The Mongols Were Masters of Fake Flight and Large Scale Ambushes
The Battle of Kalka River, May 31st, 1223, was a masterpiece large scale ambush, and occurred after one of history’s longest feigned retreats. It came about when a Mongol army, led by Subutai and Jebe, lured a much larger force of Russians and Cumans into chasing them across the Steppe for hundreds of miles. Then, after nine days of “fleeing”, the Mongols turned around and annihilated their pursuers.
After the conquest of the Khwarezmian Empire, Mongol generals Subutai and Jebe chased the defeated ruler to his death in an island on the Caspian Sea. They then got Genghis Khan’s permission to conduct a reconnaissance in force westwards. With 20,000 Mongols, they would raid deep into Persia, then turn northwards into the Caucasus, before returning to Mongolia via the Steppe north of the Caspian Sea.
Along the way, the pair defeated the nomadic Cuman tribe, whose khan fled to the Kievan Rus and convinced them to help fight the Mongols. The surviving Cumans joined the Rus to form a large army of 80,000 men, under the joint command of Mstislav the Bold of Galich, and Mstislav III of Kiev. They then marched after the Mongols, and caught up with and defeated their rearguard. Subutai and Jebe were surprised, but quickly rallied and devised a plan to lure their pursuers to their destruction.
Feigning panic after their rearguard’s defeat, the Mongols pretended to flee. Conducting a fake retreat, the Mongols led their pursuers on a merry chase which lasted for nine days. During the pursuit, the pursuers lost their cohesion and became strung out in a long column. On the ninth day, the Mongols set up an ambush, crossing the Kalka River and concealing their forces near the opposite bank.
When the pursuing Rus and Cumans began crossing the river, the Mongols patiently allowed most to reach their side, before springing their ambush. At a signal, they suddenly charged out of their concealed positions, showered the foe with a deadly rain of arrows, and closed in. The ferocious attack from an enemy whom they had thought was in panicked flight shocked the Russians and Cumans. They were thrown into confusion, which quickly turned into a rout.
The Mongols surrounded their panicked enemies and slaughtered them, killing around 75,000 out of the 80,000 who had chased them across the Steppe. Mstislav the Bold escaped, while Mstislav of Kiev managed to reach a fortified camp on the Dnieper, where the Mongols surrounded him. He eventually surrendered in exchange for a promise of safe conduct back to his territory, but the Mongols reneged, massacred his men, and killed him.