For the character, see Liu Hong
For the minor faction with the same name, see Liu Hong (warlord faction)
For the non-playable Empire itself, see Han Empire (faction)
Liu Hong is a playable Han faction in Total War: Three Kingdoms added by the Mandate of Heaven DLC. It starts the campaign in central China, located in Luoyang commandery. Liu Hong is the only faction in the game which starts at the rank of Emperor. The faction exclusively exists in 182.
Unique Features[]
Unique Units
- Instant access to Imperial Units
Unique Buildings
- None
Unique Features
- Political Influence
- Imperial Court
- Bureaucratic Influence
- Dynasty Influence
- Warlord Influence
- Imperial Diplomacy
Political Influence[]
Political Influence is the unique faction resource of Liu Hong. It is the driving force for Liu Hong's potential actions, as stabilising, reforming, and eventually centralising the Han Dynasty will take a high amount of Political Influence. It is gained primarily through constructing specific buildings (various branches of the Administration Office), yet it can also be gained through certain events and the Reward Officials assignment. Its stats are as follows:
Reward Officials
- +10 political influence
- +50% character experience (faction-wide)
- -10 public order (local commandery)
- -5 food production
You will attend to matters of court and bestow rewards and honours upon your ministers. This will help develop your political influence, but the extra taxes will no doubt upset the populace.
Imperial Court[]
Liu Hong's Court in 182
The vast majority of political influence, at least in the early stages of the campaign, will go towards the Imperial Court system. Most notably, one must manage a delicate balance of powers between the Bureaucrats, the Dynasty, and the Warlords. Generally speaking, the influence of the Bureaucrats should be reduced as quickly as possible and remain as low as possible, the influence of the Dynasty should be as high as possible, and the influence of the Warlords can be raised somewhat, yet raising it too much will come with certain long-term risks.
Managing the Influence of certain groups is done by managing the court of the faction. Upon opening the menu, the members of the court will each have a symbol next to their portrait or name indicating which clique they belong to. Green for the Bureaucrats, red for the Dynasty, and blue for the Warlords. Each character in your faction provides influence towards their specific group. It is generally advised to target the Bureaucrats, particularly the various non-deployable eunuchs, as soon as possible. Getting rid of characters by releasing them from service or outright banishing them will cost 80 political influence per character, which, in the worst-case scenario, will result in Liu Hong having to spend 1040 influence getting rid of all the eunuchs. However, characters can still die from natural causes or leave the faction if discontent, which may serve as a roundabout way to get rid of characters without spending influence. Deployable characters can intentionally be sent to their deaths in unwinnable battles, or one can simply wait for a character to die naturally.
A risky yet effective way to get rid of characters in your court without spending influence at all is by using the adoption and faction heir system. If one navigates to the Family Tree tab, they can simply begin adopting characters they want to be rid of and then assign and remove them from the faction heir position. If, for example, a player wants to get rid of the eunuchs as soon as possible, they may choose to adopt all eunuchs in the faction and then cycle through them, constantly switching who among them is the current heir. Upon being removed as heir, the previous heir will gain an extreme amount of dissatisfaction which, if low enough, will cause them to leave the faction on their own without Liu Hong having to spend any influence. This method, while effective, is rightfully considered an exploit. Also, please note that, if mismanaged, this strategy can lead to civil war, as certain court positions have a chance to lead to a civil war if the person in question leaves the faction dissatisfied.
Below is a more in-depth look into the three cliques that make up Liu Hong's court.
Bureaucratic Influence[]
Bureaucratic Influence is marked with a green symbol of a hat and constitutes the eunuchs, bureaucrats, administrators, and scholars within the imperial court. It is, by far, the worst of the three influences, as a powerful Bureaucratic faction can economically cripple Liu Hong. Liu Hong starts with overwhelming support for the Bureaucrats. The best way to reduce Bureaucratic Influence is to purge the Ten Attendants (eunuchs) which start in Liu Hong's faction. These eunuchs can easily be found on the court tab by the hat icon next to their name and their distinct yellow and red robes. If targeting the eunuchs, it is generally advised to release the youngest from service first, as some of the older eunuchs may die from natural causes. Do note that each eunuch's background has a different faction-wide bonus that goes into effect when serving as prime minister, so you may wish to keep one that suits your need. A faster yet exploitative way to rid yourself of the eunuchs (or any character) is the method mentioned above this section.
