Destiny of an Emperor 2
เดสทินี ออฟ แอน เอมเพอเรอร์ 2
Destiny of an Emperor II is full of glitches. Anyone who gets really interested in the game is going to discover at least this much. Most of them, however, don’t show up during the course of normal gameplay. There is a chance, though, that one particularly interesting glitch may occur while you are playing. A glitch that allows you to recruit Zhang Lu, perhaps one of the oddest officers that will ever grace your army.
Recruit Zhang Lu
Recruiting Zhang Lu is, as far as we know, a totally random event, though you can ensure it by taking advantage of another game glitch, the Zheng Letter Duplication Trick. If you are interested in trying something a little different, and don’t mind making the game easier in the process, read on, and learn how to place your army under the command of a religious cult leader!
Zhang Lu
After you unify Jingzhou, you will meet a man named Zhang Song (early in our Chapter 6). He will send you into a cave to meet a man named Meng Da, who will give you a Shu Map. After you return to Liu Bei in Xinye Castle with this map, you will be tasked with entering Shu to fend off a Hanzhong invasion. At this point, talk to Liu Bei a second time. He usually encourages you (Pang Tong) to commence with your objective, but you might receive a very different response:
Okay, wait… what the?
I can imagine what you are probably thinking right about now. And don’t worry, you aren’t missing out on some obscure novel or history reference. The game just choked, and that is all there is to it. Everything gets a little more unusual when you check your party list (or, if your party is full, your billeting).
A Million Dollar Smile
In any modern age, he would be a used-car salesman. In this case, though, he is using his charisma to amass a particularly huge following of soldiers! (In history, this wonderful fellow became the third leader of the Hanzhong religious group, Five Pecks of Rice). Anyway, your best officers probably have around 2,000 soldiers at this point. He easily doubles that, and in Destiny of an Emperor II, extra soldiers translate into extra damage in combat. His 170 strength, 190 intelligence, and 175 agility are also nothing to sneeze at. In fact, with him leading your party, you probably won’t be challenged again in battle until you approach the final areas. Try him out!
A God Among Men
Zhang Lu is in a league of his own. But what can he do in battle?
Laying Down the Smack
Zhang Lu, not content to be like any other normal mortal, attacks with a fireball in battle. And as if that wasn’t enough, the fireball, curiously, comes from the bottom-most character position. At this point in the game, with equipment of the same caliber as that used by Huang Zhong in the same party, Zhang Lu does nearly four times as much damage! Make use of Power Pills and even the hardiest generals will fall quickly before his might. As hinted at above, he is fun to experiment with, but if you are looking for a challenge—or if you want to play the game the way it was intended—we suggest leaving him in billeting. Oh, and Liu Bei comes back when you exit and re-enter.
Don’t Worry; Liu Bei’s Still Around
Recruit Zhang Lu using the Zheng Letter
While your chance of recruiting Zhang Lu through the above-mentioned method seems to be roughly 50%, there is a way to ensure that he joins your party. To do this, though, you must take advantage of a much more obscure glitch in the game. The Zheng Letter Duplication Trick. If you have a copy of the Zheng Letter in your inventory at this time, use it on Liu Bei before you talk to him. Yuan Shao’s line from the beginning of the game in which Yan Liang will be read out again, and it will say Yan Liang has joined your party. Inspect your inventory, and you will see that nobody has actually joined. However, talk to Liu Bei again, and he will go into his Yi Ji speech (as described above) and everything will work out just fine (as described above). Zhang Lu will join your party.
Ensuring a Glitch with a Glitch
Our guide for the Zheng Letter is still in progress. For now, check Lord Yuan Shu’s Guide!