For the character, see Tao Qian.
Tao Qian is a playable faction in Total War: Three Kingdoms, added by the DLC bearing the same name . It starts the campaign in central China, based out of Donghai commandery. The faction exists in 190 and 182. Gaining a rank as a duke, king, or emperor renames the faction to Lu.
Lu is a Han loyalist faction and cannot declare themselves emperor upon obtaining the rank of king. However, Lu can become emperor by capturing an existing imperial seat belonging to another faction.
Unique Features[]
Unique Units
Unique Buildings
- None
Unique Features
Displaced Population[]
Displaced Population is Tao Qian's unique faction resource. Whereas all other faction resources can be influenced by the faction in question, this is not the case for Tao Qian, who has little to no control over his faction resource. Displaced Population, like the name suggests, represents the refugees caused by the chaos gripping China in the wake of the Han Empire's collapse. Whenever any settlement on the map gets captured by a faction, this will generate Displaced Population for Tao Qian.
Displaced Population is something of a double-sided bargain. On the one hand, incoming refugees generate military benefits as well as a significant reduction in construction time, yet at a great cost of food. If Tao Qian is overwhelmed by Displaced Population, his territory may begin to starve due to the harsh food production penalty. Keeping the amount of Displaced Population low, however, grants satisfaction, public order, and income with none of the food penalties, though the military benefits will also not be received. Generally speaking, unless involved in a war with a much greater power, it is advised to keep the amount of Displaced Population as low as possible by using the Repopulate Commanderies assignment.
Below is a list of the five tiers that Displaced Population comes in and their effects.
Displaced Population: Low (0-100k)
- +3 satisfaction
- +6 public order (faction-wide)
- +15% income from peasantry
A relatively small amount of people have been displaced. In time, they will seek new homes, and calm will return to the land.
Displaced Population: Moderate (101-300k)
- +1 satisfaction
- +3 public order (faction-wide)
- -5% food production (all commanderies)
- -5% recruitment cost for militia and territorial units
- +10% income from peasantry
Your administration works tirelessly to ensure that the displaced peasantry do not cause problems. Some vagrants are still present, but no more than expected with the ongoing wars beyond your borders.
Displaced Population: Manageable (301-700k)
- +1 public order (faction-wide)
- -15% food production (all commanderies)
- -15% recruitment cost for militia and territorial units
- +5% income from peasantry
Whilst there are many people that have had to flee from war, the situation is still manageable.
Displaced Population: Very High (701-900k)
- -1 construction time (faction-wide)
- -1 mustering turns (faction-wide)
- -30% food production (all commanderies)
- -30% recruitment cost for militia and territorial units
Many peasants flee war and seek refuge in our lands. Our people demand we do something before the situation worsens and the homeless outnumber the settled.
Displaced Population: Overwhelmed (901k-1m)
- -2 construction time (faction-wide)
- -2 mustering turns (faction-wide)
- -50% food production (all commanderies)
- -50% recruitment cost for militia and territorial units
War has ravaged China. Vast swarms of peasants roam the streets, unable to find permanent residence. Divisions grow between your people and the vagrants, and unrest has greatly fallen. However, there is plenty of available labour should you require it.
Repopulate Commanderies[]
Repopulate Commanderies is an assignment unique to Tao Qian. It is a relatively simplistic assignment, serving as the only way to reduce Displaced Population. Upon being assigned to a character, it takes ten turns to complete and has a one-turn recall duration. When the assignment is completed, Displaced Population will be reduced by 20k, with 20k population subsequently added to the county in which the assignment was set to take place.
Starting Situation[]
Rise of the Warlords (190)[]
190, Tao Qian - Blue, Enemies - Red
Tao Qian is still a man of considerable talent, yet age and time have begun to fray the corners of his once-immovable ability. He is a beloved and diligent administrator, but now begins to consider who will succeed him. His sons seem incapable of the responsibility, and chaos begins to rise across the land once more, so he must widen his search. Even so, Tao Qian knows his duty is not yet done. Just as before, he will not stand to see madness consume the land a second time.
Start: Hard
Tao Qian starts the campaign in Donghai commandery, with his position being a relatively stable one. Options to expand are somewhat limited, however, as Tao Qian is a Han loyalist and does not start at war with Dong Zhuo or the Han Empire. His only option to expand is the nearby Yellow Turban Rebellion in Pengcheng and Dong commanderies. From there, he can potentially attack the Yellow Turban Warlord Huang Shao. However, he will face much stiffer resistance from Huang Shao than the regular Yellow Turbans.
Besides the Yellow Turbans, Tao Qian is located near various weaker warlords such as Ze Rong, Liu Dai, and Zhang Chao. Yet, there is one final threat to Tao Qian: The Warlord Cao Cao to the west. Due to Cao Cao's initial dilemma revolving around Cao Song's death in the lands of Tao Qian, he is nearly certain to attack Tao Qian early on in the campaign. Fighting off Cao Cao and his vastly superior generals is challenging but doable.
A final probem for Tao Qian is his age. It is plausible that he dies early in the campaign, at which point the faction passes to the somewhat underwhelming Tao Ying. It can, therefore, be a more profitable strategy to adopt a better character as the faction heir. An obvious local pick would be Lady Mi, who already starts the game as a legendary character. Yet, Qian can also keep his eyes open for suitable candidates to appear throughout the campaign.
Characters
Mandate of Heaven (182)[]
182, Tao Qian - Blue
Tao Qian is possessed of a quiet resolve that has carried him through decades of service and strengthens him against the coming storm. In his youth, he was famed for his knowledge, his dedication to his studies, and his honesty. As an administrator, he is benevolent and beloved, offering shelter to those weary wanderers with noble ideals and nowhere to turn. With chaos rising across the land, Tao Qian will bring his considerable talent to bear to see such dark clouds dispersed!
Start: Hard
Tao Qian starts the game at peace with significantly more territory than in 190. His campaign initially focuses on economically developing and raising a decent army. However, he later receives the option to march north to deal with the Yellow Turban Rebellion under Zhang Jue, Bao, and Liang.
Characters