The Mongol Army


 * They had a good army partly because of their bows, which could shoot 1/3 farther than Middle Eastern and European bows at that time (they were more difficult to pull).
 * The bows had a composite structure of the bow and a jade thumb-ring that gave the archer an advantage.
 * At the opening of battles the Mongols would shoot a volley of arrows from a distance to destroy some of the opposing army before they even came into physical contact.
 * Iron was very important to the Central Asian nomads for weapons, stirrups..etc.