by Brant Guillory, 13 April 2025
Qin Shi Huang gathered his ministers and fretted. After the founding of his capital Xi’an, the successive generations had established a ring of outlying cities to expand their realm, to insulate the capital from the encroaching Australians and Khmer, and eventually open some seaports.
This is the first episode in a running playthrough of Civilization 6 from Sid Meier; you can find the links to all published episodes at the end of article, with new installments each Sunday
However, their ports were all on the Eastern side of the continent, which inherently limited both international trade and strategy mobility. His scouts had located an outlying northern lake at a point at which the continent thinned a bit, which offered the tantalizing possibility of not only a Western port, but also combination of canals that would allow transit across the entire continent.
But those blasted Khmer . . . they raced North and established a city along the freshwater lake, and did so in a position where no supporting ports or canals could be established. It was foolishness on top of idiocy. But this was hardly the first time the Khmer had behaved foolishly.
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Two generations had passed since the Khmer had launched a sneak attack on Chengdu in an attempt to grab the fertile river valley in which the heart of Chinese civilization was situated. It did not end well for the Khmer. The attack was easily defeated, and the counter-offensive by the Chinese had cost the Khmer their southernmost city of Preah Vihear. Not only did this rip one third of their cities from them, but it effectively closed off any further southern expansion for the Khmer. Had they not rushed reinforcements to shore up their southern border, the Chinese might’ve rolled up even more of the Khmer civilization.
And now, with the Khmer expanding before the Qin Shi Huang could push his settlers further north to create his grand canal zone, it felt like another war was inevitable, but this one would be at a time and place of Chinese choosing. Following the earlier unpleasantness, Qin Shi Huang had kept his troops garrisoned around Preah Vihear, in case the Khmer got frisky in an attempt to retake the city. It was time to use them.
Qin Shi Huang began to issue orders: move their forces north to rally around the city of Yiyang. The cavalry would move ahead to ensure that the arctic barbarians were kept at bay. Menawhile, siege engines and artillery would begin to move. Finally, the first Chinese settlers were sent to meet their Chinese ships there, to allow them transit to their new homes without endangering them by skirting too close to the expected battle.
The knights trotted directly past the Khmer city. Although it was only lightly defended, they were sufficiently versed in art of war to know that an unsupported, mounted attack against a city was suicidal. They thought of their chariot-borne brethren back in Yiyang, guarding their frontier and awaiting their armor and saddle upgrades to knighthood.
Qin Shi Huang’s knights hugged the coastline on their long journey north, waving to their countrymen afloat as they passed each other. Other Chinese forces continued their treks to Yiyang: catapults, wagon-borne settlers, siege towers, and more.
Although they were experienced soldiers, the charioteers were underequipped for the coming fight. The ministers of defense acquisitions had argued repeatedly for Qin Shi Huang to spend the money necessary to refit these veterans with modern equipment. Thus far, he’d resisted their pleas, preferring to save the money for another investment.
A change in orders comes through for the knights: board the ships to speed their transit north, and then return the galleys to Yiyang to embark the settlers.
Meanwhile the gathering of forces around Yiyang continues. The chariots are pulled closer to the coast to ensure they do not impede the progress of the siege equipment and artillery.
Given a chance to reset his realm’s political priorities, Qin Shi Huang establishes the feudal contract system in China, allowing for an accelerated production of the land forces needed for the coming war. Although is preparations are proceeding well, Qin Shi Huang can’t help but wonder if this focus on his coming conquest isn’t coming at the expense of the development of the rest of China, and if his preparations are truly opaque to the Khmer.
Yiyang’s production shifts to China’s secret weapon: The Crouching Tiger. Qin Shi Huang’s careful conservation of his treasury has allowed him to splurge on the instant completion of this powerful ranged weapon, which will be necessary for the coming bombardments. Moreover . . .
Chinese pride in this new weapon ripples throughout the land and Qin Shi Huang hopes that it helps compensate for his underinvestment and inattentiveness elsewhere in the realm as he focuses on the upcoming war. Unfortunately, it is not, as China is now dangerously close to their current golden age giving way to a dark age that’ll not only inhibit the realm’s future growth, but also damage the morale and esprit-de-corps of Qin Shi Huang’s legions as they head into battle.
“We may need to hurry,” he thinks. “Rushing in battle rarely succeeds, but if we never arrive at the battle, we will surely fail.”
It’s time to slowly move their forces toward the frontier, in part to clear out their bivouacs for additional forces due to arrive in Yiyang. Qin Shi Huang knows that not only will his military be needed to raze the Khmer city, but also to fend off the coming counterattacks and petulant outbursts that Jayavarman would inevitably attempt.
“A World Congress?!” Qin Shi Huang bellows. “At a time like this?!”
“Sire, this could perhaps be an opportunity” his foreign minister advises. “With the right treaties and agreements, we could accelerate our military buildup even faster.”
“We should also consider the international fallout of this war of choice,” the minister continues. “We may have an opportunity to preemptively manage our messaging on this coming crisis and minimize any blowback to ourselves.”
Qin Shi Huang nods in agreement, “Make it so.”
“It was a partial success,” reports the minister. “Although our military production will be accelerated, it appears as though everyone else dislikes the Australians for their desecration of the art of break-dancing far more than they are willing to overlook any of our future transgressions.”
The increase in the speed of production pays near-immediate dividends, as two more catapults are completed, one each in Xi’an and Chengdu. Qin Shi Huang immediately orders them dispatched to join the gathering troops at Yiyang.
With the return of their ships to Yiyang, Qin Shi Huang also orders the settlers aboard, to be joined by the first of their Crouching Dragons.
His ministers gathered again for an update, and Qin Shi Huang imparted on them the necessity of haste, lest a coming dark age cast a pall over their glorious campaign. Will the orders from the palace be sufficiently strong to inspire the Chinese army to success? Or will this campaign result in fruitless and futile death?
Civilization 6 AAR – The Destruction of Vimayapura
PART 1 ~ PART 2 ~ PART 3 ~ PART 4 ~ PART 5
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