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Battle of Guandu
Guandu in Dynasty Warriors 8
Date September ~ November 200
Location Guandu, Si Province (northeast of modern-day Zhongmou, Henan)
Result Cao Cao defeats Yuan Shao's forces.
Forces
Yuan Shao's Forces Cao Cao's Forces
Commanders
Yuan Shao Cao Cao

The Battle of Guandu (官渡の戦い, rōmaji: Kanto no Tatakai) is a decisive battle between Cao Cao's forces and Yuan Shao's forces. Armed with fewer troops, Cao Cao is determined to win against Yuan Shao's massive army. Depending on the title, a secondary follow up to the battle may take place at Runan.

The battle was renowned for Cao Cao's assault on Yuan Shao's supply depot, Wuchao, depriving him of resources and forcing him to retreat. Guan Yu, temporarily under Cao Cao's army, defeated Yuan Liang and Wu Chou in succession. Guan Yu and Liu Bei eventually met on the battlefield and escaped, leaving Cao Cao and Yuan Shao to their devices.

Role in Games[]

Dynasty Warriors[]

In Dynasty Warriors 2, Cao Cao is stationed in Guan Du Castle and Yuan Shao's fortress in the southwest. Players must keep Yuan Shao's army out of the castle to prevent Yan Liang and Wen Chou from breaking through Yan Jin and Bai Ma Castle. If Yuan Shao manages to reach Cao Cao's castle, he storms the western front with an arrow unit barrage. Yan Liang and Wen Chou will converge on Bai Ma in the northeast, while Yan Jin has already been occupied by Yuan Shao's army via Wen Chou's proxy.

In Dynasty Warriors 3, Guan Du Castle is stationed at the southwest, with Yuan Shao across a curving river in the far northwest. Wu Chao is randomly set in one of four bases on the map, forcing players to attempt to find it. Guan Yu, Liu Bei, Diaochan, and Dong Zhuo get a different version of the battle in Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends. Yuan Shao begins directly outside the castle's eastern walls, and most of Cao Cao's units have taken over his supply depots. Guan Yu is shown as a full-on officer of Cao Cao, with blue guards defending him.

In Dong Zhuo's version, Cao Cao is attacking Dong Zhuo at Guan Du rather than defending it. He is hidden in the southeastern portion of the map, and the supply depots open for the enemy. If one fails to defend the castle, they will find no one there and head towards the southeastern depot almost immediately.

In Dynasty Warriors 4, Cao Cao's forces defend Bai Ma Castle and Yan Jin, similar to the second installment. Yan Liang and Wen Chou defeat Wei Xu and Song Xian with ease, while Guan Yu slays Yan Liang and Wen Chou in rapid succession. Liu Bei and Zhang Fei are also on the map, but defeating them prevents Guan Yu's withdrawal. If Bai Ma and Yan Jin are taken, Cao Cao is forced to retreat into Guan Du Castle, where Cheng Yu reports on the existence of the Wu Chao Supply Depot. Yuan Shao panics and orders a support unit to salvage the base. Capturing Wu Chao will shrink enemy morale and allow Zhang He to defect to Cao Cao's forces.

Guan Yu is infamous in Yuan Shao's scenario, with high stats and relentless pursuit of Yuan Shao's officers. An altered version of the battle has Cao Cao's army clash with Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo, or the Yellow Turbans, and the player must overcome them while keeping an eye on the main camp.

