Fujiwara Revolts

Fujiwara Revolts
Scenario information
Game	Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Campaign	Yamato, Empire of the Rising Sun
Civilization	Yamato
Color	Blue
Scenario no.	8
Previous	Jinshin War
Other versions
Original	Kyushu Revolts
Map

Fujiwara Revolts is the eighth and final scenario of the Yamato, Empire of the Rising Sun campaign in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, replacing Kyushu Revolts.

Scenario instructions

Description

“	Kyushu, 740 CE Emperor Shōmu, your great-grandfather, the Emperor Tenji, ended the power of the Soga clan by aligning with a minor courtier. In recognition of his aid, your ancestor bestowed the clan name Fujiwara to the courtier. Now, like the Soga they helped defeat, the Fujiwara have grown powerful and seek to dominate the imperial throne. One of their clan leaders leads a rebellion in Kyushu. Defeat him and restore the people's faith in your divine rule.	”
—In-game section

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Iron Age
• Starting resources: 200 food, 200 wood, 100 stone
• Population limit: 50
• Starting units:
  • 3 Cavalry
  • 3 Short Swordsmen
  • 3 Composite Bowmen
  • 2 War Galleys
  • 1 Priest
  • 8 Villagers

Objectives

• Destroy the Fujiwara revolt.

Hints

1. Establishing a base across the Kanmon Straits will allow to more quickly bring troops to battle.
2. The river in the west gives you access to the rear of the Fujiwara defenses.

Players

Player

• Player ( Yamato): The player starts in the Iron Age with a walled city in the north and a few troops. They must destroy the Fujiwara.

Enemies

• Fujiwara ( Shang): The Fujiwara clan controls several guarded villages on the map and a city in the south. They begin with some War Galleys, scattered pairs of Broad Swordsmen, and a few Chariot Archers, and will primarily train Cavalry and Chariots.

Strategy

This scenario essentially requires destroying the Fujiwara player, although the Fujiwara might resign once enough of their economy and Villagers are destroyed, resulting in an early win.

Though the player's base is decently fortified, they have a finite supply of wood and especially gold inside, and so must take the offensive to secure more resources before they run out. Early on, Fishing Ships may help in bolstering the player's food economy, as they do not start with any Berry Bushes in their base.

On harder difficulties, the Fujiwara will mass all the scattered Broad Swordsmen and Chariot Archers they start with and attack using this massed force. With decent micro, this attack can be repelled with the player's unupgraded starting units. Later on, they will raid the player with Chariots and Cavalry, so the player should be prepared to face these incursions.

The main choice the player must make is whether or not to concentrate on their navy. Eventually, they will need to build up an army, but establishing naval supremacy can make collecting the resources needed to build this army easier. Not only will this protect their base from harassing War Galleys, but it also opens up two resource-rich islands safe from enemy attack and is necessary if the player plans on transporting their army into the back of the Fujiwara base.

If the player chooses naval expansion, then they should construct additional Docks so they can build up their fleet while researching Triremes and Catapult Triremes. Catapult Triremes are very helpful in destroying Fujiwara Guard Towers from range, especially if Engineering is researched. Once the towers defending the islands are brought down, Villagers can be transported over to exploit the gold mines and forests there. The navy can then bombard and destroy the Fujiwara Docks and coastal bases, snipe a few inland towers, harass their base from the rear, or help defend the shallows leading to the player's base. Eventually, this fleet should be scuttled for population space, as the Fujiwara seem to not rebuild their Docks.

If the player chooses land aggression, then a few Sentry Towers on the coast can deter the Fujiwara fleet. Heavy Cavalry or Phalangites, supported by Stone Throwers and Composite Bowmen or Horse Archers, can make short work of Fujiwara units and towers, although Academy units may fare worse against the Fujiwara's towers since the Yamato lack Tower Shield. If the player pushes down the western crossing, they should aim to cross the river to the island on the other side so they can mine the gold there in relative safety. If the player pushes down the central or eastern crossings, they should take care to avoid crossing the small, shallow river until they're ready to attack the main Fujiwara base.

Either way, the player can assault the main Fujiwara base once they have amassed a large enough army. The player can wait for elite upgrades for their units, or can attack directly. The Fujiwara will often build many Sentry Towers in their base, so the player can bring Stone Throwers to demolish them, ignore them to head for the southern, undefended side of their base, or use the river to transport their army directly into the Fujiwara base. If they Fujiwara do not resign after their base is destroyed, then hunt down their remaining Villagers and their three Docks, two on the western shore and one in the east. The Fujiwara will attempt to rebuild their Town Center and production buildings (except Docks, seemingly), so remain vigilant for surviving stray Fujiwara Villagers.

History

“	The Fujiwara clan originated when Nakaomi no Kamatari was rewarded with the clan name by the Emperor Tenji for his role in the Isshi Incident that ended Soga power. During the rule of the Emperor Tenji and his successors, the Fujiwara increased in power and married into the Imperial family, just as the Soga had done. By the 730's CE, he clan monopolized power on the Council of State with four out of ten seats held by a Fujiwara clan member. In 735 CE, however, a devastating plague swept through Japan and led to the deaths of the leading Fujiwara officials. This setback allowed other clans to gain prominence. These clans quickly pushed the Fujiwara out of power, causing Fujiwara officials to be demoted and sent to remote posts. Fujiwara no Hirotsugu was one such official. Ha had been demoted from governor of Yamato province to a remote post at Dazaifu in Kyushu in 738 CE. In September 740 CE, Hirotsugu began a rebellion, demanding the dismissal of corrupt officials he blamed for his clan's decline. Hirotsugu found willing followers in Kyushu. The island had suffered from the plague and repeated years of bad harvests. Government attempts to assuage the gods by constructing temples only exacerbated the conditions of the locals who were forced into providing labour for the building programs. Hirotsugu was soon able to raise an army and began establishing relations with the Korean Kingdom of Silla. The Emperor Shomu responded to these actions by sending an army to Kyushu. Hirotsugu's rebellion fell apart as several of his allies defected, and the Imperial forces distributed a decree promising rewards for the death of the rebel leader. Hirotsugu led his remaining forces to battle at the Itabitsu River, where they were decisively defeated. Hirotsugu then attempted to flee to Silla by boat, but storms caused him to abort his journey, and he was finally captured and beheaded.	”
—In-game section

Victory

“	You have restored peace to Japan, but wars and the intrigues of court weigh heavily on your spirit. You hope that with your victory and the weakening of the most powerful clan, you will be able to one day abdicate the throne in favour of your daughter. You will retire to a Buddhist temple to become a monk and walk the Eightfold Path. After all, with your victory, most assuredly, no clan will ever again dare to challenge the Yamato Emperor.	”
—In-game section

Loss

“	Though they defeated you, the Fujiwara are most gracious to you as Emperor. Although they exiled you, they did allow you to be the ruler of your new home… on the northernmost tip of Japan. Dress warmly.	”
—In-game section