Greetings, mighty Lords!
After winter comes spring, bringing blessings to the new year. With the coming of spring, everything is fresh again. INFINITE BORDERS will launch a brand new Conquest Season in the new year—"All Trades' Contention." In this new season, in order to create a unique experience with different force features when choosing different policies in force development, we will introduce five distinct force strategies for Lords to choose from to bring differentiated management and battle experiences with a brand-new cooperative battlefield feature to Lords.
Numerous Trades and Professions Contend for Attention
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants all belong to the common people who are "given appropriate occupations according to their abilities." The ruler should give people from all social strata appropriate "trades" to settle down and seek prosperity.
— Book of Han - Treatise on Foodstuffs - Part I
Since ancient times, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants have represented four "trades" that are regarded as the pillars of a kingdom. Those in higher positions often choose one trade to focus on based on military strategy or personal strengths in order to expand their power and influence. During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao, the Lord of Wei, believed that "the way to stabilize the country is to make the army strong and have enough food." So, he recruited people for reclamation in Xuchang, vigorously developed farming and sericulture, reclaimed wasteland, and set up agriculture officials, laying a solid material foundation for his unification of the north. Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu, attached great importance to "artisans". He invented the Wooden Ox to transport food for the Shu army, which saved a lot of manpower and improved the efficiency of transporting supplies, allowing him to launch six campaigns from Mt. Qi.
In this season, Lords can also choose one of the five major force development strategies: Civil Planning, Farming and Sericulture, Earthwork, Military Affairs, and Medical Matters. Different force strategies will give Lords different battlefield abilities, and there will also be different ways of cooperation and confrontation on the battlefield. Whether to cultivate the Nine States, lay a solid foundation and gradually plan to conquer the world, go for large-scale construction of high and deep barracks to seize the enemy, or to dispatch troops of armed civilians, is all up to your discretion, my Lords!
Drill for Battle, War Zone Battle
The skillful leader must first play an exemplary role, and then ask others to do so; first put himself beyond the possibility of defeat, and then seek victory; play an exemplary role above others, and seek victory from the enemy.
— Huainanzi - On Military Strategy
As said in "Huainanzi - On Military Strategy", the skillful leader should first develop and refine himself adequately before seeking to fight with others. In the "All Trades' Contention" Season, the stages between various Army-raising States will be replaced with mountains and rivers, making them impassable. You can safely develop your own force in the place where you raise an army, without being attacked and interfered with by other Army-raising States, my Lords.
Meanwhile, we will introduce the "Contest Area" between Army-raising States and the central Resource States. When entering and exiting Army-raising States, Lords must first pass through the Contest Area, which connects Army-raising States and Resource States. Also, the resource yield of the land in the Contest Area will be significantly increased, and only cities in the Contest Area and Resource States will provide Occupation Values related to Season Tally.
Therefore, the contention for the Contest Area will become particularly important. With this new change, Alliances can choose to hide their capacities and bide their time, striking only after the enemy has struck; or befriend distant enemies while striking at nearby ones in an all-pervasive way; or dispatch troops to fight for the Contest Area and overwhelm all others. As the situation in the Contest Area changes unpredictably, let's see how you will maneuver between alliances and feuds to conquer the world, my Lords!
Prospect
INFINITE BORDERS is and has always been committed to providing you with a richer experience of ancient management and warfare features, my Lords. As numerous trades contend for attention, surrounded and watched by legends, how should they advance and retreat? In the "All Trades' Contention" season, you will rely on your own ability and foresight to choose a suitable force strategy and grow stronger, eventually dominating an area, my Lords. A true man takes action and shakes up the universe! Let us wait and see who can finally achieve hegemony and dominate the world!
Stay tuned for more previews regarding the season of "All Trades' Contention."
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
