This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires IV. For other uses of the term, see Great Wall. |
The Great Wall is the second scenario in the Shock and Awe chapter and the second scenario of the The Mongol Empire campaign in Age of Empires IV. It depicts the pillaging of northern China by the Mongols in the aftermath of the Battle of Yehuling.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
Ten years before the Mongols' first assault on Europe, Genghis Khan descended on his most ambitious target yet: The Great Wall of China
Opening cinematic[]
On the banks of the Kalka River, thousands of Rus were killed by the Mongols. The hunters had become the hunted. But in the years leading up to this Mongol raid in the westโฆ Genghis Khan had been focusing his attacks on the eastโฆ and the Jin dynasty of Northern China. Controlling wealthy lands and trade routes; Jin cities overflowed with riches. In 1210, the Jin's new ruler, seeing Genghis Khan as a threat, demanded that he swear loyalty to him. Genghis Khan refused. To the Jin, this defiance was a declaration of war. The Jin had a huge army, and their territory was protected by vast fortificationsโฆ known today as the Great Wall.
The Mongols had never faced a more formidable enemy. Genghis Khan knew the only way to defeat the Jin would be to take their heavily defended capital city, Zhongduโฆ on the other side of the Great Wall. Genghis Khan would be committing his people to a long, hard war. Would the rewards be worth the cost? For answersโฆ he looked to the gods. Climbing a sacred mountainโฆ he prayed to the Eternal Sky. After four days, he received his answer. The Mongols would be victorious. With divine reassurance, the Mongol army set out across the steppe. They must break through the Great Wallโฆ to destroy the Jin dynasty โ and further expand the Mongol empire.
Loading screen[]
Genghis Khan's bid to expand his empire had brought him to the Great Wall of China. But in his path to the wall stood the mighty Jin fortress of Zhangjiakou.
Start of scenario[]
The Jin fortress of Zhangjiakou blocked Genghis Khan's path to the Great Wall. Seeing the strength of the defenses at the front of the fortress, Genghis Khan dispatched his scouts to seek out an alternative approach.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Dark Age
- Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
- Initially:
- 2
Scout
- 2
- After the rear entrance to the fortress is found or the Scouts are killed:
Genghis Khan
- 20
Lancer
- 20
Horseman
- 30
Mangudai
- Initially:
- Resources: None
Objectives[]
- Plan your attack
- Find a route around Zhangjiakou fortress
- Destroy the Keep at Zhangjiakou
- Optional: Collect 2000 Resources by burning buildings
- Destroy Yanqing
- Destroy buildings
- Optional: Stop Jin raids by destroying outlying villages
- Destroy Western Village
- Destroy Northern Village
- Destroy Southern Village
- Breach the Great Wall
- Destroy the Keep
- Optional: Build Siege Towers of Battering Rams
Players[]
- Genghis Khan (Mongols): The player initially starts off with just two Scouts, until the Scouts either die or the rear entry into Zhangjiakou fortress is found. At this point, the player will receive the main army consisting of Mangudai, Horsemen, and Early Lancers. Once the Zhangjiakou Keep is destroyed, the player will receive supplies to start a town: ten Villagers, a packed Town Center, two packed Pastures, a packed Barracks, and sixteen Spearmen and Archers each. The player is restricted to the Fedual Age.
Enemy[]
- Jin Dynasty (Chinese): The Jin Dynasty consists of the Zhangjiakou fortress and its garrison, the three secondary villages, Yanqing, and the fortress of Juyong beyond the Great Wall. They have of sizable garrisons of Spearmen and Archers at each of the villages, along with several Zhuge Nu in Yanqing, Palace Guards in Juyong and some Horsemen near the southern village. They will continually attack the player with Spearmen and Archers until the three outlying villages are destroyed.
Strategy[]
At the start, it is straightforward to find the rear entry into Zhangjiakou with the Scouts by following the northern mountain path around the fortress. There are two groups of Spearmen patrolling the path, but they can be easily avoided, especially by hiding in the abundant stealth forest. Once the player finds the entrance guarded by Spearmen and Archers, they will receive the bulk of their army. Alternatively, the players can run their Scouts into the front entrance of Zhangjiakou and lose them to get their army right away. Losing the Scouts has no effect on the progression of the scenario, other than making it harder for the army to spot enemies in the fortress.
