https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasion_of_Java

Somehow, the culture stemming from the shittiest place to live in the entire region wound up being the big one.

chinese were very insular

and unsuccessful in conquering non chinese

Mongols were the pure conquest people

Mofos didn't bother farming at all

Mongols were the Zerg

Yup

China really just didn't have a reason to go conquering.

Some of their efforts were alright. They subjugated the Tarim Basin.

And they did manage to bring the Xiongnu to heel after a while.

they got their asses beat bymost of their neighbors

But, the Chinese Empires basically were always confined to China as a region.

when attempting to conquer them

such as the vietnamese

The Gokturks fucking thrashed them.

Even the Arabs got some kickings in.

They just about got their asses kicked in by a fucking greeks one time, too.

which is interesting how they were constantly at war with their neighbors

In one of the most forgotten battles in history at Talas which ended up changing the world.

but managed to have one of the most outdated of all armies on earth

Impressive manpower though.

When your empire is so shit that peoples from halfway around the world come just to kick your ass.

The culture that produced The Art of War seems to have never actually read that shit.

The most competent Chinese generals always seemed to live during a time when China was not a unified state.

Then it unifies and everyone's shit at fighting again.

That one is easy to explain at least.

Good time, bad nibbas.

You'd have to be stupid to deny that there were quite a few Chinese commanders who deserve a spot in history as some of the best ever.

But, just never when China as a united state could've actually needed some.

Laughs in HMS *Nemesis*

It'd be really nice if the fucking Chinese could stop being serfs.

I'm not very well versed in Chinese history and I won't pretend to me, but names that stick out include Cao Cao and An Lushan.

Think they're from near enough the same period though.

When China wasn't warring with itself, internal politics generally ensured that only those with the most prodigious love of bootlicking managed to get anywhere. Which made the Emperors feel great up until they needed their generals to do some gangster shit for them.

chinese were shit at fighting even at their civil war periods

mass infantry formations

poorly armoured troops

shit cavalry