The nomadic peoples had come to China, and they had come to bring down the Bao Dynasty, the Nonuple-Beautified Ruler, Suffering itself. They had been prowling the borders of the Bao for years, preparing for the perfect time to strike. They would find this opportunity soon after the Bao invaded and crushed their southern Loyang neighbors. As the Bao were securing control over the huge population of the Loyang, the nomads would strike. Unfortunately for them, the Nonuple-Beautified Ruler is always prepared and had rallied the banners to his side before sending them to stand against the oncoming onslaught. He had rallied his allies and friends from all across East Asia, and they were equally as concerned about the nomadic peoples who had come to bring death and destruction to their lands. They had raised their banners too, and they would come to joined the united force.

The Saka forces had come over very long distances, and were taking time to gather their large armies under their generals and chieftains. However, the Nuudelski army had coalesced quickly and struck South, towards the city of Qiajie. They would slash and burn all along the way, killing thousands before they encountered the 2nd Bao Army. Unfortunately for the Bao, the Ssladir forces had taken some time to reach the field of battle and the Nuudelski army covered the Bao forces with arrows as the Bao force attempted to strike back without falling apart. Eventually the Ssladir force would appear over the horizon, but by then a powerful rain had come and slowed them down. The Ssladir commander assumed the mud of the grassland would protect his men from the horseback Nuudelski and marched dangerously close to the Nuudelski force that had been raining death on the Bao army. Telgunutai, commander of the Nuudelski force, saw this opening and ordered his 9,00 strong force to crash into the side of the 6,000 strong Ssladir troops, crushing any sense of formation and slaughtering many. The Ssladir force instantly dissipated, and the Nuudelski forces yelled with glee as they saw victory so close in their sights. The Bao 2nd Army barely holds their ground as the huge Nuudelski force charge and attack them, and they quickly lose their courage and attempt to flee from the battle. The Nuudelski horde easily catch up to them and slaughter where they stand before putting the entire city of Qaijie to the torch. With the only resistance to the Nuudelski easily dispatched, they ride with ease over the northern regions of the Bao putting fear into the Bao people and threatening the core areas of the Bao Dynasty.

As the Nuudelski pushed into Bao territory and burnt all in their path, the Saka commanders were attempting to do the same from the South. However, there was one issue: the Bao Armies in the South were doing the same, pushing into the Saka territory to put the hordes down. The first Saka commander to encounter the Bao was Sharukh, one of the smaller and less influential chieftains and heavily disliked by many of the others. He was over confident, and the 6th Bao Army was playing it very carefully. Their scouts caught the Saka army after they burnt one fo the nearby villages, and the Bao army prepared for battle. They out number the Saka archers and cause many casualties while their chariots fan out to cut the Saka off from any sort of flank and their infantry advanced. Sharukh attempted to hold his ground but he quickly finds his forces once again falling apart under the strength of the 6th Army. He finds a gap in the rear of the Bao force and orders a full retreat, attempting to save what remained of his forces. The 6th Army had easily dispatched the first overconfidence Saka general, and were the first Bao force to find victory.

The same would happen again as the 5th Bao Army moved south towards two friendly Saka forces, Vivana and Dosibai. These two Saka generals were much more timid and careful than Sharukh, and their careful scouting would come to pay off as they discover the Bao Army surprisingly pushing towards them. The Saka forces find an open battlefield that favors them, and corals the 5th Army to them before opening fire. However, Vivana's attempt to build some defenses to slow any attempt at an infantry frontal assault by the Bao fails to be built in time as the Bao Army throws caution to the wind in a very aggressive strategy. In a lightning attack, the Saka quickly found themselves regretting their defensive strategy as the Bao quickly entered into a melee with the horsemen of the Saka. Many Saka begin to fall to the Ji Polearms of the Bao, and the cautious commanders quickly order a retreat as Sharukh had also done to save what they could. The 5th Army had also repulsed another Saka force, and had re-opened trade with the Lawyi. Dosibai and Vivana attempt to alert the main Saka force, lead by Artavardiya, of their defeat and the aggressive strategy of the Bao but their smoke signals are too far from Artavardiya for him to notice, and he continues inwards. He would run into the 7th Bao Army this time, but Artavardiya was the best commander the Saka had. He had by far the largest force, numbering at 20,000, and he had sent scouts to carefully protect his advance. He caught wind of the defending 7th Army, as he expected, and he outnumbered the 12,500 troops the Bao had scrapped together. The Saka would create a semi-circle around the small Bao encampment before raining hell on the Bao soldiers, killing many. But the commander of the 7th Army was also one of the best the Bao could offer, and he had prepared for a fast advance of the Saka forces. Archers hidden in trenches and his infantry sprung out of what felt like everywhere for the Saka, and the right flank of the Saka was forced to fold into the rest of the force. The Bao would utilize their defensive encampment to protect their ranged forces while their chariots wheeled out to the flanks and their infantry once again quickly advanced towards the Saka, who were unprepared for such a quick and formulated response. The 7th Army repulsed the forces of Artavardiya, which causes the collapse of the main Saka force as they're forced to return back to Saka lands in the west not occupied by the other Bao armies.

