Yuan Shao Walkthrough

How to unlock this campaign: Clear the Wei campaign.

Yellow Turban Menace: Han Vs. Yellow Turbans
"The Yellow Turbans have surrounded Xia Pi Castle. Defeat their commander Zhang Liang!"

Commanders: Huangfu Song VS Zhang Liang

At the start of the battle (either as Zhang He or Yuan Shao), assist either Cao Cao or Liu Bei against the generals that stand in their way. Since Deng Mao is the closest, go ahead and put him out of the way. Next, defeat Gao Sheng at the south gate so Liu Bei can advance towards Sun Jian's area. Since Cao Cao's army has only one general left, might as well help out the Hero of Chaos and allow his army to move towards Zhang Liang. Some time later, Zhang Liang will summon a rain storm near Huangfu Song. Huangfu Song will see this as a useless trick and start advancing. Just as Huangfu Song passes through the stream in the castle, He Yi will appear as an ambush party out of the rain. Go over towards Huangfu Song and bail him out. After dealing with He Yi, you can assist Sun Jian and Liu Bei on the east gate if you wish or you can wait for the second ambush party led by Yan Zheng that is just outside of the castle waiting for Huangfu Song. With both ambush parties and the east gate cleared, it is now a walk through the land from here on out. Although Zhang Liang is cornered, he will use the water geysers as his last attack to crush your forces. Give this guy a beat down and claim your first victory. Also, by clearing this stage, Zhang Liang will not appear in the last battle. Defeating He Yi and Yan Zheng as a female custom officer will earn you the level 10 rapier.

Yellow Turban Fortress: Han Vs. Yellow Turbans
"Dispel Zhang Bao's sorcery and take down the Yellow Turban Fortress!"

Commanders: Zhu Jun VS Zhang Bao

Cao Cao will attack from the east while Sun Jian advances from the west. The volunteer forces shall move as they like while once again (Yuan Shao or Zhang He) shall assist either side they wish. In this battle, there are two paths that you can take or you can take both if you don't mind the back tracking. Since you are close to Cao Cao's position, advance towards the circular path. Defeat He Yi and enter the circular path where Pei Yuan Shao will use the windmills against your army. As Cao Cao said, "There is a way to stop these winds! Keep advancing." Once you reach the end of the circular path, you will find 3 windmills that are causing the strong winds to slow your forces down. Knock down the windmills and your forces shall continue their match towards Pei Yuan Shao. Defeat Pei Yuan Shao and you're only a few feet away from Zhang Bao's castle.

Now if you took the west path then you will encounter Bo Zhang guarding the small fortress gate. Defeat him and gain entrance into the area where the phantom army will assault you. Sun Jian will let you know that there is a source of power that gives these ghosts their power so search near the south of the fortress. You will come across 2 large cauldrons that need to be destroyed in order for you to continue. Zhou Cang is guarding the second gate so take the time to show him who is the best. With the phantom army and Zhou Cang defeated, you will be left with only Zhang Bao left, but you must first defeat Cheng Yuanzhi to get inside the castle. Defeat Zhang Bao and you will have won your second battle. Also, by defeating Zhang Bao, he will not appear in the last battle.

This is where you can get the level 10 custom officer sword, and for that you have to choose a path, eliminate the two generals on the path you chose and defeat Cheng Yuanzhi in 6 minutes or less.

Yellow Turban Rebellion: Han Vs. Yellow Turbans
"Defeat Yellow Turban leader Zhang Jiao and bring an end to their rebellion!"

Commanders: He Jin VS Zhang Jiao

If you managed to clear and defeat Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao in the last battles then they won't appear here at this battle. So advancing here will be easy for the Han forces. On the other hand, if you did not defeat them in the other battles, they will appear in the north. Zhang Liang will be in the east and Zhang Bao shall be in the west. As you advance to the middle field, go ahead and give Liu Bei's forces a hand by defeating the officers in his way. Next, head for the middle field towards the north and defeat the general there which will allow Liu Bei to join Sun Jian's forces in the west. Once again, there are two paths here and you can always do one or both if you don't mind the back tracking. For the assault on Zhang Bao, he will use flame geysers on you. If you sway from these flaming blast, Zhang Bao will walk over them himself while trying to get to you so use that to your advantage. Defeat Zhang Bao and advance on to the north where Zhang Jiao is. In the east, Zhang Liang uses a more dangerous attack on you that can finish you off if you are not careful. He will send rolling stones on you as you try to move around in the area and he too will be hit by them. Defeat Zhang Liang and continue your march to the north.

