Qu Yi

Qu Yi (onyomi: Kiku Gi) is a high ranking officer under Yuan Shao. His string of successes bloated his ego badly. He eventually earned the ire of his commander, leading to his execution. In the novel, he falls victim to a newly recruited Zhao Yun.

Role in Games
Qu Yi appears in Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends in Yuan Shao's Xtreme battle, Jieqiao. He fights on the front lines, up along the eastern front. In Dynasty Warriors 9, Qu Yi resumes his role at Jieqiao, this time partaking in two side missions before the main confrontation. He is first transporting a crossbow unit to set up at Jieqiao and needs help getting through Yan Gang's cavalry force. Once saved, Qu Yi makes his way to Zhao Yun's reinforcement location and opens fire on his mounted forces, forcing them to dismount.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, Qu Yi tends to possess fairly strong war and leadership. His intelligence tends to be middling, but his political skill is abysmal, representing his arrogant nature. He is best suited for leading armies, especially archer units.

Quotes

 * "Hah, do you like looking down from up on your horse? I'll shoot you off soon enough."
 * "Everyone! Open fire! Defeat all of Gongsun Zan's soldiers!"
 * Dynasty Warriors 9

Historical Information
Qu Yi began his career under the command of Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province. Yi was among those who served Han Fu when Yuan Shao was taking refuge with Han Fu. Qu Yi began to favor Yuan Shao over his lord when Han Fu started denying food stores for the armies protecting Ji Province. Han Fu did this out of jealousy of Yuan Shao's fame, driving a wedge between him and Qu Yi's family. Qu Yi and his clan decided to join Yuan Shao officially, abandoning their former lord right before Shao tricked Han Fu into surrendering control of the province.

In 191, Yufuluo rebelled against Yuan Shao, and Qu Yi was sent to stop him. Qu Yi proved successful, forcing Yufuluo to flee to the west. That same year, and into the following, Qu Yi participated in the Jieqiao campaign, acting as the vanguard. Leading eight hundred crossbowmen and archers, Qu Yi set up a defensive perimeter with massive shields the bowmen could completely conceal themselves behind to evade the horseback archers of Gongsun Zan. Zan's own vanguard force, led by Yan Gang, did not see the danger in such a small advance force and pushed forward. Qu Yi responded by unleashing a hail of bolts and arrows into the unit, breaking their momentum and taking Yan Gang's head. This attack cost Gongsun Zan over a thousand men, breaking his army's momentum. Qu Yi pushed the attack and rushed the border bridge, the location that gives the battle its name, and attacked Gongsun Zan's camp there by the riverside. This caused Zan's army to scatter and Qu Yi was able to capture Gongsun Zan's banner.

In 193, it was Qu Yi  who was sent to reinforce Liu He, Xianyu Fu, and Yan Rou in their campaign to avenge Liu Yu's death at Gongsun Zan's hands. Qu continued to campaign against Zan and in 195 when he led the army that defeated Gongsun Zan at Baoqiu, forcing Gongsun Zan to hide under siege at Yijing. Apparently all of these victories and successes went to Qu Yi's head, as shortly after the end of Yuan Shao's struggles against Gongsun Zan, Shao had Qu Yi executed for extreme levels of arrogance. In his book Heroes of the Late Han Dynasty, Wang Can assessed Qu Yi as a man who learned how to fight from the Qiang, making him and his men formidable and sharp.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
The  Romance of the Three Kingdoms only features Qu Yi in chapter 7, during Yuan Shao's campaign against Gongsun Zan. He once again is part of the vanguard, this time shared with Yan Liang and Wen Chou, who held the left and right flanks. Qu Yi holds the middle with 800 archers and 10,000 reserve footmen. Yi still has his men shelter behind their shields, waiting for a bombard signal to fire upon the approaching cavalry force. When it sounds, Qu Yi easily gets the upper hand on Zan's officer, Yan Gang. Qu Yi personally rides out and takes the man's head with his sword. With Yan Liang and Wen Chou securing his flanks, Qu Yi pushes up into Gongsun Zan's camp and kills the warlord's banner bearer, scattering the army. Qu Yi gives chase to Gongsun Zan, and just as he catches up, Zhao Yun turns about and engages him in a duel, quickly slaying Qu Yi within a few blows.