Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided — Yuan Shao campaign guide

Establishing the Kingdom of Song or restoring the Han Empire

Cao Cao has been beaten back and his ambitions have been curbed. It’s time to see whether Yuan Shao will restore the Han Empire or build your own Kingdom of Song in your Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided campaign.

The problem with Gong Du

I’ll be honest, folks. Yuan Shao’s campaign was extremely disappointing. Primarily, it’s due to the lack of events and dilemmas. Let’s not forget that he was notorious for being a “Fatuous Lord.” His advisors often gave conflicting advice, and his own sons were at each others’ throats. Sadly, Yuan Shao’s campaign in Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided barely depicted these. In a way, the runs I did felt akin to a Yellow Turban playthrough as Zhang Jiao. Not counting the rebellion mechanics, this was mostly about pacifying the north and happily marching south, all while completing those “bounty-like” tallies for missions.

Compounding this issue is the fact that the Han Empire Restoration mechanics are extremely wonky in the 200 CE start date (if you’re not playing as Cao Cao or Sun Ce). For instance, did you know that it’s possible for your own ally, Gong Du, to remove the Han Emperor from play?

Yes, that can happen around turn 8 to 15 while Gong Du is roaming around Yingchuan and Chen. If you blitz through Cao Cao’s armies, Mengde might leave his capital undefended. Gong Du can swoop in and conquer it. Since he’s not a Han faction (he’s a Yellow Turban), the Han Emperor will just disappear. If he’s keen on besieging Cao Cao’s capital, you could declare war on him to make him back off. This will remove you from the Liu Bei-Gong Du alliance, and you’ll be a little untrustworthy, so you better be ready to take the hit.

The problem with Sun Ce

Now, even if Gong Du didn’t pose a threat (or you took him out), the Little Conqueror, Sun Ce, can still ruin your plans to restore the Han. More often than not, he’ll have enough prestige to become King around turn 25. It doesn’t matter if Emperor Xian is already in your domains as AI Sun Ce’s declaration will automatically force the Han Emperor to abdicate.

Because of this, your only savior is your son, Yuan Tan. Wait until the last moment and ensure that you’ve vassalized or buddied up with every faction that you wanted. then go ahead and annex Yuan Tan. Assuming you’ve built several Yuan Administration Offices and you’re already controlling several settlements that belonged to Cao Cao, you should be in the clear. Declare yourself as King before Sun Ce does, and choose to restore the Han if you wish. Of course, don’t forget that you’ll take a huge hit to your trustworthiness after annexing a vassal.

Stick with the Kingdom of Song

If you don’t want to go through those headaches, you can just normally play Yuan Shao’s campaign in Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided. Ignore the Han Emperor and expand as you see fit.

Once you have enough prestige, form the Kingdom of Song. In all likelihood, your rival kingdoms will be Wu (Sun Ce) and Xun (Liu Zhang). It’s time for the Fatuous Lord to be known as the Fabulous King.

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