After a hundred days of rain, there will always be a sunny day.

- Han proverb

In the golden autumn of 1162, in the vast Mongolian steppe, with a loud cry, a boy was born under the beautiful dome like a white lotus.

Hearing the good news, the boy's father, the head of the clan of the Gang Qiyan (meaning the cry of a swan), should also immediately ride his horse from the front and hurried back to his big tent.

"Name this child Temujin (meaning steel)!"

Because this father had just captured a Tatar chieftain named Temujin Ugh in a tribal war.

At that time, in the northern steppes, tribes of nomads fought each other and conquered each other by force in an attempt to unify the world.

The Mongol tribe is an ancient ethnic group in northeastern Asia, whose ancestors are called Murwei, who live in the forests of the Ergun River in Northeast Asia, and live by hunting and fishing.

Later, a branch of the Murwe, the Monghul, bid farewell to the Erguna River and migrated westward to the steppes, where they lived the life of a shepherd in the Buerhan Mountains (present-day Kent Mountains, Mongolia), the headwaters of the Onen, Krulun and Tula rivers.

Since then, the Mughul has been involved in the endless whirlpool of wars on the steppe, forced to submit to one empire after another that dominates the northern steppe, and has become a vassal of the Turkic Khanate, the Uighur Khanate, the Huangsi and the Khitan Liao, and was given the name of Mongolia by his master. Although the meaning of Mongolia has various meanings in different languages, such as sky, eternal fire, eternal river, silver, warrior, etc., the meaning is far-reaching, and it is worthy of the name of this fierce people.

The Mongol tribes slowly developed prominent clans such as Qiyan, Zataran, and Taichiwu. They were surrounded by the Tatar tribe, the Ongjira tribe, the Wangu tribe, the three surnamed Mi'er beggar tribes, the Huyi Thorn Division, the Kereh Division, the Naiman Division, and so on.

More than 100 years later, because the Mongolian tribes could not bear the heavy oppression of the Liao State, they formed an alliance against the Liao State led by the Tatar tribe, and openly confronted the former masters, so that the Tatars (also known as Tatars) once became the unified name of many tribes in the steppe.

Another 100 years have passed, and the Tatar alliance in the steppe has collapsed.

At that time, the Jin State established by the Jurchens was the most powerful country in East Asia, with a population of nearly 50 million and an army of more than one million.

The Jurchens were actually a weak and small people under the rule of the Liao State, but their hearts were very strong, "the world is invincible with 10,000 people", and it took only a few years to eliminate the Liao State that dominated Northeast Asia and even the Central Plains of the Han Dynasty, and established their own nation-state-Jin State, and then from time to time used troops to go south to attack the Southern Song Dynasty in a corner of peace.

In contrast, the Mongols were only a vassal people in the vast territory of the Jin state, located in the far and cold north, with a sparse population, a thin army, and tribal warfare, which was not enough to make the Jin state worry. Therefore, when looking forward to the outcome of the war between Mongolia and Jin, someone said: "The Jin country is like a vast sea, and Mongolia is like a handful of fine sand at the bottom of the sea." It can be seen how different the strength of the two sides is.

The Mongol tribes rose to prominence under the leadership of Temujin's great-grandfather, Hebul, and united all the Mongols under their command, while also adopting the title of khan (monarch).

The self-reliance of the Mongols made the suzerainty of the Jin Emperor very angry.

The Jin State adopted the strategy of razing and took the initiative to provoke a long-term war between the Tatars and the Mongols.

After the death of the Khan of Hebul, his younger brother Alba took over his brother's scepter and continued to fight for the Mongol tribes. Later, the child was captured by the Tatars and presented as a gift to the Jin Kingdom, where he was nailed to a torture instrument called a "wooden donkey" and died a slow and painful death.

Vowed to avenge his family, the brother of the Baba Child, Khutura, launched a series of frenzied attacks on the Tatars. However, the heavens did not grant people's wishes. Kutura was defeated again and again, and finally died on the battlefield.

