Thus, he made peasants love him. The rich hated him, but they didn't matter anymore because they were no longer rich. With these two building block policies, Temüjin was able to win the loyalty of more and more people and in 1206 he was declared the Great Khan, the leader of all the Mongols. How? The Mongols chose their rulers in a really cool way. A prospective ruler would call a general council, called a kuraltai, and anyone who supported his candidacy for leadership would show up on their horses, literally voting with their feet. Mr. Green, Mr. Green, but horses don't have feet.