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Guo Jia is a Chinese name; the family name is Guo.


Guo Jia is a unique legendary Strategist hero in Total War: Three Kingdoms. He is a candidate for the Han Empire in 190, later joining Cao Cao in 200.


General Information[]

Attributes[]

Main Article: Attributes (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

TW3K ICO expertise
Expertise
TW3K ICO resolve
Resolve
TW3K ICO cunning
Cunning
TW3K ICO instinct
Instinct
TW3K ICO authority
Authority
61 45 126 42 60
-9% construction cost (administered commandery)
+15 melee evasion
+9% general's health
+1k population growth (administered commandery)
+56% ammunition (own retinue)
+13 military supplies (own army)
+5% melee damage
-1% recruitment cost (this army)
+2 satisfaction (faction-wide, if leader, heir or prime minister)
+2 unit morale (own retinue)


Background[]

Main Article: Background (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Astute Advisor

Respects Patience, Admires Intelligence


Traits[]

Main Article: Traits (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Cunning
    • +12 cunning
    • +15% chance of ambushing (this army)
    • Commends Perceptiveness, Admires Intelligence.
  • Brilliant
    • +6 expertise
    • +6 cunning
    • +15% ammunition for all units (own armies in this county)
    • -30% ammunition for all units (enemy armies in this county)
    • +10% income from all sources (administered commandery)
    • Increases ambition to gain independence as administrator
    • Admires Intelligence, Commends Physical Ability
  • Perceptive


Skills[]

Main Article: Skill (Total War: Three Kingdoms)


Abilities[]

Main Article: Ability (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Foresight (Passive Buff)
    • +5000 Visibility Range
    • +5000 Forest Spotting
    • Effect Range: ∞
    • Duration: ∞


Ancillaries[]

Main Article: Ancillary (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Ceremonial Sword
    • Base Melee Damage: 321
    • Armour-Piercing Melee Damage: 80
    • Melee Attack Rate: 30
    • +6 authority
  • Guo Jia's Armour
    • Base Armour: 15
    • +18 cunning
    • +10% character experience (this army)
    • +15% speed
  • Black Horse


Guanxi[]

Main Article: Guanxi


Biography[]

Born in 170 AD in Yingchuan commandery, Guo Jia was nothing short of a genius. When the Han Dynasty began to collapse, Guo Jia became an advisor to Yuan Shao, the leader of the since-collapsed coalition. Jia's advice was lacking, however, as he spent more time criticising Yuan Shao than actually giving him advice. He called Yuan Shao indecisive and too weak to properly give orders. Unsurprisingly, he left the court of Yuan Shao and joined the Han Empire in 196, which was under the control of Cao Cao. By 197, Jia joined Cao Cao's service properly. He had the favour and recommendation of both Xun Yu and Xun You, allowing him to rise through the ranks quickly and become one of the warlord's foremost advisors.

Guo Jia became an advisor for Cao Cao's military campaign against Lü Bu. While he was easily defeated on the field, Lü Bu repeatedly retreated to his stronghold of Xiapi, which was difficult to besiege. Add to this that Cao Cao's army was riddled with disease at the time and exhausted after the long campaign and it became nearly impossible to capture the city. While Cao Cao considered retreating, Jia proposed flooding the area, which broke the stalemate and ultimately led to the capture and execution of Lü Bu.

With Lü Bu defeated, Cao Cao's alliance with Liu Bei ran its course. Many of his advisors feared that Bei would betray Cao Cao, and urged him to kill Bei. Guo Jia advised that Liu Bei should remain allied to Cao Cao, but that he should have his power limited and be under constant supervision. In the end, Cao Cao chose neither, instead wanting to befriend Liu Bei. However, Bei soon escaped and allied against Cao Cao with Yuan Shao, proving his advisors right.

Now in a two-front war, Guo Jia advised Cao Cao to focus on Liu Bei to the south and then move against Yuan Shao to the north after Bei was defeated. His logic was that Yuan Shao's territory was divided between himself and his various sons and vassals and that it would take them a while to mobilise. Cao Cao chose to adopt Guo Jia's strategy, leaving a skeleton force under Yu Jin to hold off against Yuan Shao's forces while he drove away Liu Bei. The plan worked, and Cao Cao managed to drive Liu Bei south and defeat Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao's northern invasion gained steam in 203, and he was eager to bring an end to the conflict. However, Guo Jia advised Cao Cao to withdraw from the area, perplexing everyone. He explained that Yuan Shao's sons, Yuan Tan and Shang, hated each other and would attack each other if left alone. Most advisors disagreed, but Cao Cao listened to Guo Jia, as he had spent years in Yuan Shao's court and had personally witnessed the rivalry between Shao's sons. Sure enough, before long, a brutal civil war broke out between the Yuan brothers over who would be Shao's successor. Eventually, Cao Cao swooped in, defeating the weakened brothers separately with ease by 205.

By 207, Guo Jia assisted in Cao Cao's war against Liu Bei and Liu Biao to the south. On his way home from a series of battles, Guo Jia contracted an illness, dying at the age of 37. Cao Cao mourned his death greatly, writing about Jia in many letters and even urging Emperor Xian to erect a memorial for the strategist. After Wei's defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao boldly stated that if Guo Jia was still alive, the military disaster would never have happened the way it did. The statement had a double meaning, praising both the late Guo Jia and chastising his advisors for doing a poor job.


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