The Mongols were masters of psychological warfare, and the use of terror as a weapon was one of the most important factors in the success of the Mongol military. The Mongols used a wide variety of psychological tactics, including the deliberate spread of stories of destruction, the use of the feigned retreat, the use of propaganda, and the use of diplomatic pressure. The combination of these tactics gave the Mongols a decisive psychological advantage over most of their enemies, and it was one of the keys to the success of the Mongol conquests.
The Mongols were not the first to use psychological warfare, but they were the first to use it on a systematic and large scale. The Mongols understood that the psychological effect of a victory was often more important than the military effect, and they used the psychological effect of their victories to encourage their enemies to surrender.
The Use of Terror
The most important of the Mongol psychological tactics was the use of terror. The Mongols deliberately spread stories of the destruction of cities that had resisted them, in order to encourage other cities to surrender. The stories were often exaggerated, but they were based on real events, and they were widely believed by the populations that the Mongols were about to attack.
The use of terror was particularly effective in the early phases of the Mongol conquests, when the Mongols were still unknown to most of their enemies. The stories of the destruction of cities like Bukhara, Samarkand, and Merv spread quickly, and they encouraged other cities to surrender without a fight. The use of terror was, in effect, a way of multiplying the strength of the Mongol army, and it was one of the keys to the success of the Mongol military.
The Mongols also used a number of specific techniques to enhance the psychological effect of their attacks. The Mongols would often use the bodies of the dead as psychological weapons, leaving them unburied as a warning to others. The Mongols would also use the heads of the defeated rulers as psychological weapons, displaying them on pikes or sending them to other rulers as a warning.
The Use of the Feigned Retreat
The second most important of the Mongol psychological tactics was the feigned retreat. The tactic was based on a deep understanding of the psychology of the enemy, and it was particularly effective against heavy cavalry, which was not as maneuverable as the Mongol horse.
The feigned retreat was a high-risk tactic, and it required a high degree of coordination between the small force that was feigning the retreat and the main force that was delivering the counterattack. The tactic was, however, very effective, and it was used in many of the most famous Mongol victories, including the Battle of Mohi and the Battle of Legnica.
The Use of Propaganda
The third most important of the Mongol psychological tactics was the use of propaganda. The Mongols used propaganda to spread stories of their invincibility, to encourage defections, and to undermine the morale of their enemies. The propaganda was spread through a variety of means, including merchants, travelers, and the official communications of the Mongol court.
The Mongols also used a number of specific techniques to enhance the psychological effect of their propaganda. The Mongols would often exaggerate the size of their armies, claiming that they were much larger than they actually were. The Mongols would also emphasize the divine right of the great khan, claiming that the khan was the chosen of Tengri (the eternal blue sky) and that resistance to the khan was futile.
The Use of Diplomatic Pressure
The fourth most important of the Mongol psychological tactics was the use of diplomatic pressure. The Mongols used diplomacy to divide their enemies, to encourage defections, and to undermine the morale of their enemies. The Mongols would often send envoys to the courts of their enemies, demanding surrender and offering generous terms. The envoys would also be used to gather intelligence on the enemy’s political and military situation.
The use of diplomatic pressure was particularly effective against enemies that were politically divided. The Mongols would often send envoys to the different factions of the enemy court, offering favorable terms to those who surrendered and threatening dire consequences to those who resisted. The diplomatic pressure was, in effect, a way of exploiting the political divisions of the enemy, and it was one of the keys to the success of the Mongol military.
The Use of Spies
The fifth most important of the Mongol psychological tactics was the use of spies. The Mongols used a sophisticated network of spies and informants to gather information on the enemy, and they used this information to plan their campaigns and to identify the weaknesses of the enemy. The spies were also used to spread propaganda and to undermine the morale of the enemy.
The use of spies was particularly effective against enemies that were politically divided. The Mongols would often plant spies in the courts of their enemies, and the spies would gather information on the political and military situation of the enemy. The spies would also spread propaganda and rumors, in order to undermine the morale of the enemy and to encourage defections.
The Legacy of Mongol Psychological Warfare
The Mongol psychological warfare was one of the most important factors in the success of the Mongol military, and it was a major contribution to the history of warfare. The use of terror, the feigned retreat, propaganda, diplomatic pressure, and spies were all major innovations of the Mongol military, and they were widely copied by the armies of the successor states of the Mongol Empire.
The legacy of the Mongol psychological warfare is also visible in the modern world. The use of terror as a weapon, the use of propaganda, and the use of spies are all features of the modern military that can be traced, in part, to the Mongol military tradition. The Mongols were, in this sense, a model of military innovation, and the psychological warfare is one of the most distinctive features of the Mongol military tradition.
Sources
- Timothy May, The Mongol Art of War (Barnsley, 2007).
- David Morgan, The Mongols (2nd ed., Oxford, 2007).
- Christopher I. Beckwith, Empires of the Silk Road (Princeton, 2009).