In the face of the powerful Tatars, the entire Mongolian tribe was heartbroken, and could only keep praying to the heavens, hoping that there would be a peerless hero in the tribe who would lead everyone out of defeat.

When Temujin was 9 years old, he followed his father to the Hongjira clan to which his mother belonged to to choose a future wife. At the request of the future father-in-law, Temujin remained in his home.

His father returned home alone and met a group of Tatars on the way.

Among the Tatars was the son of Temujin Uq, who should have been killed quickly. He recognized at a glance that he had captured and killed his father, so he mixed poison with the food he was given, and poisoned him.

When Temujin heard the news of his father's death, a deep hatred for the Tatars was buried in his young heart.

His father's relatives and supporters left one after another, leaving Temujin's family wandering around the steppe, suffering from the world, but at the same time, strengthening his body and training him to form a strong personality and will.

As he grew older, Temujin began to fight to defend the survival of his clan.

When he was 19 years old, he was unexpectedly defeated in a battle, and he almost became a prisoner. The wife who was covering him to get out was snatched away by a beggar.

Worse things happened one after another.

His most trusted friend betrayed him again, and he nearly lost his life. Many of his men were brutally boiled in cauldrons by the enemy.

His ancestors were killed, his wives were robbed, his friends betrayed, and old and new hatreds tore at Temujin's blood-dripping heart all the time, and also shaped his split personality that was both brutal and ruthless, but also gentle and charitable.

Temujin, who matured in his baptism, began to succeed.

He not only recaptured his wife, but also spent more than 10 years conquering the Kereh tribe, the Taichiu clan, the Tatar tribe, the Wangu tribe and the Kyrgyz tribe, which were stronger than his own tribes, and unified the entire Mobei region and became the de facto master of the Mongolian steppe.

The formation of the Mongolian national community was also the eve of the emergence of the Mongolian state.

Temujin had his own territory and alliances, and more importantly, a group of hardcore allies who depended on him for life and death. So he became as hard as iron, as strong as steel, and began to become an eagle soaring in the sky.

In 1206, the Mongol tribes convened a council in the Buerhan Mountains, proclaimed the Great Mongolian State, and elected Temujin as the Great Khan, honored as Genghis Khan.

The Jin State pursued a brutal policy of national oppression for a long time, which made the Mongols resentful of the rulers of the Jin State. The Jin State not only demanded tribute from the Mongols, but also sent soldiers to serve as cannon fodder for the Jin State every three years, which aroused widespread resentment among the Mongols. As a result, the Jin Kingdom had a feud with the Mongols.

In order to prevent the Mongols from retaliating and harassing, the Jin State built a boundary moat of more than 3,000 miles from Dali Daishibaozi (now Molidawa North, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) through Yuerbo (now Dalainuoer) to Jiashan (now northwest of Hoshi, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region), also known as the Jin Great Wall, to block the Mongols from the border of the Jin State itself.

Genghis Khan organized the Mongolian people with the thousand-household system of military and civilian integration, expanded the escort army, and formed a Mongolian army that was good at field combat and long-range attack. He also established a standing army of up to 10,000 men under his direct command, with his most trusted "Mongolian Four Heroes" Bolhu, Borshu, Muhuali, and Chilaowen as the chief of the guard. These four men later became capable men who swept across Eurasia and created the glory of the Mongol Empire.

Although Genghis Khan was illiterate, he attached great importance to national culture, and specially invited the captive Uyghurs to create the Mongolian script and legal code "Dazasa".

So far, the Mongolian tribes, which were once scattered, have officially stepped onto the world stage with the image of a country, and have had a huge impact on the historical development and trend of the world.

While Genghis Khan was trying his best to strengthen the Mongols, he also adopted several orphans whose families had been killed by the enemy.

Battle is one of them. At only 15 years old, he was intelligent, sensible, kind-hearted, and determined, and was especially loved by Genghis Khan and became his personal guard.

