Of all the great conquerors in history, few can match the sheer scale and ruthlessness of the Mongol leader Genghis Khan. Like a player min-maxing a custom character build in a RPG, Genghis optimized his nomadic horde to completely dominate every region it galloped through. By the time he died in 1227 CE, the feared Mongol juggernaut had unlocked the [Conqueror] achievement across northern China, Central Asia, and Persia. India seemed destined to be the next debuffed NPC faction to fall to his overpowered cavalry and shrewd tactics. Yet at the height of their power, Genghis Khan‘s successors made the shocking choice to refuse invasion of the Indian subcontinent. What madness caused them to pass on this tempting prize right within their grasp?
The Unstoppable Mongol Horde
Genghis Khan began his conquest run as the underdog. Born in 1162 CE as Temujin, he clawed his way from obscurity on the harsh Mongolian steppe. Escaping death many times, he slowly unlocked [Alliance] perks through quests and leveling up his Speech, eventually becoming Khan of his local tribe. Temujin changed his name to the exotic-sounding Chinggis Qan (Genghis Khan), meaning "Universal Ruler." It was both a boast…and a promise.
At that time, the Mongol tribes fought constantly in messy PvP matches. Through brutal sieges and epic mounted battles, Genghis Khan‘s horde defeated rival factions one by one, absorbing their warriors into his own Snowballing Army raid group. By 1206 CE, he crowned himself Khagan (Emperor) of a unified Mongolia server – the starting zone complete at last.
Now Genghis set his sights on the rich but defended trade zones surrounding his kingdom. He specced his mounted archers to maximize Damage Per Second (DPS) and Mobility, upgrading their stirrups for better accuracy while galloping. Unlike heavily armored Knight builds vulnerable in close quarters, the Mongols could Swarm fast and loose, concentrating arrow fire rapidly on targets then scattering before reinforcements arrived.
Against Chinese and Islamic foes weighted down in heavy infantry armor, the leveled-up Mongols must have seemed like irritating pay-to-win Skyrim horses. Feigning retreat then wheeling back to encircle doomed enemies was a signature tactic. One imaginative technique was tying sticks to horses‘ tails then lighting them before battle ,- the flashing sparks panicking less disciplined opponents into breaking ranks in fear!
When conquering cities, Genghis cunningly recruited enemy faction Engineers to develop Siege Weapons to batter walls and towers. After capturing Beijing in 1215 CE, his long-ranged bombards helped destroy the Western Xia kingdom by 1227 CE. That same year, the indomitable Khan of Khans died, having conquered more territory than any other player in history – over 9 million square miles. From the Caspian Sea to the Korean Peninsula, how could any faction stand against such a max-level Mary Sue character and his unbeatable meta strategy?
Northern India Under Occupation
Yet beyond the snow-capped Himalayas loomed the divided Indian subcontinent, which had stymied even legendary Conqueror mains like Alexander the Great back in the day. Since antiquity, India’s geography formed natural barriers and Chokepoints ideal for defenders. In the north, five major river systems flowed from the Himalayas in parallel ridges and valleys surrounded by thick jungle, frustrating cavalry movement. Monsoon climate debuffs also gave Native troops an edge over invaders from drier regions.
Politically, Northern India matched Mongolia pre-Genghis in constant civil war skirmishes among Nobles (Rajas) and their armies. Early 13th century Delhi and environs faced foreign Occupation by the Turkic Mamluk Dynasty under Sultan Qutb-ud-din originating in Central Asia. The Mamluks ruled as a Warrior Caste oligarchy over mostly Hindu peasantry, extracting Loot as punitive taxes.
Just as Genghis once liberated the Mongol clans from manipulative outsiders, Northern India seemed ripe for freedom from its Turkic overlords. Their military relied almost solely on heavily armored Elephant mounts and Infantry more vulnerable to Mongol hit-and-run horse archer harassment. Garrisoned in isolated Fortresses and city Barracks with supplies carted from afar, Mamluk forces lacked mobility against the Mongol strategic Cavalry. As later invaders like Babur exploited, occupying Delhi gave control over the rich Ganges heartland and beyond. Truly, the situation resembled the perfect speedrun opportunity for the Mongols to claim the [Conqueror of India] gaming achievement!
Diplomacy Disaster: PvP Unlocked
The first contact between the mighty Mongol Horde and the Delhi Sultanate actually came early during Genghis Khan’s own playthrough. Circa 1221 CE, the Great Khan dispatched a Trade Caravan of around 450 Muslims to establish relations with Delhi. However, the governor of Lahore betrayed and massacred them rather than risk provoking the Mongols.
After Genghis’ death, Delhi’s ruler Sultan Ala-ud-din attempted reconciliation by sending envoys laden with [Gifts] to new faction leader Ogedei Khan. But this PR disaster backfired badly! Ogedei took revenge by humiliating these ambassadors: shaving their heads, spitting on them, and finally beheading them. Through these unwise Noob blunders, the Mamluks practically invited the Mongol clans to come conquering!
