Shi Changshi

Shi Changshi (English: ten attendants or ten eunuchs) are twelve unique historical characters featured in the Mandate of Heaven campaign in Total War: Three Kingdoms. They are all part of Liu Hong's faction as non-deployable court nobles.

Shi Changshi is an integration of the imperial title of Zhong Changshi of Emperor Ling's court. A zhong changshi (regular attendant) was a eunuch assigned to take care of a child emperor as they came of age. This role was given to a eunuch to ensure that no individual would have sway over a young emperor. However, the child emperors of the later Han dynasty became very close with their attendants. Emperor Huan offered a marquis title to one of his attendants, Zhang Rang, for removing a very powerful martial who was becoming a threat to the imperial seat. When Emperor Ling came to power, he awarded his attendants, all ten of them, with a marquis title. From this time, the zhong changshi became collectively known as the shi changshi (shi: ten; changshi: attendant).

The attendants having the Emperor's support became increasingly corrupt. They abused their position to collect exorbitant taxes from the peasantry to benefit their estates which eventually led to the rise of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 AD.

In 185 AD, a fire broke out in the Imperial Palace and destroyed the Southern Palace. This was when the eleventh zhong changshi, Bi Lan, was appointed to oversee the reconstruction of the Southern Palace. A year later in 186 AD, a twelfth zhong changshi, Song Dian, was added to oversee the construction of an opulent jade hall within the Southern Palace. However, with the droughts, the rebellion, and this being very late in Emperor Ling's reign: the addition of the two extra members to the ten attendants was never corrected, and all twelve zhong changshi remained to be referred to as the shi changshi or ten attendants.

They would meet their downfall in 189 AD when they assassinated He Jin to gain more control over the newly coronated Emperor Shao. In response to He Jin's assassination, Yuan Shao stormed Luoyang and killed anyone that resembled a eunuch; or tried to aid them. Seeing the Imperial Palace in chaos, the local peasantry began to riot, ultimately leading to the destruction of the capital. Amidst all the chaos, Dong Zhuo arrived with his army to find a devastated imperial palace and courtiers lying dead on the grounds. He found Emperor Shao and his younger brother Liu Xie near the river bank, of whom he would take control and declare himself the Regent of the Han.

All members of the shi changshi featured are:

Cao Ding is another eunuch and a member of Liu Hong's faction, though he is not considered to be part of the Ten Attendants.