If neither of them appeared in this battle then all you must do is defeat any of the generals in the area. Once you are about to reach the top, Zhang Jiao will send flaming rocks towards you as his final attempt to crush you. You can easily dodge them by taking to the right side of the path. Once you have passed the rocks, go ahead and finish off Zhang Jiao to end his rebellion. Well done! You have just won your last battle of chapter 1!

Note: If you are aiming for the level 10 great sword for your male custom officer (for that you have to defeat every last general), don't take this stage lightly, because in hard mode, Liu, Cao and Sun will get taken out if you're not careful (even though it's fairly unlikely). Should either Cao Cao or Sun Jian get killed, He Jin will consider retreating, and should both of them get slain, He Jin will retreat and you lose the stage.

Battle of Si Shui Gate: Allied Forces Vs. Dong Zhuo's Forces
"Attack Luo Yang's defensive stronghold at Si Shui Gate and defeat Li Jue!"

Commanders: Yuan Shao VS Li Jue

As you have already read from the novel, Yuan Shao will lead the coalition against Dong Zhuo. As you assault Si Shui Gate, Liu Bei and Cao Cao will be engaging the enemy generals. Since you are closer to Cao Cao (If you are Zhang He), go ahead and take care of the generals in the area and Cao Cao will join Sun Jian at Si Shui Gate. Later, Sun Jian will request for supplies to be sent to his army, but Yuan Shu will not do so if you read the novel. Seeing much rivalry in the allied forces, you have no choice but to get the supplies to Sun Jian before he begins his attack on Hua Xiong. If you got a horse then hustle all the way to where Liu Bei is at and assist him against the generals. Once they are taken care of, you will notice a back road that leads into the enemy supply depot. Take the road and defeat Fan Chou to take the supply depot for your own. If, in case, Sun Jian attacks Si Shui Gate before you get the supplies to him then do not worry. Go ahead and still take over the supply depot and he will charge head-on into Hua Xiong's army. Once you join up with the others at Si Shui Gate, take the moment to give Hua Xiong a lesson in fighting. Defeat Hua Xiong and advance through the gate to meet with Li Jue. Some time later, a general will appear as enemy reinforcements, but it is rather useless at this point. After you defeat Li Jue or let him escape, you will have claimed your first victory against Dong Zhuo. Also, by clearing Si Shui Gate, Hua Xiong will not appear in the last battle.

This is where you can get the level 10 custom officer spear, and for that you have to occupy the supply depot, then enter Li Jue's camp from the south entrance. Wait for the reinforcement general to appear, then take him out before slaying Hua Xiong so that you don't risk Li Jue retreating before the reinforcement general arrives.

Battle of Hu Lao Gate: Allied Forces Vs. Dong Zhuo's Forces
"Break through Hu Lao Gate, evade Lu Bu and defeat Dong Zhuo!"

Commanders: Yuan Shao VS Dong Zhuo

At the start of the battle, Sun Jian will only attack if his forces did receive supplies in the last battle; however, if he did not receive any supplies during the last battle and was defeated by Hua Xiong then he will hold his army back and wait. Cao Cao will attack from the south and Liu Bei shall advance from the north to make their way towards Hu Lao Gate. (If you choose Zhang He, you will be assisting Cao Cao. If you choose Yuan Shao then you will start at the main camp in the east.) Start off by eliminating the enemy generals that are holding the gates. Defeating them will allow the allied army to advance through the gates towards Hu Lao Gate. Later, a siege ram will appear and head for Hu Lao Gate. Go ahead and make your way there. You will encounter two Guard Captains here, but they won't be too much of a bother. After a couple of minutes, the ram will crush Hu Lao Gate and your army shall charge right in to meet the top dog of Dong Zhuo's army. As you might have figured, it is Lu Bu and he is here to put everyone down. As always, he will try to challenge you to a duel. It is possible to beat him in a duel, but you may find it rather difficult. After you decide to run away from him or not, you will find Diao Chan guarding the last gate between you and Dong Zhuo. Give her a nice love tap and send her away from your sight. After passing through the third gate, Dong Zhuo will tell his soldiers to burn the city. With the city now burning, Yuan Shao shall make his final advance on Dong Zhuo. (However, if you skipped the assault on Si Shui Gate then Hua Xiong will appear in this battle as enemy reinforcements near the back where Yuan Shao is at.) After defeating the other remaining generals in the areas, it will be only Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu left to deal with. You can allow Dong Zhuo to retreat after you beat him down or if you are quick to end the game then go ahead and give him the final hits; however, if you somehow defeat Lu Bu in combat then Dong Zhuo will take his leave of you. Either way, you will come out on top once again and score yourself another victory! Also, defeating Lu Bu as a custom officer will earn you the level 10 custom officer pike.