Dynasty Warriors 5 has the battle begin when Cao Cao reinforces the three forts. In Cao Cao's scenario, Cao Cao will go to Bai Ma Castle while Xiahou Dun goes to Yan Jin and Cao Pi stays at Guan Du (the former two forts are paths that lead across a river that separates both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's forces). In a few minutes, Guan Yu will kill Yan Liang lowering the enemy morale. If the player defeats Liu Bei, who is at the north-eastern side of the map, Guan Yu shall then continue and kill Wen Chou. By this time, Zhen Ji and Cao Pi meet up which causes the latter to entice the former into joining him. Guan Yu withdraws after completing his duties and Yuan Shao opens Wu Chao. By defeating the general inside the supply base, Chunyu Qiong, the raid on the supply base becomes a success. In Yuan Shao's scenario, the only problem the player shall be facing is Guan Yu. If the player defeats the God of War, Guan Du shall be poorly guarded from the outside with Cao Pi guarding the exterior. Siege towers are then sent and in just a few minutes, if successful, Guan Du castle opens the gates and Cao Cao will be waiting. Note that Zhang He and Zhen Ji will defect if the supply compound is burned to the ground.

In Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2, the battle appears in Wei's story. In the first few engagements, scouts will report Yan Liang's suspicious activity near Bai Ma castle. If he gets too close to Bai Ma castle, he will set fire to the altar, and will conquer it immediately. Defeating Yuan Shao or taking all the bases of the area will guarantee a Cao victory. Aside from the rescuable village, there is also a treasure trove guarded by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. In Yuan Shao's side, the only victory condition is to defeat Cao Cao. Similarly to Cao Cao's side of the battle, reports will come in stating suspicious behavior near Wu Chao, and a fire attack will wipe out the supply depot if the enemy attack isn't intercepted. Also, using Zhen Ji and meeting Cao Pi will trigger a special dialogue from the two. There are two treasure troves in the area; One is guarded by Hua Tuo while the other is guarded by Genghis Khan.

The only viewpoints available are from Cao Cao and Lu Bu forces in Dynasty Warriors 6. In Cao Cao's scenario, if either the Yan Jin or Bai Ma forts are taken, and Yuan Shao moves to the center camp from the Wu Chao supply base, Xiahou Dun and Zhang Liao may ambush the supply base and set it on fire. If the fire attack succeeds, Zhang He, Gao Lan, and Xu You will defect from Yuan Shao. If Yan Liang or Wen Chou are defeated, Yuan Shao's morale will decrease dramatically. By protecting the allied central bases, the enemy forces will advance slower towards Cao Cao's main camp as they will travel from the west and east. If Guan Yu defeats Yan Liang, he will declare that he has fulfilled his duty and leave the battlefield.

Lu Bu interrupts the battle with his own force in his scenario. Seeing that there is a bigger threat than each other, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao reconcile and set aside their differences, joining their armies together to deal with Lu Bu.

In Dynasty Warriors 7, the stage layout reverts to the old Dynasty Warriors 5 design. The battle is available in the Wei and Shu story modes. In Wei's story, Cao Pi and Jia Xu defeat various sub-generals before Yuan Shao's main force appears. Cao Pi must defeat four generals, especially Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and Jia Xu executes a pincer attack to eliminate generals in the middle of the stage. In part 2, the plan is to defeat the Wuchao supply depot using a defected Xu You to open the gates. The best strategy is to jump down from the left path and defeat the general leading the ambush unit. Zhao Yun, in Shu's story, joins Liu Bei and Zhang Fei to reinforce Yuan Shao's army. Zhao Yun must protect the main camp, escort Liu Bei to an escape point, defeat Zhang He and Xu You, and overcome ambushes led by Zhang Liao and Cao Pi. The second installment of the map reappears as DLC in Conquest Mode, with less provision silos and no longer an elevated plateau.

In Dynasty Warriors 8 the battle appears once again in both Wei and Shu's story. In Wei's scenario, Guo Jia first advises the generals to defend the areas and withdraw in order to bait out the opposing Yuan forces. When this is done, the Yuan forces are unable to conquer the strong defense and Guan Yu slays both Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Soon Liu Bei is sent to check the situation, but he leaves the battlefield alongside Guan Yu when they see each other. Once Wuchao is destroyed, Cao Cao's forces will be able to breach Yuan Shao's camp and the defeated Zhang He and Zhenji both surrender. Oddly, unlike the other titles, Gao Lan stays loyal to Yuan Shao when Wuchao is set on fire.

