Even a year after the plunder, the ground of the city was slick with human fat. He took military technology, medicine & writing from China. GK set up a city in Karakoram as a trading center for the Mongols. He set up a legal system for the Mongols and recorded all his judgments. He wanted to set up a network of trade routes, guarded by staging posts along the way.

Persia killed his ambassador, so Genghis attacked with 200,000 men & killed over 1 million people in conquering Persia. His army even went as far west as Kiev and Moscow. His empire was 4 times the size of Alexander's and twice the size of the Roman empire. 1 in 200 people alive today can trace their genetic lineage to GK. He died in 1223 on way to China for another raid. His sons conquered Russia, Poland & Hungary. But empire declined in 100 years. GK remains the most successful military commander the world has ever known.