- Empress He is a Chinese name; the family name is He.
Empress He is a unique Vanguard hero in Total War: Three Kingdoms. She is the wife of Liu Hong and a member of his faction in 182. She is a court noble and cannot be deployed on the campaign map or on the battlefield.
General Information[]
Attributes[]
Main Article: Attributes (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
 Expertise |
 Resolve |
 Cunning |
 Instinct |
 Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 47 | 68 | 95 | 77 |
| -7% construction cost (administered commandery) +1k population growth (administered commandery) +3 satisfaction (faction-wide, if leader, heir or prime minister) | ||||
Background[]
Main Article: Background (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
Subtle Manipulator
- +30 cunning
- +20 instinct
- +10 authority
- +5 dynasty influence
- +1 resilience
- +1 available spies positions (if leader, heir or prime minister)
Traits[]
Main Article: Traits (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Ambitious
- +8 authority
- +50% desire for higher office
- +5% income from all sources (administered commandery)
- Increases ambition to gain independence as administrator
- Admires Power, Wary of Ambition
- Clever
- Fulfilled
- +6 expertise
- -4 instinct
- +10 satisfaction
- Dislikes Competitiveness, Wary of Ambition, Loathes Greed
Skills[]
Main Article: Skill (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
Ancillaries[]
Main Article: Ancillary (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Ceremonial Sword
- +6 authority
- Empress He's Robes
- +6 expertise
- +15 instinct
- +5 cover cost for enemy spies (faction-wide)
- +5 undercover network cost for enemy spies (faction-wide)
- Red Horse
- +2 instinct
Guanxi[]
Main Article: Guanxi
- Family
- Friends
- Acquaintances
Biography[]
Empress He was born in Nanyang Commandery in 150 AD. Her personal name is unknown. She came from humble origins, as her father was a commoner, not a noble. How she came to join the imperial harem is unknown, as the concubines of the Emperor were often nobility themselves. One way or another, she became a concubine of Emperor Ling (Liu Hong) and gave him a son, Liu Bian, in 176 AD. With Ling's previous sons dying in childhood or infancy, Bian became his eldest living son, and Lady He became one of the more important figures in the imperial harem. She was feared by the lower members of the harem thanks to her supposed manipulative and cruel behaviour, giving a glimpse into her personality and a sign of things to come.
In 181 AD, Lady He became Empress He, serving as the replacement for Emperor Ling's old wife, Empress Song, whom he had ridden himself of three years prior for supposedly plotting to curse him with magic. Alongside Empress He's ascension in importance was also that of her older half-brother, He Jin, who would become an increasingly influential figure in the years to come, going from just another general to being at the forefront of imperial politics.
With herself barely established as Empress, He almost immediately lost the favour of the Emperor when one of his concubines gave birth to Liu Xie, giving him another son. The Empress had the concubine in question poisoned to death, which Ling found out about. He initially wished to depose Empress He, yet the Ten Attendants intervened on her behalf and talked him down, most likely to get her in their debt. While this kept Empress He from falling out of favour, the relationship between the Emperor and his wife became a distrustful one from this point onwards. Liu Xie was raised by Ling's mother, Empress Dowager Dong, despite protests from Empress He.
Over time, Emperor Ling even came to fear his wife. When his courtiers began pressuring him to name one of his sons as crown prince, Ling favoured the younger son, Liu Xie. However, he feared that in making him his heir, Empress He would turn to her half-brother He Jin, who at this point acted as General-in-Chief of the Han Empire, and together plot to overthrow him. Instead, he kicked the can down the road all the way until his death in 189 AD. With no heir designated, a power struggle broke out between He Jin and the Ten Attendants. After a brief yet messy period of betrayal and foiled assassinations, Empress He became Empress Dowager over Liu Bian, now Emperor Shao of Han, as his succession to the throne was secured by his mother and uncle.
With the He family now firmly controlling the Emperor, the eunuchs found themselves sidelined. Worse yet was when Empress He and He Jin began collaborating to rid themselves of the eunuchs altogether, as minor purges began following. While some of He Jin's subordinates, most notably Yuan Shao urged him to purge the eunuchs entirely, the more powerful ones were spared from losing their office out of fear of triggering a conflict. This kindness was repaid by these same eunuchs when they lured He Jin into a trap and assassinated him, resulting in Luoyang becoming engulfed in chaos.
While Empress He, on paper, became the most powerful person in China following He Jin's death, all she could do was watch when Yuan Shao and a small army began storming the palaces of Luoyang and slaughtering every eunuch they could get their hands on. The young Emperor Shao and Liu Xie were smuggled out of the city by a smaller group of eunuchs, which ran headfirst into the dreaded warlord Dong Zhuo, who had been summoned to the capital by He Jin before his death to scare the eunuchs straight. Dong Zhuo was all too happy to "rescue" the two royals and take them under his own wing, seeking to become the de jure regent and de facto ruler of the Empire by controlling the young Emperor. However, Dong Zhuo had one more obstacle to get rid of before he could do so: Empress Dowager He.
