The Wokou Pirate is an outlaw hand shock infantry unit armed with a sword, similar to the Pirate. Though not as strong as heavy cavalry units, it has a unique bonus against Villagers, making them neat for harassing an enemy's economy.
Wokou Pirates are best utilized in the early ages. As the game progresses, it will become harder to raid the enemy economy. Since the Definitive Edition, all outlaws can be upgraded to Imperial status with the respective outlaw upgrade technology, which every civilization has, so its usefulness still remains.
Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +5% speed, +10 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military unit train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead
The term "wokou" is a combination of the Chinese word "wo," referring to Japanese, and "kou," meaning bandit or invasion.
Beginning in the thirteenth century, no group of sailors was as feared or as mighty as the plundering wokou pirates, a clan of Japanese raiders and smugglers who terrified the Chinese and Korean coasts. The first attacks occurred in 1223, triggering immediate calls for the Kamakura shogunate of Japan to corral these scoundrels and prevent further attacks on the Korean coast. In 1227, as a show of strength, the shogun had ninety suspected wokou pirates decapitated before the visiting Korean envoy.
During the Mongol invasions of the mid-thirteenth century, wokou attacks fell in number, most likely due to a heightened military preparedness on the part of both the Japanese and Korean governments. But this did not last. In the late fourteenth century, as central authority in Japan weakened, the wokou took full advantage, even branching out to initiate attacks along the coast of China. They profited highly from a severe trade embargo forced on Japan by the Qin and then Ming Dynasties of China, reaping rewards as black markets flourished. The wokou experienced periods of rise and decline, even attacking China with a makeshift fleet in 1419, but they ultimately became obsolete.
At its peak, the wokou culture was enough to threaten even the most powerful Asian rulers, and to appeal to the most ordinary of citizenry. Many men left behind their lives to seek fortunes at sea. Chinese merchants, militiamen, smugglers, Korean pirates, Portuguese sailors, traders, and even missionaries joined up with the notorious wokou pirates.
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Smuggler[]
The Smuggler is a treasure guardian with high hit points but relatively low hand damage. He can be dealt easily using artillery or anti-infantry units, but can be quite hard to beat in melee combat, so in early game, it is recommended to convert or snipe as many Smugglers as possible.
History[]
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For centuries, smugglers have worked within the laws of all nations to exploit scarcity and produce a profit. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, restrictive economic policies of mercantilism encouraged smuggling in France, the Spanish colonies, and North America. When the British attempted to fight the practice by enforcing the Navigation Acts, they contributed to the growing resentment that exploded into the American Revolution. During the Prohibition era in the United States, smuggling flourished across the continent.
Today, with the existence of widespread commercial privacy and active black markets, smuggling is more common than ever. Smugglers worldwide often traffic in luxury articles, stolen art, electronic devices, and software.
+30% hit points and attack
Liberation March
Fencing School
Outlaw Band
Bandit Gang
Outlaw Combat
Atonement
Western Reforms
Acupuncture
Theaters
Junín Hussars
Wanderlust
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack
Royal Fencing School
TEAM Cavalry Attack
Witch Hammer
Dravidian Martial Arts
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
Bakufu
TEAM Mustangs
TEAM Knights of the Round Table
Squires
TEAM Mariachi
Colegio de San Nicolás
Matrakci School
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions
TEAM Hand Infantry Attack
Archaic Infantry Hitpoints
Archaic Infantry Combat
TEAM Spanish Inquisition
Hand Infantry/Hand Cavalry Attack
Atonement
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints
Dance Hall
TEAM Scout Infantry
Onin War
Ransack
Dueling School
