by Brant Guillory, 27 April 2025
As word of the war made its way across the realm, Qin Shi Huang did his best to rally the citizenry. A war of retribution against the Khmer who’d attacked them years ago was also a war of rightful conquest as destiny proclaimed that China alone would sit astride the continent with trade and travel off both coasts, enforced by a burgeoning navy. Although his soldiers had crossed the border sooner than he’d intended, if war was inevitable then the timetable was largely irrelevant.
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“What news from the front?” Qin Shi Huang asked his generals.
“The city of Vimayapura is surrounded,” one of them reported, “and we are battering their defenses.”
Another piped up, “However, while our mounted troops are not so foolish as to attack the city, they are being targeted by the Khmer as the weak link in our encirclement and absorbing no small amount of bombardment from the defenders. Our chariots are taking it particularly hard.”
Just then a breathless page scurried into the room, bearing a clutch of papers and a sour expression.
“Well?” asked Qin Shi Huang, clearly anxious for the news.
“It seems the Khmer have spent the intervening years honing their marksmanship with their crossbows,” one of the ministers finally piped up. “They’ve chased our knights from the city walls, and forced our chariots into the Khmer farmland.”
“And what of our primary besieging forces?” Qin Shi Huang asked calmly.
“It appears as though our infantry and battering rams are still hammering at the walls, supported by our catapults, now that they are done launching messengers onto passing ships,” was the reply from another minister.
“Let us hope for their continued success,” Qin Shi Huang stated flatly, “especially if the Khmer insist on chasing about after cavalry that pose no danger to their walls.”
The reinforcements that Qin Shi Huang hoped to have closer to the battle continued their march north, as another catapult, a Crouching Tiger, and their own crossbowmen would’ve all been very valuable for countering this unexpected Khmer breakout attempt.
Deng Shichang had successfully delivered both his previously-forgotten Crouching Tiger unit, as well as the settlers they’re escorting, and quickly hurries back to the South, wondering if – not when – he’ll ever see ‘home’ again, or if ‘home’ is to become a rather dank cell in the nether regions of the palace, far from the ocean.
“Dammit!” Qin Shi Huang was pissed as the Khmer crossbows ignored the cavalry distractions and instead turned on his catapult. “Oh to have had more than one present for this bombardment,” he exclaimed, his frustration clear. Although no one left his presence, it was clear that everyone in the palace was leaning back as far as possible.
“And now there are reports of a possible coming dark age?” he said. “What of our pride in China, and her endless possibilities, her boundless strength, and her unending yields?”
“Sire, it appears as though they are less impressive than the Khmer crossbowmen at the moment.”
Qin Shi Huang held his head in his hands and gently shook it from side to side.
The reinforcing catapult finally arrived, and the commander ensured that it remained out of easy march of the Khmer ground troops, even if there was no way to outrange the defenders of Vimayapura.
The knights returned to the flanks of Vimayapura and arrived to threaten the crossbowmen who had sallied out from the city in pursuit of the Chinese charioteers, who themselves foraged pillaged the Khmer farmland to rebuild their strength to continue the fight.
The Chinese artillerists estimated that the bombardments and attack had, so far, reduced the city’s strength by about half. While the defenders are making a stand, ultimately, the Chinese objective of erasing Vimayapura from the map is continuing to make progress.
Chinese reinforcements continue their march North. “If only we had a parallel road alongside our single highway to the battle,” thought Qin Shi Huang. “As it is, everyone on that highway assumes from their attire that they’ve found a formation of wretched peasants, and immediately send them on their way.”
Deng Shichang makes for abso-fucking-lutely certain that his passengers are full embarked on board before turning North for his next trip delivering forces to the front.
“At least our settlers are still intact,” mused Qin Shi Huang. “We can still get the first of our key continental-canal cities in place at the Eastern end of the lake.”
“The nerve of this Jayavarman twat,” mused Qin Shi Huang as reports arrived of a caravan of settlers escorted by those ubiquitous Khmer crossbowmen trying to outflank their former city of Preah Vihear. “Perhaps this is an opportunity to further spread the divine wings of China, as the Khmer have delivered us a perfect opportunity to not out stifle their expansion plans, but to turn them against their homeland by relieving them of the strain of finding an ideal city location.”
“First, let the archers have their fun,” he ordered, “and give those crossbowmen something to run from.”
“And then have our pikeman close and finish the job,” he said. “Send the orders, now.”
A quick shuffle of forces at the front lines allow one of China’s Crouching Tigers to close on the city, in the hopes of joining the bombardment. This leaves the settlers dangerously exposed with that barbarian Canadian camp to the North, but if Vimayapura is not leveled, there is no location in which a Chinese city would make a difference.
Qin Shi Huang breathed a sigh of relief as his advisers rattled off the accomplishments of the last few years.
This is the latest 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
There was a very real concern that the realm would fall into a Dark Age as most of the effort was focused on the war and inherently neglected new civic construction, trade routes, and scientific progress. However, it seems as though the combination of some battlefield victories, Chinese pride in the development of their unique Crouching Dragon weapon, a few well-recruited persons of great renown, and just enough civic progress were enough to avert the bad times that might’ve otherwise plagued Qin Shi Huang’s China.
Although there were still other lands to discover, trade routes to open, leaders with whom to negotiate, and the occasional bit of construction to manage, much of that could be delegated to his largely-competent underlings. His battlefield commanders, however, still displayed occasional idiocies, and had not earned the same level of autonomy. He would continue to carefully monitor the progress of the campaign against Vimayapura, expecting it to be leveled literally any year now.
Civilization 6 AAR – The Destruction of Vimayapura
PART 1 ~ PART 2 ~ PART 3 ~ PART 4 ~ PART 5
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