Hulao Gate

The Battle of Hulao Gate (虎牢関の戦い, rōmaji: Korōkan no Tatakai), or literally the "Battle of Tiger Gaol Gate" was an important defense point on the path to Luoyang that was attacked by the Allied Forces, headed by Yuan Shao, in their attempt to overthrow Dong Zhuo. Lu Bu was defeated here by the three sworn brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. The gate is also known as Sishui Gate.

Historically, while there were conflicts fought at this place, the major battle depicted in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was never fought here. The gate itself wasn't made until years after the said conflict took place.

Dynasty Warriors
Taking advantage of the turmoil caused by the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Dong Zhuo seizes the opportunity and usurps control of the imperial court through the force of his army. Beginning a reign of terror, Dong Zhuo is declared a traitor of the Han empire and Yuan Shao raises a call to form a coalition to bring down the tyrant.

In this series, the allied forces are usually split into three pronged attacks headed by Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei, while Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan and others remain behind and normally charge when the forces gain an advantage. In most games, Lu Bu remains the last challenge before entering the gate, but can often be avoided by taking another path or simply running past him. The atmosphere of the stage in various portrayals is well-known for its snowy weather.

In the first installment, this is usually Lu Bu's home stage. The second game in the series involves opening four gates named after the Four Gods themselves in order to advance to the main area Lu Bu is guarding, along with an event where Xiahou Dun has his eye shot out, later reserved for the Battle of Xia Pi.

The third installment uses a less-intricate map (which is reused for Dynasty Warriors Advance), with Liu Bei's forces on the east side, and both Sun Jian and Cao Cao converging on Si Shui Gate (incorrectly-localized as Fanshui/Fan Shui Gate in the Western ports) guarded by Hua Xiong. If Guan Yu makes contact with Hua Xiong, an event will occur where he easily kills Hua Xiong. During the battle, Yuan Shu's forces are assaulted by Lu Bu, all while not giving Sun Jian the supplies needed (making this battle a composite version of both Si Shui Gate and Hu Lao Gate in all). Most likely, depending on the player's speed and the stage's difficulty, Lu Bu will often defeat Yuan Shu's forces very quickly. This version of the stage is also famous for being the requirement to unlock Lu Bu, being to rack up 1000 KOs on either the Musou Mode or Free Mode version of the stage on any difficulty.

The Dynasty Warriors 4 version of the stage makes it part of the Luo Yang series of stages (along with the Tong Gate and The Imperial Seal stages), and the whole eastern side of the map series is used, with some portion leading out to Tong Gate's area as Dong Zhuo's escape point. The area just beyond the gate shows nearly the whole capital as opposed to just Dong Zhuo's camp, where Dong Zhuo resides in one section of the city out of four. This installment also has Luo Yang in a few miles, directly lie past Hu Lao Gate's camp via another gate leading into the city.

This is also the installment where both Hu Lao Gate and Si Shui Gate became separate stages, and remained so in the fifth entry. Sun Jian and Yuan Shao's main camp in the east, Liu Bei in the north, and Cao Cao in the south are to break through their respective gates guarded by Dong Zhuo's vanguard in order to advance on the gate. The gate's names reuse the Four Gods naming motif for them but only Bai Hu Gate (白虎門, Byakkomon) is exempt. The gate in the east is Qin Long Gate (青龍門, Seiryūmon), the north gate being Xuan Wu Gate (玄武門, Genbumon) and the south gate being Zhu Que Gate (朱雀門, Suzakumon; mis-localized as "Zhu Qiao Gate"). The other two gates that have not opened yet by the time one gate opens will automatically do so when the player opens them from the other side (from the center field).

The player must then escort a battering ram that appears as soon as allied forces converge onto the very central rendezvous to break down Hu Lao Gate. Successful or not, the gate will still open, and eventually Lu Bu will charge out, and often challenge the player to a duel, but it's possible to avoid him by moving past him. Diao Chan will happen to be guarding the gate to Luo Yang where Dong Zhuo resides in one of the districts with some of his other generals. Trying to reach Dong Zhuo himself will cause him to burn the capital (as he states he is able to sacrifice as many cities as he wants) and move to his aforementioned escape point, where he will rarely engage in combat. If Dong Zhuo is reached before killing Lu Bu, he will only retreat if his health is low as opposed to having nearly all of his main forces being wiped out. If Si Shui Gate is skipped during this battle during Musou Mode, then Hua Xiong will ambush the player's main camp. But if the stage is played beforehand, then either victory will increase Sun Jian's performance via his morale as an NPC, or cause him to be cautious and careful if supplies were not delivered on time to him.

