| โ | To conquer the north, Cao Cao rides against Yuan Shao's quarrelsome sons. | โ |
| —In-game scenario description | ||
Lord of the North is the fourth scenario of the Cao Cao campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Three Kingdoms. It is based on Cao Cao's campaign from 202 to 207 to unify northern China, the opening being the Battle of Liyang (202-203), and the majority being a series a battles, such as at Ye (204) and Nanpi (early 205). against Yuan Shao's heirs. The subduing of the Wuhuan is based on the Battle of White Wolf Mountain (207).
Intro[]
Not long after the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shan had managed to reorganize his armies in an effort to protect his home provinces before his death. Yet, his sons seemed more eager to fight each other over the scraps than to prepare for Cao Cao's inevitable strike.
Cao Cao was happy to fan the flames of this family feud. If he could keep the Yuan brothers divided, his victory was all but certain.
When Cao Cao marched north, the brothers briefly put their differences aside to meet him at the city of Liyang. To conquer the north piece by broken piece, Cao Cao needed to swiftly shatter their alliance.
Scenario instructions[]
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This section is most likely incomplete and may need expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Imperial Age - Starting resources:
- Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
- 10 Tiger Cavalry
- 9 Hei Guang Cavalry
- 9 Light Cavalry
- 3 Capped Rams
- 3 Monks (if spared in The Yellow Turban Rebellion)
- Cao Cao (hero)
- Lรผ Bu (hero) (if the player allied him in Emperor In All But Name)
- Hero Xiahou Dan or Cao Ren (depending on choice made in Emperor In All But Name)
- Hero Zhang Liao or Xun Yu (depending on choice made in The Battle of Guandu)
- 10
Main objectives[]
- Kill Liyang's Yuan defenders.
- Build a Castle in the flagged area in Ye.
- 0/3 Yuan brothers defeated.
Secondary objectives[]
- Ally with one of the Yuan brothers:
- โ Yuan Shang (military support)
- โ Yuan Tan (highly aggressive)
- โ Yuan Xi (economic support)
- Kill Liu Biao's messenger (Light Cavalry).
- Unhorse (kill) Lรผ Bu. (if present in the scenario)
- Subdue the Wuhuan (0/4 Chieftain's Yurts destroyed), or pay them 2000 gold to make them leave.
Hints[]
- You can support a population of 200, but cannot build Docks.
- Against Confucian custom, Yuan Shao named his youngest son as heir instead of his eldest son. Exploit the strife this has caused.
- Use Traction Trebuchets for prolonged sieges. They are cheap to produce at the Siege Workshop, but must be protected from enemy cavalry.
Scouts[]
- Cao Cao (Blue) has crossed the Yellow River with a formidable army and threatens the nearby city of Liyang.
- The young and arrogant heir Yuan Shang (Yellow) is the strongest of the three brothers. He fields Tiger Cavalry, Hei Guang Cavalry, and siege engines.
- The hot-tempered and violent eldest brother, Yuan Tan (Red), trains Xianbei Raiders, Tiger Cavalry, and Hussars.
- The intelligent but weak middle brother, Yuan Xi (Orange), employs Pikemen, Light Cavalry, and Elite Skirmishers.
- North of Liyang lies the ancient, rich, and formidable city of Ye (Grey).
- The Yuan brothers are allied with the Wuhuan (Purple), who reside in the far north at White Wolf Mountain.
- The southern warlord Liu Biao (Cyan) is an ally of the folk hero Liu Bei and will attempt to support the Yuan brothers from afar.
Players[]
Player[]
- Cao Cao ( Wei): Starts in the south of the map in front of the gates of Liyang with a decent melee cavalry force, three Capped Rams, Cao Cao, and heroes selected in the previous scenarios. After the player captures Liyang from the Yuan brothers, they take over the city as a bridgehead, and must build up a force to defeat the three Yuan brothers, and capture the city of Ye in the center of the map by building a Castle there.
Ally[]
- Ye ( Wei): The walled city of Ye is located in the center of the map, starting with the control of economic structures and a Town Center, but no units of their own. All of Ye's structures become the player's once the Castle is built in Ye's northern district. If Lรผ Bu is present in the scenario, he will betray the player, and will appear in Ye under this player, along with some Elite Tiger Cavalry, as an enemy, before being defeated.
Enemy (Possible Ally โ Enemy)[]
- Note: The player may make a temporary alliance with one and only one of the brothers shortly after capturing Liyang.
