General Ta Hun Kwai

My armor will crush your pathetic forces.

*Tanks are the key to any victory... as you well know.*

## Introduction

**Ta Hun Kwai**(or in Chinese 戴宏奎: Dài Hóng Kuí, lit. "戴" is his last name, "宏奎" is his first name, means "Striding") is a Chinese General specialized in tanks in Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour: Contra. His super unit is the Guan Yu. His main technologies are advanced engines, electromagnetic countermeasures kits, reinforced armor, seismic explosives and large-scale production sets.

## History

The 61 year old General Ta Hun Kwai is convinced that the People's Liberation Army will see its greatest military successes in this century through the view holes of its tank divisions. A disciple of Soviet tank tactics of the Cold War, General Kwai has produced technical papers on various modifications to them. He has initiated development of techniques to reduce the costs of tank production and has sponsored the Emperor program, whose first tanks rolled off the assembly line in 2013. Considered part of the old guard in the PLA hierarchy, General Kwai nevertheless continues to roll up victory after victory in battle.

Stationed at Base Rat, Jinan, China, General Kwai's Combat Number is 9999-322436-5.

## Overview

General Kwai's strategy is easy to understand, but not as easy to implement: build more tanks and attack. But everything has its details due to the specializations now implemented in his various tank models.

Tip: Don't attack with shapeless heaps. Put your army into formations (Ctrl+number). No matter which one. The fact of using any formation makes forces control more convenient.

- Ilya123

### General Tactics (by Casojin)

* Barrack is not necessary at start unless there are 2 or more easy-to-capture Tech Oil Derricks. Barrack can be built later once you have the Internet Center and are ready to build hackers.
* Hit-&-Run is not a proper tactic for General Kwai since most of his units are slow.
* To effectively use Dragon Rush, avoid ANY tanks or large number of AT infantries. The Dragon Tank is much less durable but also much faster in Contra.
* Each strike force should have at least 5 tanks to gain horde bonus, which would improve your tanks' combat capabilities a lot.
* General Kwai has access to ECM Tanks and a propaganda vehicle as early as rank 1, use them wisely.
* ECM tanks and Banshees are quite useful against most USA generals (except for Towns) as they rely on missile based AT weaponry.
* A single ECM Tank can deviate 3-4 missiles. Use multiple ECM Tank in combination to help defend against lots of missiles.
* If you have no Anti-infantry units and the enemy is attacking with lots of AT infantries, simply send your tanks forward to crush them, you may end up sacrificing a few tanks, but you'll save the rest.
* The War Master's long range mode may be less powerful but it's good for covering your force when retreating. It allows them to outrange most pursuing tanks.
* Try to create a strong supply line before reaching rank 3. Overlord based tanks are very resource-consuming.
* Helixes can be a great support unit for your tank force if used properly and equipped with the right modules (but again, at $2,000 per unit, it's quite expensive). Don't underestimate them.

### Gauss Cannon Rush (thanks to dcesarec, edited by Casojin)

* Many people underestimate this tactic, thinking that only the Superweapon General can implement defense structure rush tactics, but Tank general's rush is also good because Gauss Cannons can easily take out infantry, light vehicles and structures too, so its the best base defense rush for China factions. Rush has two variants, depending on size of the map and where is your opponent.

1. If your opponent is located near your base. Use your first dozer to build Power plant as soon as possible and move the second dozer into enemy base. You don't need to put Gauss right in center of the base or attack his economy and risk a failure of your rush due to his missile infantry. Simply put Gauss near some structures and you will get protection from him, enable yourself to build second Gauss (now you can get closer while first Gauss is protecting you and block enemy to go in your base and to rush you)...one by one, you can surround enemy base and destroy him.
2. In large maps, where your opponent is far away from you. Move first dozer into his base, don't build power plant yet or you will loose precious time needed for rush. As soon as the second dozer is built, order him to build power plant. With any luck you get equal time while your first dozer gets in enemy base and power plant is also built. Then you can start to build Gauss Cannons. In this variant it's strongly recommended to purchase the "Emergency Repair" power as soon as possible and monitor your dozer carefully. If he is attacked with infantry, wait until he gets low on health, then repair him with this power.

## Arsenal

### Infantry

* **Red Guard** - Basic infantry unit.
* **Tank Hunter** - Anti-tank infantry.
* **Hacker** - Support infantry, serves as income generator.
* **Black Lotus** - Hero unit, can capture buildings, steal cash and disable vehicles. Detects all types of stealth.

