I saw something on TV about Ghenghis Kahn. He is mostly known for his ruthless warfare and conquest of large parts of Asia, slaughtering the inhabitants of the cities he laid under siege. The Mongolian Hordes were widely known for their lack of consideration for anything else than their own interests. And their interest was to destroy anything that could pose any opposition. For this reason, anyone of the opposing forces or – for that matter – any civilians above knee height, were killed; regardless of age or sex. After raiding the unlucky city, it was looted and its valuables were carried away, to Mongolia.
As it were, this supposedly huge treasure, which was assembled from the prosperous cities inside the vast empire Ghenghis Kahn eventually conquered, was never found. It is, for the main part, assumed to be buried with him. And where was he buried? Right. Nobody knows.
It goes without saying that this Ghenghis Kahn, with his ultra-violent conquest that took lives in the millions, deserves a major slap on the wrist – by history. On the other hand, Ghenghis Kahn was able to unite Mongolia, a deeply divided backward cluster of warring provinces governed by warlords, deadlocked in an eternal cycle of mutual attacks, robbing of women, killing of live stock and basically living in total anarchy (of the bad kind). He brought order to this backwater, and he managed to stop the internal lawlessness of his country; hence making it a “country” in the first place. He did this, of course, by killing all the warlords and their entourage first.
Another accomplishment of his was the proliferation of effective military tactics, based on total mobility of his forces. He could pack up his entire army in hours and live off the land anywhere he went. This as opposed to the armies he so skilfully defeated, which were reliant on elaborate logistical infrastructures. These tactics of lean, mobile forces are now taught at the major military academies of the world. And by the way: Ghenghis Kahn never lost one single battle. That is a track record no ruler or warrior of any time equals.
That leads to another thing: he was able to whip the asses of lazy, complacent, arrogant and probably [more] brutal [than he was] rulers; sometimes pursuing them until they stood with their backs to the wall on some tiny island… literally. And I am personally very charmed by anyone who can topple a ruler.
All this happened 800 years ago, in a time we call the middle ages. This is probably as far back in time as I will go, with a possible exception for the first dictator by title: Julius Caesar. The next dictator I choose will be closer to home. And there are many to choose from.
