Blockade at Lumen Shan is the second scenario of the Domination chapter and overall eighth scenario of the The Mongol Empire campaign in Age of Empires IV. In this scenario, the player plays as the Chinese instead of the Mongols. The civilization flag, as well as unit and building descriptions are changed to make it look like the player is playing as the Mongols. Following on the previous scenario, it depicts Mongol attempts at cutting off the Song supply lines at the Battle of Xiangyang.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
The Song's unwavering defense of their fortress forced the Mongols to switch strategies – from assault to starvation.
Opening cinematic[]
The twin cities did not yield. The Mongols would need a new tactic to breach the great Song fortress. Rather than another costly head-on assault, they planned to cut off the cities… by blocking the critical supply route at Lumen Shan.
Loading screen[]
Kublai Khan enlisted the expertise of the Chinese defector, General Liu Zheng. The Mongols would employ his insights to undermine the strength of the twin cities.
Start of scenario[]
The Song defector, General Liu Zheng, advised Kublai Khan that the best strategy to take Xiangyang was to construct a blockade, completely cutting it off. Liu Zheng led the Mongol army to the trade route at Lumen Shan and set his plan in motion.
The general's plan depended on recruiting local workers who could build defenses.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Age:
Imperial Age - Starting units:
Liu Zheng- 2 Scout
- 25 Elite Fire Lancer
- 30 Veteran Mangudai
- 50 Lancer
- Resources: 1,200 food, 800 wood, 800 gold
Unlocked dynasty features[]
Objectives[]
- Take Control of Lumen
- Destroy the local Song base
- Blockade the road north
- Build walls to seal all paths north
- Optional: Prepare to defend your walls by building and upgrading Stone Towers
- Take over Bohekou
- Bring units to Bohekou to recruit the village to your cause
- Hold the blockade
- Defeat all waves of blockade runners
- Tip: No more than 20 soldiers can slip through
Players[]
- Kublai Khan (Chinese): The player begins near the east corner of the map with a sizeable force of Mangudai, Lancers, Fire Lancers, two Scouts, and Liu Zheng. They must take control of the Chinese settlement of Lumen in the center-west of the map by destroying the Song fort guarding it, and can additionally take control of the Chinese village of Bohekou in the southeast by sending one of their units there. They will then be tasked with blockading the two roads leading to the twin cities in the north and guarding them from several waves of Song units which will attempt to break through. Although they are made to appear as the Mongols, the scenario is actually played as the Chinese, and consequently the player has access to Chinese units and buildings only, apart from the starting Mangudai.
Allies[]
- Chinese Villages (Chinese): The allied Chinese initially control the villages of Lumen and Bohekou, as well as several Outposts along the roads leading to the twin cities. Lumen, along with all of the Outposts north of the river will switch to the player's control once the Song fort guarding the village is destroyed, while Bohekou, along with all of the Outposts south of the river, will switch to the player's control as soon as any of their units reach that settlement after Lumen is captured. From that point on, they no longer have a presence on the map.
Enemy[]
- Song Dynasty (Chinese): The Song initially control a small fort to the west of Lumen village, consisting of a Keep, two Outposts and some military production buildings and Tents, which must be destroyed by the player in order to capture the village. They also control the gates to the twin cities in the far north of the map, which are protected by Stone Wall Towers and Fortified Outposts. They have several Elite Archers and Spearmen near the player's starting position, waiting to attack the player's army from the north, south, and west. After the player captures Lumen, the Song will periodically send groups of Elite Horsemen to attack the player's base and defenses north of the river, and will also attack Bohekou with the same once it is captured by the player. After the player builds walls over the two roads leading north, they will attempt to break through to the twin cities by sending eight attack waves consisting of Palace Guards, Grenadiers, Elite Archers, Spearmen, and Springalds, as well as Battering Rams which target any defenses they come across.
Strategy[]
Note: This strategy is intended for the Hard difficulty. Lower differences may differ slightly from what is described below.
