Liao Hua

Liao Hua (onyomi: Ryō Ka) was a former Yellow Turban and loyal officer of Shu. He lived to witness the rise, establishment, and collapse of Shu. Romance of the Three Kingdoms lionizes Liao Hua further by portraying him as one of Guan Yu's most loyal retainers and a person critical to Jiang Wei's northern campaigns.

He placed twenty-third with fans in Gamecity's Shin Sangoku Musou Blast first card promotion poll; he was second in the second card promotion poll.

Roles in Games
Liao Hua is generally found as the bodyguard of Zhang Jiao during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. However, in recent installments, he has been omitted from Yellow Turban stages entirely. In some games, he is commanded by Guan Yu to retrieve reinforcements during the Battle of Fan Castle. He will often return later with said reinforcements, attempting to save Guan Yu. In recent installments, he is one the primary Shu generals during the Jin campaign.

In Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, the Shu soldiers admire Liao Hua's status as a veteran during Xiahou Ba's Hero Scenario. He is among the generals who thinks they have taken Taoyang Castle, his spirits high with the sense of victory. Liao Hua also acts as the field guide during Xing Cai's Hero Scenario where he fights alongside her during the battle.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, Liao Hua reprises many of his previous roles. In Wei's hypothetical route, Liao Hua will activate ballistae to stall Cao Cao at Nanjun, though he eventually perishes in the conflict. In Jin's hypothetical route, he surrenders after Sima Shi takes Chengdu. However, when Jiang Wei launches a surprise raid, Liao Hua reveals his true colors and resumes his attack on the Wei forces. Speaking with Liao Hua at Fan Castle will have him talk about their forces's performance during Xu Province.

In the Xtreme Legends expansion, Liao Hua will join Zhong Hui's rebellion, though Liu Shan may convince the general to lay down his arms at Shangyong.

In Dynasty Warriors 9, Liao Hua can be found protecting Liu Bei's family from bandits during Guan Yu's escape. If the bandits are defeated, Liao Hua will accompany the other forces of Liu Bei as they continue their flight.

In Warriors Orochi, Liao Hua serves as Xing Cai's replacement officer when players assume the latter's role. The third game has him act as Zhang Fei's stand-in instead.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Liao Hua has appeared in every entry of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. He will normally begin the game as part of the Yellow Turban rebellion, or in entries where the rebellion has been omitted he begins as a free officer. Liao Hua usually joins Liu Bei's force in the early 200's, sometimes through the same event as Guan Yu's Thousand Li Journey. Liao Hua is the longest lived officer in every installment, and is the only officer in the series who appears during the first scenario of every game and is still alive in the final scenario of every game, living to beyond the age of 90. Liao Hua is an average officer with no spectacular abilities, though his military stats are still usually in the 70's. Liao Hua's greatest asset is his long lifespan, affording him the potential to develop into a strong officer over time through training and experience.

Voice Actors

 * David Berón - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English-uncredited)
 * Tony Oliver - Warriors Orochi (English-uncredited)
 * Si Yeongjun - Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Legend of Cao Cao (Korean)
 * Yoshiya Naruke - Sangokushi Legion
 * Masahito Yabe - Youkai Sangokushi (Japanese)
 * Ryuta Anzai - Sangokushi Hadou (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "We aim to restore Shu to its former glory! We will never give up!"
 * "I hope that I was at least of some help to you... Farewell, Master Liu Bei.."
 * "Liao Hua, you have served Shu honorably since the days of my father. However, I do not want you to suffer any longer."
 * "Liu Shan... Forgive me... We were not strong enough..."
 * Liu Shan and Liao Hua; Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends

Historical Information
Liao Hua was a native of Xiangyang in Jing Province. He was formerly named Liao Chun, but changed his name later. He began his service under Guan Yu in Jing and was his chief secretary. When Liao Hua was captured by Wu after the Battle of Fan Castle, he faked his own death to reach Liu Bei together with his mother. Once they met at Zigui, his lord was pleased with his return and made him grand administrator of Yidu. After the death of Liu Bei, Liao Hua first became an adviser to Zhuge Liang and was later made controller of Guangwu. He was further promoted to General of the Chariots and Cavalry, made designated Inspector of Bing Province and became Marquis of Zhongxiang. He was also very critical of Jiang Wei's persistent attacks during the Northern Campaigns, but remained steadfast until the very end. After Liu Shan surrendered to the invading armies of Wei under Deng Ai, Liao Hua accompanied him to Wei's capital Luoyang. However, he grew ill during the journey and died before reaching his destination.

Liao Hua served in many of Shu's campaigns against Wei and was the highest ranking general under Jiang Wei. However, he was unable to match the feats of the late heroes of Shu. This circumstance led to the creation of a proverb which translates to "Shu has no more famous commanders, Liao Hua takes the lead of the vanguard", which is used when someone is made to do a job for which he is seemingly unfit, but still willing to take on.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Liao Hua's first appearance in the novel is in chapter 27 when he met Guan Yu. After Guan Yu made his formal partings with Cao Cao, he hurried back to the carriage with his brother's wives. When he found them, they were guarded by Liao Hua, who announced his former rank as a Yellow Turban. Liao Hua rescued the ladies from bandits and presented the heads of the brigands as proof. Though Guan Yu was grateful for his deed, Liao Hua's past reputation made him weary of his trust. Therefore, his party said their thanks and continued on their way. Later, Liao Hua would be accepted by Guan Yu and he acted as one of Guan Yu's most trusted subordinates. During the conflict at Maicheng, Liao Hua made the lone charge to break out of the Wu encirclement, and he left for Shangyong in an attempt to get reinforcements from Meng Da and Liu Feng. When the two denied the request, Liao Hua cursed the two, and attempted to ask Liu Bei for reinforcements instead, but was too late. Liao Hua later reported what Liu Feng and Meng Da had done to Liu Bei.

During his later years, Liao Hua nearly captured both Sima Yi and Sima Zhao on separate occasions. During a chase, Liao Hua obtained Sima Yi's golden helmet. This item was used to taunt and provoke the Wei army.

Liao Hua has more victories in duels than most of the characters in the story. However, despite triumphing often and only losing once, Liao Hua is not typically considered one of the best duelists of the time period as most of his successes came against low-ranking generals. He dies shortly after Liu Shan's surrender, but his death is instead caused by grief.