Infinite Borders - Eastern Warfare Strategy Game

Greetings, mighty Lords!

Our previous preview of "Hanzhong Campaign" provided a basic understanding of the new season. Today, we'll delve deeper into the upcoming season.

    [Real Terrain, Strategic Mountain Paths]

The natural terrain is the army's best ally. Anticipating the enemy and securing victory, weighing danger and distance—this is the way of a supreme commander.

— Sun Tzu's Art of War - Terrain Chapter

During the Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang carved cliffs and built plank roads along the Qinling Mountains. Cao Cao, while campaigning against Zhang Lu, marveled at the perilous Yangping Pass, calling it a "prison of heaven." Ancient famous generals always studied the lay of the land, adapting their strategies to its features. This is the true meaning of "Just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions."

To restore the ancient experience of "using terrain to dominate foes," this season's march rules are reworked as follows:

· Troops must follow passable routes that conform to real terrain instead of moving in straight lines

· Mountains, rivers, high ground cliffs, enemy buildings, neutral or rival ports, passes, cities, and city areas are all impassable

· Encounters with Unaffiliated, Neutral, or Rival troops during movement will trigger battles

· Troops can directly move to and halt on Ownerless, Neutral, or even Rival non-adjacent lands. Allied Alliance lands have no troop number limit, while non-allied lands allow up to 5 troops.

· Troops have a 2-tile vision, while occupied lands provide vision on the tile they are on.

· Special building "Abatis" can be constructed. Any troops other than allies and members of mutually friendly Alliances will be forced to halt when passing through Abatis. They may only move again after the tile is connected and they have marched to demolish it, or they can stand by in place, or retreat back to their originating facility

The map for the "Hanzhong Campaign" season will also be modeled on the historical terrain of the region. There will be rugged mountain paths, narrow passes, great rivers blocking the way, and wide‑open plains. Adapt to the terrain and plan wisely if you wish to find viable routes through this realistic and complex landscape.

    [Commanding from the Heights, Cutting Off Supplies to Break Formations]

In battle, whether in forests or on level ground, always command from high ground, rely on advantageous terrain, strike with favorable reach, and move with ease in charge and retreat. As the Art of War states: "Do not fight uphill against an enemy on the mountain."

—"Hundred Battles - Mountain Warfare"

Similarly, during the late Han Three Kingdoms era, Huang Zhong seized the high ground and capitalized on the momentum to defeat Xiahou Yuan in battle, achieving a great victory. However, Ma Su abandoned the water and ascended the mountain, only to have his supply lines cut off by Zhang He, leading to a crushing defeat. In ancient warfare, holding the high ground could provide a combat advantage, but inadequate preparation could turn it into a disadvantage.

This season, to recreate the combat experience typical of mountainous regions, a special terrain type—Highland—has been added to the map:

· Cliffs form between highland and flatland. Territories on opposite sides of a cliff can no longer be connected, and garrisons cannot cross cliffs.

· Each highland has two slopes that allow access. The rest of the surrounding area consists of impassable cliffs.

· Troops on highland gain an extended vision range.

· No buildings can be constructed on high terrain.

· Even if cities or buildings are close to highland, their supply range cannot cross terrain elevation.

· When a troop is on highland and moves down to low terrain, it gains the "Unstoppable" buff, increasing Morale in battle.

· If all slopes are occupied by Unaffiliated, Neutral, or Rival Forces, troops on the highland will fall into a "s" state and lose Morale every minute.

The terrain of Mt. Dingjun lies like a crouching tiger, and Tiandang Cliff hangs perilous like a suspended banner. Seize the heights to capitalize on the power of attacking downhill, but also guard against schemes that encircle you in the mountains, lest you fall into a desperate situation. Only by making full use of terrain and controlling the vital routes can you win every battle.

    [Diplomacy and Stratagem, Alliances and War Plans]

Opening and closing is the great transformation of the Dao and the art of persuasion. One must carefully examine these changes in advance, for fortune and misfortune hinge upon them.

—"Gui Gu Zi - Opening and Closing"

Su Qin wore the seals of six states to form a vertical alliance against Qin. Zhang Yi proposed the horizontal alliance strategy to break that coalition. Fan Ju's plan of "allying with the distant and attacking the near" showcased the ever‑changing nature of interstate relations. In this season, diplomatic relations between Alliances will likewise have a profound impact on the course of the season.

By default, relations between Alliances are Neutral.

If either side sets the other as Rival, both become Rivals.

If only one side sets the other as Friendly, that side shares its own vision with the other.

Only when both sides set each other as Friendly do they become truly Friendly: troops will not engage in combat when they meet, cannot attack each other's land, and will share vision mutually.

Hanzhong is the gateway to Yizhou, and now it becomes the chessboard for alliances and rivalries. How should each Alliance choose its allies? Should it secretly guard against them? How should troop deployment be combined with diplomatic strategy? All of this can cause sudden and dramatic shifts in the balance of the battlefield.

    [Season Tally and Rewards]

This Season, Alliances that occupy a Commandery Capital in a resource-rich commandery will receive Conquest slots:

The Conquest slots of this Alliance will be distributed in turn to players who meet the conditions for receiving Secession Rewards based on their War Merit ranking within the Alliance. Their reward type will be changed to Conquest, and their Secession Card Pack rewards will be replaced with Conquest Card Pack (20 times).

If the Alliance ranked 1st does not occupy Nanzheng, its ranking will be moved back and treated as 2nd, and subsequent Alliance rankings will all be pushed back accordingly

Alliances gain Occupation Value by occupying the following cities:

The tally rules for Guerrillas and Peach Land Soldiers can be found in the Preparation Area after the routine maintenance on January7th.

INFINITE BORDERS has always been dedicated to providing Lords with richer ancient strategy and warfare experiences. With Hanzhong's natural defenses and the cries of owls over Dingjun Mountain, how will you, Lords, deploy your forces and carve your own path? Let's wait and see!

For more details about the Hanzhong Campaign season, stay tuned for upcoming previews.

There is no other land than the king's land; within INFINITE BORDERS, all are subjects of the king.

A ruler of all families lives up to the times!

(Actual in-game content subject to further updates)

INFINITE BORDERS Project Team