Battle of Guan Du: Yuan Shao's Forces Vs. Cao Cao's Forces
"Hold back the enemy assault and defeat your nemesis Cao Cao!"

Commanders: Yuan Shao VS Cao Cao

As many of us have read from the novel of the Three Kingdoms, this is the battle where Yuan Shao did not heed the advice of Tian Feng or Ju Shou. Time for a new victor this time around. There is both a longer way and quick way to win this battle if you act quickly enough. So take your pick of the choice you want.

At the start of the battle, Guan Yu will be in hot pursuit of Lord Yan Liang. (Not to mention he won't last long against him.) If you choose the Red Hare and Yuan Shao for this battle then you can prevent Yan Liang from being defeated due to his position and the speed of the horse; however, if you failed to save Yan Liang then you can still save Wen Chou from Guan Yu's fury. Once Guan Yu says, "You won't escape me! Your head is mine!", that is your cue to lure him away from the other generals. You can defeat Guan Yu in battle if you wish or you can simply get rid of him by taking him to Liu Bei who is at the top just above Bai Ma (Dispatching Guan Yu here is necessary in order to achieve Yuan Shao's 4th ending). After you have taken care of Guan Yu, you can defeat the general of Bai Ma and send Cao Cao's army back to Guan Du castle or you can take care of the two generals in the circular path. Also, there will be a valuable item that appears in the circular path, but it is nothing more than an ambush party of archers. Go ahead and finish them off or pay no heed to it.

With Bai Ma fallen, get ready to claim the victory, but be cautious since you have played the Wei forces mode. As your generals hack and slash the soldiers in their way, they will finally reach Guan Du as you do. In respond to this, Cao Cao will send Li Dian to attack Wu Chao to turn the battle around in hopes of beating you, but you are much clever than ever. Go ahead and either chase down Li Dian or meet him at Wu Chao to hand him a personal defeat by your hands; furthermore, you will have a siege ram that is making its way to the wall of Guan Du. Rush down to the castle and guard the ram till you see the wall of Guan Du come crashing down. With the wall now no longer up, the soldiers, generals, and officers of Cao Cao will scatter in all directions like ants. Nothing can stop you from this point on, so put these men down and make quick work of Cao Cao. Congratulations! This time it is Yuan Shao who is the Northern Ruler of China! Also, with the wall of Guan Du falling, you will also gain Yuan Shao's level 10 weapon for this battle.

Campaign Against Liu Bei: Yuan Shao's Forces Vs. Liu Bei's Forces
"Tear down the castle gates and eliminate the pretender Liu Bei!"

Commander: Yuan Shao VS. Liu Bei

At the start of the battle, Liu Bei will remain inside the castle with the gates locked while his sworn brothers (Guan Yu and Zhang Fei) are on the outside. Tian Feng, who is acting advisor and strategist, will asked that everyone waits and see what Liu Bei does. As you have noticed, Guan Yu is guarding the west with Guan Ping while Zhang Fei is in the east with Fu Shi Ren attacking the main camp from the south. This battle can be tough to beat, but there is a small advantage to gain here. Go ahead and defeat Fu Shi Ren and head for Zhang Fei's position.

The best way to beat this level is by taking your time and making sure your enemy does not over run you with reinforcements later on. After 5 or more minutes, enemy scouts will appear around the land in the north east of the map. Mi Fang will be the scout so go and defeat him asap. After you defeat Mi Fang the first time, he will deliver news to Liu Bei about armies coming from the east. Liu Bei will send word to boost the defenses in the east. Now, if you eliminated both Guan Ping and Fu Shi Ren then Ma Chao and Huang Zhong will appear as reinforcements. As a small hint, you can take out the gate guards, but they will re-spawn after a minute or 2. Later on, Mi Fang will appear again in east near the gate captain. Get on over there and put him down again. After he is defeated for a second time, he will provide Tian Feng information about one of their ambush parties. In a while, Mi Zhu's ambush party will be discovered near Yuan Shao's camp and he will not be so tough for Yuan Shao or Tian Feng to beat. As for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, you can defeat either one of them and their officer, but if you take care of all four of them, Liu Bei will launch an assault on the main camp with all his might. Once again, Mi Fang will appear near the main camp for a third time so you know what to do. Show him how its done. Defeat Mi Fang this time and a small cut scene will appear. Yuan Shao will spare his life and Mi Fang will offer his life in service to you (In order for this to happen, you must not defeat both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei before Mi Fang's third appearance).

