Season 3: Chapter 286. 200 vs. 200 (2)

Anyone who knew a bit about the game reacted similarly to the Mongolian Plains. Players commonly called it a skill map.

[The skill map appears, crazy.]

[Mongolian Plains LOL]

[Ah... I wish we had gotten another map similar to the mountain terrain.]

Everyone thought Joseon was at a disadvantage and came up with similar solutions to this problem.

[We need to rush, no question.]

[Just push for 2nd era.]

[Let’s go for a fast archer rush~]

One needed to employ special, unexpected strategies when outmatched in skill or overall strength. A fast archer rush was originally one of those kinds of strategies. Many viewers hoped to see a similar tactic. Archers also tended to perform well on plain terrain. They benefited from the focus trait in the second era. This gave Joseon an advantage in flat terrain battles.

However, some viewers were more cautious in their thinking.

[Don’t you think China knows that?]

China was likely aware of such an advantageous tactic. Even if Joseon tried, they’d be blocked and only suffer losses.

— Even if they know, we have to make it so they can't stop us.

— Did Hong Jin-Ho not know either?

└ LOL

└ OMG haha

└ You... hahaha

— Can’t they go for some kind of light pressure instead like before?

— There’s no better option;

— What, are they going to just split the map with China?

Even if the strategy was obvious, Joseon needed to make it work. Wasn’t the whole point of an unexpected strategy to catch the enemy off guard? Still, few dared to ask such questions. From the perspective of the online community, no better solutions came to mind. That was how difficult it was to face China on the plains. On this map, hardly any factors could allow a weaker team to upset a stronger one.

With no other answers, the game continued to unfold.

***

The commentators sounded more composed than during the first game.

“So far, it’s been pretty standard. Both sides are splitting into groups of five to scout...”

There wasn’t much tension since Joseon already won the first game.

“Joseon’s current movements... it doesn’t seem like they’re preparing anything for the second era?”

Joseon, who was expected to play more aggressively, was surprisingly defensive. Simply put, it already felt like they were on the back foot.

‘What’s going on?’

OrangeKing couldn’t understand. On the Mongolian Plains, a team like Joseon needed to push aggressively whether it worked or not. They needed to decide right now and figure out how to do it. That would have been typical of Joseon’s play this year.

However, Cookie was playing in a very standard way. It didn’t even seem like he would try to rush to the second era. Rather than rushing, he clearly wanted to establish a solid foundation in the first era. While this strategy wasn’t as extreme as the triple build in the previous game, he was at least considering a double build. He seemed to dismiss the idea that China would come at them with an early rush.

China could quickly cover ground on a plains map if they chose to rush. In truth, most didn’t expect China to rush early either. What was truly curious was China’s approach.

“Oh, this is interesting. It’s like they know what the other team is going to do without scouting. Both sides are playing it safe!”

China also seemed certain that Joseon wouldn’t attack early.

“China usually adds some defensive forces or buildings as they expand, but they’re barely building anything right now.”

China only set up minimal defenses. Just enough to stall for time if Joseon came to pressure them.

“How do they know?”

OrangeKing was baffled.

“They haven’t even scouted yet.”

China’s scouts just began gathering information on Joseon. The same was true for Joseon’s scouts. From an in-game perspective, neither side had much information. And yet, both headed straight for the third era as if they planned it.

“Is this some kind of mutual understanding between experts? Like the saying, ‘Heroes recognize heroes,' from the

Three Kingdoms

? High-level players just get each other!”

— ??? lol

— Heroes recognize heroes.

— Hahaha, so true.

— Real recognize real.

— This is straight out of hip-hop.

"Recognizing each other might be all well and good, but at this rate, China is the one who’ll end up being the only hero!"

— Hahaha

— Of course, the guy with the big ears...

— Is this going to end with just Yu Bei becoming a hero while everyone else dies? Lol

— Ah, haha

It sounded nice to say they were in sync, but this was exactly the kind of setup China loved. Both sides rushed to the third era without any interference. Late-game powers thrived on this kind of flow.

OrangeKing suddenly remembered something and spoke up, “China has done this before!”

China had, on occasion, shown an uncanny ability to read their opponent’s intentions and counter perfectly without even scouting.

“There have been times when they somehow guessed exactly what their opponent was going to do and responded with pinpoint accuracy even without scouting!”

"Ah, that’s right!"

This was largely due to the influence of their think tank leader, Zhuge Liang. Normally, he focused on strategy and would pour all his energy into understanding the opposing commander’s psychology during games.

Commanders carried a heavy responsibility and often made emotional decisions in the heat of the moment. Zhuge Liang made it his specialty to dig deep into their psychological tendencies.

The hit rate was surprisingly high. Once again, he proved to be correct today. They had identified that Joseon wanted to go all-in on a standard battle in the third era. Joseon hadn’t prepared any schemes in the first or second era, but advanced toward a direct confrontation in the third era.

"Joseon! Are they really not doing anything more and just going straight like this?"

Even now, if Joseon were to make a move, they could shake up China. Of course, that was only from the commentators' perspective. In reality, Joseon didn’t make any moves.

***

Time passed. Joseon reached the third era and China unlocked most of its civilizations except for the Tang and Ming dynasties.

"Now, some time has passed! Both sides have secured their territories to some extent! It’s almost looking like the map is split in half right now!"

"There’s been almost no fighting until now! It’s rare to see such a passive game from Joseon!"

"Joseon! They’ve almost finished distributing their weapons! Their forces are moving! First up are the horse archer units! They’re heading to the central plains! There are huge gold mines in the center!"

