The mongols mostly suprised people by moving very fast (Their sustained rate of advance is greater than most mechanized armies have achived) in coordinated opperations that were seperated by significant distance and also by doing things that appear impossible to their opponents. The classic example was the crossing of a 10,000+ ft pass in winter.
In terms of sneaking, well it's hard to sneak up on someone across a flat steepe. But the accounts of period observers also indicated that you could often smell the mongols before you saw them. I think they had some sort of religous prohibition/restriction on bathing.
> 3) These folks were agriculturalists for several thousand years. But a
> climatic change forced them to take up herding, and they adopted the horse.
>
I've heard it suggested that that excessive sheep herding is one of the
reasons why the mongols live in the Gobi DESERT. Not something I have
ever looked into myself, so it may well be wrong.
>
> 7) Mongol bows required a 160 pound draw. They had two kinds of arrows:
> light long ones for long distance (200 meters!) and short thick ones for
> close range (10-30 meters). They also used a forked, "singing" arrow to
> make noise and communicate.
>
As has been pointed out before, Composite bows are not overrated in RQ.
The availiblity is somewhat overrated, but the lethality and range are
somewhat less than what the effects obtained by earth bow using
cultures. Exactly how much it is less than reality has been vigorously
disputed.
>
> 9) The khan had a great, travelling yurt, set up on a platform drawn by
> several oxen.
>
I belive this sort of arrangment was also used for the bowmakers, as Comp
bows take a couple of years to build.
Kevin
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