Yuan Shao

Yuan Shao is powerful man who supports the Han Dynasty. In the Dynasty Warriors series, his forces wear yellow and are, during various battles, larger in number than any other army in the game. Yuan Shao, himself, wears highly elaborate armor with tall, intricate helmets and long, flowing capes to accentuate his regal status. He wields a shining, grandiose longsword, shaped like a dragon's tongue, known as the "Sword of Kings."

In Dynasty Warriors 3, Yuan Shao is portrayed as an honourable and somewhat proud general, reluctant to take the role of the alliance's supreme commander during the war against Dong Zhuo. However, by Dynasty Warriors 5, Yuan Shao's pride and haughty personality have been vastly exaggerated to the point of absolute arrogance and pretentiousness.

Role
Yuan Shao is a nobleman and supporter of the Han Dynasty who raised a large, powerful army in response to the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He is portrayed as an arrogant, overconfident aristocrat who is hesitant to fight in the front lines of battle. When Cao Cao's call to dispose of the tyrant Dong Zhuo is answered by various warlords in China (namely Sun Jian, Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao himself), Yuan Shao is given command of the army with Cao Cao's strong recommendation; though Sun Jian and Liu Bei are reluctant to rely on Yuan Shao for command, they do not voice their concerns. Yuan Shao sends the other warlords to the front line, while making a strong defense for himself and putting his brother Yuan Shu in charge of the supply lines. Dong Zhuo is defeated, but the coalition leaders lose faith in the Han Dynasty and disband.

Yuan Shao ends up in control of the largest army in China and stations himself in the north, preparing to clash with Cao Cao, the other major northern warlord. At the Battle of Guan Du, Yuan Shao, with aid from Liu Bei's small force, attacks Cao Cao's small castle, relying on his brilliant generals Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Zhang He. During the battle, Yuan Shao attempts to overwhelm Cao Cao's army with sheer numbers and takes no particular strategy. Because of Yuan Shao's lack of adaptability, Cao Cao is easily able to outmaneuver him on several occasions. Guan Yu, serving temporarily under Cao Cao, slays Yan Liang and Wen Chou himself, and Zhang He, who would later become one of the most prominent Wei generals under Sima Yi, defected to Cao Cao's side. With no competent generals left, the nepotist Yuan Shao is defeated by an army a third the size of his own and is killed in battle.

In the Xtreme Legends games, Yuan Shao, instead of dying at Guan Du, defeats Cao Cao, who fades temporarily into obscurity. He then moves to wipe out Liu Bei, who leaves his service after encountering Guan Yu at Guan Du. After destroying Liu Bei at Chang Ban, Yuan Shao heads to Fan Castle, defended by his general Zhang He, to reinforce him against the allied armies of Guan Yu, who escapes Chang Ban alive, and Sun Quan, who rules in the Wu kingdom. After he defeats them and takes over much of Wu, Sun Quan marches against him at He Fei, but Yuan Shao defeats him again, destroying the Wu kingdom. Yuan Shao's final enemy is Cao Cao in Wei, who manages to raise a large army to confront Yuan Shao. Though the efforts of Cao Cao and his strategist Sima Yi are fierce and determined, Yuan Shao is victorious and unites China under the Yuan family rule.

Kessen
Although he doesn't make an on-screen appearance, Yuan Shao stages a rebellion north of Wei's territory in Kessen II. In Shu's story, Wei's army concentrates their efforts on him before they move to finish Liu Bei. In Wei's story, Cao Cao leaves the battle of subduing Yuan Shao to Xiahou Yuan and marches to disrupt Liu Bei's attack on the capital. He is defeated in both scenarios and his property is integrated into Wei.

Historical information
Yuan Shao was a powerful warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He occupied the northern territories of ancient China during the massive civil war towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era. He was also the elder cousin of Yuan Shu, a warlord who controlled the Huai River region, though the two were not in good terms with each other.

One of the most powerful warlords of his time, Yuan Shao spearheaded a coalition of warlords against the tyrannical Dong Zhuo, who held Emperor Xian hostage in the capital Luoyang, but failed due to internal disunity. In 200, he launched a campaign against rival warlord Cao Cao but was defeated utterly at the decisive Battle of Guandu. He died of sickness two years later in Ye. His eventual failure despite his powerful family background and geographical advantages was commonly blamed on his indecisiveness and inability to heed the advice of his advisors.

The Esteemed Yuan Family
The Yuan family rule a small portion of Northern China called the Ji province. The family lineage is unknown in Dynasty Warriors, however it is assumed that the Yuan's had to build their own family from scratch as Yuan Shao has much pride in his army and the officers he commands. Yuan Shao fought against the Yellow Turbans that attacked Ji Province, he later appointed himself Commander In chief for the coalition against Dong Zhuo and he and Cao Cao persuaded other feudal lords to join their cause.

After the Allied Forces broke up, Yuan Shao makes short work of the surrounding enemies within his reach. He scores a major victory against Gongsun Zan at the Battle of Jieqiao and secures his westward flank by defeating the bandit Zhang Yan. By 198, Yuan Shao was viewed as a force of great power. Tensions began to rise between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, both were gaining power and a conflict between them was inevitable, in 200AD Cao Cao moved his troops to Guan Du castle, in an attempt to battle Yuan Shao, despite being outnumbered.

Yuan Shao lost the battle of Guan Du in 200 against Cao Cao, despite the fact that Yuan Shao's army was larger and more powerful than Cao Cao's. Yuan Shao was reckless and overconfident, especially after losing his greatest Generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Cao Cao then discovered Yuan Shao's supply base at Wu Chao, which he attacked and burned to the ground demoralizing Yuan Shao and his troops. This was a major defeat for the Yuan family and showed the true strength of Cao Cao's army to the rest of China.

Yuan Shao died two years later and his three sons squabbled over the remnants of his lands, eventually by 207 Cao Cao claimed Yuan Shao's former territories by manipulating Yuan Shao's sons and claiming control over Ji and the surrounding provinces.

Allies

 * Han
 * Yuan Shu
 * Liu Bei (During the battle of Guan Du)
 * Liu Biao (During the assault on Gongsun Zan)

Enemies

 * Cao Cao
 * Dong Zhuo
 * Gongsun Zan

Generals of Yuan Shao

 * Yuan Shao
 * Zhang He
 * Zhen Ji
 * Yan Liang
 * Wen Chou
 * Shen Pei
 * Guo Tu
 * Xin Ping
 * Xin Pi
 * Zhao Yun
 * Gao Lan
 * Yuan Shang
 * Yuan Xi
 * Yuan Tan