After completing the historical mission of establishing the Great Mongolian State, Genghis Khan thought of the next historical mission was to crusade against the Jurchen Jin State, avenge the death of the ancestors, and then expand the power of Mongolia, chase the Han Central Plains occupied by the Jin State, and plunder the rich wealth there.

Genghis Khan said: "The greatest happiness of mankind is in victory: conquer your enemies, chase them, seize their possessions, make their loved ones weep in tears, ride their horses, and embrace their beautiful wives and daughters."

At that time, Jin was still the most powerful power in East Asia, and Genghis Khan did not dare to act rashly.

In order to achieve the goal of crusading against the enemy Jin, Genghis Khan planned carefully and made serious preparations for war for five years. In 1205, 1207, and 1209, he sent troops to teach Jin's allies and younger brother Tangut three times, forcing them to submit to the majestic Great Mongol State, cutting off one of Jin's wings and accomplices, and sweeping away the restraining forces attacking Jin.

Genghis Khan then managed to clear the remnants of the tribes from outside the country and secure the Mongol rear.

He recruited the Wanggu tribe who guarded the boundary trenches for the Jin Kingdom, and made the area north of Yinshan a base for attacking the Jin Kingdom.

He also used heavy money and beautiful women to plot against the internal personnel of the Jin State, recruited the officers and soldiers of the Jin State as the internal response of the Mongolian army, used merchants and envoys to spy on the intelligence of the Jin State, and adopted various methods to paralyze the Jin army.

With the rise of the Great Mongol Kingdom, the Jin Kingdom, which occupied the homeland of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom, was sandwiched between the Mongols and the Southern Song Dynasty.

The Great Mongolian Empire, located in the northwest, sharpened its knives and coveted the land and property of the Jin Kingdom.

The Southern Song Dynasty, located in the south, also refused to give up, and some people were always thinking about the Han land that had recovered the Central Plains.

In the spring of 1206, the new emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Song Ningzong, who ascended the throne in Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province), was determined to change his humiliating position, and heeded the advice of Xin Qiji and others, intending to counterattack the Jin State and regain the country.

Han Yanxuan took advantage of the opportunity of the Great Mongolian State to attack the Jin State, regardless of the reality that he was not fully prepared, and rashly raised troops to attack the Jin State's army. The armies of the Southern Song Dynasty began with successive victories and greatly boosted their morale. Later, the tide of the war was quickly reversed by the sabotage of the moles. Han Yanxuan was also murdered by the capitulation faction in the Southern Song court.

In the spring of 1208, the Southern Song army, which had lost its heroic and resolute commander, was pursued and defeated by the Jin army.

Song Ningzong was forced to send Gong Wanli, a descendant of Gong Kaiyuan, a general who was born as a guard of the first emperor, and others to negotiate peace with the Jin State.

Gong Wanli was born in a family of generals, and he was very interested in military affairs since he was a child. When he grew up, he joined the Southern Song Dynasty army and was a staunch main battle faction.

Song Ning Sect sent him to the peace talks, firstly, to use his belief in the War of Resistance to deter the Jin people, and secondly, to test the peace sincerity of the Jin people.

Gong Wanli argued on the basis of reason, explained the principle of peaceful coexistence with the Southern Song Dynasty to the Jin people, gave examples of the benefits of friendship between the two countries, stated the disadvantages of the struggle between the two countries, and told the story of the idiom "the snipe and the clam fight, and the fisherman profits" to the Jin people, hoping that they could know the benefits and disadvantages.

Gong Wanli's loyal words were like playing the piano to a cow and seeking skin with a tiger, but they did not achieve any effect.

Relying on its military advantages and advantages, the Jin State was arrogant and rude, demanded sky-high prices, and wantonly humiliated the Southern Song Dynasty.

In desperation, Gong Wanli had no choice but to truthfully report to Song Ningzong, asking the army of the Southern Song Dynasty to strike at the Jin army on the front line, exert military pressure, and create favorable conditions for peace talks.