### Vehicles

* **Dozer** - Builds Chinese structures.
* **Supply Truck** - Collects supplies, more armored than regular supply truck.
* **War Master** - Advanced main battle tank.
* **Gauss Tank** - Advanced anti-air & anti-infantry vehicle.
* **Dragon Tank** - Flamethrower tank, effective against infantries and structures, clears garrisons.
* **ECM Tank** - Support vehicle, disables enemy vehicles and deflects missiles.
* **Listening Outpost** - Scout unit, detects stealthed enemy units.
* **Propaganda Crawler** - Armored transport, equipped with a propaganda tower.
* **Engineering Crawler** - Armored transport, cleans up contamination and detects/detonates mines.
* **Sniper Cannon** - Anti-armor & structure artillery.
* **Emperor** - Advanced super heavy tank, can be equipped with various modules.
* **Manticore** - Heavy anti-air & anti-infantry vehicle, detects stealth aircrafts.
* **Earth Shaker** - Heavy artillery, fires seismic shells, clears garrisons.
* **Banshee** - Heavy ECM tank, armed with two ECM dishes and a machine gun.
* **Guan Yu** - Super unit, a super heavy tank armed with dual rotary cannons, effective against everything, can demolish bases on its own.

### Aircraft

* **J-10** - Strike fighter, armed with napalm missiles.
* **Ka-29 Helix** - Heavy support helicopter, armed with dual AT missiles, can be equipped with various modules.
* **Bixi** - Heavy transport helicopter, can carry Overlord based tanks.

### Structures

* **Command Center** - Builds dozers and commands all Chinese general's powers.
* **Nuclear Reactor** - Provides power, can be overcharged to provide 50% more power.
* **Barracks** - Trains Chinese infantries.
* **Supply Center** - Builds supply trucks and stores supplies.
* **War Factory** - Builds Chinese vehicles and provides upgrades.
* **Internet Center** - Provides shelter for 4 hackers, provides spy satellite uplink.
* **Airfield** - Builds Chinese aircrafts
* **Propaganda Center** - Tech center, unlocks advanced units and provides important upgrades.
* **Overlord Headquarters** - Reduce the cost of Overlord based tanks and provides nuclear based upgrades.
* **Gauss Cannon** - Anti-infantry and anti-air defense, armed with dual gauss cannons.
* **ECM Tower -**Passive defense which deflects & jams missiles away from it's radius.
* **Bunker** - Garrison-able defensive structure, has room for four infantries.
* **Speaker Tower** - Support structure, provides healing for nearby units.
* **Artillery Battery** - Long range base defense, armed with two artillery guns.
* **Nuclear Missile Silo** - Super weapon, launches a tactical nuclear missile at the target.
* **Bunker** - Garrison-able defensive structure, has room for four infantries.
* **Speaker Tower** - Support structure, provides healing for nearby units.
* **Artillery Battery** - Long range base defense, armed with two artillery guns.
* **Nuclear Missile Silo** - Super weapon, launches a tactical nuclear missile at the target.

### Upgrades

* **Radar** - Enable the mini map from the command center.
* **Pneumocushion** - Dozers become amphibious.
* **Land Mines** - Individual upgrade, surrounds the structure with mines.
* **Capture Building** - Allows red guards to capture hostile and neutral structures.
* **Improved Autocannon Shells** - Increase the damage output of gauss cannons by 25%.
* **Black Napalm** - Increases the damage output of flame weapons by 25%.
* **Satellite Hack I** - Reveals the location of the enemy command center.
* **Satellite Hack II** - Reveals all enemy activity for a short period of time.
* **Autoloaders** - Increases the fire rate of Sniper Cannons and War Masters, but reduces the former's damage.
* **Nationalism** - Increases the effect of horde bonus by 25%.
* **Subliminal Messaging** - Increase the effect of propaganda by 65%.
* **Tank Armor** - Increases the armor of all tier 1 tanks.
* **Emergency Repair II** - Increases the effect of Emergency Repair.
* **Emergency Repair III** - Increases the effect of Emergency Repair even further.
* **Improved ECM Technology** - Allows ECM to disable buildings, and shut down vehicles faster.
* **Aircraft Armor** - Increases the durability of all Chinese aircraft.
* **Nuclear Tanks** - Increases the speed of all tanks by 25% but will cause them to explode and leave behind radiation when destroyed.
* **Uranium Shells** - Increases the firepower of tank cannons by 25%.

