How did General Jebe’s policy of religious freedom help the Mongols defeat Karakhitai?

General Jebe’s policy of religious freedom was a strategic factor in the Mongol defeat of the Karakhitai because it exploited internal divisions within that kingdom.

The ruler of the Karakhitai at the time, Küchlüg, had alienated his subjects by favoring the Buddhist minority and actively persecuting the majority Islam population. By contrast, when the Mongol general Jebe arrived, he explicitly proclaimed freedom of religion and prohibited his troops from engaging in massacre or plunder. This policy effectively neutralized local resistance and made it easy for the Mongols to overcome Küchlüg’s rule, demonstrating that the Mongols utilized such measures to break the power of an opponent rather than relying solely on indiscriminate violence.1