chankljp
Donor
An over the top, yet still endlessly fascinating and entertaining piece of alternate history media from my childhood that I wanted to share with everyone here on the forum...
For some context, the following video comes from the historical strategy game, Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX, developed and published by Koei in 2003. As the name suggest, the game was set during ancient China's late Eastern Han (189 to 220 AD) and Three Kingdoms (220 to 280 AD) period, with you taking control of one of the various warring factions for the control of the country.
Now, for the vast majority of entry in the series, the focus would be on China almost exclusively, ending with a successful reunification and the establishment of a new dynasty at the hands of the victor... In the 9th entry, however, it was unique in that, the unification of China would only be the start. In that depending on your performance on things such as how long the reunification took, the size of your army, the competence and loyalty of your court, the shape that you have left the country in, who you have picked as your heir, and the direction that you decide your dynasty will be taking going forward (Either looking inward to focus domestically, or looking outward for conquest), you will be getting an epilogue cutscene on how long your dynasty managed to last, and its place in Chinese history.
The following video shows the cutscene that you will get if you did absolutely everything correctly in the most optimal way possible, and decide that China should take an aggressive expansionist approach going forward...
Translation of the text:
On 206 AD, the armies of Wei accomplished the task of reunifying the middle kingdom. As such, the new dynasty of Wei took its place in China's history...
Upon acomplishing the country's reunification, China turned its attention northwards. Aiming to address the threat coming from the Steeps north of the Great Wall, with the Xianbei nomads and their powerful mounted cavalry having repeated crossed the boarder launching raids. On 208 AD, Emperor Cao Cao personally led a 100 thousand strong expeditionary force across the Great War to subdue the Xianbei threat once and for all. Under the command and leadership of generals Zhao Yun and Lu Bu, the battle hardened elite forces of Wei swept though the Xianbei nomads. By 209 AD, the Xianbei tribes surrendered, and submitted themselves as tributaries of China, ending the year long conflict. Henceforth, the boarders of the Wei dynasty have expanded into Mongolia...
After the successful Xianbei expedition, Emperor Cao Cao realized the importance and necessity in maintaining formations of elite cavalry units for all future conflicts. Under orders from the emperor, marshal Zhao Yun began a program of extensive recruitment of the Xianbei tribes as soldiers and trainers, with their expertise forming the core of China's new elite cavalry.
In order to supply their new formation of elite cavalry with the best horses possible, China set its sight on the states of Tayuen (Modern day Central Asia), in order to seize their supply of the legendary blood sweating Ferghana horses. On autumn of 212 AD, the newly promoted governor of the Western Regions led a 50 thousand cavalry expeditionary to conquer Tayuen... Despite their seemingly endless stock of well-bred horses, the armies of Tayuen were no match against the battle hardened Wei forces. Their terrfiying and brtual assault cowed the kings of Tayuen into submission, with them also becoming the latest of Chinese tributaries. With the governor returning to the capital victorious, bringing with him thousands of ferghana horses of which the army can be supplied with.
The conquest of Tayuen became a turning point for not just the Wei dynasty, but all Chinese history. As it allowed for the direct control of development over vast vast stretches of the vital trade artery that was the Silk Road. With control of the commercial activities along the trade route, the Wei dynasty was able to fill the coffers of the state via taxation. At the same time in 212 AD, in order to expand China's commercial reach, Grand Chancellor Lu Su started a initiative of maritime exhibition, turned his eyes eastwards against the island nation of Wo (Yayoi period Japan), and southwards the grand nation of Tianzhu (India) ...
With the opening of the southern maritime trade routes, massive amounts of wealth flowed into China, particularly along the coastal cities, benefiting all of Wei's citizens. From the importation of exotic goods from foreign lands, cultures of ideas were also exchanged, allowing for a fusion of Chinese and foreign cultures that was never seen before, giving rise to a new cultural outlook for the nation. Furthermore, the introduction of war elephants from Tianzhu and Nanman (Mordern day Southwest China and Southeast Asia) further straightened the Wei army as a powerful force multiplier.
Under the Wei dynasty's campaigns of expansion and trade, the very concept of 'China' as a nation was fundamentally changed forever, creating a new cultural and national identity that span across east and west. The people live in peace and prosperity, the seas opened to trade and travel, cultures and nations alike intermixed and ideas were exchanged, creating a never before seen golden age...