On the one hand, Song Ningzong reprimanded Gong Wanli for being incompetent and incompetent, and had to reach a peace treaty with the Jin State, and on the other hand, he secretly ordered the army to attack the Jin State's army.

Gong Wanli was severely reprimanded by the emperor and was determined to make a final fight with the people of Jin.

He talked eloquently and hit the key point of Jin Guo: "I want to tell you another story, called the praying mantis catching cicadas, and the yellow finch is behind." Now my Great Song Dynasty is like an autumn cicada, and your Jin Kingdom is a praying mantis that is determined to win. Of course, you are about to devour my Great Song, but, you know? A ferocious yellow finch is eyeing you behind, and even if you destroy our country, you and I will eventually be devoured by that yellow finch. That yellow finch is the Great Mongolia behind your country! ”

The people of Jin had just received the news that the Southern Song Dynasty army had launched an attack, and when they heard Gong Wanli's words, they thought about it and thought that the Great Mongolia was indeed growing stronger day by day, and they felt like a thorn in their backs, and they shuddered. They knew that Song Ningzong had a weak temperament and was eager to seek peace, so they continued to stalk, threaten and lure, and force Gong Wanli to sign a humiliating peace treaty.

Under the pressure of the main battle faction, Song Ningzong imposed the guilt of signing the peace treaty on Gong Wanli's head, punished him with demotion of officials, and impassionedly reprimanded: "Lose power and humiliate the country, and shame your ancestors." ”

Gong Wanli had nowhere to say his suffering, nowhere to redress his grievances, so he had to carry everyone's infamy in exchange for the continuation of the society.

The Northern Expedition of the Southern Song Dynasty not only did not get cheap, but was forced to admit that the Emperor of Jin was his uncle, and the annual coin was also increased to 600,000, and half of the country was temporarily preserved.

The Jin State had just finished the Southern Song Dynasty, and Genghis Khan in the northwest had prepared for the war, and resolutely decided to break off relations with the Jin State, preparing to completely destroy the Jin State, the enemy of the Mongol generations.

If the heavens want to exterminate a country, it will surely produce a mediocre monarch in that country.

The emperor of the Jin Kingdom, Wanyan Yongji, was such a faint monarch. Although he had long known that Genghis Khan was attempting to rebel, he thought that he was a great power, and did not take Genghis Khan seriously at all, but placed the main forces on the border of Jin and Song, and was unwary of Mongolia, which suppressed anger and forbearance.

Wanyan Yongji not only did not attach importance to intelligence work, but punished soldiers who reported the enemy's situation. At that time, after learning that the Mongol army was actively training and preparing for war in Mobei, a border general of the Jin State thought that this information was very important and hurriedly reported it to Wanyan Yongji.

Wanyan Yongji questioned him, "Where is the threat of the Mongols?" What are they capable of attacking our country? ”

The border guard replied: "Mongolia has already subjugated its neighbors, and it is still making bows and arrows and armor, so that adult men can fight hard and horses, who else can it be against our country?" ”

Wanyan Yongji was very unhappy that the border guards dared to contradict him, glared at him in disgust, and then imprisoned him on charges of fabricating rumors and disturbing the morale of the army without authorization.

Wanyan Yongji also forbade the common people to discuss the affairs of the border passes, so that the Jin Kingdom became blind and deaf, and fell into a situation of passive beating.

In the spring of 1211, Genghis Khan was already 49 years old. He was not old-spirited, wearing a Mongolian robe decorated with gold, silver and precious stones, and a golden fox fur hat, sitting upright in a tiger skin tent, and his solemn expression showed a calm and resolute character.

He decided to personally lead the Mongol army on a quest to destroy the Jin state.

Genghis Khan led the Mongol army south from the Tilulian River (present-day Krulun River) and sent Jebe with light cavalry as a vanguard into the northwest frontier of the Jin State to reconnoiter the military situation.

