Some things I’ve learned as the Spirit Soldiers.
Note that this assumes that you’re focusing most of your energy on Hubei. There’s a good reason for this – unless you create new characters, spreading out your four leaders means less flexibility.
Most importantly, the victory conditions give you a point for each district controlled. Considering the number of districts and the fact that you get a few points for having Wu Gorge, Hubei is an ideal location for your operations.
With that being said, let’s jump in.
Early Game
Сrеdit gоеs to patrickkpastor !
Be patient. Hubei has at least three other factions, and they’ll probably spend more time duking it out rather than dealing with you (if they do attack you, don’t worry too much if your army is destroyed – there will be more peasant rebellions).
In any case, spend some time preparing your crusade…….
- Build up your support – low popularity means fewer options in that district (like recruitment). The easiest way to do that is the “Organize the masses” options. Go for the high-tradition, low-vitality areas (or wait for low-vitality areas to appear – trust me, it’ll happen).
- Get the “Heavenly Kingdom” trait when you can – otherwise, you’re hemorrhaging men, and spending a lot of time having to rebuild your forces.
- Expand your roster – Get all four guys available to you. What you do with them depends on your overall strategy. If you’re just focusing on Hubei (an easy route to victory), then the others can help recruit and train your men – leaving Wang Xijiu (your at-start leader) free to coordinate your forces.
The Crusade
Resources
Overall, resources aren’t too problematic – with all characters having some title, Face is relatively abundant, and supporters are pretty easy to drum up. You’ll have a tighter budget (liberated districts have crappy incomes), but with the right policies (I find that Organize the masses options are usually sufficient, and usually don’t need other policies), you can conserve your gold. Your main problem will be making sure everyone has enough to do what you want them to do – you don’t want to be short of men, only to find that you didn’t sponsor your buddies.
Know your capabilities – and your limits
The good news is that your men – when well-trained and with high morale – are great at ambush (and so are good on the defense). They’re also quite capable of attacking a small-to-medium-sized enemy (depending on their stats).
However, they’re NOT invincible. They’re good, but very small compared to their adversaries. Worse still is your lack of equipment – a sufficiently well-prepared enemy will inflict heavy casualties. It’s even worse when a warlord brings the big guns. Amulets and rituals are great, but they won’t protect your men from an armored train.
How to fight
The Western part of the province is pretty easy to conquer – your competition starts with large forces, but they’re harder to maintain than your guys. Between that and the fighting between them, it’s easy pickings.
Overall, any warlord enemy will probably be huddled around Wuchang and the nearby railroads. Try to lure them west – your smaller armies will be better-supported in the poorer districts (especially if you have high support). The attrition will soften them up. As for any armored trains, just remember that any warlord powerful enough to use them will probably recall them to take on bigger fish (making an invasion of the east more feasible). In the meantime, it’s best to stay out of their way.
Conclusion
Getting there won’t be easy – but with enough patience (and keeping an eye on your enemy’s army), you can wage an effective guerrilla war until the other warlords exhaust themselves. Just keep your army happy, well-trained, and capable of fighting outside their home districts (not to mention picking your attacks carefully), and you should be able to create the Heavenly Kingdom you’ve always dreamed of.
Avoiding armored trains also helps.
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