### General's Powers

* Rank 1:
	+ **Signal Mines** - Sends in an An-22 to drop signal mines over a designated area, the mines will fire flares into the skies when enemy units passes over them. Available by default.
	+ **Hacker School** - All hackers and Black Lotus trained as veterans.
	+ **Emergency Repair Lv.1** - Repairs vehicles and buildings in an area, requires Rank 2. Can be upgraded at the Propaganda Center.
* Rank 3:
	+ **Tank Squadron Training** - War Masters, ECM Tanks, Gauss Tanks and Dragon Tanks will all be trained as veterans.
	+ **Heavy Tank Training** - Emperors, Banshees, Manticores and Earth Shakers will all be trained as veterans.
	+ **Deploy War Factory** - Builds a War Factory anywhere you want.
	+ **Frenzy Level 1-3** - Causes affected units to deal increased damage over a short period of time.
		- Level 1: 25% for 30 seconds.
		- Level 2: 50% for 45 seconds.
		- Level 3: 100% for 1 minute.
	+ **Artillery Barrage** **Level 1-3** - Bombards enemy positions with seismic artillery shells.
		- Level 1: 12 shells.
		- Level 2: 24 shells.
		- Level 3: 36 shells.
	+ **Tank Drop** - Sends in An-22 cargo planes to drop off tanks over the designated area.
		- Level 1: 3 War Masters.
		- Level 2: 4 War Masters and 2 Gauss Tanks.
		- Level 3: 6 War Masters and 3 Gauss Tanks.
* Rank 5:
	+ **Magnetic Bomb** - Sends a Hong-6 bomber to drop off a magnetic bomb. Affects an area which disables enemy vehicles and deflect missiles. Unlocks Black Lotus's magnetic field ability.
	+ **Emperor Delivery** - Sends in three Bixis to drop off Emperor Tanks at the designated location. Requires Tank Drop level 3 to unlock.

## Strengths and Advantages

* His Tier 1 vehicles are cheap (The most expensive one is the Sniper Cannon $1,400).
* The War Master-ECM Tank combination is quite deadly for enemy vehicles.
* He can use his Overlord class tanks for more devastating attacks.
* Under good command, his tanks are nearly unstoppable.
* His super unit can wreak havoc on enemy bases on it's own, due to how durable and versatile it is.

## Weaknesses and Disadvantages

* He relies heavily on tanks (he only got 2 types of combat infantry, and his aircraft are more expensive than usual).
* His Overlord class tanks are quite expensive (Can be made less expensive by building the Overlord HQ).
* General Kwai's forces have some of the worst mobility in *Contra*, he also doesn't get access to air units until Rank 3.

## General's Challenge

Like most other general's challenges ported from vanilla *Zero Hour*, General Kwai's challenge remains mostly unchanged except for a few twists.

The challenger's starting position is located at the south western corner of the map, on a wide open plain that's hard to defend as Kwai's forces can attack and attempt to break in from every angle. The player starts with a sizeable supply pile with a few smaller supply piles located directly east, north and north east of the starting positions. The challenger's starting funds is rather limited due to the fact that he/she will have to invest more into units and defenses to protect the base. Thus it's advised to have more than one supply center in order to speed up the collecting of supplies.

On the north western corner of the map, some small supply piles and a Tech Reinforcement Pad can be found, it's advised to send a construction unit there and build an expansion base there, as the reinforcement pad grants the player three free vehicles every once in a while. They can prove to be rather useful in fending off General Kwai's unending flow of armored units.

Interestingly, General Kwai will send in as many infantry units as he does vehicles, however his Red Guards and Tank Hunters are not particularly powerful and can be easily dispatched with proper anti-infantry weapons. In the beginning, Kwai will mostly field War Masters, Gauss Tanks, Dragon Tanks and Sniper Cannons. However, as the player gains rank, Kwai will deploy more advanced units like Banshees, Emperors, Manticores and Earth Shakers. He'll also send in J-10s and Helixes to assault your base by air as well as An-22s to paradrop tanks directly into your base.

Once the challenger reaches rank 5, the player should build his/her super weapon when it's convenient, as unlike the original challenge, Kwai will eventually build his Nuclear Missile Silo even if you don't build your super weapon.

