The new Mongol allies, however, either did not understand the system or simply refused to abide by it. Many of them, particularly the Khitan and the Chinese, who had suffered great repression and had many complaints against the Jurched, lusted after revenge and destruction. They felt that each soldier had the right to keep what he seized. They stripped gold from the walls of palaces, pried precious stones out of their settings, and seized chests filled with gold and silver coins. They loaded the precious metals into oxcarts and tied bundles of silk on their camels’ backs.
Perhaps the brutality of Genghis Khan is misplaced, perhaps the allies were the cause of much of the pain and suffering. Orchestrated and assisted by Genghis Khan and his Mongols, yes, but not them alone.
