Black Guards

Black Guards is the fourth scenario in the El Cid campaign in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors.

El Cid begrudgingly must rescue King Alfonso (blue/Spanish) from the Black Guard Army (cyan/Saracens),Black Guard Navy (yellow/Saracens) and Yusuf (green/Saracens). Though he fights for King Alfonso against the Moors, El Sid has the Saracen technology tree. After establishing himself in King Alfonso's fort to the west, the Cid must destroy all of the Docks that the Black Guard Navy controls in the river to the south. There is also a Mosque towards the west, and if you convert it and leave behind a Monk, you will earn all Monastery technologies for free.

Allies

 * King Alfonso's Army (Spanish) has their base in the northwest of the map, which you will take over after escorting King Alfonso back to this base. Their army is facing Black Guard Army and Yusuf's army at the northern part of the map, where you must rescue King Alfonso (starting as a Gaia unit, once discovered he is under your control).

Enemies

 * Black Guard Army (Saracens) has their base at the southern tip of the map (in modern day Morocco and/or Ceuta), with several military buildings at the northern part of Black Guard Navy's base.


 * Black Guard Navy (Saracens) has their base at the southern-central part of the map, around modern day Gilbraltar, plus a mosque (which the monks request El Cid to convert it) at the western part of the map.


 * Yusuf (Saracens) has his base at the eastern part of the map.

Strategy/tactics
Bring El Cid and his army to follow the knight of King Alfonso to the battlefield in order to rescue King Alfonso (a Gaia unit which will immediately be yours). Make sure both El Cid and the king survives the whole scenario. The player need not to engage in the battle between King Alfonso's Army with the enemies (you have Conquistadors which you cannot reproduce as you are playing as Saracens, so do not lose them in this battle if you need them later), just group the king together with El Cid's army, avoid from the battle, and bring them to the king's base (blue), and the whole base will be yours (red).

Note that in this scenario, the fortified wall upgrade is disabled for the player.

As you discover Black Guard Navy's mosque, the monks will request El Cid to meet them at the mosque, and they will ask El Cid to send a monk to convert the mosque. Make sure you have researched redemption before converting the mosque. Once the mosque is converted, they suggest to destroy the transport ships of the navy, and at the same time also inviting your monk to stay at the mosque so that they could teach all the monastery technologies for free. (You will obtain each tech slowly)

Destroying Black Guard Army's town center in Africa will force them to resign, while forcing Yusuf to resign requires destroying his town center and his castle.

Even though you are asked to destroy all the six docks of the Black Guard Navy, you can actually choose to convert them for your own use.