Yet for the now aging Emperor Cao Cao, his has not yet fulfilled mandate of heaven, as across the boarder, another powerful continent spanning empire rivalling China in its might and prosperity still stands: The distant and mysterious state of Daqin (The Roman Empire).
On summer of 216 AD, a grand expedition marching westward was launched by the Wei dynasty. Facing the massive waves of, well disclples formations of troops from the orient, with their lighting fast elite cavalry, and seemingly impenetrable war beasts, Daqin's legions found themselves outmatched and demoralised. After a series of crushing defeats, the Emperor of Daqin (Emperor Caracalla), coming to the realisation that his legions do not stand a chance against the invaders, sued for peace, with him being allowed to keep his life and his throne in exchange of Rome paying yearly tributes to China. As such, Cao Cao's dreams of a continental mandate of heaven has at long last been accomplished.
On 221 AD, Emperor Cao Cao, beloved by all, unfortunately died. In his last will and testament to his heir, he stated, 'You must love the subjects of Wei as if they are all your own children, and must not be lax in matters of national policy. If there is anything that you are uncertain about, you can always trust my Grand Chancellor, Lu Su'.
Succeeding his father on the throne, the newly crowned Emperor Cao Zhi followed his father's wishes, adminstering the nation with benevolence, earning the trust of his officials and subjects alike. With the new Emperor that he will serve the interest of the dynasty to his dying breath, pushing forward onto new heights.
The Wei dynasty, with its expansion of national frontiers and domestic prosperity, became the embodiment of imperial grandeur and the byword for glory. Not content at merely unifying and ruling China, it has set its sights on the entire world. Under Wei's western expeditionary force, nomadic tribes, foreign kingdoms, and mighty empires alike were brough to heel, with the intermixing of cultures creating a new imperial system never before seen in history. A policy in which a citizen's race, faith, or beliefs would not be a hinderance in their place in society, allowing for full integration into the Chinese nation. As such, the mighty Chinese Empire created under the Wei dynasty lasted for 300 years, by that time, its boundaries encompassed all of Eurasia, strenching from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast...
As you can imagine, this is the optimal golden ending, requiring absolutely everything to be done right. Along the way, all the various expeditionary forces that was sent out could either fail if the general or governor that you have appointed was not skilled enough... Or that they were skilled enough but lack in loyality, resulting in them pulling a Caesar by marching right back to China to depose of you instead; Or if took you too long to reunify China, your newly crowned emperor might due before the dynasty is fully established, throwing the country right back into chaos; Or your heir might end up either lacking the skills needed to keep the empire together, or the Grand Chancellor might decide to usurp power for himself, resulting in the empire falling apart within a single generation just like Alexander's did, etc.
If there are two things that I find the most unrealistic about this total China-wank TL, it would be that:
(1) The idea of a China that have just emerged from the chaos of the declining late Eastern Han dynasty and the damage of the civil wars in the Three Kingdoms being able to expand all the way to at least Mesapotamia in order to fight against the Roman Empire. Or the idea that the Romans would sue for peace against the invading armies of 'Serica', no matter how badly the Legions got defeated in battles. After all, the Romans have faced off against another invading Empire with war elephants before in the form of the Carthaginians. With Rome losing something one-fifth of their entire population of adult male citizens, like 60,000–70,000 Romans at the Battle of Cannae, yet they just kept on fighting anyway instead of negotiating. And just like with Carthage, the vast distances between China and Rome, combined with their unfamilarity with the land, would make the expeditionary force highly susceptible to Fabian tactics, as they get taken out piecemeal while avoiding open battles.
(2) The idea of China becoming this tolerate mutil-cultural empire that puts the likes of the Ottomans to shame was just... Highly out of chararter for ancient China, to say the very least. All of this was accomplished within a timeframe of like, what? 20+ years? If Alexander couldn't pull it off with his attempts at combining Persian and Hellenistic culture via trade and marriages, why would China be able to do so instead?
Nonetheless, a highly entertaining TL that they have included as a golden ending for a usually Chinese focus game series.
