Early Chinese History

Chinese History There are a number of factors that contributed to the rise of the Mongols in China. Chief among these is that after the Mongols invaded China, they were able to establish strong political control over the area. This was an extension of the Mongol system of governance that had been utilized in many of the lands conquered by the Mongol empire. Marco Polo, who visited Khanbalik during the reign of Kublai Khan, described the system of governance that the Mongols had imposed on China.

They "appointed twelve…barons to supervise all decisions concerning the movement of the armies…" Polo noted that this council led to a high quality of decision-making with respect to resource deployment, and allowed for a stronger overall military presence in China as a result. Polo also noted that this tactic allowed the military leaders to identify the stronger soldiers and units, and cull the weak from the military.

In addition to having a coherent system that promoted leaders and deployed resources, these twelve barons maintained a reporting system that allowed the Khan to maintain knowledge of and control of such troop movements, while allowed the movements to be conducted in the context of overall imperial strategy. A similar approach was undertaken with respect to administration in China as well. With 34 provinces under administration, there were twelve different barons who appointed ministers and judges to manage these different properties. Again, there was strong reporting back to the Khan.

This worked in combination with loyalty, and a willingness of the different leaders within the system to collect taxes with minimal corruption and to conduct ethical administration. In a sense, it was human resources that allowed Kublai Khan to administer such a vast territory so effectively. One of the reasons that this human resources strategy worked was that the Khan was willing to delegate much of the control over to the Chinese.

There were too few capable Mongols to administer such a vast territory, and the Khan was able to find loyal, capable and strong Chinese leaders to help control the territory under the Khan's overall governance. Another control system that was put into place was the strong communications network. At that time, administration of such a large territory was complicated by the logistical challenges post by transportation and China's sometimes mountainous terrain.

If the Khan and his governors are not in communication with a region, there is greater likelihood of unrest in that region. To address the communications issue, the Khan set up a postal system. Polo noted that this system was fast enough to communicate news or orders much more rapidly than could be done in most territories he had previously encountered. A final element of control that the Khan implemented was just rule. In order to ensure loyalty, the Khan implemented a form of social welfare.

"Respectable and honest families struck by tragedy will be provided with food and clothing for the whole year," notes Polo, ensuring a higher degree of loyalty in return for the.