Even though the OG has been recommending it forever, I finally got around to listening to Dan Carlin's Genghis Khan Hardcore History podcast.
Man, why the hell did I wait this long?
I'm as much a Genghis Khan nuthugger as any here on the OG, but even so, the story impressed the hell out of me.
All this time I thought he was just a good leader that got lucky with some battles and had the benefit of mounted archers. However, as you would expect, there's a reason that he and his descendants conquered the largest empire in the history of the world.
What reason? No. Not what reason. ALL the reasons.
* The Khan himself was an absolute genius, obviously.
* He was a very even handed and wise ruler that recognized talent like no one else, and picked the best subordinates.
* Because of that, he had 100% loyalty from pretty much everybody.
* He thought ahead of his time about how the empire could be maintained and run after his death, unlike other conquerors.
* He took advice from anyone who had wisdom, even his enemies.
* Mongol mounted archers were like combining trick riders with olympic level archers trained from birth. No one could deal with them unless they were fellow mongols.
* They were born hard, and lived a hard life on the steppes. You know the famous Russian winter that defeated all other conquerors? The Mongols WAITED until winter before moving in and crushing them.
* The army had discipline like you wouldn't believe. Coordination and unit integrity were beat and bred into them.
* Their war tactics were centuries ahead of their time. Not until the 19th/20th century did armies execute such complex manuvers with such ease. Against most opponents it was like the NBA all stars playing a grade school team. They were outnumbered by their opponents by many times in every battle, and STILL they trounced everyone.
* They used propaganda, deception, fear, diplomacy, and trickery to a degree that was unheard of in the middle ages.
Yea they massacred whole cities and completely destroyed the 1st and 2nd most advanced civilizations in the world at the time (30-80 million people killed, the Chinese and Islam/Baghdad subsumed). He was like Hitler * 100. But hey, that's so OG it's not even funny.
In the end, the only thing that prevented them from conquering everything was unexpected deaths of Khans. In warfare they basically never lost until hundreds of years later when they became soft in the cities that they conquered.
So if you haven't listened to them, do. I only wish there were more than 5 podcasts.
Is there a way to dl the podcasts?
When I click "download .mp3", it just starts playing.
Welcome to learning about history, bro.
Sounds like you had a good time. 
I thought it was interesting how the Mongols didn't like to shed royal blood, so they locked that prince from the Ukraine (I think) in a box until he suffocated and sewed that female Mongol lady up in a large sack and tossed her into a river.
Thanks Jack.
I tried two times to listen to that series and couldn't get past the first 30 minutes both times. You're like 30 minutes into the pod cost and Dan Carlin is still teasing it saying things like "This culture I'm going to tell you about...blah, blah, blah" Sorry, when you're like 20-30 minutes into the podcast the time for teasers like that is done, just tell us at that point.
Or at least that's how I remember it, maybe I should give it a second chance, or maybe I should just start an hour into it and then go back and listen to the first hour afterwards
ttt
Some people want a 20 min primer some people want 30 hours instead of 9. Can't please everyone I guess.
sicko - I tried two times to listen to that series and couldn't get past the first 30 minutes both times. You're like 30 minutes into the pod cost and Dan Carlin is still teasing it saying things like "This culture I'm going to tell you about...blah, blah, blah" Sorry, when you're like 20-30 minutes into the podcast the time for teasers like that is done, just tell us at that point.
Or at least that's how I remember it, maybe I should give it a second chance, or maybe I should just start an hour into it and then go back and listen to the first hour afterwards
Carlin frequently spends a lot of time building up an intro to his story, it's his way of putting the story into historical context for people who don't have any background in the material he is covering.
People who like Carlins stuff generally like it because of the depth of detail, if you want brevity he ain't your guy.
Check out the movie "Mongol" You will love. It's on netflix
And Genghis spread literature, art and knowledge making the world a smarter place.. oh wait, no he didnt. His empire amounted to nothing.
TTT 
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I wrote a big paper on Genghis in grad school... Positing that his downfall was his religious tolerance.
Genghis is boss, I love reading about him. His generals were insanely good
GettaJaab - I wrote a big paper on Genghis in grad school... Positing that his downfall was his religious tolerance.
He had a downfall?
effinggoof -In the end, Islam was his downfall. Most of the great Khans took Nestorian Christian wives, and his grandsons converted from their native shamanistic religion to Islam. If he kept it strictly to native religions, world could have ended up looking very different.GettaJaab - I wrote a big paper on Genghis in grad school... Positing that his downfall was his religious tolerance.
He had a downfall?
He would welcome Dominican and Franciscan priests to come and debate Buddhist monks and others, which is cool, but not how ruthless conquerors keep shit together.
Cletus Redpecker III - Is there a way to dl the podcasts?
When I click "download .mp3", it just starts playing.
Right click and "save as"