Pax Mongolica (Pax Mongolia before the Definitive Edition) is the sixth and final scenario of the Genghis Khan campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It is based on the Battle of Mohi (April 11, 1241), during the First Mongol Invasion of Hungary (1241-1242).
Intro
Only one enemy stands in our way. France and the nations beyond are beaten from decades of Crusades. If we break Eastern Europe, then it is likely that all of Western Europe will surrender. But to break the East, we must defeat Hungary.
Hungary possesses the most formidable cavalry in all of Europe. They have not only the strength of European armor, but their horses are cousins to our own, having drifted in from across the Russian steppes.
The Sajo River that separates us from the army of Hungary is frozen so we will be unable to deploy boats. Instead, the battle will be won or lost over who controls the bridge.
Subotai is coming with reinforcements. If we can survive the charge of Hungarian knights until Subotai arrives, then we can hope to take the bridge.
Much rests on this simple bridge. If we capture the Sajo crossing, we capture Hungary. If Hungary falls, so falls Europe. With Europe and Asia under Mongolian command, our conquest of the world will be complete and final.
Scenario instructions
Starting conditions
- Starting Age:
Imperial Age - Starting resources: 500 wood, 500 food, 200 gold, 500 stone
- Population limit: 75 (125 in the Definitive Edition)
- Starting units:
- 10 Saboteurs
- 8 Light Cavalry
- 8 Mangudai
- 5 Villagers
- 10
Differences between difficulty levels
- On Standard, Subotai will also bring Siege Onagers as reinforcement, and the Siege Onager technology will also be researched.
Objectives
- Defeat Hungary.
- Survive until Subotai's reinforcements arrive.
Hints
- Because of the ice on the Sajo River, it is impossible to build ships.
- We must use our Saboteurs wisely. We cannot train anymore.
- Siege Onagers can flatten forests. ("Onagers and Trebuchets" in the Definitive Edition)
Players
Player
- Player (Mongols): The player starts in the north, with a few Guard Towers, a Castle, and a Town Center up.
Enemies
- Hungary (Teutons, Magyars in the Definitive Edition): Hungary has a huge fortification just across the river taking up most of the southwestern part of the map. They attack with Cavaliers (which they will upgrade to Paladins ), Teutonic Knights (Elite Magyar Huszars in the Definitive Edition), Elite Skirmishers, (Heavy) Scorpions, Capped Rams, and Trebuchets, with Monk support.
Strategy
The scenario begins with Genghis Khan's son Ogotai's base on one side of the Sajo River and Hungary's base on the other side. As mentioned in the scenario introduction, the river is partially frozen and the player can't build Docks, so at the beginning the only way across the river is over a Bridge. While Ogotai is told to hold out 40 minutes until Subotai arrives with reinforcements, said reinforcements only consist of two Hunting Wolves and ten Saboteurs (in the Definitive Edition, five of the Saboteurs are replaced by Khans, which are hero Elite Mangudais with a unique skin). Five minutes later, the Hungarians blow up the bridge and try to achieve victory via a Wonder, so the player has to find another way to avert defeat.
Early defenses
The first few minutes of the scenario are still calm, so the player should use the time to build up an economy quickly and wall off the bridge funnel with Fortified Walls. This can stem the Hungarian tide a little, however the enemy also has Trebuchets at their disposal so the wall won't hold forever unattended. As the bridge is very narrow, the starting Saboteurs can blow up many Cavaliers and Teutonic Knights with one explosion. Mangonels and their upgrades are equally effective.
Going on the offensive
After the initial wave, Hungary sends much fewer and weaker units, so the player might even be able to push towards the enemy base and establish a head before the bridge is blown up. The classic Mongol army of a few Light Cavalry, mass (Elite) Mangudai, and mixed in siege weapons can deal with enemy units very effectively. Once a certain critical mass of fully upgraded Elite Mangudai is reached, they alone are sufficient to kill any opposition. Trebuchets should not be forgotten to deal with Hungary's many towers and Castles. A couple of Monks can also increase chances of Mangudai surviving, but it should be noted that the enemy units resist conversion (pre-Definitive Edition).
Like mentioned above, after 40 minutes, Subotai arrives, and at the 45 minute mark, the bridge is destroyed. Now the two factions are completely separated, so the player doesn't have to worry about any raids, but Hungary will soon (52 minute mark) start building a Wonder.
Luckily, to the south the river can be crossed over thick ice, however the way ahead is blocked by trees. The fastest way through is by removing the trees via Siege Onager (in the Definitive Edition, the game itself suggests regular Onagers or Trebuchets to accomplish this task).
In whichever way the player crossed the river, defeating Hungary should not be too much of a problem with enough Elite Mangudai and some Trebuchets. If the player is running low on time, the remaining Saboteurs can rush in and swiftly take care of the Wonder.
Hungary doesn't resign easily, so most likely all of their units and military buildings, as well as their Markets have to be destroyed before victory is declared. Researching Spies can help find any stray enemy units or buildings.
Another tip
If the player gets some Saboteurs across the Bridge they can stop the Wonder being built; the AI dislikes attacking them so the player can sit them in a corner nearby where the Wonder will be built (near the Town Center). Only one of them is needed to blow up the Wonder if it is attacked right after the start of the construction.