Bureaucratic Influence ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 90 and is divided into five tiers. These five are as follows:
Growing Bureaucracy Support (0-17)
- Trade agreements provided: -1
- +50% construction cost (faction-wide)
- +1 construction time (faction-wide)
- +10 satisfaction
- +25% character experience
- +25% character recruitment cost (faction-wide)
The presence of bureaucrats in your court is minimal.
Significant Bureaucracy Support (18-35)
- Trade agreements provided: -2
- +100% construction cost (faction-wide)
- +1 construction time (faction-wide)
- +5 satisfaction
- +50% character experience
- +50% character recruitment cost (faction-wide)
The increased number of bureaucrats within your court is giving them a measurable level of influence on your domestic affairs.
High Bureaucracy Support (36-53)
- Trade agreements provided: -3
- +150% construction cost (faction-wide)
- +2 construction time (faction-wide)
- +75% character experience
- +75% character recruitment cost (faction-wide)
The bureaucrats occupy a number of influential positions within your court and possess a lot of clout. Their empowerment makes them bold.
Dominant Bureaucracy Support (54-71)
- Trade agreements provided: -4
- +200% construction cost (faction-wide)
- +2 construction time (faction-wide)
- +100% character experience
- +100% character recruitment cost (faction-wide)
Through every level of imperial society the hands of the bureaucrats work and manipulate. Be cautious of how much power you grant to those who serve you.
Overwhelming Bureaucracy Support (72-90)
- Trade agreements provided: -5
- +250% construction cost (faction-wide)
- +3 construction time (faction-wide)
- +125% character experience
- +125% character recruitment cost (faction-wide)
The bureaucrats have usurped an unprecedented level of control of the government.
Dynasty Influence[]
Dynasty Influence is marked with a red symbol of a dragon and constitutes the Imperial family and their immediate supporters. It is the best of the three Influences to raise, as doing so will strengthen the faction of Liu Hong, allowing him to more easily centralise the Han Empire. Primarily, it allows for increased military capacities at the cost of diplomacy. To raise the Influence of the Dynasty, Imperial loyalists must be appointed to high-ranking court positions. For example, replacing one of the high-ranking court positions with Empress He, who does not start as part of the court, is a good start, as this will simultaneously boost Dynastic Influence while weakening Bureaucratic Influence in the process.
Dynasty Influence ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 60 and is divided into five tiers. These five are as follows:
Growing Dynasty Support (0-11)
- Armies provided: 1
- Assignment slots provided: 1
- +1 rank for new generals
The presence of the imperial family in your court is minimal.
Significant Dynasty Support (12-23)
- Armies provided: 2
- Assignment slots provided: 2
- +1 rank for new generals
The increased number of imperial family members within your court is having a measurable level of influence on your domestic affairs.
High Dynasty Support (24-35)
- -10 diplomatic relations with all factions
- Armies provided: 3
- Assignment slots provided: 3
- +2 rank for new generals
- Enables annexation of subjects
Your family occupy a number of influential positions within your court and possess a lot of clout. Their empowerment makes them bold.
Dominant Dynasty Support (36-47)
- -20 diplomatic relations with all factions
- Armies provided: 4
- Assignment slots provided: 4
- +2 rank for new generals
- Enables annexation of subjects
Your kin are the body of the empire, you are it's(sic) head. Trust needs to be earned, it is not a birth right – be sure their loyalties lie with you.
Overwhelming Dynasty Support (48-60)
- -30 diplomatic relations with all factions
- Armies provided: 5
- Assignment slots provided: 5
- +3 rank for new generals
- Enables annexation of subjects
Your support within the Han has reached a harmonious level.
Warlord Influence[]
Warlord Influence is marked with a blue symbol of a crossed spear and glaive and represents the generals, governors, and local rulers across China. They are a mixed bag, as supporting the Warlords will increase the power of Liu Hong's myriad of vassal factions which allows them to deal with local threats more effectively, yet it comes with the downside of decentralising power. Making Warlord Influence too high may result in very powerful factions that may seek to distance themselves from the central government, which may only increase the number of enemies Liu Hong has to face in the long term. Increasing Warlord Influence somewhat, therefore, is not a bad idea, yet one should be careful not to overdo it and hinder their own centralisation of the China in the process.
