To Finish a Fleet

To Finish a Fleet is the first scenario of Act II: China in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. The mission leaves off from the two earlier cinematic "On to Glory" followed by "Sitting Ducks". The scenario introduces the player to Captain Jian Huang, a young sailor captain destined to explore the new world. The scenario also introduces Lao Chen, a burly sailor who smells of fish and follows under Jian Huang's command,The mission revolves around saving Jiang Huang's fleet from the Wokou Pirates by defeating them and taking back their controlled land invaded by them.

Primary

 * Destroy the pirate layer and end the threat to your fleet (500 XP)
 * Liberate the captive ship builders (500 XP)Complete the Trade Route (500 XP)

Secondary

 * Build a Consulate and choose an Ally nation (250 XP)Strategy

Strategy
The mission starts out in a bad situation and dilemma, and the player must attack fast to fight off the enemy pirates and regain the Western Docks. The player is provided with 4 Villagers gathering Berry Bushes and an additional 5 chopping trees. 3 Villages are provided for population as well as a Dock for ships. Players start out in the mission under attack by enemy attacks. Giving the player less amount of time to build the Flagship.

Players start out on the coast in Najing towards the center of map with Captain Jian Huang, Lao Chen, 5 Qiang Pikemen and Chu Ko Nu as well as 2 Flamethrowers. As soon as the forces are provided, an enemy Wokou Junk unloads a small band of Wokou Pirates that must be defeated swiftly. Once the Wokou Pirates are killed, the player can proceed to destroy the ship with their forces as well use their provided Town Center's ranged attack by garrisoning the Villagers.

Right after defeating the enemy pirates and ship, the player can march their mostly unharmed army west towards the Trading Post routes. While marching west, the player will encounter a medium sized band of Qiang Pikemen and Chu Ko Nu. Many of the player's cavalry units will die as a result and the player should try to protect their Flamethrowers from the Chu Ko Nu's ranged attack. After the band is defeated, the player can take out the enemy Castle. As soon as the Castle is destroyed, a new primary objective of completing a Trade Route will be revealed and the trade routes must all have Trading Posts built on them.

At the same time, a War Junk will be provided to the player, becoming a good source of exploration of the sea as well as transporting units to and from the village. Enemy attacks done by pirates will not be uncommon and the player will need to build an additional Dock to create more ships and fight off the enemy sailors.While the Navy is scouting and transporting units to the other side of the map, the Player can use the army used to destroy the castle and destroy the enemy Trading Posts; replacing them with their own. There will be fragmented numbers of enemy soldiers guarding the trade route, although they will be taken out with ease. There will be 2 Trading Post sites guarded by enemy Outposts that must be controlled and should be protected as the enemy will persist to attack them at irregular intervals.At this point, the player's economy should have large enough to age up to the Fortress Age. Building the Porcelain Tower will help give the bonuses for resources needed for a large military.

Once aged up, the Player can build a Consulate and select an allied nation. The Chinese have are able to choose Chinese, Japanese, or Indian mercenaries for an ally. Each providing its own bonuses and advantages and the player can decide which to choose.Now, the player can start amassing an army from shipments, the consulate, and from the War Academy. Once the player has at least 15 troops, they can set them out on to a ship where they can be transported east to the trapped ship builders. The ship builders will be trapped in Stockades near the Eastern corner of the map by the coast. They will be guarded by a handful of Keshiks and Qiang Pikemen and will be defeated with not much resistance. Once they are defeated, the Stockades can be razed down to free the ship builders(who appear as Villagers).

Once freed, the ship builders will say their thanks and reveal where the Pirate lair's settlement lies as well as requesting to defeat them. Now, the player is left with only one last objective to complete; which is to destroy the enemy Town Center of the Pirates. A fairly large sized army will be needed to tackle the pirate settlement which should consist of some artillery. If there are not much resources available, then it would be best to continue gathering resources to train more troops.

The Consulate will come in handy now! If the player has the army capable of raiding the settlement,they can proceed and march their army forward. Where they will face some resistance by enemy troops and the enemy Villagers will garrison inside their Town Center. The Town Center will eventually be destroyed from the larger army and the mission will be officially complete.