The Warlord Fu Jian has subjugated the northern kingdoms, leaving only Jin resisting his ambition to conquer all of China. Led by members of the Xie clan - the chief minister Xie An and the general Xie Xuan - the outnumbered Jin hold the eastern bank of the Fei River. There, they face one of the largest armies in Chinese history
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—In-game scenario description
Xie An is one of the scenarios in the Victors and Vanquished campaign, and was added in update 141935. The player plays as the Chinese and the player color is yellow. The scenario is based on the Battle of Fei River, one of the most significant battles in Chinese history. The player takes control of the forces of Xie An, the Chief Minister of the Jin forces, who oversaw the strategy of the defense against the forces of Fu Jian, the warlord who conquered the northern kingdoms.
Two men played a game of Go in the house of the chief minister of the Jin empire. The elder of the two, Xie An, was winning. A temperate and wise minister, Xie An's loyalty to the empire had made him well-honored...as had his ability to be as steady as the east mountain.
Once, a rival had sought to intimidate Xie An by marching his army through the imperial capital. Xie An had calmly sat and watched before telling the rival to put away his army. Such is the mountain, and such was Xie An. And in such a way, was he winning the game of Go.
Playing against the chief minister was his nephew, Xie Xuan, a famous Jin general who had won many battles. Xie Xuan had always defeated his uncle at the game of Go. But this time was different... Heavy concerns weighed on Xie Xuan's mind. China had been divided for nearly a century, but this was beginning to change. The warlord Fu Jian had subjugated the northern kingdoms, vying to conquer all of China.
Like a Go master, Fu Jian had dominated the board. Only Jin remained out of his grasp. This is what caused the general to worry: the defense of Jin rested on Xie Xuan's shoulders. His uncle had put him in charge of such an important commission. Another move... and another advantage to the chief minister.
'My mind is not on the game, honoured uncle' Xie Xuan lamented 'You play much better than I do today'.
'I win only because I am calm' the uncle replied 'And so must you be. Where numbers are not your advantage, you must have a steady mind'
Their game finished, the nephew paid his respects and departed the house for the Fei River. There, the Jin would make a stand against Fu Jian that would decide the fate of China. As he journeyed to the battlefield, Xie Xuan wondered on the meaning of his uncle's lesson. And Xie An wondered if his willful nephew would listen...
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
This section is most likely incomplete and may need expansion. You can help by adding to it.
On higher difficulty levels, Fu Jian trains more units for his attack.
On Hard, it costs significantly more to bribe an enemy general (1,000 gold on Standard, [What?] on Moderate, 4,000 gold on Hard).
Objectives[]
Prepare for Fu Jian's attack.
Destroy Town Centers to defeat generals.
The Wonder must not be destroyed.
Defeat Fu Jian. Fu Jian's Army: X
Optional objectives[]
Provoke Fu Jian by defeating three generals.
Place spies in enemy camps.
Find Rebels (0/2)
Bribe an enemy general
Start a rebellion at the Wonder.
Hints[]
You have a population limit of 200. On Hard Difficulty, you cannot construct Trebuchets.
Balance defense with attacking enemy Town Centers to force generals to withdraw. If all generals withdraw, Fu Jian will attack without full strength. Make sure you are ready for him!
Alternatively, focus on building your defense, including Walls and Castles, and supporting Xie Shi. There are many ways to win.
Supplement Xie Shi's defenses as he will not be able to construct more. He does train units so tribute excess resources to him.
Optionally, you may support peasant rebellions, bribe enemies, and train rebels behind enemy lines. These stratagems require skill and timing to have maximum effect.
Use spies to scout your enemies. Your enemies will not attack them. Spies can also locate rebel camps in enemy territory.
The rebel camps train units rapidly. Supporting a peasant rebellion is unlikely to succeed unless paired with units trained in the enemy's rear.
The river is wide. Do not neglect building a navy to control the river.
Refugees from Fu Jian's conquests can be found hiding on the river's islands. If found early, they will provide a much-needed economic boost.
When you have the opportunity to deceive an enemy, use it wisely.
Scouts[]
The Jin under the command of Xie Xuan (1, Yellow) and Xie Shi (2, Red) defend the east bank of the Fei River. The river is wide and Sie Shi has fortified the three crossings to the east.
The invading Fu Jian (6, Blue) needs time to muster a great army. When his preparations are finished, he will launch a powerful assualt across the river. He can be provoked into attacking prematurely if his generals withdraw, however, Fu Jian is aided bu a captive former Jin general named Zhi Xu.
