Hebei

The Struggle at He Bei (河北掃討戦) is a fictional battle introduced in Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2. To follow with his father's ambitions to subjugate the province, Cao Pi leads an army to crush the Yuan family after the Battle of Guandu.

Historically, Hebei Province was one of Yuan Shao's most influential bases and home to many of his family members. It was one of the final battle grounds between his son, Yuan Shang, and Cao Cao.

Role in Games
In Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2, the battle is known as "Battle of Liyang". The stage starts out with Cao Cao being separated from the main unit, with Guo Jia ordering the rest of the troops to find a hidden path leading to their lord. After some time, Cao Cao will soon be attacked by Tadun's forces, and will be defeated if not aided. When Tadun's forces are defeated, a full assault on Yuan Shao's camp is ordered. As Cao Cao's forces near the enemy main camp, Yuan Shao's sons all appear and charge the player's character. Defeating Yuan Shao will end the battle.

While given a passing mention in other titles, the fall of the Yuan family becomes its own battle in Dynasty Warriors 6: Special as Cao Pi's second Musou Mode stage. His father wins Guan Du, but Yuan Shao escaped death from the battle. With the Yuan family still a looming threat on the horizon, Cao Pi volunteers to exterminate them for his father. He plans to experience how it feels to end a once reputable family, in hopes of better improving his future leadership.

Yuan Shao stations himself on the northern mountain castle and has three gates to defend himself from Cao Pi's advance. The young leader has himself and several talented generals -such Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and Zhang He- at the bottom of the mountain. While Yuan Shao orders his army to strengthen the defenses and wait for reinforcements, Cao Pi orders his army to eradicate the gates and take down the castle walls as quickly as possible. If Yuan Shao is defeated quickly, his sons will arrive too late to save their father. Realizing that the fate of the family is now up for grabs, Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan will bicker with one another over the right to lead. Their unwillingness to cooperate with one another makes Cao Pi's job easier to accomplish.

Should Cao Pi take too long to defeat the father, Yuan Shao's sons will appear on the eastern side of the map and outnumber Cao Pi's troops. Cao Pi remarks that his plan has failed and orders his men to pull back and rebuild the defenses. Ally morale will suffer and Cao Pi will need to face the entire Yuan family at once. Yuan Shao will also be in hyper mode if this occurs, declaring that his family shall never fall so long as he lives.

Waiting a little longer in the battle has Yuan Xi and his wife Zhen Ji appear in the upper right corner of the map. If Cao Pi approaches them, he will be taken by the maiden and flirts with her. Both members of the couple are insulted by his impulsiveness and will be enraged as a result. If Cao Pi defeats both of them, Zhen Ji will be impressed the strength he possesses over her husband and swears to be with him from then on.