Editing Western Xia (section)

===Xianzong (1223–1226)===
[[File:Xixia Chainmail Armor (41985701161).jpg|thumb|Western Xia mail armour]]
[[Emperor Xianzong of Western Xia]] began peace talks with the [[Jurchen Jin]] in 1224 and the peace agreement was finalized in the fall of 1225. The Tanguts continued to defy the Mongols by refusing to send a hostage prince to the Mongol court.{{sfn|Twitchett|1994|p=210}}

After defeating [[Khwarazm]] in 1221, Genghis prepared his armies to punish Western Xia. In 1225, Genghis attacked with a force of approximately 180,000.<ref name="china at war">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Genghis Khan|year=2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jhPyvsdymU8C|editor=Li, Xiaobing|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|location=[[Santa Barbara, California]]|isbn=9781598844153|last = Emmons|first = James B.|encyclopedia = China at War: An Encyclopedia|page=139}}</ref> According to the ''[[Secret History of the Mongols]]'', Genghis was injured in 1225 during a horse hunt when his horse bolted from under him. Genghis then tried to offer Western Xia the chance to willingly submit, but Asha Gambhu mocked the Mongols and challenged them to battle. Genghis pledged to avenge this insult.{{sfn|Twitchett|1994|p=211}} Genghis ordered his generals to systematically destroy cities and garrisons as they went.{{sfn|Mote|2003|pp=255–256}}

Genghis divided his army and sent general [[Subutai]] to take care of the westernmost cities, while the main force under Genghis moved east into the heart of the Western Xia and took [[Suzhou District|Suzhou]] and [[Zhangye|Ganzhou]], which was spared destruction upon its capture due to it being the hometown of Genghis's commander Chagaan.{{sfn|Man|2004|pp=212–213}} After taking [[Khara-Khoto]] in early 1226, the Mongols began a steady advance southward. Asha, commander of the Western Xia troops, could not afford to meet the Mongols as it would involve an exhausting westward march from the capital through 500 kilometers of desert, so the Mongols steadily advanced from city to city.{{sfn|Man|2004|p=212}}

In August 1226, Mongol troops approached [[Wuwei, Gansu|Liangzhou]], the second-largest city in Western Xia, which surrendered without resistance.{{sfn|Man|2004|p=213}} In autumn 1226, Genghis crossed the [[Helan Mountains]], and in November laid siege to [[Lingwu]], a mere 30 kilometers from the capital.{{sfnm|Man|2004|1p=214|de Hartog|2004|2p=134}} At this point, Xianzong died, leaving his relative, Xian, posthumously [[Emperor Mozhu of Western Xia]], to deal with the Mongol invasion.{{sfn|Man|2004|p=214}}