[Batrachian]

The Mongols wore silk shirts, so that when they where shot with arrows, the silk would enfold the arrowhead and could be drawn out easily. This little innovation was instrumental to their success.

BTW, I read an interesting book (I can't remember the title now) about how the Mongols where actually pawns of the Chinese even though they had conquered China. They where completely illiterate, and the Chinese where the bureaucrats of the Mongol empire. I'm not sure if it's true, but it's an interesting notion anyway.

[barkeep]

I would not go so far as to call the Mongols "pawns", but it is true the Chinese, having been militarially defeated more or less absorbed the Mongol leadership in their massive bureaucracy. Not sure this is the book to which you refer, but try "Journeyor" a fairly accurate piece of historical fiction. Cuss them all you want, any effective gov't depends on its bureaucrats. This was one of the secrets of the Roman success in Julius' day. So long as the taxes got paid and civil unrest was kept to a low roar, the conquered nations could pray to whatever God they cared and pretty much exercize considerable autonomy so long as they respected the rights of Roman citizens