- Yuan Shang ( Wei): The youngest of the Yuan brothers lives west of Ye, controlling a walled military base centered on a Castle, and a fairly large town with two Town Centers. His favorite composition tends to revolve around Hei Guang Cavalry, Tiger Cavalry, Capped Rams, and occasional Onagers.
- Yuan Tan ( Wei): The eldest of the three brothers has his base southeast and east of Ye, and will likely attack the player first after they take over Liyang. He has a Castle with a Town Center just east of it, with his economic base and the second Town Center close to a river. He sends cavalry armies of Xianbei Raiders, Tiger Cavalry, Hussars, and Capped Rams/Siege Rams.
- Yuan Xi ( Wei): The middle brother and the weakest of the three, Yuan Xi has a military camp northeast, and his economic base with a Town Center north of Ye. He also initially controls the city of Liyang, with the garrison provided by all three brothers. He trains Light Cavalry, Pikemen, and Elite Skirmishers.
Enemy โ Ally[]
- Wuhuan ( Huns): The nomadic Wuhuan tribe commands the north of the map, centered around four military camps with a Chieftain's Yurt in each. They will regularly harass the player with Tarkans, Light Cavalry, and Cavalry Archers. They can be subdued to provide reinforcements in this and the next scenario, or bribed to leave, but defeating them is not a main objective.
Enemy[]
- Ye Garrison ( Wei): The Ye Garrison controls military buildings within Ye and all Fortified Gates. Their units include Elite Skirmishers, Halberdiers, Hussars, Heavy Scorpions, Onagers, and a squad of Heavy Hei Guang Cavalry in the northern district. Completing a Castle in the northern district immediately kills the remaining garrison, and transfers control over any remaining structures to the player. They behave defensively and do not actively attack the player.
Strategy[]
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This section is most likely incomplete and may need expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
This scenario is essentially about managing against multiple enemies at once, and building up to destroy the three Yuan brothers and capture the city of Ye.
In the opening on the scenario, the player has to capture the city of Liyang from the garrison supplied by the three brothers. A few seconds after starting, the player can choose an additional hero: Zhang He, a mounted hero with Heavy Attack, or Guo Jia, an archer hero with an armor aura. Because the player has no ranged units in the beginning (with the potential exception of ranged heroes), they must be very careful when attacking Liyang's garrison, with special attention paid to Onagers and Pikemen. To capture Liyang with as few losses as possible, the player should lure the garrison units to defeat them in the open piecemeal with overwhelming numbers, and use the Monks (if available) or abilities such as Cao Ren's Morale Boost to preserve their units for a longer time. Once the garrison is killed, Liyang turns over to the player, and the main part of the scenario begins.
Before progressing further, the player should build up their economy to sustain continuous production of units to defend against enemy attacks, especially from Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan. As these brothers primarily train mounted units, the player should consider either training many Pikemen/Halberdiers, or building a Castle or two and garrisoning with Crossbowmen or Xianbei Raiders. These two brothers also send rams, so having some infantry or melee cavalry units nearby is essential to avoid excessive damage to any Castles or Liyang itself. Finally, the Wuhuan attack regularly with Tarkans, Light Cavalry, and Cavalry Archers, but as long as the player has proper defenses, they should be nothing more than a minor nuisance. To further restrict enemy movements, walling off one approach to Liyang will concentrate enemy attacks in one spot, avoiding the risk of spreading defending units too thin.
Shortly after capturing Liyang, the player has the opportunity to make a temporary alliance with one of the brothers, and is given a four-minute window to act. Making an alliance gives the player a benefit: Yuan Shang provides military support, Yuan Tan aggressively attacks opponents, and Yuan Xi tributes the player resources every few minutes (125 food, 100 wood, 200 gold, 50 stone). Shortly after making an alliance, Liu Biao sends a messenger to Ye, aiming to break the player's alliance. The messenger may spawn on two unbuildable patches northeast and northwest of Liyang, and will appear as buffed Light Cavalry with nine White Feather Guards under the player name Liu Biao. Killing him before he reaches Ye stops Liu Biao's attempt, and grants the player 250 gold.
If the player wishes to earn the scenario achievement "Like Taking Candy From A Baby" (awarded upon completing the scenario), they must capture Ye before any of the brothers is defeated. The player may weaken them by destroying Castles, Town Centers, and military production buildings, but should leave at least one Town Center standing to avoid their early defeat. To be absolutely sure, the player can wall in the remaining Town Center. The AI does not attack the walls, so the AI is caged and cannot built up again. Otherwise, the player should be prepared to defend their base well while they build up a force to strike against Ye Garrison. Since Ye is captured by building a Castle in its northern district, and the garrison fields many Halberdiers spread all over the city, the player should ideally attack from the east or northeast, kill any enemy units nearby, and quickly build a Castle. Be aware that even if no Fortified Gate is pulled down during the assault, the three brothers and the Wuhuan may still attack the player inside Ye, so protect the Castle builders well. After the Castle in Ye is complete, any remaining Ye Garrison units are killed, and all structures inside the city become the player's.
