Recap pages are Spoilers Off by default, so in all these pages all spoilers are unmarked. Proceed with caution. You Have Been Warned
The second of the three campaigns in Age of Empires III's Expansion Pack The Asian Dynasties, China follows the story of Captain Huang Xian, as he prepares the Imperial Treasure Fleet in order to sail the seas under the leadership of the arrogant Admiral Jinhai. He eventually gains an ally in the form of Lao Chen, a veteran mariner.Five levels comprise this campaign: "To Finish a Fleet", "Storming the Beaches", "Lost Ships", "A Rescue in the Wilderness" and "No Empire Lasts Forever".
This campaign shows examples ofnote :
- Baseless Mission: Once the party sets foot in the Americas, you're required to do some tasks before being able to build your own base:
- "Lost Ships" begins with Huang, Lao Chen a bunch of soldiers, and a Villager collecting resources. You aren't allowed to create new Villagers, only generate them from the Villages via Home City cards or rescueing them.
- "A Rescue in the Wilderness" requires you to blow up some trees with Huang's new ability while an Aztec party carries Villagers from one area into another.
- "No Empire Lasts Forever" starts with Huang and Lao Chen jumping from refuge to refuge as they avoid Jinhai's patrols. Once they reach the very end of the map, they get an own base.
- Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: The Ming Chinese in the campaign landed in the Americas and fought a secret war amongst themselves before erasing almost all traces of their presence.
- Book Ends: The campaign begins with Huang dreaming of a beach, trees and the sea. At the very end of the campaign, this same dream turns out to be Not Just A Dream.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: The arrogant Jinhai, a big pain in the ass throughout the campaign, finally bites the dust during "No Empire Lasts Forever".
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: "Due to a twist of fate", Captain Jian Huang shares his background and due to Jinhai's mutiny, position with his Historical Domain Character superior, Admiral Zheng He.