After following the path to the rear entrance of the fortress with the main army, kill the guards and proceed to start destroying the buildings and the main garrison. A good strategy is to use Genghis Khan to lure enemy Spearmen towards the army and away from their archers. Use Mangudai to kite and kill the Spearmen, and then use cavalry to kill the unguarded Archers. Because of his hit points and regeneration, Genghis Khan can also tank Archer fire while luring the Spearmen. In general, though, the starting army should be large enough to take out the garrison without much trouble, and then take down the keep. Note that the player can actually take the initial army to start destroying enemy villages before taking down the keep without being subject to enemy raids, which only start after the keep is destroyed. However, any units lost will make it harder to take down the keep. As the player cannot build siege engines at this point, they have no choice but to assault the Keep head-on with all of their units. As soon as the Keep is destroyed, the player will gain control of the Great Wall, and the Chinese Stone Wall Towers will quickly burn to cinders.
If the player succeeded in taking out the Keep without losing too many of their units, they should waste no time in attacking the nearby enemy villages, as their continuous attacks will make a Turtling strategy difficult. Building Stables next to an Ovoo will help build the player's forces up quickly. As speed is the key to success in this stage of the scenario, mounted archers and melee cavalry should be preferred over foot archers and infantry. With the infantry left at the player's base, along with an Outpost to defend it, the player should immediately strike the closest village in the center of the map. The enemy will have large numbers of Spearmen and Archers, so careful micromanagement will be needed. At the same time, the player should task some Villagers to building a landmark in order to advance to the next age, and begin producing additional Lancers and Mangudai from their Stables. There is a neutral Trade Post slightly to the west of the initial village if they age up with The Silver Tree or decide to build a Market and produce Traders. The last village will be guarded by Horsemen in addition to Spearmen and Archers, so a larger force will be needed to attack it.
Once the three outlying villages are destroyed, the enemy raids will become less frequent and concentrated from the east. The player will be therefore free to trade with the nearby Trade Post. There is also a Trade Post to the south of the Southern Village guarded by an Outpost, as well as two Treasure Chests with 100 gold and 400 stone respectively. As the player progresses, research Siege Engineering and build some Battering Rams to help take down enemy buildings, especially Keeps and Town Centers. Once the player destroys Yanqing, they can move military production buildings into the village to shorten the distance reinforcements have to travel. There are a couple of Treasure Chests in the northern outlying part of Yanqing that contain 400 stone each. Continue along the path to the Great Wall, defeating enemy units and creating additional reinforces to replace losses. If at 200 population, the player should not have much trouble advancing through and destroying the enemy Keep at Juyong.
Achievement[]
Running the Scouts (or any other unit) into the main defenses instead of taking the path along the mountain grants the Yeah, Well, You Should See the Other Guy achievement.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
The great keep at Zhuyong pass burned to the ground, giving the Mongols a secure route into the heart of Jin territory. As pillars of smoke billowed from the mountain pass, Genghis Khan charged forward into new lands and on to his ultimate goal: the wealthy Jin capital of Zhongdu.
Post-game screen[]
Genghis Khan had done what none before him could. He had broken through China's Great Wall and now bore down on the capital.
Page From History: Kurultai[]
โ | In 1206, at a gathering of tribes known as a "kurultai," the young Mongol chieftain, Temujin, would be confirmed as Genghis Khan, ruler of the newly united Mongol nation. A kurultai was a pivotal event that affected the fate of the whole Mongol realm. At these meetings khans were chosen, traitors were sentenced, and wars were set in motion. From every corner of the steppe, peoples under Mongol rule gathered at the heart of the Mongolian homeland to have their say. There were festivities too: the sports of wrestling, archery and horse racing would be played alongside the politics of parliament Kurultais would endure to the end of the Mongol Empire and would leave their indelible mark on the future of the Horde. |
โ |
Unlockable content[]
- Campaign Video: The Great Wall
- Historical Video: The Mongol Horse
- Page from History: Kurultai