~B
Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire
1995 Koei Corporation
Summary
As one of 32 rulers, you must unite all 43 cities of China. You have an
unlimited amount of time to do this.
The Six Scenarios
1. Dong Zhuo Triumphs in Luo Yang(189 A.D.)
2. Turmoil Spreads in China(194 A.D.)
3. Cao Cao Expands His Domain(201 A.D.)
4. Battle of Red Wall(208 A.D.)
5. Birth of the Three Kingdoms(221 A.D.)
6. Clash of Wei, Wu, and Shu(235 A.D.)
Rating the Rulers
You can beat the game as anyone, but some rulers are much easier than others.
I would look at the "Beginner" lists if you're new to the game.
Scenario 1
BEGINNER
Cao Cao
Dong Zhuo
Sun Jian
Yuan Shao
Liu Yan
INTERMEDIATE
Liu Bei
Liu Biao
Tao Qian
Yuan Shu
ADVANCED
Liu Yong
Ma Teng
Kong Rong
Wang Lang
Han Fu
EXPERT
Kong Zhou
Qiao Mao
Gongsun Zan
Yan Baihu
Scenario 2
BEGINNER
Cao Cao
Li Ju
Yuan Shao
Liu Zhang
INTERMEDIATE
Zhang Lu
Liu Bei
Liu Biao
Sun Ce
ADVANCED
Lu Bu
Ma Teng
Yuan Shu
Liu Yong
EXPERT
Wang Lang
Yan Baihu
Kong Rong
Gongsun Zan
Scenario 3
BEGINNER
Cao Cao
Sun Quan
INTERMEDIATE
Liu Bei
Yuan Shao
ADVANCED
Liu Biao
Liu Zhang
EXPERT
Zhang Lu
Ma Teng
Scenario 4
BEGINNER
Cao Cao
INTERMEDIATE
Liu Bei
Liu Zhang
Sun Quan
ADVANCED
Ma Teng
Zhang Lu
Liu Du
EXPERT
Han Xuan
Zhao Fan
Jin Xuan
Scenario 5 & 6
Seriously, all three rulers on these scenarios are pretty much equal.
THE EIGHT STEPS TO CONQUERING CHINA
Step one-Run two consecutive drafts in each city, but make sure to keep the
popular support above 60 to prevent rebellion.(Try to get it to 80.) Train
the army for 6 months, more if necessary.
Step two-Assign top generals to develop the farming and economy, try to get
them above 100. Give 1,000-2,000 gold to each and invest more when needed.
Step three-Whenever possible, leave someone who has the "Recruit" command
available in case a free officer comes by. You wouldn't want to miss out on
Zhao Yun just because everybody is training, do you? Also send officers to
search other areas because you can get officers and items this way.
Step four-Send out spies to gather information on rival cities. A loyal
officer can hide in a city to obtain information and, possibly, betray an
enemy unit in battle.
Step five-Do plots to weaken a city before an attack. Arson and gossip work
well. Rebel can get a city out of an enemy ruler's hands with very little
effort on your part. If you recruit a rival governor and he's the only
officer in the city, the city becomes yours.
Step six-Diplomacy has many uses. Gifts can lower a ruler's hostility towards
you, or soften him up before an alliance. Alliances mean you are cooperating,
and you can ask for a joint attack or reinforcements when needed. Joint
attacks mean the ruler may join you when you attempt to invade a city. You
can get barbarian tribes to invade a rival city, weakening their forces.
However, don't make alliances with weak rulers around you, because when it
comes time to attack them it will be thwarted by the alliance. At first you
should form alliances for only 1 year, but later you can ask trusted allies
for long-term alliances.
Step seven-When everything's going well, attack a weak neighbor. Try to send
50% more troops(e.g. if they have 10,000, send 15,000), but don't send more
than two thirds of a city's army. Before a war it is a good idea to send
gifts to rulers around the city you're attacking, because a hostile ruler may
take the city as quickly as you got it.
Step eight-Repeat steps one through seven and eventually you will conquer
China.
Q. & A.
Q. Why does a ruler keep rejecting my alliance proposals?
A. The ruler may be too hostile, or your terms may not be good enough. Lower
a ruler's hostility with gifts.
Q. Why do some officers refuse to join me?
A. A free officer may continually refuse to join you. Try sending your ruler,
but if that doesn't work, it may be because of his historical compatability
if you are playing on historical mode. (You can do nothing about this.)
Q. What should I do with an officer I have captured?
A. First, attempt to recruit him. If he refuses to join you, throw him in
prison. Why? Well, you can possibly negotiate a swap down the road, or you
may be able to recruit him later on.
BATTLES
Battles are the main way you gain territory. But depending on your strategy,
they can bring you fortune or bring you to your doom.
Here are some good and bad examples:
OFFENSE
Good example 1
Appointing officers with high leadership and/or leadership for the type of
unit they are commanding increases the amount of damage they do, and lowers
the amount of damage they take.
Good example 2
It is a good idea to concentrate your attacks on the leader's unit, because
this not only limits your damages, but if you destroy the leader or force him
to flee, you will automatically win, no matter how many troops remain in
other units.
Good example 3
The enemy may get reinforcements from an allied or vassal cities. If the
reinforcements are small and pose no threat, just avoid them, but if they are
strong, send them packing using the "Lies" command.
Bad example 1
Disloyal officers may betray you in battle. If you send a disloyal officer,
he may switch sides and take some of your soldiers with him.
Bad example 2
Provisions are essential to your victory. If you don't send enough, you may
run out and the soldiers' spirit will decrease until they begin deserting and
you have to flee.
Bad example 3
It is useless to send more than two cavalry units to a battle, because their
sole purpose is to attack the gates. Since only two units can storm the gates
at a time, any more would just eat away at your provisions and serve no
purpose.
DEFENSE
Good example 1
Always send an advisor to a field battle, because he may dig pitfalls or hide
bales of hay. When the enemy enters the area of the pitfall, the number of
soldiers will decrease. When an enemy unit enters the area where the bales of
hay are hidden, use fire or firebolt to set them on fire.
Good example 2
Know your officers' battle capabilities. Boulders can be thrown from the
castle walls or from mountains. Officers can tell lies, attempt to change the
weather or wind direction, or even throw lightning bolts!
Good example 3
The three most important words for defense are: position, position, position!
Strategically position your units on the castle wall or on the tops of
mountains, this way they take less damage from units on the lower level.
Bad example 1
If you try to flee when it's too late, it's likely you'll be captured. Always
flee while you can because units which are low on soldiers are more likely to
be caught than units who have a decent amount of soldiers.
Bad example 2
Officers who have applied to serve under you may have been hidden. Do not
send officers who applied to serve under you until they have served for a
year or so, because a hidden officer will usually leave after this long.
Bad example 3
Always leave some soldiers at the castle when you go to a field battle. If
you leave too few soldiers at the castle, if you have to flee to the castle
your army won't be able to withstand the attack.