Once Ye has been captured, the player should immediately garrison the Relics held by four Monks next to the city's Monastery. Any alliance made with one of the brothers is broken shortly after Ye's capture. If Ye has not been captured yet, any alliance is broken with a three-minute countdown once both non-allied brothers have been defeated. The player should aim to quickly destroy enemy Castles and Town Centers to force the resignation of individual brothers, starting with Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan. Yuan Xi should be left as the last one standing. Fully upgraded Hei Huang Cavalry, Tiger Cavalry, and Pikemen/Halberdiers, optionally Xianbei Raiders, are recommended, with a few Capped Rams/Siege Rams to deal with Castles and walls. Before defeating Yuan Xi, the player should use the opportunity to deal with the Wuhuan. While the player can tribute 2,000 gold to make them leave the map, it is recommended to subdue them instead to receive regular reinforcements in this and the next scenario. The Wuhuan do not fight well against heavy cavalry, so the player should not have many problems moving between Wuhuan camps to destroy the four Chieftain's Yurts. Once the last Chieftain's Yurt is destroyed, the Wuhuan stop their attacks immediately and change their stance to ally, and reinforce the player with 12 Elite Tarkans once in a while. Finishing off Yuan Xi should be little issue by now. With Ye captured and the three brothers defeated, the player is victorious.
Dealing with Lรผ Bu[]
If the player has hero Lรผ Bu in this scenario, they should be aware that while he is useful during the battle of Liyang (for example by destroying enemy Onagers from a safe distance), he will betray the player roughly 20 minutes after capturing Liyang. The player loses the trample damage bonus, and Lรผ Bu appears in the northern district of Ye with some Elite Tiger Cavalry next to the Ye Garrison. As such, getting to him might require clearing out the surrounding Ye Garrison first. After Lรผ Bu is unhorsed, the player can either execute him, removing him from the rest of the campaign, or spare him, which makes him again available in the Hall of Heroes, and restores the trample damage bonus.
Outro[]
The Yuan family had once been among China's most powerful clans. Now, it was little more than ashes and dust.
Cao Cao's only remaining opposition was an unlikely alliance between the southern warlord Sun Quan and the folk hero Liu Bei, a driven man dedicated to restoring the Han dynasty.
Defeating them would require everything that Cao Cao had. With conscripts coming in from every corner of his domain, he amassed a host greater than China had seen in many years. With over two hundred thousand men under his command, Cao Cao marched south for what he hoped was his final battle.
The Yuan family had once been among China's most powerful clans. Now, it was little more than ashes and dust.
Cao Cao's only remaining opposition was an unlikely alliance between the southern warlord Sun Quan and the folk hero Liu Bei, a driven man dedicated to restoring the Han dynasty.
Defeating them would require an army greated than Cao Cao had ever commanded. As conscripts flooded in from every province, he soon had an army of two hundred thousand at his command. With his new nomadic allies in tow, Cao Cao marched on the south to fight the greatest battle of this civil war.Historical comparison[]
- In real life, Cao Cao accepted an alliance with Yuan Tan after the battle of Liyang, with the aim of exploiting the Yuan family feud, while Yuan Tan hoped for strengthening of his position against the designated successor Yuan Shang. After the battle of Ye, Cao Cao broke this alliance after accusing Yuan Tan of not helping during the siege. Yuan Tan was subsequently killed during the Battle of Nanpi, with the other two brothers being defeated with their Wuhuan allies in the Battle of White Wolf Mountain.
- Thus, choosing to ally with Yuan Tan, then defeating him before defeating Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi together with the Wuhuan would be the historically accurate order.
- The Wuhuan (ไนๆก/็ๆก) are a para-Mongolic or proto-Mongolic nomadic people based in northern China. The ethnic group is represented by the Huns instead of the Mongols, possibly because the Wuhuan were subjects of the Xiongnu confederation (who were sometimes associated with the Huns, although the claim is subjected to debate by historians).
Trivia[]
- This is the only scenario in the The Three Kingdoms campaigns in which there is a civilization other than the Chinese, Shu, Wei, and Wu.