Fu Jian's generals are his vanguard and have already established their camps on the west bank of the river. Despite this important role, the generals do not have strong loyalties to Fu Jian. Murong Wei (3, Green) is the deposed emperor of Yan, a northern kingdom conquered by Fu Jian. Yao Chang (4, Cyan) is the son of a general of Zhao, another fallen kingdom. Only Fu Rong (5, Orange) has reasosn for loyalty as Fu Jian's younger brother. Further information on these general's armies can only come through observation by spies.
Players[]
Player[]
Player (Chinese): The player starts with a base in the eastern corner of the map. A Wonder sits in the middle of a walled-off section, with several Barracks, Archery Ranges, Stables, and a Castle, to build an army to defend it. There are also economic buildings. The player must destroy the enemy Town Centers and defeat Fu Jian's army, while defending their Wonder.
Allies[]
Xie Shi (Chinese): Along the three crossings of the Fei River, Xie Shi has small forces ready, guarding several Palisade Walls and Guard Towers. He also has several military buildings at each crossing to produce units. the Hero unit Xie Shi himself guards the center crossing.
Enemies[]
Murong Wei (Jurchens): Murong Wei has set up camp at the northern crossing. He primarily fields Elite Fire Lancers, Elite Steppe Lancers, and Elite Pagodas, as well as Trebuchets on occasion. He will also use War Galleys and Demolition Ships to fight on the river. Murong Wei focuses more on melee combat units. His Town Center is located near the northern crossing, just south of the two Stables.
Yao Chang (Khitans): Yao Chang holds the western bank of the center crossing, though his camp is just south of it. He primarily uses Heavy Cavalry Archers and Elite Liao Dao infantry, backed up by Elite Skirmishers and Two-handed Swordsmen. They will occasionally use War Galleys on the river, and focus more on ranged combat, but fields a balanced force more often than not. His Town Center is just south-west of the two Seige Workshops by the center river crossing.
Fu Rong (Chinese): Fu Rong is stationed at the southern crossing. He primarily uses Elite Chu Ko Nu, Arbalesters, Scorpions, Rocket Carts, Elite Fire Lancers, Trebuchets, War Galleys, and Fire Ships. Most of his armies will be ranged units, and so many of them that it can be difficult to get close to them. His Town Center is at the rear of his camp, past his Castle and military buildings.
Fu Jian (Jurchens): Fu Jian has a heavily defended base in the eastern corner of the map, with Fortified Walls, numerous Castles and Keeps, and many military production buildings within training countless soldiers. He fields Fire Lancers, Rocket Carts, Iron Pagodas and Grenadiers, all of which he will upgrade to Elite/Heavy variants. He may also send Trebuchets against the player. By the time he attacks, even if provoked, he is likely to have well over 100 units on Standard, and potentially nearing 400 on Hard, depending on player speed and if they provoke him early.
Strategy[]
There are a few ways the player could go about this scenario. The player could focus on defense, or try to be more offensive. The difficulty will determine the more effective strategy, as offense is very difficult on Hard. Regardless of difficulty, however, the player only has 45 minutes before Fu Jian attacks, and should always focus on getting their economy in order first.
There are four Relics to collect on the map. Send a Monk to collect the Relic on an island in the middle of the Fei River immediately, as enemy attacks can make collection difficult later. Send the second Monk to collect the Relic north of the player's Town Center first, before grabbing the second one south past the player's Lumber Camps. Near this northern Relic, under the cliffs, is a Transport Ship. Get close enough, with either the Monk or a Fishing Ship, and it will becomes the player's, along with three Spy units. The fourth Relic is located just east of the western Rebel base, but as all potential routes to it pass through enemy camps, the player is unlikely to collect it until either Fu Rong or Yao Cheng are defeated.
Use the Spy units to scout the western bank (they won't be attacked), and then leave one in each enemy camp to keep an eye on them. Make sure to find the two Rebel bases: one along the southwest edge of the map, between the Fu Jian and Fu Rong's bases. The other along the northwestern map edge, at about the mid-point. These bases can rapidly train units to attack enemies from behind.
While doing this, the player should find some of the Villagers hiding along the river. There are 21 in total, in five groups. Starting from the bottom of the river, there are five near a fire that should be visible at the beginning of the scenario, and a few more past them, near Fu Rong's shoreline. There are three on an island near the player's Docks, five on a thin island that is mostly cliff just under the Relic, and the last lot a just north of the Relic. Use these Villagers to jumpstart the economy, initially focusing on the large amount of gold near the Wonder compound, and the Farms around the player's Town Center. The player will need to age up and upgrade their units and buildings as fast as possible, especially on Hard.
