Physical: Asia: Inside Mongolia's last-minute battering-ram strategy that saved their castle run in Quest 5

Episode 11 of Physical: Asia highlights Mongolia’s most defining strategic moment of the season: a last-minute, improvised rope-and-battering-ram technique that allowed the team to lift the 880-kilogram drawbridge and complete Castle Conquest.

In a quest where all three countries—Korea, Mongolia, and Japan—faced identical tasks under a one-hour time limit, Mongolia’s ability to innovate under pressure became the deciding factor in their survival.

Physical: Asia — How Mongolia engineered a last-minute solution during Castle Conquest

When Mongolia entered the Castle Conquest arena, team members reacted with immediate surprise.

Orkhonbayar described the setup as “a defensive line… like a war zone.”

Adiyasuren added that it looked “straight out of a history book.”

Despite the scale of the challenge, Mongolia maintained the confidence rooted in its heritage.

Khandsuren said,

“Historically speaking, Mongolia is famously known for conquering fortresses and land.”

The whistle signaled the start of the quest, and Mongolia initiated its pre-discussed plan.

Orgil began emptying the cart at high speed, explaining,

“I just started throwing. Whatever I could pick up, I threw off.”

Lkhagva-Ochir quickly scaled the wall and lowered the bridge, allowing the rest of the team to begin moving cargo and preparing the support beams.

As they pushed the cart uphill, the team immediately encountered the same terrain issues as Korea.

Wheels sank into the sand, forcing Mongolia to rely on collective force. Dulguun recalled the difficulty:

“The cart was deceptively heavy. It was difficult to manage.”

Adiyasuren added,

“The wheels just sunk into the sand.”

Despite the struggle, Mongolia persisted.

Teammates repeated cadence counts as they attempted to crest the incline.

After significant effort, they cleared the hill.

Once they reached the castle entrance, Mongolia remembered that they had not broken the gate. Orkhonbayar announced,

“Wait! We need to ram the door!”

The team retrieved the battering ram and used targeted strikes.

Orkhonbayar explained the strategy:

“Hitting the center of the door would make it harder to break. So instead, we focused on one side.”

Within a few coordinated hits, they broke through the castle gate.

Inside the castle, Mongolia quickly reloaded the cart. Adiyasuren emphasized the urgency:

“We had to move fast. We couldn’t afford to take any breaks.”

With their supplies restored, they advanced toward the final stretch leading to the finish line.

As with the previous teams, Mongolia’s cart was stuck just before the finish.

Adiyasuren described the frustration:

“Of all the times to get stuck, why now?”

The team reacted by pushing at multiple contact points, including the wheels.

With four members pushing directly beneath the cart, they regained movement and crossed the finish line.

The final task—raising the 880-kilogram drawbridge—proved the most challenging.

The bridge resisted all direct pulling efforts, and morale wavered. Khandsuren said,

“I was at a loss. My mind went completely blank.”

Dulguun added,

“We were pulling so hard, we started to sink.”

At roughly the 15–20-minute mark, Orgil identified a potential solution involving additional force.

He shouted to the team,

“Oh, wait, wait! I’ve an idea.”

He instructed teammates to bring the battering ram and lift it:

“Take this. We’re gonna wrap the rope around it, and then use the log to pull.”

Some teammates questioned the method. Lkhagva-Ochir asked,

“What’s the point of using the log?”

Orgil responded,

“For the weight!”

As they wrapped the rope, Orgil explained internally that the ram’s weight—combined with their own—could add enough downward force to help lift the bridge.

The team followed his instruction, securing the rope tightly around the heavy wooden log. When the group pushed down together, the drawbridge began to rise.

Dulguun confirmed the breakthrough:

“As soon as we pushed down, the gate began to rise. It was slow… but it did move.”

Adiyasuren shouted,

“It worked! Keep pulling!”

Even then, the bridge required sustained effort. Mongolia continued pulling while stabilizing the log.

After repeated synchronized counts, the bridge finally closed.

The whistle sounded, and the Master declared that Team Mongolia had completed Quest 5 of Physical: Asia.

Dulguun cheered, “Yes! We did it!” Khandsuren called Orgil “our tactician,” while Dulguun added,

“You crazy, beautiful genius.”

The captain, with a smile on his face told Orgil,

"Seriously, you saved us man."

Orgil responded,

“I told you it’d work!”

Their creative, last-minute solution secured their survival in the Castle Conquest round, placing Mongolia among the final two in Physical: Asia.

Stay tuned for ore updates.