Martin H. Desmond. The Rise of Chingis Khan and His Conquest of North China

Octagon Books, 1977. — 392 p.This is the more to be regretted in that, not only during the reign of the great Mongol conqueror himself, but during those of his sons and grandsons, China was always the main object of Mongol arms. Surpassing any other country of that day in wealth and population, it naturally drew against it the most powerful armies at the disposal of the great Khans. The primary object of the present study is to give as detailed and comprehensive a picture as possible of that phase of the Mongol conquest of China falling within the reign of Chingis Khan (1206-1227). However, before embarking upon this, I have considered it advisable to include a portrait of the conqueror, and an account of the Mongol army, that astonishing war machine which played so large a part in making of the Mongols the greatest military power in history, and a brief survey of Chingis Khan’s rise to power.