Subedei and Dzhebe — Genghis Khan’s best Mongol generals
The long campaign of Subedei and Dzhebe
After spending the summer of 1220 near Nessef, Genghis Khan led his army to Termez in the fall. Having learned from the previous experience of bloody capture of city citadels and in order to avoid heavy losses, Genghis Khan offered the inhabitants of the city to surrender and destroy the citadel on their own and save their lives. But the inhabitants of Termez, having heard about the “cunning” of the Mongols, refused and after 11 days of siege Genghis Khan’s soldiers took the city and “traditionally” destroyed it and exterminated all the population. Moving on and capturing the territory of modern Tajikistan Mongols at the command of their Khan subjected everything to destruction and fire.
At this time Genghis Khan sent detachments under the command of Subedei and Dzhebe to raid Northern Iran in order to create panic and fear and possible capture of Khorezmshah Muhammad. Khorezmshah, who began to gather troops to repel the Mongols, learned in time about the plot against himself, in favor of his son Jelaladin, and was forced to flee and take refuge on the island of lepers Abeskun near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, where he died in complete poverty and loneliness in December 1220.
Having passed devastating “tornado” on the territory of Northern Iran Genghis Khan’s commanders invaded Azerbaijan, where during 1221 they ravaged the largest cities. Next year Subedei and Dzhebe in the valley of Kotman defeated the army of Georgians, then left Georgia and seized Shemakha. Later having passed Derbent, within the limits of Northern Caucasus have broken one by one Polovtsians and Alans (Ossetians). Pursuing Polovtsians Mongols have reached Crimea and have taken Sudak. Later again defeated a new army of Polovtsians led by Khan Yuri Konchakovich, who were chased all the way to the Dnieper.
Defeated Polovtsians have addressed for the help to Russian princes, a part of which have answered to the call. But on May 31, 1223 Mongols in the battle on the river Kalki defeated this united army and moved up the Dnieper and not reaching the city of Pereyaslavl turned to the east and through the steppes of Kazakhstan returned to Mongolia.
The last Khorezmshah
Genghis Khan in time of wintering on the banks of Amu Darya besieged the capital of Khorezm — the city of Urgench. After 5 months of siege the city was taken and plundered, and was subjected to flooding by destroying the city dam on the Amu Darya. In the spring of 1221, the Mongols under the leadership of Genghis Khan forced the Amu Darya and occupied the city of Balkh and learned of local resistance.
The last Khorezmshah Jelaladin
The resistance to the Mongols in Eastern and Northern Iran was led by the brave and enterprising Jelaladin, son of the late Khorezmshah. He managed to defeat the Mongols at the fortress of Valiyan in Takharistan. Genghis Khan sent against him 30 thousand soldiers under the command of Shigi-Khutuhu, who were met by Jelaladin’s army at Pervan and almost completely destroyed. This was the most serious defeat of the Mongols during the whole time of Genghis Khan’s conquest. This victory caused rebellion in a number of regions of Khorezm captured by the Mongols.
Because of the quarrels of his commanders Jelaladin could not prevent the Mongols from crossing the Hindu Kush passes. In the fall of 1221 the Mongols occupied Ghazna, which Jelaladin had time to leave and retreat to the banks of the Indus. In the decisive battle, which occurred according to some data on November 23, 1221 Jelaladin’s troops built “crescent” were broken by the cunning and more experienced Genghis Khan, who envisaged all the actions of the last Khorezmshah and hit the flanks of his army. And Jelaladin himself could barely escape having swum across the Indus on a horse surrounded by four thousand warriors and threatening the Mongols with a sword from the other bank, went further to the south-east.
Returning home
After neutralizing the threat of Jelaladin, Genghis Khan’s horde was south of the Hindu Kush. From here, the Mongol Khan decided to return back to Mongolia as he received news of a Tangut rebellion and the lack of victories over the Jurchens. At first the way home lay through India, Himalayas and Tibet with an exit to the southern borders of the Tangut state. But all Genghis Khan has made the decision to return back “already known” way.
Khan of Mongols left Central Asia and Iran destroyed and devastated. It took a long time to restore everything that had been destroyed during 3-5 years of Mongol conquest.
The horde of Genghis Khan saw Mongolia in the spring of 1225, but not for peace and rest, but for the fulfillment of the last plan of his great Khan — the overthrow of the Tangut state.