Langshan Jiang is a scenario of the Battles of the Forgotten in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten. The player must make sure that all shipments arrive to the Temple Complex without losing them. The shipments arrive in different places every 25 minutes after the start of the game. In this scenario, the player, allies, and enemies are all Chinese. It is based on the Battle of Langshan Jiang (919).
In the Definitive Edition, it is reworked into Lake Poyang, which has mostly similar gameplay but is based on a different event.
Intro[]
10th century- the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Medieval China. The land is once again in turmoil. In the far East, near the sea, there is the small coastal state of Wuyue, advanced in science and culture. Due to its wealth it has given its ruler Qian Liu the opportunity to attack Wuyue's bigger and stronger neighbor, the state of Wu. Wu is a military powerhouse and hated by the other states, so Qian Liu aims to destroy his enemy and secure its military power for himself.
Success will ensure eternal glory for the king and his people and a chance at reuniting China. Defeat will mean the end of the Wuyue state and its great ruler. The invasion is to take place near the Langshan or the Wolf Mountain, on the northern shores of the Yangtze river, where the Wuyue navy under Prince Qian Yuanguan has quickly built a fleet of small war vessels, having modified fishing and trade ships. The Wu, however, got word of the river invasion and have sent their best commander, Peng Yanzhang, to protect the river at all costs.
Resources in this war-plagued land are scarce and technology and innovation will prove to play an important role in the upcoming battle. Outnumbered and in hostile territory, Qian Yuanguan will need to be creative and work quickly in order to succeed. Aside from technology, the prince will also have to rely on the support of the locals to obtain more supplies for his navy. Therefore, Qian Liu has ordered his son to sail down the river to a lake on whose shores he plans to build a grandiose temple.
If he succeeds in building it, the temple will show the people of Wu the might of the Wuyue and the ruler of Wu will quickly lose his support among his military leaders. While small rays of sun dance on the steady and calm Wolf Mountain River, shouts are heard in the far distance... If silent, one can hear them cry: "Enemy ships sighted!". Soon, the river will turn red...
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: 200 food, 400 wood, 300 gold
- Population limit: 150
- Starting units:
- 6 War Galleys
- 4 Fire Ships
- 3 Demolition Ships
- 2 Transport Ships containing:
- 6
Objectives[]
Initial[]
- You have 25 minutes to clear the blockade before the first shipment arrives.
Appearing later[]
- Escort the first shipment to the Temple Complex.
- Escort the remaining 4 shipments safely. Each will arrive 25 minutes after the previous reaches the temple complex.
- Build a Monument and protect it from enemy attacks.
Dragon ship quest[]
- Find a fuse to ignite the oil.
- Find a smith to cast the Fire Siphons.
- Find a Master Builder for the ships.
Secondary Objectives[]
- The rice farmers will provide the player with food as long as their market stands.
- As long as the Trade Workshop (cyan) stands, the player will receive Dragon Ships.
Hints[]
- Scout your starting position, as there are warriors willing to join you.
- You can either destroy all enemy towers and ships blocking the river passage or use your own ships to cover the shipment by taking the fire while it crosses.
- The shipments are being sent from all across the land and they will spawn in different places. Make sure to clear the enemy navy from the sea, as if any shipment is lost you will be defeated.
- The River Pirates may be open to negotiate an alliance, but they will not be cheap.
- Rumors say that a monk in the region is developing a secret weapon with which you can easily defeat the enemy navy.
Scouts[]
- The Wu navy (Red) controls the shores and has blockades on all river crossings. The Wu army (Purple) has a strong base on the land and will train a large army. The River Pirates (Green) have a naval base to the northeast and small squads dispersed across the land guarding important resources.
- The Temple Complex (Yellow) is to the southeast and will assist the player, but has no army and needs protection. The Chinese Peasants (Cyan) have a few small villages in the area and can help as long as the player keeps them safe.
