Genghis Khan, Mr Nice Guy

NapoleonXIV

Banned
What if Genghis Khan were a kind and merciful conqueror? Mind, the mongols are still as effective warriors but the Khan generally forbids looting, rapine and pillage except in special cases, such as the breaking of oaths, surrender violations etc.

How would things be different, then and now?
 
What if Genghis Khan were a kind and merciful conqueror? Mind, the mongols are still as effective warriors but the Khan generally forbids looting, rapine and pillage except in special cases, such as the breaking of oaths, surrender violations etc.

How would things be different, then and now?

If Genghis Khan becomes a (relatively) kind and merciful conqueror, then it is quite possible that the Mongols won't be feared nearly as much as they were in OTL.

And as the great fear that the Mongols inspired greatly contributed to their success, I wouldn't be suprised if the Mongols end up being far less successful if Genghis Khan decides to play nice...
 
Plus, his warriors would revolt and establish someone as ruler who was not so nice. After all, raping and pillaging were great sources of income and entertainment...
 

Keenir

Banned
What if Genghis Khan were a kind and merciful conqueror? Mind, the mongols are still as effective warriors but the Khan generally forbids looting, rapine and pillage except in special cases, such as the breaking of oaths, surrender violations etc.

How would things be different, then and now?

how is that different from OTL? if a city defied the Mongols, they wouldn't be protected from the soldiers once they breached the walls.
 

NapoleonXIV

Banned
how is that different from OTL? if a city defied the Mongols, they wouldn't be protected from the soldiers once they breached the walls.

It would be a punishment for treachery rather than the invariable price of resistance. Also, he wouldn't do anymore damage than anyone else. All armies permitted some sacking but it could actually be done on a complex formula, with strict time limits and only certain acts permitted against certain people. The Janissaries under the Ottomans, frex, were quite disciplined in this regard.

One point I'm trying to make here is that he wasn't really much worse than what was normal at the time.

The other, however, is to see if certain areas that never recovered from the Mongols would be different. One, frex, is Iraq, which never really got over the destruction of the irrigation system, though this happened a generation after Genghis had died.
 
Perhaps Genghis Khan makes it policy NOT to touch irrigation systems, even if the area resisted the Mongols heavily. He could pick this up from his Chinese advisor, who followed the Horde around trying to limit the damage.

(the advisor could point out that irrigation means more crops and thus more taxes)

Even though the destruction of the irrigation systems happened later, if keeping irrigation systems around regardless is part of Mongol Holy Writ, this might save the systems of Iraq and Iran, which means those places will be richer and better off later.
 
Perhaps Genghis Khan makes it policy NOT to touch irrigation systems, even if the area resisted the Mongols heavily. He could pick this up from his Chinese advisor, who followed the Horde around trying to limit the damage.

(the advisor could point out that irrigation means more crops and thus more taxes)

Even though the destruction of the irrigation systems happened later, if keeping irrigation systems around regardless is part of Mongol Holy Writ, this might save the systems of Iraq and Iran, which means those places will be richer and better off later.

That might have the effect of preserving classical Islam...
 
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