But succession disputes sidetracked the warriors from retribution. Ogedei and successors Guyuk and Mongke prioritized rebellions closer to home in the Mongol coreLeevates. Their hands stayed full Digesting recent acquisitions in China, Persia,and Eastern Europe. Indeed Mongke explicitly ordered his brother Hulegu to expand the western marches all the way towards Europe – not India.
Yet after Hulegu’s catastrophic Raid boss fight conquering the Abbasid Caliphate ended in 1258 CE, Northern India once again turned tempting. As the wealthy seat of Islam’s caliphate, Baghdad’s loot drop should have powerleveled the Mongol Horde to unbeatable might. Hulegu himself compared taking Baghdad to Alexander conquering Persia in glory and renown. Now most players would parlay that success into steamrolling the much softer Delhi target for additional XP and loot. What possibly held back Hulegu Khan from Invasion at this pivotal moment?
Surprising Refusal to Claim the Prize
By 1259 CE, Hulegu commanded the scariest military force on multiple servers. Let‘s crunch some numbers! From latest census data, his host fielded over 150,000 levy spearmen and swordsmen, unified under 10,000 Mongol elites plus 30,000 other tribal Horse Archers and Heavy Cavalry. They had just Annihilated the Abbasid armies along with Baghdad‘s entire population. Hulegu’s horrifying Siege Circumvallation tactics involved building a temporary circular wall around cities to trap residents inside without food or water – a notorious exploit the devs still haven‘t patched!
Also consider the Multiplier effects over two generations of combat experience and snowballing Synergy between exotic Middle Eastern recruits and the core Mongol faction. With such an unbeatable force acclimated to hot climates, what prevented Hulegu from simply loading up his cavalry and riding from Persia into Northern India‘s open plains and fortress cities?
Frankly after struggling so long and hard to break through the Caliphate meat grinder, Delhi’s elephant riders and peasant levy defenders should have gotten flattened in a lightning war. We‘re talking fodder even newbie players could farm for extra XP. At his peak, why didn’t Hulegu go all-in chasing the raid rewards of looted wealth and glory to rub in the faces of his siblings and cousins?
Some propose mundane explanations like battle fatigue, need to Digest recent acquisitions, fear of Overextension beyond reliable supply lines, and climate Debuffs. Perhaps Hulegu calculated the cost-benefit ratio of invading India as unprofitable compared to holding down his new Abbasid territories. But we must dig deeper into the underlying Code to crack this mystery.
In the end, long-term strategic priorities aligned poorly between the Mongols’ prevailing playstyle and victory conditions versus what India offered. Beyond Delhi and the northern Gangetic plain full of tempting soft targets, the Deccan plateau and southern regions presented densely forested areas with few grazing pastures for the Mongols’ all-important mounts. The climate sapped cavalry efficiency with heat and disease, diminishing the Mongols’ significant mobility advantage.
Let‘s consider the Mongols’ optimal Economics strategy also. While looting conquered cities provided windfalls for troops, the leadership avoided hoarding excessive wealth that might corrupt discipline. What mattered was keeping soldiers battle-ready with strict regimens, while channeling excess loot into further warfare. India‘s riches beckoned as fool‘s gold, a seductive yet hollow timesink distracting from Genghis Khan‘s vision.
Genghis’ Legacy: Max Stats But India Left Unconquered
One key to Genghis Khan‘s runaway early success was establishing an cuIture indifferent towards ethnicity, loyal mainly to strength and competence. So theoretically Northern India‘s masses should have welcomed Mongol overlordship after Turkish domination, receiving Genghis’ usual Pax Mongolica protection pact in exchange for Tribute.
Yet perhaps Hulegu interpreted his patriarch‘s teachings more prudently: "Conquer sparingly what you can properly Digest and Rule." India‘s population density and cultural intricacies threatened Overextension beyond existing imperial bandwidth. Messages from home also warned of fresh PvP drama in Mongolia itself, requiring Hulegu’s RTS micromanagement.
Thus with priorities aligned elsewhere, Hulegu passed on gambling his strategic position chasing invaded India‘s capricious loot pinata. Without the personal grudge motivating Genghis’ own vendetta quests, his descendants declined picking needless fights. India survived thanks to the Mongols’ surprising discretion.
Of course no succeeding Khan ever matched the first‘s pace and proportions of conquest. Genghis looms as a min-maxed godlike conqueror, his Mongol horde an unstoppable doomstack frightening all factions in range. Then as now, power gamers admire his optimized build, leadership, and vision leading to a rapid speedrun unlocking 50+ combat achievements.
Yet for all their max-level stats, his ultimate successors couldn’t measure up to Genghis’ skill, drive, and street smarts. Faced with the campaign‘s final continent not explicitly targeted by the great Khan himself, the later Mongol rulers passed on gambling their position. Thus India uniquely withstood assimilation into history’s largest contiguous land empire. The fearsome Mongol juggernaut finally halted at the Khyber Pass, their conquest Diversion strangely concluding just shy of a ultimate world domination Victory.