Players[]
Player[]
- Qian Yuanguan (Chinese): The player gains the warships and Transport Ships in the left of the map after the initial cutscene. They must move through the canyon, fighting off enemy ships and tearing down their towers, before reaching the open waters of the lake, then fight off more ships on the way until they reach the Temple Complex.
Neutral → Allies (potential)[]
- Temple Complex (Chinese): The place where the player has to build the Temple of Heaven. In this scenario they play no role, and are located on the south side of the map. The player has to land here by clearing all the enemy ships blocking their way. The player has to escort 5 shipments which start from different locations on the map. The player will have their base here.
- Chinese Peasants (Chinese): Located at different places where the player can complete the Dragon Ship quest. They will tribute 500 food and Dragon Ships, which are like Fire Ships, as long as the player protects their Market and Trade Workshop.
Enemy → Ally[]
- River Pirates (Chinese): Located in the north east of the map. They are also scattered around Temple Complex to the east and west. They ask for 2,000 gold from the player in return for their alliance. Even though they are easy to defeat, two shipments arrive from this direction, and it will be better if the player can make them allies as they will be able to quickly wipe out the Siege Workshops and Docks located on the northern island and will produce a large navy to support the player.
Enemy[]
- Peng Yanzhang (colored orange before an update[When?]) (Chinese): Located in different places on the map with Galleons, Fire Ships and several Transport Ships with Wu Army units. The player should kill their ships before the fifth shipment arrives in order to make the game easier. They are scattered in different places and block the passage of all shipments to Peng Yanzhang. Clearing their ships before the second shipment arrives will be a better option for the player. As they don't have Villagers, destroying their docks is a good option.
- Wu Army (Chinese): Located to the south of the starting point. The Wu Army includes four rams and a sizable army of both missile and land units such as Light Cavalry, Trebuchets, and Chu Ko Nu. Though they are difficult to defeat, building a castle and some towers in their direction before the third shipment arrives, will help the player later in the game. They attack only on land. When the player begins construction of the Temple of Heaven, they will attempt an assault on the city.
- Wu Navy (colored red before an update[When?]) (Chinese): Located mainly in the west and in the south. They block the path of the five shipments. Clearing their ships before the second shipment arrives will be a better option for the player. They attack on land and with Galleons. As they don't have Villagers, destroying their docks is a good option.
Ally → Neutral[]
- Wuyue (Chinese): At the scheduled times, their Transport Ship will arrive to bring the required materials to build the Temple of Heaven. The player must make sure that each Transport Ship makes it safely to Wuyue.
Course of events[]
The player starts with several ships in the western corner of the map and has 25 minutes to clear the way for the first shipment (one allied Transport Ship, starting at the same spot as the player, that will go to the Temple Complex). For this, the player has to destroy the ships and Towers in the narrow waterway before them, and some small groups of ships in the open water in the middle of the map.
The Chinese Peasant village in the left map corner will be switched to the player once they discover it. When the first transport ship arrives, all the player's buildings and units will be switched to Chinese Peasants, i.e. they lose everything, except for the resources they have gathered. (This does not happen in the Definitive Edition) But at the same time, a part of the Temple Complex will be switched to the player, so they will have a well developed base. It has enough housing for 100 units, while the maximum unit limit for this scenario is 150.
After that, every 25 minutes another allied Transport Ship will arrive at the map edges and go towards the temple. The second Transport Ship will appear behind the Pirate settlement on the northeast edge, the third on the northwest edge behind the peninsula, the fourth where the player started and the fifth on the southwest edge where the small creek with "seawall bridge" is. If any of those transports are destroyed, the player will lose the scenario. When all have arrived, the player has to send villagers to build the Temple of Heaven (a Wonder). When it is completed, the scenario is won.
Strategy[]
At first, kill a few enemy ships in front of the player until the player gets in range of the first Tower. Meanwhile, send the Transport Ship with the Villagers to the right, and they will discover a few units, including a Trebuchet. Unload the Villagers to gather the gold and wood in that small piece of land. Load the Trebuchet and additional units, and take all the soldiers (in the transports) and take them a few tiles it to the small swamp spots along the waterway ahead.