At this point in the battle, beating Liu Bei will be easy for you. After a couple of seconds or even a minute, Mi Fang will infiltrate the castle and later on, open up all the doors. He will also appear next to Liu Bei who will then launch a final assault on Yuan Shao. Go ahead and finish off any remaining generals left around. Zhao Yun and Wei Yan will come to lend a hand, but they are completely useless at this time around. Finish off Liu Bei and win yourself a battle against the Hero of the People! Also, if you defeated Mi Fang here 3 times, he will appear later on during your last battle.

Campaign Against Sun Jian: Yuan Shao's Forces Vs. Sun Jian's Forces
"Act fast to counter enemy ploys and defeat Sun Jian!"

Commanders: Yuan Shao Vs. Sun Jian

In this final battle, the Yuan Family takes on the Sun Family for the right to unify China. This battle does seem like it is straight forward, but there is more to it than what it seems. As you begin your assault, you notice that two officers are guarding the gates to the center path on both the right and left path. Go ahead and defeat both of them to let the gates open. Head up on either the left or right and defeat Lu Meng or Zhou Tai. Sun Quan will be guarding the south gate into the fortress, but if you wish to do a little back tracking then it will help your morale later on in the game. First, after defeating Lu Meng and Zhou Tai, head for the far right path by taking the long way around. Once you pass over the bridge, the Wu army will destroy the bridge. Although you are cut off, you will get out of this path if you act fast enough.

First, defeat the officer up ahead and take out the gate captain. As you wait, go further up north and eliminate the other gate captain. After a couple minutes, Sun Shang Xiang will appear and use a fire attack on the army in the area. Go ahead and display your own flaming hatred towards her. With her out of the way, you are now dealing with one less general later on. Also, the gate near the center path on the right will be open. As always, you can head for the south gate and defeat Sun Quan or you can head for the far left path to stop yet another general that will cause you trouble later on. Some time later, Yuan Shao will advance the main army towards the north. Although you are having to take the bottom path again, you will eventually head for the castle at the end of the battle. Defeat the officer up ahead and Gan Ning will appear as reinforcements. Take him out and advance further north. You will enter the castle from the west.

Now if you wish to wait until everyone is in the castle then stay away from the center courtyard. Stay close to the south wall and you will come towards the south gate where Sun Quan is at. Go ahead and get the gate open, but be wary of the results. With everyone entering the castle, they will take to the side and later on, either Zhang He or Yuan Shao will asked if the enemy has fled. In a surprise fire attack, Sun Jian will appear at the back of the main camp while the fortress is burning. After the fire attack eliminates all the soldiers under Yuan Shao, Wu archers will appear in their place while your commander can be killed by Sun Jian and Sun Ce. Also, if you defeated Mi Fang in the last battle three times and allowed him to open the gates up, he will appear in this battle as support. Pretty much at this point, it is just Sun Jian and Sun Ce left to deal with. You can take out Sun Ce or just head straight for Sun Jian himself and end the Sun family once and for all. Once you dispatch Sun Jian, the Yuan Family will reign supreme over China.

If you want to obtain the Charge Bracer, get into the fortress before any reinforcements arrive, and you will see a supply unit appear. Defeat the supply captain to obtain the item.

Ending Summary

 * Zhang Jiao, the founder of the Way of Peace, led his Yellow Turbans in an armed rebellion against the Han Dynasty that would spread across the land.
 * The esteemed Yuan Shao joined the task force against the Yellow Turbans, and by quelling numerous uprisings throughout the land, he was quickly revered as a hero.
 * In the wake of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the heinous Dong Zhuo seized power over the weakened Imperial Court. Soon thereafter, Yuan Shao was asked to lead an allied force to depose this villain.
 * The Allied Forces penetrated Si Shui Gate, and after effectively foiling Lu Bu's attacks at Hu Lao Gate, Yuan Shao and the others succeeded in thwarting Dong Zhuo's evil ambition.
 * Yuan Shao's influence grew after the defeat of Dong Zhuo, and he quickly became the undisputed ruler of Northern China. However, his long time friend and rival Cao Cao loomed in the south, waiting for his chance to strike.
 * For the honor of his family, Yuan Shao began a campaign southward and clashed with Cao Cao's forces at Guan Du. With the advantage of numbers on his side, Yuan Shao easily crushed Cao Cao, and became the greatest power in the Central Plains.
 * Though Yuan Shao now controlled the Central Plains, regional leaders and rogue armies still sought to undermine his authority. Yuan Shao now rose to eliminate these threats.
 * First, Yuan Shao eliminated Liu Bei's upstart force, then went on to defeat the great Sun Family of Jiang Dong. Yuan Shao's power and influence were now unquestionable.
 * So it was that Yuan Shao unified the land with the help of his powerful officers. Their tales of valor would later come to be known as "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".