The Mongols were a confederation of steppe tribes that is so well organized that it can undertake campaigns of conquest not only on the fringes of its Central Asian heartland, in eastern Europe and the Middle East, but also in China and South-East Asia. By the time the Mongols had reached the outer limits of their empire, they had become a fiercely successful military elite that controlled armies of native warriors, such as Turks and Koreans.

Much of this book is based on Chinese accounts of the Mongols and it gives us a more balanced Asian view of them. The Mongols established the Yuan dynasty in China and learned much from the Chinese. This enabled them to carry out forms of warfare way beyond their original steppe horse culture, such as seaborne invasions and siege warfare. The full range of Mongol military expertise is revealed in this book.

Tim Newark is an expert on ancient warfare. Liu Yong Hua is a university arts professor, he is also an archaeology expert. Liu based his illustrations on a lot of ancient Chinese paintings and findings from archeological sites. The 20 color plates feature the Mongols' expeditions in Asia, Middle-East and Europe.