Use the Trebuchet to destroy the towers and use the remaining soldiers to kill the scattered enemy around the area. Start gathering food with the villagers. Meanwhile, build a Monastery and 3-4 Monks and a Market to sell wood and food for gold and stone. Convert as many enemy ships as possible and repair the ships with Villagers. This will allow for two strategies from now on.
Strategy A[]
The player must clear the way and wait for the Transport Ship to appear, then escort it, possibly sacrificing some units on the way. The player will now have a base behind the temple complex. Secure it to both sides on land and wear down the enemy as usual. Peng Yanzhang will build a lot of ships, but can't build any new buildings, so concentrate on their Docks to make things much easier (Lou Chuans really help a lot here). Have 2,000 gold handy to pay the Pirates for alliance when that opportunity opens, or just destroy them if that's easier.
In this strategy, the player is under time pressure, and MUST clear the way for the Transport Ships in time or lose. Saving the game before each Transport Ship appears is strongly recommended.
Strategy B[]
Before the Transport Ship arrives, position all ships in a tight formation in the waterway, blocking it completely, so that the Transport Ship cannot pass. With careful re-positioning, it can be trapped so it can't move at all by just using a few ships and still be able to get around that spot with the player's own Transport Ships. The player should save the game before and after, to be on the safe side, because if the Transport slips through, it can't be caught anymore.
It is possible to block the narrow section of the river (right in between the first 4 red Towers) with only 4 ships.
As long as the Transport Ship is stuck there, the player can develop as slow as they want. Peng Yanzhang will send around some single ships that need a bit of attention, but otherwise the enemies will not move yet. That means the player can build a Dock at the waterway delta and establish a trade route with the Temple Complex with a lot of Trade Cogs and invest that heap of money in technologies. For example, it is easier to just wait until the player can afford Spies than exploring the map the hard way.
So this is a strategy for the "relaxed builder" type of gamer.
There is no need to let loose the trapped transport ship until every last enemy is wiped out completely. Then just let it slip, set time to 8x and wait until all ships have reached the temple, put a few dozen Villagers on the temple to build it and the scenario is over.
The Dragon Boat Quest[]
As soon as the player reaches the mouth of the waterway, they can see a grey, smoking area on the south bank. This has no actual purpose in game (i.e. they don't have to do anything there), just for the story, which says that the player found combustible tar oil here. Now the player needs black powder to ignite it, a smith to construct a flame thrower and a Dock to build special ships around it. Find the Monk in the southern corner of the map for the first task. The smith is in the eastern corner (discovering the Chinese Peasant village there will yield 500 food regularly, as long as their Market is not destroyed) and the shipyard is in the northern corner. Here, Dragons Ships (a special kind of Fire Ships with high pierce armor, strong against buildings) will trickle out as long as their Dock is not destroyed.
This is mainly for story purposes, as this was the first military use of black powder recorded in history (the ancient Greek used similar tactics in ship battles, but not with black powder). But for game play purposes, this quest is negligible, as the player will have to be at all corners of the map (which means they have progressed already quite far) and then they will only receive a small amount of ships over time. The default ship types do fine, and the player can build many more of them.
Outro[]
Qian Yuanguan used various tactics during the battle- he ordered his men to throw ashes into the faces of the enemy sailors and to use sand to protect the decks of their own ships from fire. Later, after his ascension to the throne, he was named Wenmu, or civil and solemn. King Wenmu's use of gunpowder to ignite his flamethrowers' oil and burn the enemy fleet is the first recorded use of the explosive mixture for military purposes. Although not a decisive end to the Chinese civil war, this battle is probably the most important event of its time and changed the future of the entire world.
Historical information[]
The scenario is based off the 919 CE Battle of Langshan Jiang during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, during which the navy of Wuyue general Qian Guanyuan (the player) defeated the Wu navy of Peng Yanzhang. Although the game depicts Wu as having a larger navy and army, the two forces were actually around the same size in real life.
