"Rise of Kingdoms" offers a hefty bounty on its "dark history"? Thanks to players' crafty moves, it’s set to survive another decade

This brief drama, only a few minutes long, has quietly become a viral sensation online, earning more than ten thousand likes.

Without stars or high-budget production, and with somewhat rough filming, it nevertheless swept through multiple short video platforms like Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili simultaneously, surpassing a million views and trending hot topics.

Most surprisingly, the script of this eye-catching short drama "Shrouded Crossing" is not fictional but drawn from the real-life experience of a player in "Rise of Kingdoms"—the alliance leader "Fairy Fox" from Xianhu Palace???

A few years ago, he staged a shocking "fake death strategy" across the server: first pretending to die, tricking the entire region into a ceasefire and mourning, then suddenly "reviving" to lead his alliance in a surprise attack on a key location.

Today, this once orally passed-down legend has become one of the most outstanding entries in the "I Have a Plan" contest.

This story resonates because it perfectly captures the unique ecosystem of "Rise of Kingdoms": the player stories or so-called "dark histories" are never scripted by the developers but are created live by real people, crafting a modern-day Three Kingdoms saga through power struggles, trust, and betrayal.

The game offers newbie protection, but not for human nature. Once the protection ends and the map gradually opens, undercurrents flow between alliances, and the real battles begin. Skills help you conquer cities, but what truly holds the kingdom together is the people's hearts. Some rely on grinding, staying up all night watching battle reports and commanding troops; others use money, pouring resources to seize the initiative...

But those who are truly remembered are often the ruthless players who turn "scheming" into an art form, meticulously devising tactics comparable to Zhuge Liang’s "Longzhong Plan" of today.

For example, a physics PhD student at Nanjing University who has played for four years straight.

This year, he delivered a "tactical thesis" to his alliance: explaining resource consumption rhythms using the principle of entropy increase, comparing inter-state coordination to "quantum entanglement," and even organizing a full alliance "defense session" to explain the logic behind each move. To him, this isn’t just a game but a serious strategic war game simulation.

Beyond pranks and academic pursuits, what’s even more surprising is the cultural legacy of "Rise of Kingdoms".

For ten years, players have written battle proclamations not in vernacular but in classical Chinese, with phrases like "You rodents, occupying the stronghold, incurring heaven’s wrath and man’s hatred!" filled with passionate rhetoric and hidden menace within parallel prose. These war letters have long surpassed mere victory or defeat, becoming contests of talent and spirit. In 2019, the National Library hosted a Three Kingdoms cultural exhibition where these handwritten battle letters and poems by players were displayed alongside the "Book of the Later Han" and "Collected Works of Emperor Wen of Wei." CCTV called it "the folk writing of the Three Kingdoms."

At that moment, the passionate conflicts inside the game had risen to a form of cultural expression.

Now, as the game enters its tenth year, the developers have launched the "I Have a Plan" player story contest—not just announcements and rewards, but a formal invitation to bring those scattered "underground legends" from server corners to the stage, reimagined through short dramas, AI animation, anime, and even intangible cultural heritage techniques.

What’s more intense is that if your story is compelling enough, even if you’re not the protagonist, you can receive the game’s official setting book plus 8888 Tiger Tokens!

This isn’t just a call for submissions; it’s a decade-spanning "nostalgia fest" across the entire server.

Now, the developers aren’t just rule-makers but actively set the stage, inviting players to share their tales from the realm: you write, we film, and together we turn Rise of Kingdoms’ ten years into a living history of the Three Kingdoms.

And this is precisely what makes "Rise of Kingdoms" so unique.

It doesn’t provide characters, only the battlefield. You can be the brilliant strategist Zhuge Liang or the patient, ruthless Sima Yi; a quiet hermit farming in the fields or a "cyber Lu Meng" stirring the winds of war. Everyone can live as the warlord they envision in this chaotic era.

Victory often hinges on a single thought. But what truly warms one’s heart late at night is the silent rallying call before a breakthrough, the fiery battle proclamation before war, and the grit to start over after being betrayed by the most trusted.

I wonder if you, watching this now, have a story with "Rise of Kingdoms"? If so, be sure to seize this "I Have a Plan" submission chance—perhaps in the future, you’ll be the star of a hit short drama!