Dangers of co-opting: A pill for General Arakhan to swallow

There was a National Geographic segment on the Mongolian invasion of Japan in the 13th century. The Mongols led by General Arakhan had superior numbers and technology (artillery). The Japanese on the other hand had superior swordsmen and a deadly sword in the form of the katana blade, carried by the samurai. In recent times, the katana was compared to the European broadsword and both were equally as devastating. However, the katana was very much lighter than the European broadsword, putting it at an advantage.

However, what did the Mongolian fleet in was the forces of Nature. The Mongolian fleet was out at sea when the typhoon struck. A Japanese scientist, who was featured in the National Geographic segment dived to the bottom of the sea and reclaimed sunken structures of shipwreck. Not all the Mongolian ships were sunken in the typhoon. Only those that were susceptible were sunken. It was believed that the Chinese slave engineers deliberately introduced design flaws, making those ships susceptible. During the Mongolian invasion, there was also infighting involving the Chinese and Korean auxillary forces.

Whilst the Mongolians' way of co-opting made them effective administrators of their conquered territories, their failed invasion of Japan demonstrates the flip side of co-opting.