Caesar Biden
Banned
According to the Secret History of the Mongols, the Khan Ögedei almost died while attacking Jin China in 1232. Supposedly, he was struck by illness that the Mongols attributed to hostile Chinese spirits. Iit was only when his brother Tolui sacrificed himself that Ögedei began to feel better.
Now, the Secret History is a fantastical book, but there is probably some grain of truth to this story: It's not unlikely that Ögedei fell ill in 1232. Suppose that he dies, and the Mongols are left leaderless. Unlike his father, Ögedei has left no successor. There's no clear line of succession, and the Mongols have neither the charisma of Ögedei nor the administration he left behind (which even IOTL didn't stop things from falling at least somewhat apart) to keep them together.
As of now, the Mongols are the undisputed masters of most of the Steppe. They have destroyed the Western Xia, and are on the verge of taking the last bits of Jin China. They've even crushed Persia (twice) and have fought successful campaigns as far as Russia. But they don't have the same legacy of stability they had IOTL. My question is, what's to stop them from falling apart into varies factions like after Ögedei IOTL, only they're squabbling over a smaller Empire?
And what of the Song? IOTL, they were just about to turn on the Mongols and draw them into a long and grinding war that would take decades to complete.
What of the armies that are heading for the Caucasus and Europe? They're sure to turn around when news of the Khan's death reaches them, and who's to say they'll ever be back?
What does the board think? Could the Mongols recover from this and keep on conquering, or will they fracture like most Steppe Empires do after the first or second generation dies off? Obviously, this could go a number of ways, but I'm curious to see what members more knowledgeable than me on this subject would have to say about it.
Now, the Secret History is a fantastical book, but there is probably some grain of truth to this story: It's not unlikely that Ögedei fell ill in 1232. Suppose that he dies, and the Mongols are left leaderless. Unlike his father, Ögedei has left no successor. There's no clear line of succession, and the Mongols have neither the charisma of Ögedei nor the administration he left behind (which even IOTL didn't stop things from falling at least somewhat apart) to keep them together.
As of now, the Mongols are the undisputed masters of most of the Steppe. They have destroyed the Western Xia, and are on the verge of taking the last bits of Jin China. They've even crushed Persia (twice) and have fought successful campaigns as far as Russia. But they don't have the same legacy of stability they had IOTL. My question is, what's to stop them from falling apart into varies factions like after Ögedei IOTL, only they're squabbling over a smaller Empire?
And what of the Song? IOTL, they were just about to turn on the Mongols and draw them into a long and grinding war that would take decades to complete.
What of the armies that are heading for the Caucasus and Europe? They're sure to turn around when news of the Khan's death reaches them, and who's to say they'll ever be back?
What does the board think? Could the Mongols recover from this and keep on conquering, or will they fracture like most Steppe Empires do after the first or second generation dies off? Obviously, this could go a number of ways, but I'm curious to see what members more knowledgeable than me on this subject would have to say about it.