What was the name of the Mongol imperial guard?

The Mongol imperial guard was called the Kheshig, an elite corps responsible for protecting the khan and his household.

The Kheshig developed under Genghis Khan after the defeat of the Keraite ruler Ong Khan in 1203. Its members were trusted personal followers, and service carried exceptional prestige. Because the guard was closely tied to the ruler rather than to the ordinary army, its officers could outrank commanders of regular military units.

The corps traditionally included a daytime guard, known as the Torguud, and a nighttime guard, the Khevtuul. Early accounts describe roughly 70 day guards and 80 night guards; by the middle of Genghis Khan's reign, the organization had expanded dramatically, eventually reaching the scale of a tumen—about 10,000 men.

Kheshig members were not merely ceremonial bodyguards. They also acted as shock troops, administrators, messengers, and trusted officials. The terms Yam, Mingan, and Tumen instead refer to the communications relay system or military-administrative units, not the imperial guard itself.