In Shu's scenario, Liu Bei, Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei are all serving Yuan Shao, having lost their main base at Xiapi to Cao Cao. They first take the western bases to Baima in order to prepare for the siege, however, Yan Liang is slain by Guan Yu during the siege and the Yuan forces now choose to attack Yanjin from the east. When they attack again, Guan Yu reappears and kills Wen Chou. He encounters his sworn brothers and Zhao Yun and the four will leave the battlefield. Yuan Shao misinterprets this as a betrayal and immediately turns on Liu Bei. As Yuan Shao's reinforcements appear, the four decide to escape by the west. Jia Xu will appear and needs to be defeated before the four can actually escape.

In Xtreme Legends, a new what-if scenario is given to Wei in which Lu Bu's surrender is accepted by Cao Cao and the two attack Yuan Shao together. Yuan Shao will attempt to goad Lu Bu into siding against Cao Cao, but the warrior shrugs off the initial messengers, but will defect if more messengers arrive, or if he's forced to remain on the defensive for too long.

In Yuan Shao's version of the stage, Lu Bu will never defect, and will instead rampage across Yuan Shao's army, defeating officers until he himself is defeated. Defeating Lu Bu will eventually entice the Cao Cao's reserve troops to begin their march. Killing Cao Cao will end the battle in a Yuan victory. The only way for Lu Bu to fight on Yuan Shao's side in this scenario would be for the player to use him there.

In Lu Bu's hypothetical storyline, Lu Bu becomes Yuan Shao's rival in the north after defeating Cao Cao. The battle starts with Lu Bu and Zhang Liao advancing on Baima and Yanjin respectively while Chen Gong leads reinforcements, defeating Zhang He in the process. Once the bases are taken, Lu Bu slays Yan Liang and Wen Chou, taking control of their respective supply routes as a result. The Wei forces led by Xiahou Dun arrive to assist Yuan Shao and attack Lu Bu's main camp. Once they are defeated, the gates to Yuan Shao's stronghold open and defeating him results in victory.

Yuan Shao's version of the stage starts out with all of the supply lines having already been taken. As Yuan Shao's men move in to retake the supply lines, Lu Bu's forces will activate the siege weaponry in the defense, and the officer in charge must be defeated. When all supply lines have been taken, Xiahou Dun will appear in the south to help assist in Yuan Shao's charge. The battle is won when Lu Bu is defeated.

Warriors Orochi[]

In the first game of Warriors Orochi, Nobunaga Oda attacks Da Ji at Guan Du, leading to the Orochi army's advance. Ling Tong assists Nobunaga, leading to his victory. In the second game, Guan Du serves as the final battle for the Wei kingdom. Cao Cao and Nobunaga lead anti-Orochi forces, while Masamune fires cannons from Guan Du castle. Sun Jian and Liu Bei arrive as reinforcements, defeating revived Orochi X, unlocking Sun Wukong.

In Warriors Orochi 4, this initially serves as a battlefield for Wu. The resistance army is led by Sun Quan's forces, as he seeks to overcome his father who is under Nobunaga's coalition. Sun Jian, reinforced by Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, pressure Sun Quan's strategist Lu Xun but they are able to endure for the reinforcements of the Hōjō army such as Ujiyasu and Lady Hayakawa, they manage to defeat Sun Jian's army. After their defeat, Sun Jian and others joined with Liu Bei, Shingen, Kenshin and Hōjō army, who prepared against Nobunaga.

This also serves as a climactic battle much later in the story,  where after Odin is revealed as the true enemy of this dimension, many of Wei and Jin forces along with Yoshimoto, Motochika and the bracelet wielders such as Cao Pi and Mitsunari, lead a daring raid on the stronghold at Guandu. They encounter Seimei Abe and various other agents of Odin and the demon forces, who are testing the strength of humanity, while spying on Odin such as Jia Chong, Zhong Hui and Kanbei Kuroda. After their victory, Seimei Abe explains his true intention of joining Odin joins the resistance. 

