Skip to content

Outpost in the Sand

Most humble administrator, like our revered leader, your wisdom has only become sharper with age. Emperor Wu Di now has need of your talents in the far western reaches of the Han Empire. There on the southern edge of the lonely and forbidding Taklamakan desert, he wishes to establish a trading village along the Silk Road. You can buy quantities of precious silk from such Chinese cities as Chang-an and Chengdu, and then pass it along to Kashgar for a hefty profit.
The land is harsh in the desert, and the rains unpredictable. Even the skies are dangerous, patrolled by hungry vultures. It will not be an easy task for your people to grow enough food from the barren turf. Crops of millet can be cultivated, and the arrows of hunters should be able to find targets, but you may still find it necessary to import some food for your citizens to thrive. Go now, to the village of Loulan in the Taklamakan Desert, 'the land of no return' -- but strive not to lets its ominous name come true!

City - Loulan
Starts Feb 95 BCE
14000 starting cash on Normal

Requirements:
  • Population of 1600
  • 5 trading partners
  • Yearly profit of 2500

Food : Millet, Wheat, Game, Salt
Resources : Clay
Products : Ceramics, Carved Jade

This is another relatively short mission if you get to the goals. You need between 30 and 40 houses, depending on how far you evolve them. I went with more houses and again chose to not give houses ceramics. Game and salt gave me plain food rather quickly. Once I was making salt, I built the trading posts to the two trade partners you start the episode with. I also began importing jade and exporting carved jade to those same cities. You can also barter silk as is mentioned in the briefing. You can make quite a nifty little profit by adding 10-25% markup. Remember though, that whenever you charge more that the Imperial Standard Price, you will begin to pay penalties in favor. As long as you're not trying to gouge all your Chinese neighbors and deal with them honorably, you shouldn't have any trouble bartering.

Once the carved jade was going, I turned my attention to expanding my people's diet and further trade opportunities. I ended up with 5 food farms doing ½ wheat and ½ millet and was selling food to two other cities. Finally, I made a few ceramics for Yin and to pay homage to my honorable ancestors.

Sample Events

  • Trade with Guangzhou, Chengdu and Jiaozhou will open if you ask.
  • Aug 95 BCE Gift of Hemp from Jiaozhou (12 Hemp)
  • Oct 94 BCE Price decrease for Jade
  • May 93 BCE Kashgar buys more silk (now 36 Silk)
  • Jan 93 BCE Gift of Weapons from Chang-an (7 Weapons)

Sample Industry Status 6 Hunters, 5 Farms, 7 Salt, 3 Clay, 6 Ceramics, 7 Carved Jade

Trade
CityBuysSells
Kashgar24 Silk
12 Salt
12 Lacquerware
12 Carved Jade		12 Spices
24 Jade
Chang-an12 Carved Jade
12 Rice
12 Lacquer
12 Spices		12 Lacquerware
12 Silk
12 Wheat
12 Iron
Chengdu24 Wheat
24 Weapons
12 Salt		36 Rice
12 Lacquerware
12 Silk
24 Wood
Yen24 Lacquerware
12 Ceramics		24 Bean Curd
36 Millet
12 Hemp
HananWeaponsWood
Ceramics
FuzhouSilk
Iron
Lacquerware
Weapons		Rice
Salt
Wood
GuangzhouIron
Carved Jade
Wheat
Bean Curd		Salt
Rice
Weapons
JiaozhouMillet
Wheat
Carved Jade
Weapons		Lacquer
Rice
Game meat
Hemp
IndexNext