In Dong Zhuo's forces scenario only in Musou Mode if Si Shui Gate is cleared first and especially if Cao Cao is defeated (where he'll spout a line about feigning defeat), it is Yuan Shao (or Cao Cao) who burns down the capital instead, who remorsefully remarks that they must sacrifice the Han capital in order to defeat the tyrant (which in turn can devastate the morale of Dong Zhuo's army). However, Sun Jian can start with lower morale if his messenger was first defeated back at Si Shui Gate before reaching him.

The version in the fifth installment does away with the initial minor gates, and like before has Hu Lao Gate be marked on one corner of the map where only Dong Zhuo's camp is shown. The gate itself has an empty room lit up inside it, which is two gates instead of a single one. It is in this version the player can use an alternate path to travel through in the north, where Zhang Liao will be waiting. As before, attacking Dong Zhuo first before dealing with Lu Bu will cause Lu Bu to rush to his aid. Oddly, Sun Jian and his army is only present on Dong Zhuo's side of the battle, where as he is completely absent in the Allied Forces' version.

Lu Bu's story ends at Hu Lao Gate in Dynasty Warriors 6. Tired of Lu Bu's various invasions and disruptions of territories and battles, the warlords of the land, including Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Zhang Jiao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan, and Cao Cao, band together in order to defeat their common foe.

For allied forces side, this stage is become as a stage for Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhou Yu, Sun Jian, Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun story. If the player character's level is high enough, the player may be able to defeat Lu Bu and stop his interference on their way inside the gate.

Dynasty Warriors 7 recombines the Hulao and Sishui Gates (also now one word), now merged into a two-part battle featuring both seperately. After Guan Yu cuts down Hua Xiong, the allies make their way to Hulao Gate for the second half of the battle. Almost of all elements are repeated in the stories of Wei, Wu, and Shu as the coalition pushes forward against the catapults set up on the walls of Hulao by Dong Zhuo's men. The key difference is how Lu Bu shows up. Wei's version has the allied troop secure catapults guarded by Zang Ba to destroy the gates and Lu Bu appears as Xiahou Yuan charges through. Wu and Shu's version will have Lu Bu appear once the players reaches the gate. In all three versions Dong Zhuo's officers atop the walls will attack Yuan Shao once the gates are destroyed. Zhang Liao guards Dong Zhuo's main camp, leaving only the tyrant and Diao Chan remaining.

Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends recycles the sixth installment's battle as a Legend Battle. It also adds a part where players can fight for Dong Zhuo.

Dynasty Warriors 8 restricts Hulao Gate to Shu and Wei's stories. In any of the routes, if the player succeeds or fails to secure the supply route for Sun Jian, Hua Xiong will guard Sishui Gate, only to be killed. Wei Xu will issue an archer attack after the first gate is crossed. At Hulao Gate, Jia Xu will try to block the coalition's entrance to Dong Zhuo's territory. When the gates are cleared, Lu Bu will appear to "crush the vile pests". He will fly into a rage and pursue the player if they defeat Diaochan. When the coalition evades or defeats Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo sets fire to the capital causing panic among the civilians.

The difference of the stories is that in Liu Bei's story, Zhang Jiao may protect the main camp for Liu Bei. In Cao Cao's story, should Lu Bu be defeated at Luoyang before the battle, his dialogue against the player will change.

In Dong Zhuo's scenario, Luoyang is already in flames, and he begins his retreat as well as his search for Diaochan. Dian Wei first impedes the way by attempting to lock Dong Zhuo's forces into the blazing castle. After that, Liu Bei and his brothers appear to charge out against the fleeing army. When they are defeated, Sun Jian, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao appear before Dong Zhuo at Sishui Gate, but they are defeated. Soon Diaochan appears within a garrison, but upon Dong Zhuo's arrival, she attacks him with Lu Bu at her side. When both of them are defeated, Dong Zhuo happily seizes the maiden for himself.

During the expansion, another scenario is given for Dong Zhuo. In this scenario, it is Yuan Shao who seizes power and holds the emperor after the fall of the eunuchs, and in response: Dong Zhuo forms his own coalition consisting of his own forces and that of Sun Jian's forces against Yuan Shao. To the north of Dong Zhuo's main camp are minor warlords, unsure of who to join in the battle. As soon as they see one side winning, they will begin mobilizing for the winning side. Despite obstacles such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Ding Yuan, and Lu Bu, Yuan Shao is defeated and Dong Zhuo seizes the emperor.