And in case anyone is wondering, the optimal golden ending for if you decide to look inwards to focus domestically would result in.... China brining forth the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution 1000+ years ahead of schedule. The ending cutscene of which could be watched here, but it wasn't quite as much of an AH wank as the conquest ending, so I didn't translate the text:
For some context, the following video comes from the historical strategy game, Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX, developed and published by Koei in 2003. As the name suggest, the game was set during ancient China's late Eastern Han (189 to 220 AD) and Three Kingdoms (220 to 280 AD) period, with you taking control of one of the various warring factions for the control of the country.
Now, for the vast majority of entry in the series, the focus would be on China almost exclusively, ending with a successful reunification and the establishment of a new dynasty at the hands of the victor... In the 9th entry, however, it was unique in that, the unification of China would only be the start. In that depending on your performance on things such as how long the reunification took, the size of your army, the competence and loyalty of your court, the shape that you have left the country in, who you have picked as your heir, and the direction that you decide your dynasty will be taking going forward (Either looking inward to focus domestically, or looking outward for conquest), you will be getting an epilogue cutscene on how long your dynasty managed to last, and its place in Chinese history.
The following video shows the cutscene that you will get if you did absolutely everything correctly in the most optimal way possible, and decide that China should take an aggressive expansionist approach going forward...
Translation of the text:
On 206 AD, the armies of Wei accomplished the task of reunifying the middle kingdom. As such, the new dynasty of Wei took its place in China's history...
Upon acomplishing the country's reunification, China turned its attention northwards. Aiming to address the threat coming from the Steeps north of the Great Wall, with the Xianbei nomads and their powerful mounted cavalry having repeated crossed the boarder launching raids. On 208 AD, Emperor Cao Cao personally led a 100 thousand strong expeditionary force across the Great War to subdue the Xianbei threat once and for all. Under the command and leadership of generals Zhao Yun and Lu Bu, the battle hardened elite forces of Wei swept though the Xianbei nomads. By 209 AD, the Xianbei tribes surrendered, and submitted themselves as tributaries of China, ending the year long conflict. Henceforth, the boarders of the Wei dynasty have expanded into Mongolia...
After the successful Xianbei expedition, Emperor Cao Cao realized the importance and necessity in maintaining formations of elite cavalry units for all future conflicts. Under orders from the emperor, marshal Zhao Yun began a program of extensive recruitment of the Xianbei tribes as soldiers and trainers, with their expertise forming the core of China's new elite cavalry.
In order to supply their new formation of elite cavalry with the best horses possible, China set its sight on the states of Tayuen (Modern day Central Asia), in order to seize their supply of the legendary blood sweating Ferghana horses. On autumn of 212 AD, the newly promoted governor of the Western Regions led a 50 thousand cavalry expeditionary to conquer Tayuen... Despite their seemingly endless stock of well-bred horses, the armies of Tayuen were no match against the battle hardened Wei forces. Their terrfiying and brtual assault cowed the kings of Tayuen into submission, with them also becoming the latest of Chinese tributaries. With the governor returning to the capital victorious, bringing with him thousands of ferghana horses of which the army can be supplied with.
The conquest of Tayuen became a turning point for not just the Wei dynasty, but all Chinese history. As it allowed for the direct control of development over vast vast stretches of the vital trade artery that was the Silk Road. With control of the commercial activities along the trade route, the Wei dynasty was able to fill the coffers of the state via taxation. At the same time in 212 AD, in order to expand China's commercial reach, Grand Chancellor Lu Su started a initiative of maritime exhibition, turned his eyes eastwards against the island nation of Wo (Yayoi period Japan), and southwards the grand nation of Tianzhu (India) ...
With the opening of the southern maritime trade routes, massive amounts of wealth flowed into China, particularly along the coastal cities, benefiting all of Wei's citizens. From the importation of exotic goods from foreign lands, cultures of ideas were also exchanged, allowing for a fusion of Chinese and foreign cultures that was never seen before, giving rise to a new cultural outlook for the nation. Furthermore, the introduction of war elephants from Tianzhu and Nanman (Mordern day Southwest China and Southeast Asia) further straightened the Wei army as a powerful force multiplier.
Under the Wei dynasty's campaigns of expansion and trade, the very concept of 'China' as a nation was fundamentally changed forever, creating a new cultural and national identity that span across east and west. The people live in peace and prosperity, the seas opened to trade and travel, cultures and nations alike intermixed and ideas were exchanged, creating a never before seen golden age...
