The Siege of Kazan is the second scenario of the Empire to Superpower chapter and the eighth and last scenario of the The Rise of Moscow campaign in Age of Empires IV. It depicts the Siege of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible in 1552, which led to the conquest of the Kazan Khanate, and to the start of Russian dominion over the Eurasian steppe and the territories of the former Golden Horde.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
Tsar Ivan IV held clenched the fist of absolute power over his own people. Now he looked to claim new lands from a defiant enemy.
Opening cinematic[]
Following Moscow's growth in the west, Ivan IV ascended the throne, and took up the eastern expansion plans of his ancestors. The Tatar Khanate of Kazan lay just across the border. But the Tatars had resisted many Rus sieges in the past. In his final attempt to capture the Tatar lands, Ivan would deploy bold new strategies.
Loading screen[]
Ivan IV's ambitions lay far beyond Muscovy's borders. He had brought the Rus war machine to the east of his domain and took aim at the Tatar Khanate of Kazan.
Start of scenario[]
For years, the Tatar fortress of Kazan had defied Muscovy's growing power. Now Ivan IV aimed to extinguish the weakening Khanate and claim this new territory as his own.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Age:
Castle Age - Units:
- Resources: 200 food, 300 wood, 300 gold
Objectives[]
- Secure a foothold
- Destroy Tatar Settlement
- Construct a Town Center
- Besiege Kazan
- Breach Kazan's outer walls
- Breach Kazan's inner walls
- Defeat the Khan's guard
- Optional: Destroy the camp at the western ford to stop attacks
- Destroy military buildings
Players[]
- Ivan IV: The player begins in the south corner of the map with a mid-sized force of Men-at-Arms, Spearmen, Archers, Horsemen, and Streltsy, as well as Ivan IV himself. They must secure a foothold in the region by destroying the small Tatar settlement in the southwest of the map, to the north of the player's starting position, whereupon they will receive sixteen Villagers with which to build a Town Center, as well as 500 food, 2,000 wood, 1,600 gold, 600 stone (replacing any resources the player had accumulated to that point, rather than adding to them). Once established, the player will be tasked with taking the city of Kazan by breaching its walls and defeating the Khan's Guard, in the city's inner citadel.
Allies[]
- Ivan IV (Rus): They control the two Lodya Transport Ships which appear from the west and bring Villagers and a Warrior Monk to build the player's base once the Tatar settlement in the southwest is destroyed. They also control a Lodya Scout Ship which will scout out the length of the river for the player before disappearing. After dropping off the Villagers and Warrior Monk, the Transport Ships will go back the way they came. However, only one will disappear while the other remains in place at the edge of the map. This is possibly a bug.
Enemies[]
- Khanate of Kazan (Mongols): The Khanate of Kazan controls the fortified city on the eastern side of the map, which consists of three sections. The innermost section is separated from the rest of the city by an additional line of Stone Walls and contains several landmarks, as well as their landmark Town Center. The main section of the city is likewise surrounded by Stone Walls which are protected by Stone Wall Towers and masses of Elite Archers on their battlements. It contains a second Town Center, some additional landmarks, as well as a large number of military production buildings. There is also a Wonder by its northeastern wall, however it plays no role in this scenario. To the northwest of the main city is an outer section protected by Fortified Palisade Walls and Outposts with Cannon Emplacements. It contains Kazan's economic infrastructure, including several Pastures and a Gold Mine. There are also some economic buildings to the southeast of Kazan that are not protected by any defensive structures. They also initially control a small town in the southwest of the map that must be destroyed by the player in order to secure a foothold, as well as two smaller camps just across the western and northern fords leading to this settlement. Until their production buildings in the city are destroyed, the Kazan Khanate will periodically mass armies of infantry, Elite Horsemen, Mangudai, and Archers, and will eventually send Mangonels and Traction Trebuchets as well if given enough time. The city of Kazan is also protected by an Elite Khan and large numbers of Handcannoneers.
- Khan's Guard (Mongols): The Khan's Guard protect the inner citadel of Kazan. Their forces consist of a large number of Elite Lancers and Handcannoneers. They must be defeated in order to obtain victory.
Strategy[]
The final scenario of the campaign is a straightforward build-and-destroy scenario. It is made somewhat more challenging by the multiple avenues of attack and the large, well-balanced forces the enemy will continually send to attack the player. The key to success is a quick Boom, in order to be able to keep up with enemy attacks and overwhelm their base as fast as possible.
The first order of business will be to establish a foothold in the region by destroying the small Tatar settlement to the north of the player's starting position in the southwest of the map. The enemy will send a couple of small attack parties to intercept the player and the settlement will additionally be guarded by some Elite Horsemen and Spearmen. However, the bigger threat are the two Mongol Outposts along the way, as these are outfitted with Cannon Emplacements and must be taken down quickly to avoid losses. As the player destroys the enemy settlement, they should hold off on collecting the Treasure Chests, as once it is destroyed, the player will be given new resources to the amount of 500 food, 2,000 wood, 1,600 gold, 600 stone, which replace any the player had accumulated to that point, rather than adding to them. With the Tatar settlement eliminated, allied transports will bring a Warrior Monk and sixteen Villagers, with which the player can build a Town Center.
As soon as the Town Center is built, the player should assign some Villagers to build a Wooden Fortress near the western and northern fords leading to the player's new settlement, while assigning others to building Houses until more Villagers can be trained. They should then assign a good part of their Villagers to mining stone, with which to build a Keep on each ford as soon as possible, as the Wooden Fortresses will do little to slow the enemy attacks. The first (and most frequent) attacks will come from the western ford, so the first Keep should be built there. As the player is doing this, they should build up their economy and forces, initially focusing on Spearmen and Knights, supported by Warrior Monks. The player should also build a University and research Chemistry, and then Musketeer Regiment at the Keep, and begin producing Streltsy (called Musketeers in the campaign scenarios). In addition to being all-around effective units, the player's Streltsy in this scenario benefit from Ivan IV's special ability, which increases the attack speed of nearby gunpowder units for fifteen seconds at a time.
The Mongols will not attack from the eastern ford, even on Hard difficulty, so the player can freely expand across the region, making use of the extensive woodlines to build Hunting Cabins for additional gold income. They player may even chose to exploit the Stone Mine across the river, as it will be out of the enemy's Line of Sight, and the Mongols do not bother to scout the eastern part of the map. The Gold Mine to the east of Kazan will be guarded, however, so the player's Villagers should be kept away until the player is prepared to assault the walls there. Soon after any of the player's units cross the river, they will receive an optional objective to destroy the enemy's camp at the western ford. The camp is guarded by Outposts with Cannon Emplacements, as well as a large force of cavalry, so the player will have to bring an equally large force, supported by siege engines such as Counterweight Trebuchets and Cannons, in order to take it out.
Despite the way the objective is worded, destroying the enemy production buildings here does not stop their attacks, or even particularly reduce their frequency. Nor indeed does eliminating the western camp ensure that no more attacks arrive from that direction, as the Mongols will alternate sending their forces directly towards the player and sending them further down the road before crossing at the western ford. Therefore, in order to intercept any oncoming forces before they reach the player's base, the player will have to move their units to the crossroads across from the northern ford. They should take care, however, not to let them enter range of the enemy's Outposts, with their Cannon Emplacements. Although the player can choose to attack Kazan from the east or (north-) west, the enemy attacks will come from the latter direction, so it is better to concentrate the player's forces there, in order to intercept them. Moreover, destroying the outer area of Kazan, to the west of the city, will give access to the resources there.
By this point in the game, the enemy attack parties will consist of large numbers of infantry, cavalry, and siege engines (namely Mangonels and Traction Trebuchets), so the player should ensure they have a good mix of Spearmen, Handcannoneers, and cavalry, supported by siege engines of their own and Warrior Monks. In order to have a good position from which to assault the city, as well as a fallback in case the player's first attempts are defeated, a Keep should be built near each of the two crossings leading from Kazan's outer area to the walled city; one at the ford and another at the bridge. The player should then use their siege engines to safely take out the enemy Outposts guarding the crossings from the other side. Since the entrance to the city is further north, across from the bridge, the player should have most of their units cross the river there, so as to intercept any incoming enemy attacks, and to avoid being fired on by the enemy towers and archers on the walls. Before attacking, the player should make sure to queue up unit production at all of their buildings, so that their forces can be quickly replenished if they take too many losses.
While crossing the bridge, the player will likely immediately come under enemy attack, so it is important to hold the siege engines back until the rest of the player's units have crossed, and to make sure their ranged units do not stop on the bridge to fire at oncoming enemies, as this will result in units being hopelessly stuck. Instead, the siege engines should be arrayed as close to the river as possible on the near side in order to cover the player's units as they cross. It may also be a good idea to send the player's cavalry across the ford to the south, rushing them back up along the river and out of range of enemy towers and archers. This will reduce congestion on the bridge, and allow the player's cavalry to flank the enemy melee units and attack their siege engines. With the defenders outside of the walls defeated, the player can now use their siege engines to take these down, making sure to destroy enemy ranged units before their forces move into the city and take out its defenders. Regardless of whether the player is aiming for the achievement, they should waste no time in destroying all of Kazan's military production buildings, as they will continue to mass armies of infantry, archers, Handcannoneers, cavalry, and siege engines until they are destroyed.
The Khan's Guard will stay in the city's inner citadel and will not engage the player's units until approached, so in the event that the player's forces suffered too many losses during the assault on the outer city, the player can take as much time as they need at this point to build them up again. Although there are some buildings inside the inner citadel, none of these are production buildings (the Mongols do not make use of their Khaganate Palace landmark) and destroying them is not necessary to complete the scenario. Once the Khan's Guard are defeated, the player will be rewarded with victory.
Achievement[]
Destroying all enemy units and production buildings grants the Classic Conquest achievement. Note that this achievement is often bugged and may be unobtainable if the player reloads a save.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
Ivan and the Rus overwhelmed the Khan's guard and seized the city of Kazan. For the first time Muscovy began to push its borders eastwards, setting its ambitions on claiming ever more distant territories for the Russian Empire.
Post-game screen[]
Kazan fell to the Muscovite guns, allowing Ivan IV to claim foreign lands for the first time. He had completed the mission of his ancestors, drawing all Rus power under Moscow.
Closing cinematic[]
Ivan IV had broken through the walls of the ancient city of Kazan… and his army flooded the streets. They hunted down its defenders and their allies… and brutally sacked the city. Kazan had fallen to the unstoppable military might and strategic innovation of the Muscovite war machine.
In the years that followed, Ivan IV waged war after war to bring vast new territories under Moscow's rule. By 1547, he had declared himself the first Tsar of all Russia… and his never-ending fight for territory set the course for those who ruled after him.
Moscow was no longer a small fort on the banks of the Moskva River. It had survived centuries of Mongol oppression… and wars with its neighbors. Its evolution from fort… to city… to state… and to Empire… would continue. Moscow's rise transformed Russia… into one of the world's greatest superpowers.
Page From History: Ivan the Terrible[]
| “ | Ivan IV's victory over the Kazan Khanate marked the beginning of Russian expansion across Asia. To commemorate this great battle, Ivan commissioned the construction of the most elaborate monument the world had yet seen – St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. But as Ivan campaigned farther and farther beyond his domain, the cost maintaining his spending was passed to the Rus people. Crippling taxation soon bred discontent in the provinces. Certain the rebellion was festering, Ivan dispatched his fearsome private police to hunt down his political opponents. And, convinced of their treachery, he also ordered the arrest or murder of any relatives who might one day challenge his own sons' right to rule the throne. A generation later, Muscovy was left with no viable heirs. The centuries-long dynasty that began with Daniel of Moscow had come to a calamitous end. |
” |
Trivia[]
- As the Mongols do not normally have access to Stone Walls or Stone Wall Towers, the stone defenses of Kazan re-use the Rus design.