The Go-Getter achievement
To get this achievement, the player must destroy all enemy Castles (2) and Town Centers (2) before Subotai arrives. Follow the early defence guide, and boom with at least 3 Town Centers until 60 Villagers or so. While booming, build up the military buildings and research all technologies relevant for Elite Mangudai, Hussar, Trebuchets and Siege Rams. Start building the army 20 minutes before Subotai arrives, and 10 minutes before Subotai's arrival push across the river. Build a Castle at the other end as foothold if needed. The army should be able to sweep through the two Castles with no slow-down, and then immediately split the siege troops to head south and north for the two Town Centers. The player should be able to finish the scene 5 minutes before Subotai arrives.
Outro
Nothing stands between us and the Atlantic Ocean. The Mongol empire comprises two whole continents; Europe and Asia belong to the Hordes.
Every place we entered has changed forever with our passing. Russia, once filled with quarreling city-states, much like ancient Mongolia, will forever be melded into a single, gigantic nation.
Genghis Khan forged the largest empire ever created in the life of one man. His body was carried back to the River Onon, where the legendary Blue Wolf and Fallow Doe once lived. He was buried in the ground and a thousand horsemen rode over the site to disguise it. Genghis Khan's final resting place was devoured by the steppes.
My people cherish the legend that their great ruler will one day return to lead his horsemen to another bloody victory.
Trivia
- If this scenario and the preceding one are opened in the Scenario Editor, the player's name appears as Ogedei Khan.
- This is the only scenario besides Lepanto and the William Wallace learning Campaign that has only one opponent. Besides, this is the only scenario outside the William Wallace campaign that has only two players.
- Since this scenario predates the release of Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, the Hungarians are played by Teutons (Germans) rather than Magyars. However, the Hungarians also included German forces from Austria in reality, along with Knights Templar (usually represented as Teutons in Age of Empires II). This is corrected in Definitive Edition, where the Hungarians are properly represented by the Magyars, whose cavalry specialty also matches the opening cutscene that emphasizes the civilization's horses being cousins to those of the Mongols.
- This is the first scenario in the series to feature the Ice terrain. Unlike in the ice introduced in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, units make splashes when they walk over it, revealing that it is actually repainted shallow water. The aquatic plants of the shallow water terrain can also be seen surrounding some of the ice.
- This was changed in the Definitive Edition, where the "ice" is replaced with an actual ice terrain from the Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, and the map now reflects the winter atmosphere.
- According to the fifth Design Document of Ensemble Studios (dated 17 July 1998), it was once planned to follow this scenario with a final, allohistorical one where the Mongols invade Western Europe.
- In the Definitive Edition, the achievement "The Go-Getter" can be earned if the player completes the scenario before Subotai arrives.
- The epilogue of this scenario can be witnessed in the Kotyan Khan scenario A New Home in the The Last Khans expansion, where the Cumans flee before the events of the scenario take place. In the opening of the scenario, the Cumans discover that the Hungarians have fallen to the Mongols and King Bela has fled to Austria, where it was there that the Mongol goal of conquest ultimately fails due to the military prowess of Duke Frederick. However, King Bela is forced into a state of humiliation as he is forced to pledge fealty to the Holy Roman Empire and is subject to betrayal and extortion by both the Duke and his nobles. Desperate, King Bela pleads help from the Cumans, who were vengeful after Kotyan Khan was murdered by Bela, and planned to leave for Bulgaria.
Historical comparison
- The original name is a misspelling of Pax Mongolica (Latin for "Mongol Peace"), a term used in historiography to "describe the eased communication and commerce the unified administration helped to create and the period of relative peace that followed the Mongols' vast conquests." It is a spin on the earlier Pax Romana ("Roman Peace"). In the Definitive Edition, this is fixed.
- This battle took place only two days after the Battle of Legnica in Poland, 500 km away. Both Mongol battle plans were devised by Subotai.
- Although the scenario instructs to survive the Hungarian onslaught over the bridge until Subotai arrives, in the real battle it was the Hungarians who resisted the Mongols as they tried to cross and made unprecedented casualties with their cavalry archers. However, the Hungarians claimed victory too early and retired to their camp to celebrate, allowing a small Mongol party to cross the river west of the bridge and kill the depleted bridge garrison while Subotai's second army built a pontoon to the east and crossed it to raze the Hungarian camp (represented by the ice crossing). There was no ice during the actual battle, which took place in the spring, and the bridge was not destroyed.
- This battle is traditionally identified as the first where gunpowder was used in Europe, due to the Mongols deploying Chinese Fire Lances and Grenadiers. The presence of Saboteurs is probably a reference to this. The similar, but weaker, Petards were not introduced until The Conquerors.
- Though the Mongols won, Ogotai died a year later, forcing his armies to withdraw and help settle the succession debate in Mongolia. This timely event is widely credited with sparing Europe from further conquest, and has been sometimes used to explain why Eastern Europe lagged behind the Western part from the Late Middle Ages.
- The Mongols invaded Hungary again in 1285-1286, but this time the Hungarians won.