Dong Zhuo's forces entered the capital, taking control of the city. Emperor Shao, who was closer to maturity, was deposed and replaced by the younger Liu Xie, now Emperor Xian. Empress Dowager He was powerless and could only watch on as her son was deposed, limiting her own powers in the process. She effectively became a prisoner in a golden cage in one of Luoyang's palaces, where she was later poisoned at Dong Zhuo's orders, ridding himself of a final obstacle. Dong Zhuo followed this up with a purge of her immediate family and supporters, going as far as to kill He's elderly mother. The deposed Liu Bian was kept around for a short time afterwards until also being killed one year later.
In the span of roughly fifteen years, the He family of Nanyang had risen from mere commoners to the dominant force in China, only for them to be driven to extinction shortly after. Empress He, for all her manipulations, sway over two Emperors, and fearful reputation at court, was no match for the sheer cruelty of Dong Zhuo.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Empress He |
| French | Impératrice He |
| German | Kaiserin He |
| Italian | Imperatrice He |
| Spanish | Emperatriz He |
| Portuguese | Imperatriz He |
| Polish | Cesarzowa He |
| Czech | Císařovna Che |
| Turkish | İmparatoriçe He |
| Chinese (Simplified)
|
何皇后 Hé huánghòu
|
| Chinese (Traditional)
|
何皇后 Hé huánghòu
|
| Korean | 하황후 Ha hwanghu
|
| Russian | Императрица Хэ Imperatritsa Khe
|
Trivia[]
Though she is non-deployable, Empress He is a rare female Vanguard hero. The Vanguard class is typically male-only, with the only other female Vanguard being Sun Ren.
| Total War THREE KINGDOMS playable characters | |
|---|---|
| Sentinel | Bao Xin・Cai He・Cai Yang・Cao Ren・Chang Diao・Chang Xia・Chen Heng・Chen Qian・Chen Wu・Chen Xiu・Cheng Pu・Congqian・Cui Jun・Deng Ai・Ding Feng・Gan Li・Gao Gan・Gongsun Du・Gongsun Xu・Guo Xian・Hou Yin・Han SuiS・Huang She・Huang YueyingF・Huang ZhongS・Huangfu Song・Jia Long・Jian Yong・Li Dian・Liang Xing・Liu Shang・Liu Yao・Lu Meng・Lu Zhi・Ma Mao・Qu Ying・Song Jian・Sui Gu・Sun JianS・Sun Shao・Taishi CiS・Tao Shang・Tian Fen・Wang Kuang・Wang Su・Wang Yu・Xia Zhao・Xiaoqiao・Xu HuangS・Xue Li・Yan Xing・Yang Bo・Yang Hong・Yang Zhong・Yin Li・Yu Jin・Yuan Shang・Yue JinS・Zang Hong・Zhang Hu・Zhang LiaoS・Zhang Ya・Zhao YunS・Zheng Bao・Zhu Zhi |
| Champion | Cai Zhong・Cao Ang・Cao Hong・Cao Shuang・Cao Xi・Cao Zhang・Chang Xi・Chen Jiu・Chen Lan・Cheng Yi・Dong Feng・Dian WeiS・Gao Ding・Gao Sheng・Guan Xing・Guan YuS・Han Fu・Han Hao・Hong Ming・Huan Lin・Huan Zhi・Huang Gai・Huang Zu・Huo Nu・Ji Ben・Jiang Gong・Li Damu・Li Huan・Li Yu・Ling Tong・Liu Shao・Lu Kang・Pang De・Qu Gong・Quan Rou・Sen Pei・Song Yang・Tao Ying・Tuoba Liwei・Wang Xi・Wei Huang・Wei Jie・Wen Chou・Xiahou DunS・Xianyu Yin・Xin Ping・Xu ChuS・Xu Rong・Xuan Fan・Yang Feng・You Tu・Yu Qin・Zang Ba・Zao Zhi・Zhang Fang・Zhang Fu・Zhang Guang・Zhang Lu・Zhang YanS・Zhao Du・Zheng Yan・Zheng JiangSF・Zou Lin・Zuozi Hangba |
