Genghis Khan 成吉思汗 - 9

Temujin granted his blood brother his final wish and broke his back.

The defeat and death of Jamuqa led to a sight never before seen in the history of Mongolia: the recognition of one man as the leader of all the Mongol tribes. In the Mongol world, there had never been such a figure. And in 1206, a new title was created to honor him: Universal King, ruler of all men, Genghis Khan.

"But my destiny, the destiny of the great Mongol people was still unfulfilled."

Genghis Khan had forged a nation. But now, he faced a new and more potent¹ threat: China. He knew the Chinese would not tolerate such a powerful leader as him on their border. So he took the fight to them. In a campaign that was to last six years, he led his army of 50,000 Mongols on one of the most audacious military actions in history. He crossed the Gobi Desert and invaded Northern China. On hearing that the Mongol army was approaching, the emperor of North China sent this message: "Our empire is as vast as the sea, yours is but a handful of sand. How can we fear you?" The Chinese had spent centuries perfecting their defenses, but Genghis Khan solved the problem posed by China's biggest border defense², the Great Wall, by one simple expedient³: they went around it. The Chinese were the richest and most civilized⁴ people in the East. But they also knew how to fight a dirty war. Iron spikes⁵, like medieval minefields, were bedded in the path of the oncoming Mongol armies.

grant: agree

potent: strong, influential

perfect: refine, improve

expedient: means, method, scheme, plan, move, tactic

1 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 expedient   

adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计

参考例句：

• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
• Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。

4 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

5 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》