What a Samurai vs. Mongol Battle Really Looked Like

The islanders of Tsushima were the first to notice them: the dark figures crossing the Pacific horizon one afternoon in 1274. The local governor, to let Suka Cooney know

what

is coming, gathers 80 mounted

samurai

and leads them through the mountains to the beach. The invasion fleet lurches forward. The look of the

samurai

. Outnumbered six years ago, the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, sent a letter to the Japanese government in Kamakura. Countless people in distant lands have learned to fear our power and long for our virtuous rule. Furthermore, the wise consider the entire universe a family, therefore.

If we should not establish friendly relations among ourselves, how could it be in accordance with the doctrine of a family that would mind resorting to arms? apparently it is an offer to peacefully submit to the kublicon and become subjects of the

mongol

s, but to reject his proposal is to flirt with the apocalypse holocaust the sublime cities of the islamic world the opulent kingdoms of russia the powerful dominion of imperial china have been desecrated burned gutted millions of men, women and children massacred by the

mongol

s for unknown reasons kublai khan has decided that japan should now bend the knee to his empire the government of japan responds by ignoring his letter so tsukakuni is the first to suffer the consequences at dawn thousand Mongols charge on the beach Samurai are masters of the sword but are primarily horse archers The Japanese fight in small disparate groups of samurai warriors and their followers prefer to attack individual targets from a distance, this initially works against the Mongols and the defenders of Tsushima They eliminate many of the approaching invaders, but Mongol tactics are strange and overwhelming Mongol domination has come on the backs of

battle

-worn, horse-trained nomads. archery since childhood they launched synchronized charges in units launching massive volleys of arrows on groups of enemies as the exhausted enemy herds begin to dwindle, they charge the gaps and seek to end the

battle

with axes and servants here the samurai domain of both fighting at horse and warfare with unmounted swords becomes crucial in hand-to-hand combat a samurai breaks his sword and a hail of mongol arrows kills him the defenders of tsushima are outnumbered the bodies of sukakuni and his followers are left on the beach and at the noon the mongol invasion of tsushima is unstoppable the local buildings are burned the inhabitants massacred the mongols do the same on the island of iki before advancing towards the mainland the fleet comes into view and drops anchor revealing the mongol talent for psychological warfare their bows are adorned with island women hanging from a rope tied to their palms an attack of Mongol horse archers charged the beach to the sound of signals from gongs and drums, they dropped deafening gunpowder bombs that drove back the Japanese horses and then swung hooks and other weapons to tear the Japanese from their mounts.

The Mongols generally navigate the battlefield clad in versatile light armor and personal shields, while the heavier armored samurai only use shields as stationary protective walls for their archers. The samurai are relentless snipers. Their counterattacks force some of the Mongols to retreat. and regroup a samurai takazaki suinaga is eager to make a Japanese warriors are compensated by the shogunate government only when they can offer evidence of their own exceptional deeds. Evidence often takes the form of eyewitness accounts or enemy heads. Suinaga has followed the retreating Mongols to a camp. One of his followers warns him not to. charge to wait for reinforcements but suinaga responds the way of the bow and arrow is to do

what

is worthy of reward charge the mongols launched a volley of arrows wounding suinaga and his three servants swainaga continues forward until an arrow pierces his horse and he is thrown to the defenseless ground suddenly a reinforcement charge advances saving his life the Mongol counterattack is brutal the Japanese disperse and retreat inland while the invaders destroy many of the houses and shrines along the coast and then leave there some appear Accounts claim that it destroyed much of the Mongol fleet, while others claim that it was simply a chance wind that gave the demoralized Mongol fleet the opportunity to sail back to Korea.

The Mongols may have realized that they lacked manpower. to occupy southern japan whatever the case the mongols have left for japan now is the time to mourn and rebuild it is the following year when mongol emissaries arrive in japan reiterating kublai khan's request to submit to mongol rule hojo tokamune the de facto ruler of japan has been beheaded later emissaries suffer the same fate tokumune knows the mongols will not forget him builds 12 miles of high stone walls on the coast of japan another vital part of japanese defense is prayer the emperor remains An important religious figure in Japan ordered shrines to pray peace and curse the Mongols, but the Mongol empire only grows in power, they have crushed the last members of the Song dynasty of southern China, absorbed their powerful navy and built a new fleet. massive in the years since the invasion, Kublai Khan has had time to orchestrate the fall of Japan in 1281 a Mongol fleet arrives at Tsushima defending the samurai are crushed the villagers run towards the mountains but the Mongols follow the screams of the children who They flee and hunt them again they occupy Iki and attack the mainland, but this time the guarded coastal walls prevent the Mongols from establishing a position on land, the Mongol fleet is forced to float ominously in the bay planning raids on islands the samurai feel vulnerability carry sandbanks and small boats towards the Mongol ships they climb aboard and fight one called kawano michiari takes five followers and jumps choppy seas in two small boats when they approach a Mongol ship an enemy archer kills his uncle two more arrows are stuck in michiari's shoulder and left arm as he climbs aboard ignores his wounds draws his sword kills a large mongol and captures an officer takazaki suinaga also eager to join the fray gets on a japanese ship that leaves assaults a mongol ship and attacks the crew the Mongols are bleeding supplies but in mid-summer the momentum seems to shift their huge southern fleet from newly conquered southern China reaches Japan the invading army is now three times larger than in the previous invasion a close battle on the island of Takashima forces the Japanese to retreat then the blackened skies sails agitate the waves swell a typhoon reaches the bay devouring hundreds of Mongolian ships soldiers are thrown overboard ships crashed against the rocks the surviving Mongolian ships cut anchors and abandoned the invasion the next day thousands of living and dead mongols arrive on japanese beaches and float past on driftwood a straggler chang has been stranded on an island for three days without food which he and other survivors plan to cut down trees build ships and sail home but they are captured by Japanese who are inspecting the area with no interest in forgiveness the Japanese execute all the Korean and northern Chinese Mongols they encounter they see the southern Chinese as old allies of Japan recently forced under Mongol control he spared their lives to the newly subjugated ones saying that they were people of the Tang dynasty and made them slaves instead, i Chang was one of them.

The invasion is over. Takazaki Suinaga is now around 30 years old and will document his exploits in scrolls and present testimonies. and the Mongol chiefs will receive rewards from the government. Samurai like kawano michiari will be honored as heroes. Kublai Khan and the Mongol empire had claimed the entire universe, but last time they tried and failed to claim Japan, so if you have. Don't make sure to subscribe and hit that notification bell just yet and maybe even consider donating to our Patreon account, thank you.