| Strategist | Bao Xun・Bian Rang・Bu LianshiF・Cai YanF・Cai Yong・Cao Chong・Cao Zhi・Chang Lin・Che Zhou・Chen Biao・Chen Di・Chen Gong・Chen Lin・Chen Qun・Chen Zhen・Cheng Xu・Cheng Yu・Cui Lin・Cui Yan・DiaochanF・Ding Yi・Dong Yun・Dong Zhao・Du Qiong・Fa Zheng・Fan Qin・Lady FengF・Feng Shuo・Fu Gan・Fu Jia・Fu Wan・Gao Rou・Gaotang・Gongsun Xiu・Gu Yong・Guan Chun・Guan Jing・Guan Lu・Guan Ning・Guanqiu Dian・Guo Jia・Guo Tu・Han Ji・Han Ran・Han Rong・Han Yin・Handan Chun・Handan Shang・He Yan・He Zeng・Hu Zhao・Hu Zhi・Hu Zong・Hua Biao・Hua Tuo・Hua Xin・Huan Dian・Huan Fan・Huan Jia・Huang Wan・Hungfu Mi・Ji Miao・Ji Mu・Jia Chong・Jia Cong・Jia Xu・Jiang Ji・Jin Yi・Ju Shou・Kan Ze・Kong RongS・Kong Zhou・Kuai Liang・Kuai Yue・Liu Ba・Li Chao・Li Fu・Li Kang・Li Ru・Li Shao・Li Xiu・Liang Mao・Liu Dai・Liu Fu・Liu He・Liu Ji・Liu Yan・Liu Ye・Liu Yi・Liu Zhen・Lu An・Liu Fan・Lu Ji・Lu Kai・Lu Mao・Lu Su・Lu Xing・Lu Xun・Lu Yi・Lu Yu・Lu ZhengF・Ma Liang・Ma Midi・Ma Qiu・Ma Su・Ma Yu・Mao Jie・Mi Heng・Mi Zhu・Miao Xi・Min Chun・Pan Xu・Pang Ji・Pang Tong・Pei Jun・Pei Qian・Peng Yang・Qi Zhou・Qiao Zhou・Qin Mi・Quan Ji・Que Xuan・Ren An・Ren Jun・Ruan Yu・Shan Gu・Shan Tao・Shen You・Sheng Xian・Shi Wei・Shi Xie・Shi Yi・Shi Zhi・Sima Feng・Sima Fu・Sima Lang・Sima YiS・Su Shuo・Su Ze・Sun Qian・Sun Xu・Tao QianS・Teng Yin・Tian Chou・Tian Feng・Tian Jing・Wang Biao・Wang Can・Wang Dang・Wang Fu・Wang Jian・Wang Lan・Wang Lei・Wang Lie・Wang Su・Wang Xiang・Wei Dan・Wei Feng・Wei Shu・Wei You・Wei Zhao・Wei Hui・Wu Fan・Wu Shuo・Wu Zhi・Xiahou Rong・Xiahou Xuan・Xiahou Zuo・Xiahou Lang・Xiao QiaoSF・Xin Xianying・Xing Yong・Xu Gan・Xu Jing・Xu Miao・Xu Shao・Xu Shu・Xu Ta・Xu Xuan・Xu You・Xue Zong・Xun Wei・Xun Yu・Xun Yue・Yan Pu・Yan Xiang・Yan Yu・Yang Chou・Yang Dao・Yang Xi・Yang Xiu・Yao Tai・Yao Zhou・Ying Qu・Ying Yang・Ying Yu・Yu Fan・Yuan Long・Yuan Yi・Yue Dun・Zhang Chao・Zhang Cheng・Zhang Chunhua・Zhang Hong・Zhang Ji・Zhang Miao・Zhang Min・Zhang Quan・Zhang Song・Zhang Wen・Zhang Yun・Zhang Zan・Zhang Zhao・Zhang Zhen・Zhang Zhi・Zhao Ang・Zhao Qi・Zhao Wei・Zhao Yan・Zhao Yi・Lady ZhenF・Zheng Mao・Zheng Mo・Zheng Sui・Zheng Tai・Zheng Xuan・Zhong Yao・Zhongchang Tong・Zhou Huan・Zhou YuS・Zhou Zhi・Zhu En・Zhu Gui・Zhu Han・Zhuge Jin・Zhuge LiangS |
| Vanguard | Bu Ji・Bu Zhi・Cai Mao・Dong Zhuo・Gan Ning・Gongsun ZanS・Liu Qi・Lü BuS・Ma ChaoS・Ma TengS・Shisun Rui・Sun CeS・Sun RenSF・Xiahou Jie・Xiahou YuanS・Yan Liang・Ze Rong・Zhang FeiS・Zhang He・Zhang Yang |
| Commander | Lady BianF・Lady CaiF・Cai Xun・Cao CaoS・Cao JieF・Cao Pi・Cao Ren・DaqiaoF・Da QiaoSF・Dong PeishanF・Guan YinpingF・Liu BeiS・Liu BiaoS・Lady LiuF・Liu Yu・Liu ZhangS・Wang Lang・Lady WuF・Sun QuanS・Yuan AnyangF・Yuan ShaoS・Yuan ShuS・Yuan Tan・Yuan Xi |
| Healer (YTR) | Han Xian・He YiS・Liu Pi・Wang Du |
| Veteran (YTR) | Gong DuS・Guan Hai・Liao Hua・Pei YuanshaoS・Zhang KaiS・Zhao Bo |
| Scholar (YTR) | Guo Da・He ManS・Huang ShaoSWang Rao・Xu He |