Besides the usual amount of defenses, General Kwai has a number of Guan Yu super heavy tanks defending his base (7 on easy, 11 on normal and 15 on hard), three will be guarding the three entrances of his base, and will actively engage and pursue attackers in sight. The others will remain in a courtyard in the center of Kwai's base in front of his Command Center. If the challenger destroyed Kwai's Command Center, or when he/she has over 30k and the battle is going on for 40 minutes, General Kwai will announce: "That's it! Time to unleash the War Machine!" and the challenger will be alerted that four Guan Yus are currently heading towards his/her base. This will likely occur when the challenger has reached rank 5 and has access to his/her super unit, super weapon as well as a large division of tanks. So one should use the time it takes for these lumbering behemoths to reach the base to prepare defense. Taking on one Guan Yu is already an daunting task as it's strong enough to withstand super weapon strikes and can take on most other super units 1 on 1, taking on 4 at the same time might seem to be an impossible task for some. But that's not entirely the case, each faction should have at least one form of counter to them.

* The most straight forward method is to simply overwhelm the Guan Yus with a swarm of lesser tanks. Capturing the tech reinforcement platform located on the north western corner of the map will provide a steady stream of free vehicles.
* If you play as a USA general, be sure to equip as many of your tanks as possible with drones. The Guan Yu's AI is flawed and can be easily distracted by these drones, essentially increasing your tanks' survivability.
* Any unit or power that can increase damage output should be put into good use. The GLA can mix a few command trucks in their armored battalion, the USA can use targeting designator lasers and China can utilize horde bonus and propaganda.
* Suicide units can also be very helpful, but it's recommended to have other conventional units to serve as a distraction.
* Don't pile tanks after tanks in your counter attack, placing artilleries behind your wall of tanks will be a more effective tactic.
* EMP or ECM tactics are a good choice since most Guan Yus will be in one big blob of tanks which can be easily targeted for an EMP or ECM bombing run. Once disabled they are easy to pick off. Black Lotus is also a good option, although she can be killed easily without distraction.
* As GLA, tunnel popping with artillery or fast vehicles is a very good choice since Guan Yus are very slow. Also stealth tactics will be very effective (provided they don't have radar add-ons installed).

Once all the Guan Yus are destroyed, assaulting General Kwai's main base should be of no trouble. Simply assemble a sizeable combined force of tanks, AA units and artillery units and Kwai's base should fall easily, as its only defenses are Gauss Cannons, a few bunkers and some tanks.

## Taunts

### General Taunts

* It's quiet out there, General. There must be a lot of tanks rolling toward your base, don't you think?
* Tanks! Build more tanks!
* Soon the field will fill with tanks, MY tanks!
* Your tactics confuse me, General!
* Armor. Crush them.
* I see you haven't run in fear, General. Soon, you'll wish you had.
* Aaaaahhhhh... Can you feel the thunderous song of approaching armor, General?
* We're awaiting your assault, General... But i'm beginning to wonder if it will ever come.
* Your tactics have given you a momentary advantage, General, but you won't maintain it.
* No, you will not win, General.  We will build more tanks and defeat you.
* I think I let you win long enough, General. Prepare for the end.

* All hope is gone now, General. Surrender... or die.
* All units, attack!
* Are you impressed with the modifications to my tanks, General?
* Another battalion is on it's way, General. Please make them feel welcome.
* Our war factories are working hard to make more tanks. Just for you, General! \*Laughs\*
* Tanks amass in our base, preparing for the final assault! Will you defenses hold this time, hmm?
* My forces are at your door, General.
* This spells your doom, General.
* I fear this will end you, General.
* Nice base, General. Care to surrender it? \*Laughs\*

* The iron dragon marches through your puny defenses!
* Are you protecting your flanks, General? Why don't we have a look.
* We are in your base, General. Your defenses were inadequate!
* I'm going to take this time to construct more defenses. No, wait - I'll build more tanks instead! \*laughs\*

