noble defence, but it’s ultimately swept aside by Yao’s
army. Luckily, I have a sizeable peacekeeping force
stationed in the area, which I use to immediately
surround the trading post. I demand that Yao, who is
leading the army personally, surrender. He responds by
trying to break the siege, forcing me into conflict.
What results is the first proper battle I’ve had in the
campaign, taking place on a
forested hillside in the chill
of winter. Yao’s army
outnumbers mine, but
much of his force is
comprised of archers,
while I’ve got four units of
cavalry to his one. I use my
horsemen to harass his
archers from the flanks
while my infantry engages
his head-on. When the
archers rout, I slam the cavalry into the rear of his
infantry, and their resolve cracks. Liu Yao is killed in the
midst of the fighting, struck down by one of my generals.
What can I say? That’s what going to war gets you.
You’d think such a battle would satisfy my council’s
bloodlust. But no, they still have their eyes fixed on Tao
HE RESPONDS BY
TRYING TO BREAK THE
SIEGE, FORCINGME
INTO CONFLICT
Ying. My spy has wrangled his way into the court as a
noble, but there’s not much he can do there. And I can’t
go to war with Ying as I’m an advocate of peace.
That said, there are plenty of other warlords who still
go in for the whole ‘war’ thing. Perhaps I can make use of
them. Alongside his ability to manipulate diplomatic
relations, Cao Cao also has the power to incite proxy wars,
which basically amounts to
persuading someone to go
to war on his behalf. So I
drop the lovely Liu Bei a
line. After some small talk
he agrees to go to war with
Tao Ying on my behalf.
Literally on the next
turn, Tao Ying’s faction is
eliminated. I’m slightly
taken aback by Liu Bei’s
effectiveness. In fact, he’s a
little too effective, as my poor spy Lu Zhi is killed in the
fighting. I’m glad that Liu Bei is my friend for the
moment, as his faction is somewhat more powerful than
mine. Such concerns are for another time, however.
What’s important is that Cao Song’s death has been
avenged, and without a drop of blood on my hands.EXTRA LIFE
NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I HOW TO I DIARY (^) I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I MUST PLAY
Shouting insults across inhospitable
terrain, aka ancient Twitter.