In Lu Bu's story, he must escort Dong Zhuo to safety. Caring little for the soldiers fighting hard against the coalition, Dong Zhuo attempts to withdraw to Luoyang, only to find it in flames. When Dong Zhuo's men attempt to turn around, and head for Chang'an, both Huang Gai and Han Dang appear and ambush Dong Zhuo. Breaking through Hulao gate, Chen Gong orders Yue Jin to charge while pinning down the enemy with a ballista. After this trap is foiled, but Guan Yu appears and attempts to keep Dong Zhuo's men from entering the central area. On their way to Sishui gate, Li Dian appears, and orders a barrage of arrows, forcing Dong Zhuo to halt. Defeating Chen Gong will open Sishui gate, and the strategist promises to meet Lu Bu someday. After passing through the second gate, reinforcements for both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao appear, and attack Dong Zhuo's men. After that, Dong Zhuo orders that one of the three gates should be secured before he will move again. Upon reaching the escape point, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao advance and must be defeated to successfully escape. Depending on the player's quickness, it is possible to rescue Hua Xiong, and he will appear to assist Lu Bu in future battles.

In Dynasty Warriors 9, Hulao Gate appears as the second defensive gate protecting Luoyang from the east after Sishui Gate, and can be visited at any time due to the game's open world design. In Chapter Two of Shu, Wei, and Wu's Story Modes, once Dong Zhuo comes to power and takes over Luoyang, mission objectives to take Sishui and Hulao Gates are secondary to the primary of taking out Dong Zhuo, with Hua Xiong guarding Sishui Gate with Zhang Xiu, Zhang Ji, Cheng Lian, and Xu Rong, and Lu Bu guarding Hulao Gate with the support of Diaochan, Li Ru, Gao Shun, Huche'er, and Zhang Liao. Huche'er guards the gate's supply depot, Gao Shun commands the catapults from the nearby base next to the gate, while Diaochan, Zhang Liao, and Li Ru wait for enemies on top of the gate while Lu Bu stands firm in front of the main gate that needs to be opened by the Allied Forces' rams. Upon attacking the gate, while Liu Bei and his oath brothers take out Huche'er and set fire to the supply depot to lower enemy morale, Yuan Shao suggests avoiding Lu Bu and taking out Zhang Liao to gain control of the gate and the door controls for it. Once successful, Lu Bu decides not to waste his time any further on the Allied Forces and retreats with Diaochan, leaving Hulao Gate wide open to capture and clear the way to Luoyang. However, if Diaochan is attacked and defeated first, the gate opens similar to if Zhang Liao was defeated, but Lu Bu goes ballistic seeking revenge, forcing the player to defeat him before the Allied Forces can advance beyond the gate to Luoyang, though defeating him at all costs as the primary objective opens the gate as, even if the rams make it through Lu Bu, all his men, and his defenses and reach the gate, the gate is impenetrable as no matter how many times the ram is thrusted into it, its health will not decrease, forcing the gate to be opened manually by defeating Zhang Liao, Diaochan, or Lu Bu. Diaochan withdraws with Zhang Liao after Lu Bu is routed, seeing no other option to remain to guard the gate if Lu Bu has been defeated. It later plays a part in several battles that follow during Cao Cao's attempt to evacuate Emperor Xian to Xuchang and beyond as Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Lu Bu all make attempts to claim possession of the Emperor themselves.

Warriors Orochi
In the first title, the Shu army, led by Zhao Yun, attempts to rescue the cornered forces of Sun Ce from the Orochi forces led by Sima Yi. While Zhao Yun leads a charge on the eastern route up to Sun Ce, Wang Ping moves to the center of the battlefield posing as Lu Xun, Sun Ce's adviser, in order to distract the enemy. Once the rescue mission is complete, Zhou Yu orders the armies to lure the enemy into the battlefield's center, and for Zhu Ran to set the area on fire once the enemy is drawn in.

The Samurai alliance battles Kiyomori at Hu Lao Gate in Warriors Orochi 2. Sakon takes the eastern route in order to liaise with Nobunaga for reinforcements.

In Warriors Orochi 3, Cao Pi's forces along with Shuten Dōji, Sima Zhao, and Keiji battle the demon army using the Yashio'ori to subdue two Hydra heads at Hulao Gate. Should any of the weapons be destroyed, the player will automatically lose. After eliminating the remaining heads, Cao Pi and his entourage will advance towards Kiyomori's main camp which is filled with various traps including poisonous gas. Shuten Dōji must also survive in order to open the gates leading to the enemy commander. After the Hydra recreation of Orochi is defeated by the Coalition, Cao Pi, Zhenji, and Sima Yi join them.

The DLC Stage, Path to Paradise takes place here, with Dong Zhuo leader a number of demons to battle against a coalition bent on reclaiming women being help by the tyrant. If Dong Zhuo or Kiyomori fall here, the battle is a loss.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
This battle takes place in chapters 4 and 5.

Heeding the death of Hua Xiong, Dong Zhuo personally brought an army of 150,000 men with Lu Bu, Li Ru, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji east to Hulao Pass, while sending 50,000 men under Li Jue and Guo Si to reinforce Sishui Pass. Once at Hulao Pass, Dong Zhuo ordered Lu Bu to lead the vanguard with 30,000 men and set camp in front of the fortified pass.