At this point, the Saka force following across the coast was now completely cut off from any friendly land for miles and miles. This force, commandeered by Jangi, was attempting to push quickly up the coast in the hopes of finding the Nonuple-Beautified Ruler. The 8th Bao Army was in charge of defending this region, and their well-placed scouts in friendly territory would come in handy as they caught wind of the Saka force easily. They set up an ambush, but the Saka find out about the ambush before it was sprung and re-form their ranks to avoid being caught off guard. The Saka then wheeled around with part of their force and kill many of the Bao archers in the rear before returning to the main force, seemingly controlling the battlefield and bringing victory for the first time to the Saka. They find an opening in the lines of the 8th Army and charge into it in the hopes of fully routing the 8th Army....but realize that this was a trap too late. Xiangfú Jing, commander of the 8th Army, had recovered from his earlier blunders and baited Jangi perfectly. He closed the ranks as the cavalry came in, and the polearms of the Bao forces cut down hundreds of the Saka. But Jangi realizes his situation is dire as well, and demands his force fight to the bitter end! They could not turn around now, or they would simply die off the battlefield. Unfortunately, most of the arrows of his forces were out and the Bao forces re-invigorated with their recent victories quickly catch them in a melee and cut the entire army down to the man, as Xiangfú Jing personally kills Jangi and claims victory for the bloodied 8th Army.

As all of the southern front of the Saka fall apart, and every army is forced to retreat or is slaughtered to the man, there remains the nominal leader of the Saka: Sarafraz. This is a man not to be trifled with, and his plan was to cut his way quickly across the Gobi Desert and then surprise attack in the North before finding the Nonuple-Beautified Ruler and getting his glorious duel. However, there is one issue. It seems as if the Bao had simply left the North to burn, as Sarafraz's army marches through the rugged desert to no avail. He eventually reaches Qaijie to find it also burnt down by the Nuudelski and no report of the location of the Nonuple-Beautified Ruler at all. In a manic fit, all the honor and glory of the war had been stripped not only from him personally but from the entire Saka people. He would enter into a long winded rant about the necessary ending of Suffering or the world will end, and even convinces Noghon of the Nuudelski with his 1,692 soldiers to accompany him. They march south to burn and sack all they can, expecting little to no resistance due to the Bao's heavy emphasis on the south and the fact that the 8th Army was heavily injured by Jangi's army. They cut down decently along the coast before they end up against an enemy, but not of the Bao. This was the Toko force that had finally arrived to assist their Bao overlord, numbering at 14,000 troops against the 5,692 troops of Sarafraz. But Sarafraz is no coward, and he will not miss an opportunity to crush the allies of Suffering itself. The Toko force takes an aggressive strategy due to their overwhelming numbers and quickly march to close the gap between the forces. Sarafraz, still unable to take off his arrogant and rose tinted glasses, continues to rant on the field of battle and his soldiers are confused because of it. More and more of them die to the Toko archers and the gap continues to shorten until they finally come into clash, where more and more Saka and Nuudelski are cut down where they stand. Sarafraz refuses to retreat however, demanding they die with honor and that they must win here if they are to save the world. Even Noghon and the Nuudelski are honor bound and enamored with Sarafraz's speech, and fight with him. While they kill many of the Toko, more than 1 for every Saka or Nuudelski that die, eventually the numbers of the Toko overwhelm the nomads. Sarafraz and Noghon are cut down on the field of battle, and the Toko army at the cost of many of their troops save much of the Bao lands from being ravaged by Sarafraz.

At this point, Artavardiya had rallied what remained of the Saka forces with Dosibai and Vivana in a list ditch attempt to find the Nonuple-Beautified Ruler. He had already cast out Sharukh for his ignorance and failure, and his force totaled 6,000. Artavardiya's efforts were not entirely in vain, however, for while he took his time he finally got word of the location of the Nonuple-Beautified Ruler. He was hiding in an area in the Northeast of the core Bao lands, and if the Saka could just make it in time they could get what they came for....except much of their remaining force was injured or exhausted and they were in the most southwest region of the Bao core lands. They were forced to sack and pillage to supply their troops, and all of the Southern Bao armies had taken to celebrating their victories, thinking the war was over and the Saka repulsed. One army, one army had remained back to protect the Bao Dynasty and caught wind of the last Saka force at the last moment: the 8th Army. They did not abandon their posts, and they were lead by Xiangfú Jing, a man who was rapidly gaining in popularity. His army was very loyal, and when he told them they must defend their Emperor with their lives to stop the Saka once more, they did so willingly. Saka scouts catch wind of the 8th Army moving to intercept them too, and fight them on advantaged terrain. Both of these armies are lead by each sides respective greatest generals, and neither side held out on trying every trick in the book. The battle rages on for hours as the 8th Army tried time and time again to catch the Saka force in a melee or a sustained fight. Artavardiya maintains a safe distance peppering the Bao troops until his soldiers run out of arrows and he must risk the battle to win. They attempt to surround and crush the Bao army, but in the ensuing fight the 8th Army's discipline comes in to barely save the day. Artavardiya gets slain on the battlefield, and the Saka force is forced to retreat into the woods. The other lieutenants get killed in the battle as well, and the 8th Army once again saves the Bao from further destruction.

In the end, thousands of Saka and Bao end up dead on the battlefields dotted throughout China. All but Goharafrid who ran from the battlefield when Sarafraz demanded they fight to the bitter end and Sharukh who was refused a position in Artavardiya's army after his failure. Xiangfú Jing and the other generals of the Bao armies would spend much time sharing war stories and preparing for future wars, and they would write a book of various assorted tips for future generals based off his and the other generals experiences in the war. It would be released under a pen name, and many were unsure whether only Xiangfú Jing wrote it or whether it was a collective effort of the Bao generals. The Bao may have repulsed the Saka, but much of their northern lands remain ravaged and the Nuudelski occupy all of Northeastern Bao. The Gobi Desert remains nominally Saka as Sarafraz's gambit included keeping control for supply lines, and much of the southern lands the Saka had migrated into were killed or pushed out by the Bao armies. Most importantly, the Nonuple-Beautified Ruler remained alive.

Occupation Map

M: In totality the number of provinces the Bao own has remained the exact same, as they take 16 provinces from the Saka but lose 3 to the Saka as well and 13 provinces to the Nuudelski.