Yet for the now aging Emperor Cao Cao, his has not yet fulfilled mandate of heaven, as across the boarder, another powerful continent spanning empire rivalling China in its might and prosperity still stands: The distant and mysterious state of Daqin (The Roman Empire).
On summer of 216 AD, a grand expedition marching westward was launched by the Wei dynasty. Facing the massive waves of, well disclples formations of troops from the orient, with their lighting fast elite cavalry, and seemingly impenetrable war beasts, Daqin's legions found themselves outmatched and demoralised. After a series of crushing defeats, the Emperor of Daqin (Emperor Caracalla), coming to the realisation that his legions do not stand a chance against the invaders, sued for peace, with him being allowed to keep his life and his throne in exchange of Rome paying yearly tributes to China. As such, Cao Cao's dreams of a continental mandate of heaven has at long last been accomplished.
On 221 AD, Emperor Cao Cao, beloved by all, unfortunately died. In his last will and testament to his heir, he stated, 'You must love the subjects of Wei as if they are all your own children, and must not be lax in matters of national policy. If there is anything that you are uncertain about, you can always trust my Grand Chancellor, Lu Su'.
Succeeding his father on the throne, the newly crowned Emperor Cao Zhi followed his father's wishes, adminstering the nation with benevolence, earning the trust of his officials and subjects alike. With the new Emperor that he will serve the interest of the dynasty to his dying breath, pushing forward onto new heights.
The Wei dynasty, with its expansion of national frontiers and domestic prosperity, became the embodiment of imperial grandeur and the byword for glory. Not content at merely unifying and ruling China, it has set its sights on the entire world. Under Wei's western expeditionary force, nomadic tribes, foreign kingdoms, and mighty empires alike were brough to heel, with the intermixing of cultures creating a new imperial system never before seen in history. A policy in which a citizen's race, faith, or beliefs would not be a hinderance in their place in society, allowing for full integration into the Chinese nation. As such, the mighty Chinese Empire created under the Wei dynasty lasted for 300 years, by that time, its boundaries encompassed all of Eurasia, strenching from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast...
As you can imagine, this is the optimal golden ending, requiring absolutely everything to be done right. Along the way, all the various expeditionary forces that was sent out could either fail if the general or governor that you have appointed was not skilled enough... Or that they were skilled enough but lack in loyality, resulting in them pulling a Caesar by marching right back to China to depose of you instead; Or if took you too long to reunify China, your newly crowned emperor might due before the dynasty is fully established, throwing the country right back into chaos; Or your heir might end up either lacking the skills needed to keep the empire together, or the Grand Chancellor might decide to usurp power for himself, resulting in the empire falling apart within a single generation just like Alexander's did, etc.
If there are two things that I find the most unrealistic about this total China-wank TL, it would be that:
(1) The idea of a China that have just emerged from the chaos of the declining late Eastern Han dynasty and the damage of the civil wars in the Three Kingdoms being able to expand all the way to at least Mesapotamia in order to fight against the Roman Empire. Or the idea that the Romans would sue for peace against the invading armies of 'Serica', no matter how badly the Legions got defeated in battles. After all, the Romans have faced off against another invading Empire with war elephants before in the form of the Carthaginians. With Rome losing something one-fifth of their entire population of adult male citizens, like 60,000–70,000 Romans at the Battle of Cannae, yet they just kept on fighting anyway instead of negotiating. And just like with Carthage, the vast distances between China and Rome, combined with their unfamilarity with the land, would make the expeditionary force highly susceptible to Fabian tactics, as they get taken out piecemeal while avoiding open battles.
(2) The idea of China becoming this tolerate mutil-cultural empire that puts the likes of the Ottomans to shame was just... Highly out of chararter for ancient China, to say the very least. All of this was accomplished within a timeframe of like, what? 20+ years? If Alexander couldn't pull it off with his attempts at combining Persian and Hellenistic culture via trade and marriages, why would China be able to do so instead?
Nonetheless, a highly entertaining TL that they have included as a golden ending for a usually Chinese focus game series.
And in case anyone is wondering, the optimal golden ending for if you decide to look inwards to focus domestically would result in.... China brining forth the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution 1000+ years ahead of schedule. The ending cutscene of which could be watched here, but it wasn't quite as much of an AH wank as the conquest ending, so I didn't translate the text: