Display:
Yes, the place has been visited by everybody and its brother. The Mongols come on top of the lot, though. They really  ... err, left a mark. Even if they didn't kill absolutely everybody, they truly turned what is modern Afghanistan into a desert.
by Francois in Paris on Sat Mar 1st, 2008 at 07:31:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The most fascinating are the campaigns of the early 1240's (and the great Khalka river campaign 20 years earlier). They came all the way to the suburbs of Vienna before they decided to go home as the Great Khan had been assasinated.

They had already crushed the greatest army in Europe, the Hungarian, and I have no doubt that they they would have crunched the only remaining strong army, the French, like insects.

Before they invaded Russia (from the east and in winter no less! (the Mongols always fought in winter if they could)) they hade made this immense plan of conquering all of Europe, from the Urals to the Atlantic. It was supposed to take 12 years IIRC.

Oh well. They were so great at war than many of their methods and theories weren't rediscovered until WW2 by the Germans and pre-purge Russians.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Sat Mar 1st, 2008 at 07:42:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:
Login
. Make a new account
. Reset password
Occasional Series