The Mongols were an elite, swift, and undoubtedly threatening force that conquered nearly all of Asia. Specifically, their empire spanned from the Black Sea to the Koreas. Cities surrendered to them at sight, knowing that denying them would ensure slaughter. Even still, the Mongols expanded trade heavily, namely because they could not create needed goods themselves. To encourage such, they gave traders and merchants tax exemption, protection, and a higher status. This boom led to mammoth international trade. The commodities that rode the silk road ranged from silk and tea to gold and porcelain. The conqueror of China was not Genghis Khan, but rather his successor Kublai Khan, who easily destroyed the Song Dynasty. Consequently, Kublai founded