Genghis Khan breaks tribute with the Jin

1210

When Jin envoys demanded the customary kowtow, Genghis spat on the ground and rode away. The Mongol empire's first full-scale war against a settled Chinese state was declared. The vast northern Jin realm would absorb decades of steppe cavalry assault. Genghis reportedly told his generals that heaven had grown weary of Chinese luxury and had given the mandate to the Mongols.