Wanyan Yongji was terrified when he heard that the Mongol army had arrived at the country, and immediately sent envoys to beg for peace, but the Mongols sternly refused. Wanyan Yongji had no choice but to temporarily arrange generals and hastily lead troops to resist the attack of the Mongol army.

In the autumn of that year, the Jin State gathered a main force of 450,000 troops and fought a decisive battle with the 100,000 troops of the Great Mongol State at Yehuling (present-day northwest of Wanquan, Hebei Province).

Genghis Khan was determined and attacked the enemy in two ways: the eastern route was personally led by him and advanced to the central capital of the Jin State; Xilu was commanded by his three sons, Jochi, Chagatai, and Ogedei, and crusaded against Xijing (present-day Datong, Shanxi Province) of the Jin Kingdom.

Genghis Khan's men and horses took advantage of the unpreparedness of the Jin army and attacked Wushabao and Wuyue Camp (now northwest of Zhangbei, Hebei Province), and defeated the large Jin army.

Wanyan Yongji, who had been defeated, was angry and changed his generals, but he was still defeated and retreated, losing Changzhou (southwest of present-day Taifusi Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region), Huanzhou (present-day northwest of Zhenglanqi, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) and Fuzhou (present-day Zhangbei, Hebei Province).

In the decisive battle of Yehuling, the Mongol general Mu Huali led a death squad to charge and kill the enemy on the front line, while Genghis Khan led the main force to follow behind, forming a powerful offensive.

The Jin soldiers were terrified when they saw the fierce and black Mongol army, so they fled and retreated all the way to Huihebao (southeast of present-day Huai'an, Hebei Province).

Genghis Khan commanded the Mongol iron cavalry to follow and pursue, and fought with the Jin army at Huihe Fort for three days, annihilating the elite troops of the Jin State in one fell swoop.

The Battle of Huihe Fort was the first major battle of the Jin Kingdom. In this general battle, the main force of the Jin State was annihilated and suffered heavy losses. The defeat of the Jin army shook the Jin government and the opposition.

The mediocre and incompetent Wanyan Yongji was helpless, and not only did not punish the leaders of the Jin army who fled back to Zhongdu, but promoted them to important responsibilities, which caused resentment in the hearts of the court and had an adverse impact on the all-round resistance to the Mongol invasion.

The Mongol army won a major victory in the first battle against a strong enemy, which boosted the morale of the whole army and strengthened the confidence in destroying the Jin state.

Mu Huali led the vanguard into Juyong Pass and arrived at the city of Zhongdu. Because the central capital was fortified and heavily defended, the Mongol army was good at galloping on flat ground, and it was still a little confused about attacking large cities, so the siege battle was lost. Even so, on the way to retreat, they also attacked the Gyeonggi region.

From November, the Mongolian West Road began to attack Yunnei (southeast of present-day Tumutzuo Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region), Dongsheng (present-day Tuoketuo, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region), Shuozhou (present-day Shanxi Province) and other places.

When the guards of Xijing of the Jin Kingdom, Dagger Shilie and Hu Shahu, heard that the Mongol army was approaching the city, they hurriedly abandoned the city and fled into the central capital.

As a result, the two Mongol armies entered a no-man's land, plundered a large number of people, animals, and property in the northern regions of present-day Hebei and Shanxi, and then retreated.

At the beginning of the following year, the Mongol general Jebe led an unsuccessful attack on Jin's Tokyo (present-day Liaoyang, Liaoning Province).

Jebel had an idea, and adopted the tactics of luring the enemy out of the city and outwitting him, and pretended to retreat back 500 miles.

When the defenders of the Jin State saw that the Mongol army had withdrawn to a distant place, they were so proud that they drank wine and ate meat proudly, and relaxed their guard.

Unexpectedly, the Mongol cavalry secretly galloped on horseback, day and night, and landed outside the city like heavenly soldiers and generals, and conquered Tokyo by surprise. Between this retreat and advance, it is full of Zhebe's military dialectical thoughts.

The Mongol army plundered the city of Tokyo, and it was only after more than a month that the division returned to Korea.