In the side story, Kotarō along with Li Dian must rescue Zhang Jiao and the Yellow Turbans from the Demon army.

This stage re-appears in Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate where Xiahou Dun, Takatora, Gaia, Zhao Yun, Yang Jian and others must help Joan of Arc to defeat Kiyomori's army and accompanying her to the escape point.

Kessen[]

The battle is briefly mentioned in Kessen II. Cao Cao is suddenly attacked by Yuan Shao, which forces him to split his forces to defend against both Liu Bei at Ru Nan and Yuan Shao at Guan Du. Regardless of whoever claims a victory at Ru Nan, Cao Cao will defeat Yuan Shao and conquer his lands.

Historical Information[]

The battle of Baima was the first between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, where Cao Cao captured Yanjin and defeated Yuan Shao's forces. The second battle was Yan Harbor, where Cao Cao counterattacked and defeated Yuan Shao's forces. The third battle was Guandu, where Cao Cao's forces fought against Yuan Shao using siege towers and shields. The fourth battle involved a raid on Yuan Shao's supplies at Wuchao, which was quickly defeated and executed. Yuan Shao's actions were criticized for being hasty due to his slow elimination of Gongsun Zan and his lack of security in northern territories.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms[]

Tensions between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao escalated, with Liu Bei requesting an expedition to save Emperor Xian from Cao Cao's control. Cao Cao declared war on his friend, but Yuan Shao's advisor, Chen Lin, wrote a declaration of crimes committed by Cao Cao.

Yan Liang attacked Baima, killing Song Xian and Wei Xu. Cao Cao agreed to send out Guan Yu, who killed Yan Liang, but Liu Bei assumed it was Guan Yu. Wen Chou volunteered to attack Yanjin, and Cao Cao ordered his troops to abandon their supplies to an enemy raid. Wen Chou's army collapsed, and Cao Cao's troops returned to counterattack.

Yuan Shao besieged Guandu castle, but Cao Cao responded with catapults that destroyed opposing platforms. A stalemate ensued, and Cao Cao sent an emergency messenger to request more supplies. However, Xu You believed the message was a fake and sent him a letter revealing that supplies had run out completely.

Yuan Shao faced a dilemma of defending his supplies, which were burning under Chunyu Qiong's watch. Zhang He and Gao Lan surrendered, and Yuan Shao fled in shame. After the battle, Cao Cao held a banquet with many letters from his side, conniving for potential surrender and mercy. Cao Cao burned the letters, solidifying the loyalties of many who could have broken away from him.

Yuan Shao's health worsened after the humiliating loss until the arrival of Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Gao Gan, along with their armies. Reorganizing his troops, Yuan Shao met Cao Cao for the last time at Cangting, where he suffered immeasurable losses and ultimately died.

See also[]

Trivia[]

  • Solely in Dynasty Warriors 2, Gate Captains in the Cao Cao's Forces Scenario will oddly leave their positions to assist Cao Cao at the front line after a certain point in time, which is normally unusual for such units.
  • When the player using Yuan Shao manages to locate Wuchao in Dynasty Warriors 3 on Cao Cao's scenario, the cutscene that plays is a humorous alteraction via Yuan Shao merely wondering how his base was even found in the first place.
  • Around the northern area of Guandu Castle in Dynasty Warriors 3, there is a mysterious crater of sorts not seen in any other of the installments.
  • In Dynasty Warriors 4, via Cao Cao's Forces scenario, Cheng Yu when reporting of Wuchao's existence is erronously rendered with a private troop's HP portrait as opposed to using the stragetist general's portrait.
  • On part 2 of Wei's version of the battle in Dynasty Warriors 7, there is a minor glitch in the game that confuses Xu You for Zhu Jun in game tasks.

Gallery[]

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