Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided — Cao Cao campaign guide

Breakthrough: Cao Cao destroys Yuan Shao’s army

Let’s talk about how Cao Cao can obliterate Yuan Shao’s troops quickly in Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided. I’ve also added an update based on the live/release build.

The fourth Scheme, new administrators, and new officers

On turn 2, use “Dominion Over the Realm” to unlock a reform. Pick “Eunuch Secretaries” so you can have another administrator. Since we just recruited Guan Yu, you can now make him the administrator of Chen. He’s got +peasantry income without the public order malus (unlike Xiahou Dun).

Also, remember the “Seek Skilled Characters” Faction Council decision? If you get a level 3+ Sentinel, use skill points for +industry and +commerce income. He/she can be an administrator for an industry/commerce province later.

Note: You might see officers like Liang Xing, Yan Yuanchang, and Lu Fu. Save up on some gold and recruit them when you can.

Enemy of the Han

Now on turn 2, use your Imperial Favor to decrease Yuan Shao’s standing, then mark him as an “Enemy of the Han.” This will make your Imperial Favor amount drop considerably, but the extra Credibility threshold should help boost it back up. Also, because we declared Yuan Shao an “Enemy of the Han,” defeating his armies and garrisons will make Cao Cao gain Imperial Favor instead of losing it.

Update: Based on the live/release build, it’s possible for Yuan Shao to have a slight bump to his Imperial Favor on turn 2, making it impossible to declare him as an “Enemy of the Han” early in your campaign. Assuming this is what occurs in your playthrough, I would suggest using Cao Ren’s army to move closer to Zhang He on turn 1. This will force Zhang He to attack you after you end your turn. Win this battle (since the AI initiated the attack, you won’t be penalized). Upon reaching turn 2, you should see that Yuan Shao’s Imperial Favor is below 65 points. Just decrease it further and mark him as an “Enemy of the Han.”

The north on turn 2

• Xiahou Dun can capture Taiyuan – Jinyang now. Give him another officer as backup and attack Taiyuan – Jiexiu when you think the army is ready.
• Deploy Guan Yu’s retinue in Henei – Huaixian and partner him with Mao Jie. Get a full stack.
• Capture Wei – Gongcheng with Cao Ren’s army.
• Have Yu Jin’s army cross the river and park near Henei – Zhaoge and Yuan Shao (better save beforehand, though).

The south on turn 2

• Xiahou Yuan should stay in ambush stance. Give him a third officer if you want.
• Move Cao Cao between Xiapi – Xuexian and Donghai – Tanxian. Switch to ambush stance to intercept Liu Bei.

After you end your turn, the following things should happen:

• Yuan Shao (with Yuan Shang in march stance) will attack Yu Jin’s army. Just retreat. It’s unlikely that Yuan Shao will be able to follow through.
• As for Liu Bei, he may or may not attack. If he does and the ambush is successful, you should get a pyrrhic or close victory. Since Cao Cao’s stack isn’t fully replenished, you should be fine with that.

The north on turn 3: My own mini-Guandu

I’ve reloaded my save here a few times, and I’ve usually seen this result: Yuan Shao, Yuan Shang, and Zhang He will all be in march stance next to Henei – Zhaoge.

That’s the ideal result. It’s even better after reloading since I could give Guan Yu a full stack.

Anyway, have Yu Jin, Guan Yu, and Cao Ren (march stance) swoop in to triple-team the closest hostile army. This will maul every enemy in the vicinity. Follow through by getting Yu Jin to capture Henei – Zhaoge with some backup (which will also annihilate any stragglers).

On turn 3, I was able to capture Yan Liang and Wen Chou. I also had Yuan Shao as a prisoner. I could execute him this early in my Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided campaign.

Note 1: Since Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are childhood friends, it’s probably not a good idea to kill the Fatuous Lord so soon.

Note 2: There’s a possibility that Zhang He will hang further back. Since Yuan Shang will always be left out in the open, Zhang He’s army will just get snagged once your three armies strike. Likewise, if Yu Jin retreated too far away, then you’d need to wait until turn 4 before you can besiege Henei – Zhaoge.

The south on turn 3

If Liu Bei attacked you and he got ambushed, then his army’s practically in shambles. It’s time to chase him down. Heck, I had the opportunity to execute Lord Benevolence, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun in one go.

As for Gong Du, well, Xiahou Yuan’s just watching him attentively.

Consolidating your forces

In just a couple of battles on turn 3, I decimated Yuan Shao’s forces. Three of his armies have been obliterated, and I managed to recruit two of his top generals. It’s like my own version of the Battle of Guandu. Sadly, I did lose Cheng Yu here.

Anyway, it’s time to consolidate my troops. Ideally, I’d have this kind of setup:

• Xiahou Dun gets a third officer to make his offensive a breeze.
• Guan Yu and Zhang Liao should be in the same army (since they’re best buddies). Have Mao Jie with them, too.
• Don’t forget to give Red Hare to Guan Yu since that’s fitting. I’ve never seen an event where Cao Cao actually gives the horse to him.
• Cao Ren, Yue Jin, and a random officer should be fine in one army.
• Xu Huang and Yu Jin could be moved further south to assist Cao Cao. You can redeploy them in Xiapi – Xuexian.

Okay, let’s discuss the various missions and events you’d experience as Cao Cao in your Total War: Three Kingdoms – Fates Divided campaign.