Once the player has their economy really going, it is time to decide how to proceed. A few tips:
While the player could take control of the river with a fleet fairly easily, as no enemy trains ships in large numbers, a fleet has limited usage against the large armies that try to cross it, often at the same time, at three different points, and a fleet cannot pursue these armies should they manage to cross. They can be helpful, but should not necessarily be relied on.
The two Rebel bases do not get attacked and should train units very fast. It may be worth it to focus resources on building units here to attack from behind. For example, rapidly training 40 or more Elite Fire Lancers with Blacksmith upgrades researched, and rushing them in behind an enemy while they are attacking across the river, the player can take out a Town Center if played well, and that general immediately stops fighting and leaves. The player might struggle, even with a full army of 60, to manage this on Hard difficulty, especially if the attack is mistimed, but if done right it can be a quick and effective method.
To help Xie Shi stall enemies at the crossings, the player may consider building a Castle at each crossing, using the Stone Mines near the base to collect the required resources. A fully-garrisoned Castle will generally handle enemy irruptions by itself, though the player should watch out for Murong Wei's (and later Fu Jian's) Trebuchets and massed Elite Steppe Lancers. Massed Grenadiers can also do significant damage to Castles if left unchecked.
Eventually the player will get the chance to bribe a general. On Standard, this costs 1,000 gold, on Hard it costs 4,000 gold, with the cost increasing over time. This is a significant resource sink, but immediately takes a general out of the game.
The player can also eventually inspire rebellions in enemy general camps from their Wonder. Be advised that, while this converts that general's Villagers into various military units that the player controls, devastating their economy, this will likely not be enough to defeat them, especially if they are not busy attacking at the river, unless supported from a Rebel base. It is also costly to inspire these rebellions. It is worth considering based on the player's economy, but not recommended as the primary option.
However the player decides to play it, if they strike at a general, focus purely on the Town Center, as the results are an immediate defeat of the general, regardless of anything else. But be warned that Fu Jian will begin his assault immediately upon the third general's withdrawal. By sheer numbers, especially on Hard, he is likely to make it through anything the player manages to set up, so be prepared to train units at the Wonder when their line begins to fall.
He attacks through the center crossing, but can be tricked into marching elsewhere by use of a flare on the map if done soon after he begins his march. This can be good for leading him to another crossing the player might have more heavily fortified. He will not fall for this forever, though, and will revert back to the center crossing, but this is a good way to split his forces, as any engaged in a fight will not retreat to cross at the center. Another useful tip is to train a small force of cavalry at a rebel base and use these to ride down the plentiful Heavy Rocket Carts and Trebuchets that will be following along near the rear of his army. These are devastating not just to buildings, but to any forces the player uses to engage the army, and wiping them out quickly while they are behind and least defending is nigh a must on Hard. The player may also consider walling off all but one crossing and areas near their base to funnel Fu Jian's forces, and build Houses between the crossings and the base to confuse pathfinding and give the player more time to assemble their forces.
It is likely that, after the bulk of his army is dealt with, Fu Jian will still have some stragglers making their way over, but he does not need to be reduced to 0 to win; he will usually admit defeat when under 10 units remain.
Outro[]
Misled by his advisor Zhu Xu—in truth, an agent of the Jin—the overmighty northern conqueror Fu Jian pulled his armies away from the Fei River.
He intended to draw the Jin forces to him and into a trap. But such a tactical move was beyond the capabilities of his untrained conscripts.
Believing that they were retreating—a rumor reinforced by Zhu Xu's cries that Fu Jian had been defeated—the entire army collapsed into a chaotic rout.
Pursued by the Jin, the northern warlord fled to his capital. Never again would Fu Jian attempt to conquer all of China. Within two years, he would be strangled by one of his generals.
When Xie An heard of his nephew's victory, he was playing another game of Go. The ever-steady chief minister displayed his familiar calmness and did not celebrate.
Only after the game, as he retired to his bedchamber, did his excitement show in a momentary lapse: he forgot about the door's threshold as he entered and broke his sandal against it.
So, even the east mountain can be excited about a great victory.
Trivia[]
This scenario is chronologically the earliest in Age of Empires II, beating out The Battle of the Frigidus by almost a full decade.
This is the only scenario of the campaign where the intro and outro use original illustrations rather than recycling those from other campaigns.
Gallery[]
Xie An (383) - Victors & Vanquished-Three Kingdoms - AoE2- DE
Xie An as depicted in the opening cutscene
Zhu Xu, the double agent in Fu Jian's army helping the player
Castle Age