### Situational Taunts

* That's it! Time to unleash the War Machine! (When General Kwai unleashes his first batch of Guan Yus)
* Ooooh! It cannot be! How have you defeated my tanks?! (When General Kwai looses all of his offensive Guan Yus)
* And these were just my Battlemasters. Just wait until the Overlords join the battle.
* So you're trying to match my tanks in the field. I question your tactics, General. (When the player builds lots of vehicles)
* I'd be careful, General. Sometimes the Red Guard likes to takeover buildings while you're busy with my tanks.
* Your supply pile looks low. Now nothing can stop us. (If the player is out of supplies)
* Supplies! I need more supplies! (If he is out of supplies)
* Here we come, General. I hope your defenses are up. (When Kwai begins to send his tanks to the player)
* Your base has grown too large, General. My tanks will enjoy the target practice. (When the player builds many structures)
* I see you've built a Second Base, General. It will soon be removed. (When the player expands beyond his starting position)
* My victory was assured from the beginning. (When Kwai is winning the battle)
* Your foolish tactics have led you to this place, General. You can't win now! (When Kwai is winning the battle)
* Your defenses fall like toys before my armor. (When Kwai destroys the player's defenses)
* Ah, you have lost your Command Center and all hope to win against me, General. I await your surrender. (When Kwai destroys the player's Command Center/Truck)
* You've lost a lot of buildings, General. Isn't it time to surrender? (When the player looses a large amount of buildings)
* That artillery platform is no match for my armor, General. (When the player captures a Tech Artillery Platform)
* General, I need that Oil Derrick for my tanks! Release it to me or pay. (When the player captures a Tech Oil Derrick)
* Ah, I see you've captured an oil refinery. Perhaps I should take it from you. (When the player captures a Tech Oil Refinery)
* I found your Tech Building, General. Now should I destroy it or capture it? (If found player's Oil Derrick or Oil Refinery)
* Oh you didn't need that tech building did you? (When the player looses a tech building.)
* There goes your Factory, General! How will you match my armor now? (When Kwai destroys the player's War Factory/Arms Dealer)
* And what are you planning to do with that Scud Storm, General? (When the player builds an Elbrus Storm/Tomahawk Storm)
* Your Scud Storm will harm us, but now you have made me angry, General. (When the player launches an Elbrus Storm/Tomahawk Storm)
* Enough! Do not destroy any more of my tanks, General! (When the player destroys a large number of Kwai's vehicles)
* Oh stop... targetting my infantry you, coward! (When the player kills a large number of Kwai's infantries)
* You're shooting at my planes? Do you think this is the best tactic against me, General? (When the player destroys a large number of Kwai's aircraft)
* I see your flank is exposed, General. I expected as much. (When Kwai's forces attack from the player's unprotected side)
* Huh, there are no guards at your backdoor?! Tch tch tch, fatal mistake, General. (When Kwai successfully pulls of a flanking attack)
* You dare attack my War Factory?! All forces! Remove this pest!!! (When the player destroys Kwai's War Factory)
* Destroying my base defenses only lets me know where you are, General. (When the player destroys General Kwai's base defenses)
* And now this war has gone nuclear! EXCELLENT! (If player builds a Nuclear Missile Silo/ICBM Silo)
* Only a failed general would result in a nuclear missile. (When the player launches Nuclear Missile/ICBM launched)
* That particle cannon will never live to fire at me. (If the player builds a Particle Uplink Cannon/Scientific Laboratory)
* That particle beam will not defeat us, General. (If player fires a Particle Cannon/Atmospheric Lenz)
* General, you are destroying an unacceptable amount of my buildings! This must stop! (When Kwai looses a large amount of his buildings)
* No one soldier can turn the tide, not even Colonel Burton.  (When the player has trained Colonel Burton)
* All tanks beware: Jarmen Kell has entered the field. (When the player has trained Jarmen Kell)
* Ah, Black Lotus... You grace us with your presence! Perhaps you would consider fighting for me. (When the player has trained Black Lotus)
* Tanks are the key to any victory... as you well know. (When Kwai defeats the player/the player gives up)
* You may have defeated my tanks, General, but the Tigress will crush you like an insect! (When Kwai is defeated)
* General, my forces outnumber yours. This only a matter of time now.
* I see you've defeated my scouts, General. The next attack won't go so well for you, I think.

## Trivia

* The Chinese pronunciation of Kwai's name sounds like "Ta Hen Kuai" (他很快, lit. "He's very fast"), perhaps a play on words on his rush tactics. Since none of the characters in his name match actual Chinese characters, his name was most likely chosen as a joke. In the Taiwanese version of *Zero Hour*, his name was translated as "Dai Hong Kui" (戴宏奎).
* He seems to be armed with an IMI Desert Eagle. This is suiting, as he prefers heavier equipment.
* The tank behind him in his portrait in the vanilla game is a T-72B/T-90, recognizable by the 3 square armor plates on the side skirt and the stowage boxes on the side of the turret. None of these tanks is in service in the Chinese army. To address this issue, the Contra mod team replaced it with a Type-99 MBT.
* In his Challenge Map, any attempt to use general rank cheats will be "countered" by Kwai sending a battalion of tanks via airdrop into the player's base before the player could even build a power plant/barracks. This is because the AI in the map is set as "aggressive ambush mode", meant to strike the opponent as fast as possible.