"The empires of the future will be empires of the mind."- Winston Churchill
One of the greatest strategists who ever lived, commoner-born Subutai took his place at the illustrious Mongol empire purely by merit. But it was only by age 65, during the European campaign - that he applied the sum total of his knowledge.
Unlike European or Japanese armies, who valued personal valour in a commander above all else, the Mongols valued strategic ability and the skill to make tactical adjustments in the heat of battle above all else in their leaders.
With a practiced sharp mind, Subutai often took his enemies' state of unpreparedness by sudden surprise.
- He studied and observed and always found out the tactics his opponent used before coming up with the most effective counterattacks. He spied on the Russian principalities, the Poles, and the Hungarians for at least a year before taking them on - simultaneously.
- He was always learning. As one of the first Mongol generals besides Genghis Khan who realized the value of engineers in siege warfare and honing this particular weaponry - picked up from Chinese and Muslim engineers, he was constantly learning new things by consulting with engineers and wise men until he had an inferno of military intelligence.
- He was culturally-adept and was known for assimilating diversity into his forces. He had an especially keen eye for talent namely, engineers during the cusp of a coming industrial age, who brought specialised skills.
- He was an insider. Every battle is uniquely tailored around understanding the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents. He made sure it worked in perfect alignment with the terrain and weather conditions.
- He encouraged lean economies by emphasizing the use of light cavalry. Self-sufficiency on utilising everything they have on their backs not only ensured light travel, it also allowed them to live off their land more effectively and the ability to move on swiftly. Their weapons have always been designed with this purpose in mind.
Subutai retired at 70 - after playing a major role in helping to establish the largest contiguous empire in human history.
All the years of preparation and training produced a sterling line of commanders for the next three decades who served the same corporation - the great Khans.
Legacy starts inside.