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For the faction, see Lu Zhi (faction)

Lu Zhi is a Chinese name; the family name is Lu.


Lu Zhi is a unique legendary Strategist hero in Total War: Three Kingdoms. He leads his own faction, Lu Zhi, in 182. He later becomes a candidate for the Han Empire in 190.


General Information[]

Attributes[]

Main Article: Attributes (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Expertise: 84
    • -16% construction cost (administered commandery)
    • +25 melee evasion
  • Resolve: 59
    • +17% general's health
    • +2k population growth (administered commandery)
  • Cunning: 103
    • +41% ammunition (own retinue)
    • +10 military supplies (own army)
  • Instinct: 44
    • +5% melee damage
    • -1% recruitment cost (this army)
  • Authority: 36
    • +1 satisfaction (faction-wide, if leader, heir, or prime minister)
    • +1 unit morale (own retinue)


Background[]

Main Article: Background (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Respected Mentor

  • +30 expertise
  • +10 resolve
  • +20 cunning
  • +1 resilience
  • +10% character experience (faction-wide, if leader, heir, or prime minister)
  • +2 starting rank for all recruits (faction-wide, if leader, heir, or prime minister)
  • +6 morale (faction-wide, if leader, heir, or prime minister)


Unit Statistics[]

  • Morale: 40
  • Melee Toughness: 12
  • Ranged Toughness: 14
  • Melee Power: 3
  • Hit Points: 9k
  • Melee Charge Bonus: 26
  • Melee Attack Rate: 15
  • Base Melee Damage: 232
  • Armour-Piercing Melee Damage: 164
  • Base Melee Evasion: 25%
  • Base Armour: 20%
  • Speed: 97


Traits[]

Main Article: Traits (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Scholarly
    • +4 expertise
    • +4 cunning
    • +25% character experience
    • Values Education, Admires Intelligence.
  • Trusting
    • +6 expertise
    • +2 resolve
    • -10 undercover network cost for enemy spies (if leader, heir, or prime minister)
    • Respects Patience, Commends Trustworthiness.
  • Sincere
    • +2 resolve
    • +6 authority
    • +1 satisfaction (local county)
    • Values Diplomacy, Commends Trustworthiness.


Skills[]

Main Article: Skill (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Resourcefulness
    • +8 cunning
    • Enables: Flaming Shot (own retinue)
    • +10 military supplies in enemy territory (when commanding)
  • Stifling Deluge


Abilities[]

Main Article: Ability (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Stifling Deluge (Passive Debuff)
    • Can target if:
      • General
    • +5s increased cooldown for abilities
    • Range: 50m
    • Duration: 1s
    • Cooldown: 4s


Ancillaries[]

Main Article: Ancillary (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Jian
    • Base Melee Damage: 220
    • Armour-Piercing Melee Damage: 163
    • Melee Attack Rate: 30
    • +9 expertise
  • Lu Zhi's Armour
    • Base Armour: 20
    • +15 cunning
  • Black Horse
    • Speed: 97
    • Mass: 1.5k
    • +2 cunning


Guanxi[]

Main Article: Guanxi

  • Acquaintances
    • Gongsun Zan
    • Liu Bei


Biography[]

Lu Zhi's life reads more like a bad comedy than a biography.

A renowned student and scholar, he studied both the classical teachings of Confucianism as well as the newer tomes, earning him much admiration. Notably, the Han bureaucracy also learned of his wisdom and tried to get him to join the administration of the empire, yet Lu Zhi refused each time. Instead, he became a teacher at an academy where he sought to live a relatively quiet life.

Then, without warning, he was appointed Administrator of Jiujiang by the Empire and tasked with dealing with a non-Chinese rebellion ongoing in the region. Lu Zhi left behind his academic career and went to Jiujiang, resolving the rebellion diplomatically. When the threat to the commandery was dealt with, Lu Zhi suddenly and mysteriously caught an acute illness with no symptoms and resigned due to poor health. However, due to how well he had handled the Jiujiang situation, he was shortly after re-appointed to Lujiang commandery and tasked with a near-identical job. Once he dealt with that he re-contracted his mysterious illness and resigned again.

Then, about a year later, he was summoned to Luoyang to work on the updated history of China alongside other scholars and historians. He eagerly agreed, seeing it was an academic position, not a political one. When the Dongguan Hanji, the most recent history of China at the time, was written, Lu Zhi looked forward to heading back to his university. However, he had, once again, done such a good job on the Dongguan Hanji, that he was made a palace attendant and shortly after appointed to the Secretariat of the Empire. After some more hijinks, including insulting Emperor Ling to his face, he was ultimately promoted to a military position during the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 182.

He travelled north and defeated Zhang Jue. However, just as his offensive was getting momentum, Lu Zhi refused to bribe one of the eunuchs, Zuo Feng. Feng was quick to label Lu Zhi a coward and framed his successful military campaign as a total disaster. Subsequently, he was dragged back to Luoyang in chains and sentenced to be executed, only to be pardoned at the last moment when Huangfu Song defeated the Yellow Turban Rebellion and began praising Lu Zhi's bravery, urging for him to be released.

Hoping that this shame would absolve him from politics, Lu Zhi intended to finally return to his quiet academic life, only to be re-appointed to the Secretariat. He would remain in this position until the Emperor died in 189, which he saw as an opportunity to finally get out. He informed He Jin not to trust Dong Zhuo as he began to prepare to leave Luoyang, only for He Jin to be assassinated by the Ten Attendants and for them to capture the current child Emperor and his little brother. Lu Zhi frantically chased after the Emperor with a gang of soldiers freed him and his brother, and returned them to Luoyang, only for the whole city to burn to the ground just as Dong Zhuo arrived and took the two children, effectively making him regent of the Han Empire.

Dong Zhuo was grateful that Lu Zhi had rescued the two children and subsequently rewarded the scholar by giving him exactly what he didn't want: a job as an advisor. When Dong Zhuo plotted to replace Emperor Shao with his younger brother, Lu Zhi made the mistake of protesting. Dong Zhuo would have killed him there if it wasn't for an old friend and colleague, Cai Yong, calming the tyrant down. However, Lu Zhi had just about enough of Chinese politics for one lifetime and shortly after fled for the hills pursued by Dong Zhuo's men. He managed to escape them and, finally being free from politics, effectively became a hermit in an extremely remote region of China.

This did not stop him from being found by Yuan Shao, who offered him a job in politics in 191. However, Lu Zhi claimed illness and poor health once again. However, this time, it appears the claims weren't made up, as he died a year later. He asked his family to give him a simple traditional burial yet not even death would spare him from politics. When Cao Cao travelled through the area fifteen years later, he threw lavish ceremonies honouring Lu Zhi and gave him a more expensive tomb against his wishes.


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