

However, this is in disarray and its provinces have been left to fend for themselves, only having enough troops to defend their city walls.

If neither the player faction nor the AI faction is the central government, there will be a third faction on the map, the central government (Ming or Qing depending on the date). However, the central government is in a state of collapse and some territory has already been lost to these factions. Starting positions are based on historical geography. Five new strategic campaigns using a new map of historical China: Mandate of Heaven. This sandbox campaign on the historical map of China allows any of the factions previously available in Ming in Crisis skirmishes, plus the new factions, to be chosen as the two main protagonists, at any date from 1500 to 1700.
