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Ghost of Tsushima - E3 2018 Gameplay Debut | PS4

Ghost of Tsushima is an upcoming video game for the PS4 which depicts the Mongol Invasion of Japan (Tsushima being an island the Mongolian fleet landed on) in 1274. This is quite exciting, as it is the first, that I know of, big title historical game of this style which includes the Mongol Empire (excluding the Total War series and those sorts of games). In 1274, Kublai Khan, Great Khan of the Mongol Empire and grandson of Chinggis Khan, sent a fleet to the bring the island of Japan to heel. Kublai was on the verge on completing the conquest of China by this point, and could afford to send a small portion of his army in an unusual overseas expedition.

Kublai had demanded the Japanese submit to Mongol rule, as per the belief that Heaven had decreed that all of the earth was to be ruled over by the descendants of Chinggis Khan. Simply put, to Kublai it was only inevitable that the Mongols would rule the world. Japanese refusal to enter into such a relationship was tantamount to a declaration of war, as they were not only rebuffing Kublai but Heaven itself. Further, Japanese pirates had raided the coast of Korea, Kublai’s subjects, and had continued to trade with the Southern Song Dynasty, his foe in south China. In addition to the brusque reception of his envoys, Kublai could not allow such insults to go unpunished.

As the Mongols had little experience in naval operations, Kublai relied on his Korean and Chinese subjects to supply the vessels, much of the manpower and the supplies necessary for the invasion. So while the command and a considerable portion of the army was Mongolian, much more of the fleet would have been Korean and Chinese.

While the Mongols won much of the confrontations with the Japanese, (in a favourite anecdote of mine, a Japanese Samurai rode out to challenge a Mongol officer to single combat, as per Japanese custom. The Mongols, fighting in units tactics, filled the Samurai with arrows, as per Mongol custom), they were unable to establish an effective beachhead in Hakata Bay, and only truly managed to overrun some smaller islands off the coast. Famously, the fleet was dispersed and destroyed when a typhoon rose up and smashed it, but not before smaller Japanese vessels had succeeded in getting in among the larger Mongolian vessels and setting many aflame. Indeed, the Japanese owe much of the victory to their military ability and Mongol unpreparedness as they do to the typhoon.

By 1281, Kublai was ready to avenge his defeat and send another fleet to Japan. By then, the Song had finally been conquered, but Kublai was aging, alcoholic, suffering from gout and en route to becoming increasingly removed from the ‘on the ground’ situation. That year his chief wife Chabi died, a steadying hand on the emperor, and he had already outlived much of his friends and family. Kublai launched his second invasion, but it too met with disaster: this larger fleet was less prepared, the fleets uncoordinated, much of the supplies were lost to the summer heat and most seaworthy vessels were lost in the previous invasion. Korea had been stripped of ships, men and rice, while the Japanese had anticipated another attack and completed a sea wall along Hakata Bay, where once again the Mongols were unable to land their troops. Famously, this fleet too was destroyed by a sudden typhoon. This seeming divine intervention created a belief in Japanese invincibility and the aid of divine winds to protect Japan, the Kamikaze. For Kublai, the rest of his military ventures (even sending a fleet to Indonesia, and considered a third invasion of Japan!) would prove failures, and he died obese and depressed in 1294, having outlived his son and successor Jingim and overseen the split in his grandfather's empire into four independent Khanates.

I am interested in how much of this the game will take into account: particularly the distinction between Koreans, Chinese and Mongols in the fleet, as well as the battlefield ability of the Mongols. I anticipate however, that the game with rather depict the Mongols as a medieval equivalent of the Orcs from Lord of the Rings with no thought to tactics or strategy, but I am happy to be surprised and as it is it is visually one of the most impressive games I've seen. Note however, that from what I can see of the armour the Mongols are wearing it does not look particularly historically accurate, but it does seem they are going for a more 'stylized' theme than anything.

#mongol empire #japan #japanese #japanese history #ghost of tsushima #samurai #kublai khan #china #chinese history #military history #korea #korean history #jingim #war #ps4 #videogames #history #mediev

Hi all! I hope your Christmas is going well :) I got a dupe copy of The Last Guardian this year so I’m selling it on. $14 or £12 (store price) + delivery and will ship worldwide. Have a good one guys!

#the last guardian #mediev #world of Warcraft #world of Warcraft novels #wow #khadgar #the alliance #the horde