The coalition decided to send half of their forces to engage Dong Zhuo's forces. Eight coalition warlords, namely, Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao, Bao Xin, Yuan Yi, Kong Rong, Zhang Yang, Tao Qian, and Gongsun Zan each led their forces towards Hulao Pass under Yuan Shao's command. The first to arrive in Hulao Pass was Wang Kuang. Lu Bu rode out alone, atop the magnificent Red Hare, halberd in hand, and donned in shining ebony armor, he demanded a worthy challenger to face him. Most of the infantry had heard of Lu Bu's reputation, and none stepped forward until one of Wang Kuang's officers, Fang Yue, volunteered to duel Lu Bu. In less than five rounds, Fang Yue was killed, and Lu Bu charged through Wang Kuang's force, killing the routing soldiers left and right. Fortunately for Wang Kuang, the forces of Qiao Mao and Yuan Yi came to his rescue. They decided to withdraw 30 li from the pass and set camp there.

Soon, the remaining five coalition warlords arrived at the camp, where they discussed and concluded that Lu Bu could not be defeated by any living soul under heaven. Just then, Lu Bu's men arrayed outside the coalition camp, and the eight coalition warlords went to meet the enemy. Mu Shun, an officer under Zhang Yang, galloped towards Lu Bu with his horse, but was immediately killed. Wu Anguo, an officer of Kong Rong, then charged out with his metal club. They fought for ten rounds, but then Lu Bu lopped off Wu Anguo's arm with his halberd. The coalition forces charged out and rescued Wu Anguo, and each side retreated to their own camps. Cao Cao commented that all eighteen warlords should be collected to discuss a plan to defeat Lu Bu, and that if Lu Bu was somehow defeated, Dong Zhuo would essentially be a pushover.

Just then, Lu Bu again came out to taunt the coalition, demanding another challenger. This time Gongsun Zan himself went to challenge Lu Bu, but had to withdraw after a few rounds (which probably saved his life). Lu Bu gave chase, but he was distracted by Zhang Fei, who called him a bastard slave with three surnames (referring to Lu Bu's own surname and those of his two adopted fathers; it was almost certain that Zhang Fei was drunk when he made this comment). The now-angry Lu Bu then battled Zhang Fei for a surprising fifty rounds, with neither gaining an advantage over the other. Then Guan Yu, brandishing his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, dashed out to assist his oath brother. The three fighters were engaged in another thirty bouts, but still Lu Bu seemed unbeatable. Then Liu Bei, holding up his Dual Swords, also joined the battle.

Like a merry-go-round, the three oath brothers galloped in a circle caging Lu Bu inside. In this way, Lu Bu couldn't focus on fighting one opponent without leaving his flanks exposed, and soon he began to tire from having to constantly defend himself. Unable to face the combined efforts of his three opponents, Lu Bu then made a feign at Liu Bei and retreated through the resulting gap back to the pass gate. The trio chased after Lu Bu but due to the speed of Red Hare, they could not keep up with him. However they abandoned the chase after they spotted Dong Zhuo. Zhang Fei attempted to charge onto the fortification to kill Dong Zhuo, but he was repelled by the rain of arrows from the pass.

After having achieved a task thought impossible, the eight coalition warlords declared the battle won, and received Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei for a celebration of their heroic victory. Dong Zhuo, realizing the fact that Lu Bu was forced to retreat damaged his army's morale, looted, burned, and vacated Luoyang, retreating with the Emperor to Chang'an. The coalition reclaimed Luoyang, but it was a Pyrrhic victory, and eventually, internal bickering resulted in the coalition falling apart.

Trivia

 * There is a typo in Dynasty Warriors 6 where the base of Dong Zhuo's forces is labeled as "Dong Zhou's Main Camp".
 * There are two glitches/bypasses possible on the Dynasty Warriors 4 version of Hulao Gate on the allied forces scenario, where with the proper requirements, it is possible to bypass the gate before Lu Bu can even appear. The first involves a trick where the player can exploit the terrain via a high jump stat to rapidly jump over the gate, while another involves doing an interm save while climbing onto the gate the same way so that the player can end up on the top and walk/jump down normally (which is akin to the invisible boundary bypassing glitch).
 * The former is due to the fact that the gate's surface itself counts as a piece of land a unit can stand on but will slide off of; by having a high enough jump stat, the player can keep scaling up the wall just enough to avoid slipping off during their landing animation.
 * The battering ram in Dynasty Warriors 4 via playing on the Allied Forces Scenario is often rarely destroyed due to it being able to destroy the gate fast enough no matter the difficulty; if the ram is destroyed however, unused dialogue of Yuan Shao being shocked at Hulao Gate opening up on its own will occur.

Gallery
Warriors series=