Warlord Influence ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 60 and is divided into five tiers. These five are as follows:
Growing Warlord Support (0-11)
- +5% income from all sources (allied factions)
- +2% replenishment (allied factions)
The presence of warlords in your court is minimal.
Significant Warlord Support (12-23)
- Trade agreements provided: 1
- +10% income from all sources (allied factions)
- +4% replenishment (allied factions)
The increased number of warlords within your court is giving them a measurable level of influence over your domestic affairs.
High Warlord Support (24-35)
- Trade agreements provided: 1
- -5 satisfaction
- Enables war co-ordination with subjects
- +15% income from all sources (allied factions)
- +6% replenishment (allied factions)
The warlords occupy a number of influential positions within your court, and therefore possess a lot of clout; this empowerment makes them bold.
Dominant Warlord Support (36-47)
- Trade agreements provided: 2
- -10 satisfaction
- Enables war co-ordination with subjects
- +20% income from all sources (allied factions)
- +8% replenishment (allied factions)
The emperor is the heavenly-appointed leader of the empire, but localised jurisdiction lies in the hands of warlords. These are people of ambition, so make sure you keep them firmly in check.
Overwhelming Warlord Support (48-60)
- Trade agreements provided: 2
- -15 satisfaction
- Enables war co-ordination with subjects
- +25% income from all sources (allied factions)
- +10% replenishment (allied factions)
An enormous amount of power has been devoted to the warlords within the empire.
Imperial Diplomacy[]
As Liu Hong is the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and all of China in the process, he can spend his Political Influence to confederate factions diplomatically if they are part of the Empire. Doing this requires a minimum of 24 Dynasty Influence (High Support) and will cost 400 Political Influence. Alternatively, his generals can simply walk up to a county within the Empire and spend Political Influence to annex it outright. It costs 20 Political Influence to annex a resource settlement and 50 Influence to annex a commandery capital or gate pass. Note that these annexations are acts of treachery and will lower diplomatic relations not just with the faction in question but with all factions, making Liu Hong more untrustworthy and eventually turning his vassals against him. Therefore, it is usually best to start with the largest and most powerful vassals, as the smaller ones will be less likely to rebel and, if they do, will pose a lower threat. These annexations are the main way (besides taking an even larger diplomatic hit by attacking a vassal outright) Liu Hong can gain territory inside the borders of the Han Empire and the main way for him to centralise his power.
Starting Situation[]
Mandate of Heaven (182)[]
182 - Liu Hong (green), Imperial Vassals (yellow)
The emperor is the steward of the Han dynasty, burdened with the heaven-sent responsibility of guiding the disparate realms of China under one rule. Yet despite his celestial duty, the dynasty over which he presides is racked by turmoil - this is his opportunity to right the madness consuming the land. To succeed, he must reconcile and balance the competing powers in his court; the relatively newly-crowned empress tries to stem the flow of corruption, yet the ever-more powerful eunuch attendants continue to whisper their desires, honeyed and tempting, into his ears.
Start: Very Hard
Liu Hong starts the Mandate of Heaven campaign at war in Luoyang commandery. While he only starts at war with mere Looters, the situation will rapidly deteriorate with the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in northeastern China and the subsequent Mandate War and the Liang Rebellion to the west, which will tie up a large part of the Empire's forces. If Liu Hong manages to win the Zhang brothers and defeat the Western Rebellion, all while avoiding bankruptcy and managing his Influence, he is in a position to rapidly become the most powerful faction in China, centralising the Empire by diplomatically annexing his vassals. While his start is certainly difficult, there are many ways Liu Hong's campaign can unfold, ranging from becoming a military and diplomatic powerhouse to the complete collapse of the Han Empire.
- Characters
- Children
Notable Events[]
- Turn 22: Kong Rong leaves Liu Hong to start his own faction in Beihai commandery. This event is unavoidable.
- Turn 34: Liu Hong will suffer a stroke, granting the player the option to save his life or let him die. The AI will always choose to let Liu Hong die.
Gallery[]
