Subutai: Best General in History

A Medieval Chinese Depiction of Subutai Subutai Baghatur ('The Hero') was a Mongolian general handpicked from obscurity by Genghis Khan during the unification of the Mongolian tribes (1175-1248). At this point Genghis Khan merely held the allegiance of a small fraction of the Mongolian tribes and a minor stretch of territory. By Subutai's death he would stand atop the most powerful empire in history, which stretched from Korea to the Arctic, the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Baltic. This is all the more remarkable when one accounts for the fact that this was almost all unknown territory to the Mongols. Aside from parts of the north China campaign, Subutai's conquests were in all areas the Mongols had never set foot in, let alone heard of prior to his campaigns. At this point in history the east was firmly separated from the Middle East, and the western most part of the Middle East was the edge of the world for the west. It was Subutai's willingness to venture against these unknown foes that helped lead to Eurasia becoming connected for the first time. Subutai was recognized as someone special even by his foes. After he had defeated the primary Jin army of Wanyan Heda at Sanfeng Mountain, Heda was captured and led to be executed. Heda, one of the two generals to have won several battles against the Mongols, including Subutai himself, had completely lost to Subutai in the end. For his final wish, he asked to see Subutai, the man who had conquered him, and exclaimed: …