Both sides reached the third era without suffering any major losses. The barren plains map slowly filled up with buildings except for the highly contested central area, which remained empty. The side that took control of the center would likely win.

— This is nerve-wracking.

— Can they really win this?

— Feels like it’ll be over in one big push.

Apart from the central gold mine area, walls had been built in various places. They didn’t have much territory left to contest. Both armies began to converge around the center.

"Both armies are gathering! Are we finally going to see a full-scale battle?"

"Yes! The time has come! And surprisingly, Joseon’s resources aren’t that bad!"

"That’s right! They could’ve been at a serious disadvantage compared to China, but they’re about even!"

"The armies are both at 200 vs. 200!"

Both sides maintained a safe distance from each other and amassed armies of 200 units each. A total of 400 troops were converging. In the open space between them, deer that hadn’t been hunted ran around and grass swayed peacefully in the breeze.

The space wasn’t truly empty or peaceful. It was clear to those who understood the game.

"It may look like they’re not fighting, but intense mind games are happening right now!"

A bloodless war was raging. To the two commanders, the empty battlefield was already a war zone, a vast and brutal chessboard. They were playing an invisible chess game and their eyes moved busily, more so than at any other time. Before they even engaged, one had to win this chess match to make the decisive move.

"They haven’t clashed yet, but they’re already exchanging blows!"

"Exactly! They’re probing each other’s formations, responding to each other’s moves, and countering those responses! It’s a repeating process!"

At the forefront of Joseon’s forces was a group of horse archers, their long coats fluttering in the wind. Behind them were archers and heavily armored cavalry on both flanks, positioned to defend against surprise attacks.

This formation wasn’t meant for Joseon to charge in first. They planned on waiting until China came to seize the center. Then, they would move in to harass and break through.

"Joseon seems to be giving up the initiative and plans to counterattack later! They’ll strike when China emerges before fully organizing themselves! It’s a, ‘Come at me and we’ll hit you,’ kind of strategy!"

"Ah, I see! Does this mean they’re going for a direct confrontation in the center anyway?"

"It looks that way! But Joseon should avoid full-scale battles. Joseon excels at diversionary tactics, ambushes, and guerrilla warfare!"

As OrangeKing pointed out, the current strategy didn’t resemble Joseon’s usual style. Liu Bei’s mind was also racing. He understood that Joseon was aiming for a decisive victory in the third era.

‘But will they really go for a full-scale battle?’

He couldn’t be sure whether they would insist on a head-to-head fight. Joseon’s concept of a standard victory plan was ambiguous beyond the third era. Liu Bei had never been this focused on the battlefield.

China was a civilization that required much attention regarding resource management with customs posts that needed constant control, yet Liu Bei’s eyes were glued to the battlefield.

He had no choice. Every movement from the enemy and every shift in formation had to be carefully observed and analyzed. The Joseon horses whinnied as they settled into position. At the very front of the formation were the horse archers.

‘Horse archers leading the front...’

The leader of the horse archers, Almond, glanced to the side and waited for Coffee’s signal. The moment Cookie gave the sign, the horse archers would charge. In response, China deployed its iron-clad cavalry from the Liao dynasty as the vanguard.

The Liao dynasty, founded by the powerful nomadic Khitans, boasted cavalry units clad in full body armor much like European knights. These cavalry were highly resistant to arrows. They would win 90 times out of 100 in a direct confrontation against horse archers. More importantly, positioning these heavy cavalry at the front signaled an aggressive intent to take control of the battlefield.

"The tactics on both sides are completely different!"

"Really?"

"Yes! China has ranged units in the back and melee units in the front! But Joseon has their horse archers up front with cavalry following behind!"

"That’s true! Isn’t it a bit risky to have horse archers at the front?"

"The formations are different! The horse archers won’t charge recklessly! They’ll wait for the right moment! If China moves first, they’ll try to break them up! But now... things are shifting again..."

— Wow, the mind games...

— Ugh, my head hurts.

— How many times are they going to change formations?

— So this is what the semifinals feel like. The tension is crazy.

— Have we ever seen a full-on plains battle before?

— Is Joseon finally going to fight fair and square? Haha.

"As much as it might seem like they’re overthinking it, formations are incredibly important in large-scale battles on the plains! Both sides have 200 troops each."

"Exactly! One wrong move and it’s over! Game over!"

A 200 vs. 200 battle was the most intense battle possible in

Civil Empire

. A bloody battlefield with 400 troops fighting would soon unfold in the center.

"At this point, it’s not easy for either side to just jump in! There’s too much to lose! It’s not like the wild, youthful first and second era battles anymore!"

— Not youthful, but savage. Haha

— The recklessness of youth. LOL

— Haha, so true!

— When you’re older, you’ve got more to lose.

— LOL

"Exactly! They both need to align their interests before they fully engage! ‘You come at me!’ ‘No, you come at me!’ ‘Fine, I’ll go! Wait, never mind!’ This back-and-forth is intense! They need to agree to fight! Even if both are lying, the lies have to match for the fight to happen!"

For now, only the falcons flying overhead could be heard. Neither side made the first move toward the center. Meanwhile, China’s ironclad cavalry shifted significantly and moved to the wings.

"And now, China’s formation is changing again... Oh!?"

The commentators initially thought this was just another shift in formation, but then—

"China! They’re advancing first!?"

The cavalry split into two wings as the infantry, previously behind them, charged toward the center. China had made the first move toward the middle.

Thud! Thud!

Matching the tempo of the infantry, the 200-strong army began advancing in formation.

"Woooooaaaahhh!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. There was no turning back now. The eyes of both commanders flared with intensity.

‘This is it.’