Mongol Doctrine

The Mongol Doctrine was a philosophy created by Clan Hell's Horses in the 3080s and adopted by Malvina Hazen of Clan Jade Falcon in 3135. Originally a battlefield doctrine revolving around light cavalry tactics, Hazen transformed it into a principle emphasizing the use of terror to destroy and intimidate enemies.

Philosophy

The Mongol Doctrine was created by Star Colonel Domnall Seidman of the 666th Mechanized Assault Cluster and originally only utilized the light cavalry tactics of the Mongols of medieval Terra. Its intention was to make best use of Clan Hell's Horses' limited resources and tactical strengths following the Clan's migration into the Inner Sphere.

When Jade Falcon Galaxy Commander Malvina Hazen adopted the philosophy, she instead chose to embrace a much more sinister aspect of the Mongol Empire: the use of ostentatious violence against opposing armies and civilians alike to cow enemies into submission.

History

First proposed in the late 3080s, the Khans of Clan Hell's Horses were persuaded of the Mongol Doctrine's validity when the newly raised First Horde Cluster won victories with its methods over the Jade Falcons and Wolves. While there was some resistance throughout the Horses touman, by the 3110s most Hell's Horses warriors had accepted the Mongol Doctrine as valid.

By the 3130s proponents of a different take on the Mongol Doctrine had arisen within the Horses, Wolves and Jade Falcons. These warriors believed that, as Nicholas Kerensky had patterned so much else of Clan society after the Mongols, they would do well to emulate the Mongols' harsh tactics, which would ensure victory even if that meant utilizing "dishonorable" methods to achieve the Founder's vision. Malvina Hazen of Clan Jade Falcon established herself as the movement's leader, opposed by her more compassionate and traditionalist sibkin, Aleksandr.

Aleksandr's death during the Battle of Skye weakened the traditionalists' position, but others took his place, controlling the ruthless followers of the Mongol Doctrine, treating their defeated enemies honorably and defending Falcon traditions. These opponents of the Doctrine included Noritomo Helmer and Galaxy Commander Stephanie Chistu.

After Malvina Hazen's victory in the Rending, the majority of the Falcons embraced the Doctrine as well as some of the Hell's Horses. The most radical followers of the doctrine believe in complete victory by any means, to the point where they didn't hesitate to breach any rules, even the previously sacrosanct honor code of the Clans. This more brutal incarnation of the philosophy was evident during Hazen's invasion of the Lyran Commonwealth in the early 3140s. The terror tactics generally proved successful in convincing Lyran worlds to surrender, especially after an incident on Apostica in June 3142 which became the epitome of the Mongol Doctrine. Meeting heavy local resistance after the planet's official surrender, Hazen ordered Apostica's water sources tainted with plutonium, condemning the world's entire population to a horrific choice of death by radiation poisoning or dehydration.

Hazen's use of the Mongol Doctrine extended even to her own allies. In a cruel irony, Beta Galaxy of Clan Hell's Horses had fully embraced Malvina's tactics only to find themselves on the receiving end of them on Timkovichi when Hazen ordered an orbital bombardment to destroy the Kell Hounds mercenary group while Beta Galaxy was still embroiled in combat with them. The Hounds were almost annihilated, but most of Beta was destroyed too.

Drawbacks of the Mongol Doctrine

Despite its early successes, the Mongol Doctrine also proved counterproductive at times. In one example, the Falcons' Iota Galaxy began leveling towns and burning infrastructure on the planets they defended to punish the population for raids perpetrated by several mercenary groups. As the raiders did not have any connection with the locals, the Falcons' brutality only sparked rebellion from previously compliant populations.

The Falcons, in battle specially favored physical and Death From Above attacks, to quickly kill their enemies, but Clan Wolf eventually designed 'Mechs specially to counter these attacks, like the Amarok.

Within Clan Hell's Horses, disgust at Hazen's "perversion" of their philosophy grew throughout the 3140s, culminating in 3145 with a break in the alliance between the two Clans and the election of Fulk Lassenerra to the position of saKhan. An outspoken opponent of his Clan's alliance with Hazen and her use of the Doctrine, Lassenerra planned and executed Operation NOYAN in 3147 to underscore this stance. Designed to prove that the original usage of the Mongol Doctrine was still valid, and to publicly challenge Hazen's control of it, NOYAN succeeded on both counts.

Ultimately the Mongol Doctrine failed to net Hazen and her Falcons victory in the most important battle of their lives when they joined the Battle of Terra in 3151. Units using Mongol tactics floundered against the Republic's bastions, while Republic troops who knew they could expect no mercy only fought to the death. Meanwhile, Stephanie Chistu proved at Sao Paolo that the Falcons could win victories the traditional way. The Doctrine didn't help the Falcons to win, as their actions only enraged the Republic and Wolves and made them fight harder and longer, further weakening the Mongols, and even a number of RAF captured soldiers joined the Wolves, when promised the opportunity to fight against the Falcons. In the end, the Mongol-adherent Falcons were virtually wiped out fighting Clan Wolf during the ilClan Trial, specially because their fanaticism made them fight to the death, ignoring Chistu's order to stand down.

Legacy

While the Mongol Doctrine arguably gained the Jade Falcons the chance to claim Terra and the title of ilClan, it robbed them of their moral compass and honor, which left virtually every other faction to despise the Clan. As a result even third parties who might have acted otherwise, such the Sea Foxes, the Fidelis and Wolf's Dragoons, supported the Falcons' archrival Clan Wolf in their bid to become ilClan, viewing the haughty but honorable Wolves as a better alternative to Hazen's sociopathic Falcons. The Falcons' only real ally at one point, Clan Hell's Horses, grew angered about the perversion of what had been their doctrine - especially after the destruction of their own forces at Hazen's hands - and abandoned the alliance, later attacking Clan Jade Falcon directly. Although Malvina's death marked the end of her Mongol Doctrine, her remaining supporters tried to oppose the newly elected Khan, Stephanie Chistu, in a Trial of Grievance. After the supporters' defeat, they stubbornly clung to the Clan throughout the ilClan Era with a weakened power base. Chistu officially abandoned the Mongol Doctrine.

Inside Clan Hell's Horses, even those which had abandoned the Doctrine became influenced by it: Fulk Lassenerra's made use of Malvina's tactics, razing Hammarr in the Battle of Sudeten (3152), and some Doctrine followers still remained into his Clan.

Notes

• Falcon followers of the Doctrine wear a black uniform, while traditionalists wear the old-style green one.

Bibliography

• Elements of Treason: Honor
• Era Report: 3145
• Field Manual: 3145
• Flight of the Falcon (novel)
• Hour of the Wolf (novel)
• IlClan
• Shattered Fortress
• A Splinter of Hope + The Anvil (novellas)