Opening Moves: Armies
It’s time to talk about Sun Ce’s armies and initial battles in the 200 CE campaign for Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided.
The north
Give Cheng Pu’s army some extra troops and move to Danyang – Wu. You can march, but try not to get too close to within striking distance of Yan Baihu’s army in the city. Also, move Han Dang’s army closer to Danyang – Wu and switch to ambush stance.
The south
Sun Ce is backed by Zhou Yu and Huang Gai here. Gather a few more troops (as much as your income would allow after finishing up with domestics), and get as close as possible to Yuzhang – Nanchang.
Reckless Luck and Legacy of Wu
At the start of the campaign, Sun Ce has 20 Reckless Luck, but he’s losing two points each turn. To counteract that, we’ll need to complete the easiest Legacy of Wu requirement, and that’s the capture of Danyang – Wu.
Although Yan Baihu has an army here, it seems his liege lord, Xu Zhao, swaps him out after you end your turn. It actually makes the defending force a lot weaker.
Here’s what should happen on turn 2:
- Han Dang besieges Dangyang – Wu with Cheng Pu/Zhang Hong/Zhou Tai as backup. Capture the city to complete “Secure the Base Resources.” Sun Ce will earn +2 Reckless Luck, counteracting the deduction. From this point onwards, he’ll no longer be “one step closer to death” (as long as you don’t mess up too badly).
- Sun Ce captures Yuzhang – Nanchang.
- You can deploy another army here, maybe Lu Meng, Lu Fan, and a third officer like Zhang Zhao or Sun Quan. Taishi Ci’s retinue is too expensive, but you can field him as a replacement later.
Then, from turn 3 to 4:
- Your northern armies cross the river to capture Guangling – Jiangdu.
- Sun Ce marches for Poyang – Haihun to complete another Legacy of Wu mission to “Secure the Middle Yangtze.”
- Lu Meng and co. take over Yuzhang – Jianchang.
All right, let’s talk about Sun Ce’s rapid expansion in the Southlands and Southern Jing Province.