The second-to-last scenario of the campaign is remarkably straightforward, though the size and balanced composition of the enemy attack waves may prove a challenge if the player is not prepared. The player's first task will be to reach the Chinese village of Lumen and destroy the small Song fort protecting in order to take control of the settlement. Before advancing, they should use their Scouts to find the nearby enemy units waiting to ambush the player's army from the north, south, and west. As usual, the Mangudai should be used to draw out and kite the enemy Spearmen, but the player must watch out for enemy Archers. Since the scenario is played as the Chinese (masked as the Mongols), the player should take care not to lose their Mangudai early, as these cannot be replaced.
Heading along the road west, then south, then back east at the next crossroads will bring the player to the Song fort at Lumen. The fort is defended by Palace Guards and Crossbowmen, so the player can employ the same tactic as before. The Song Keep at Lumen lacks Boiling Oil while the Outposts lack any emplacements, so these can be easily taken down once the defending units are killed. With the Song fort destroyed, the player will take control of Lumen village, along with all of its Villagers. The player should immediately begin producing more, while assigning some of the available Villagers to mining stone and gold, building military production buildings, as well as a Monastery to produce Monks for healing. The player will also gain control of the allied Chinese Outposts north of the river. The Song will soon begin attacking the player from the southeast with groups of Elite Horsemen, so the player should train some Spearmen and upgrade them with Blacksmith technologies, and then position them along with the player's other units near the Outpost south of Lumen village, as this will be the first to come under attack.
The player will also be given the secondary objective of capturing the Chinese village of Bohekou in the southwest, which can be accomplished by sending any of the player's units there. Soon after the village defects, it will be attacked by a group of Elite Horsemen, so it is a good idea to bring a contingent of fully-upgraded Spearmen when converting it. Capturing Bohekou will also give the player control of the allied Chinese Outposts south of the river. The player should also use the stone they have gathered by now to upgrade the Outpost south of Lumen and those to the southeast of Bohekou, as well as building an additional Outpost in Bohekou and upgrading it. Since all of the attacks will come from the same direction, along the paths towards Lumen and Bohekou, there is no point upgrading any of the other Outposts. The player should also train some Monks in Bohekou to help keep its defenders alive through the successive enemy attacks.
The player should avoid building the Stone Walls until they are fully prepared for the next phase of the scenario, as from here on the Song attacks will be more significant. Whereas before the enemy only attacked with Elite Horsemen, their unit composition will now be more varied, with Palace Guards, Grenadiers, Elite Archers, Spearmen, and Springalds, as well as Battering Rams which target any defenses they come across. The player should therefore train Lancers and Fire Lancers to deal with the archers and siege engines, as well as siege engines and ranged units, such as Zhuge Nu and Grenadiers, to deal with the melee infantry. The attacks come along the same paths as before, so the player should build their walls over the paths leading to Lumen and Bohekou from the south and east. Once the player has gathered enough stone, they should also construct Stone Wall Towers and a Keep near each wall segment.
The player will have to defeat eight attack waves, which will be split evenly with four headed towards Lumen along the northern path and four towards Bohekou along the southern path, each with a similar composition. Once all eight attack waves are defeated, the scenario will complete.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
The Mongols maintained control of the Song trade route at Lumen Shan, cutting off Xiangyang from the south. Thanks to the insights of General Liu Zheng, Kublai Khan's plan to weaken the great Song fortress was working…
Post-game screen[]
With the supply route under Mongol control, Xiangyang would begin to weaken. Kublai Khan waited for his moment to strike.
Page From History: The Silk Road[]
| “ | In 1227, Genghis Khan had died attempting to maintain control over the most critical trade route in the known world, the Silk Road. A vast route, connecting China to the Mediterranean, whoever controlled the Silk Road had power over the world's economy. Exotic fabrics, metals, medicines and animal products flowed east and west, as did the traditions and expertise of the peoples under the empire. Civilizations mingled and prospered. At the height of Mongol power, the Silk Road became an information highway. Its rapid postal system delivered messages and military intelligence across the continent. But as the empire began to fracture, so too did its control over the Silk Road. This vital corridor would continue to be contested for generations to come. |
” |
Unlockable content[]
- Campaign Video: Blockade at Lumen Shan
- Historical Video: Mongol Heavy Cavalry
- Page from History: The Silk Road
