Mongol Yam Postal Relay System

Timeline

1. 1221–1222Samarkand–Balkh trunk route · TransoxianaDuring Genghis Khan's western campaigns, relay postal service was maintained along the line from Samarkand to the Khorasan front, coordinating the movements of Tolui, Jebe, and other forces. Messengers bearing tablets changed horses without stopping, rapidly relaying battlefield intelligence and dispatch orders from the Mongol homeland to the armies of Central Asia.
2. 1225–1227Karakorum · KarakorumAfter the empire expanded southward, it absorbed the Jin dynasty's existing relay facilities and merged them with the steppe örtöö system. Stations had dedicated staff, spare horses, and granaries; those who delayed in violation of orders were severely punished, forming a communication skeleton radiating in all directions from the imperial capital.
3. 1229–1230East–west trunk lines of the Mongol Empire · Mongol EmpireAfter acceding to the throne, Ögedei greatly expanded the relay stations according to records such as the Secret History of the Mongols, linking Eastern Europe, Persia, and China's various subject regions. Envoys bearing tablets (paiza) could requisition relay horses and provisions, keeping imperial administration and military dispatch running at high speed even after the conquests.
4. 1226–1227Western Xia frontier · Western XiaDuring Genghis Khan's final campaign against Western Xia, the relay system ensured the delivery of grain and orders along both eastern and western fronts, allowing the Mongol army to maneuver rapidly within Western Xia. This war further demonstrated the strategic value of relay stations under conditions of simultaneous multi-front warfare.