This content requires the base game Total War: THREE KINGDOMS on Steam in
order to play.

## About This Content
* The largest and most detailed Total War: THREE KINGDOMS DLC to date
* Begin a campaign in 182 CE just before the Yellow Turban rebellion…
* …Then play through the conflict and deep into the Three Kingdoms period
* New characters and six new playable warlords including the Zhang brothers and Emperor Ling
* Unique new campaign mechanics, events and objectives
* 40 new battlefield units and new unit abilities
* Play the origin stories of legendary characters such as Cao Cao and Liu Bei

The year is 182CE. The Han Empire is in turmoil, and China is slipping
towards chaos. The Emperor ‘s court is paralysed by corruption, and a great
famine has ravaged the north. In the eyes of the people, Emperor Ling has lost
the Mandate of Heaven – and with it, the right to rule.

Across the land, the people band together in opposition. Led by the three
Taoist brothers Zhang Jue, Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, they don yellow turbans
and take up arms. Their aim: to tear down the unjust Han and replace it with
their own dynasty of harmony and peace. They are thousands strong, with more
flocking to their cause by the day.

Warlords sworn to the emperor rally to his banner; warriors of great influence
and fierce ability. Yet the wiser, more ambitious of them harbour their own
desires… if the Han becomes too weak, who then will take the reins of power?

The Total War: THREE KINGDOMS – Mandate of Heaven Chapter Pack depicts the
events of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, enabling players to engage in the
conflict from either rebel or loyalist perspectives. Introducing a number of
new characters and playable faction leaders, the campaign begins in 182CE, but
players can choose to continue well into the Three Kingdoms period, with
familiar characters entering the campaign as the timeline progresses.
## The Han Dynasty

As part of the free Total War: THREE KINGDOMS game update for all players
which activates when Mandate of Heaven launches, Han Chinese factions may
adopt the new Empire government style (Emperor Ling of course has this from
the outset of the campaign).

The Emperor and his allies are in an alliance where the Emperor holds total
power. The Emperor has mandated powers to prevent his allies from voting on
diplomatic deals such as war and peace. However, as this is effectively an
abuse of power, such actions may cause schisms in the alliance…

In Mandate of Heaven, Liu Hong (Emperor Ling) has a unique form of this Empire
government style, in that he must request these mandated powers from his
imperial allies in order to battle the Yellow Turban threat. In addition, he
may also construct the Imperial Palace, a grand undertaking in both time and
resources, which delivers powerful factionwide bonuses to the Emperor, and
houses the single most powerful garrison in the game!

Victory Conditions

The victory conditions of all Han factions match those of the 190CE campaign.
Timing in this period is crucial however, given the power-blocs in play. It’s
very much about picking your moment to start your race for the throne and
finding rebel-held commanderies to attack opportunistically. The only
exception is Liu Hong (Emperor Ling), whose victory conditions will change
depending on how he reforms his government.
## Han Factions
## Liu Hong (Emperor Ling)

Liu Hong is Emperor of the Han Empire, and presides over a swiftly
deteriorating situation. Rebellions are rising and there is discontent amongst
his own vassal warlords. His court is controlled by corrupt and self-serving
eunuchs who are quick to silence any who question them. The formidable
Empress, his wife, fights tooth-and-nail against the eunuchs’ power-grab, but
her efforts are hindered by the Emperor’s inaction. The vast Han vassal lands
are Liu Hong’s to maintain, but the situation is rapidly falling apart, and
controlling all of them may be impossible as discontent and open warfare
erupt…

Unique Faction Mechanic: The Imperial Court

Within the Imperial Court, three factions vie for supremacy.
* The Bureaucrats: Led by the eunuchs, their supporters seek to centralise power into the hands of the politicians.
* The Warlords: Supporters of this group seek a decentralised government where each local leader controls their own lands, answering only to the emperor.
* The Dynasts: This group seeks all power to come from the imperial family itself.

The Emperor sits in the middle, trying to balance these power blocks. He can
wield his Political Influence to enact changes within a court that has been
all but crippled by the eunuchs’ power-grab…

* Political influence grows over time and is generated by administrative court buildings within the player’s major settlements
* Political influence can be used to remove corrupt ministers from the court
* Very high levels of political influence can be expended to annex entire factions within the Empire.
## Liu Chong

Liu Chong is the Emperor’s kin, but not heir to the throne. Unlike his family,
he is happy to focus on managing his land. The people he governs love him, due
to a combination of his own bold personality and his skill in battle. He is
determined to make his holdings a place of peace and prosperity for any and
all who wish to seek haven there. He feels confident that his imperial kin
will get the situation under control, and whilst he will defend them, he is
more concerned with keeping his people and his territory safe. Owners of
Mandate of Heaven will also be able to begin a campaign in 190 CE as Liu
Chong, and his historical conflict with Yuan Shu.

Unique resource: Fortitude
Liu Chong has a unique resource called fortitude. This rises as he fights
battles, and confers a suite of increasingly powerful military bonuses for his
troops.

Unique Faction Mechanic: Trophies
By achieving a proscribed series of feats in battle, Liu Chong can unlock
trophies which grant unique bonus effects. Liu Chong can choose a limited set
of trophies to display in order to gain these bonuses.
## Lu Zhi

One of the most preeminent scholars of the Han Dynasty, Lu Zhi made a name for
himself as an excellent teacher, with such students as Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan
studying under him. He was a pivotal figure during the Yellow Turban
rebellion, leading many successful assaults against the rebels. While a master
of scholarship and the sword, he was less prepared to compete with the
Eunuchs.

Unique Faction Mechanic: The Great Library
By achieving a prescribed series of civic feats, Lu Zhi can collect a range of
unique works to populate the library. Up to five works can be displayed at any
one time with each work offering unique bonuses. Some works belong to sets and
offer further bonuses if displayed together.
## Yellow Turban Rebellion

## Unique Mechanics

The three Zhang brothers, architects of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, each get
unique missions to energise the movement. Some of these missions will improve
their own factions, whilst others will enhance their allies. A few missions
may even bring you into contact with faces old and new…
## Unique resources and effects: Zeal and Fervour

Zeal represents the flames of rebellion, which must be stoked for the
rebellion to succeed. This resource is shared across all three Zhang brothers’
factions, but depletes over time. As Zeal falls, the rebellion can falter,
causing your counties to rise up in favour of the Han cause. Zeal is
maintained by capturing counties and fighting battles.

Fervour represents the rising support of the common people for the rebellion,
and the growing instability this causes the Han. Fervour increases in a region
due to the presence of Yellow Turbans forces and buildings, causing
increasingly punitive public order penalties for Han factions. At high levels,
fervour begins to cross boundaries and affect adjacent regions. Han factions
can mitigate the Yellow Turbans’ Fervour by improving their public order
infrastructure and capturing nearby Yellow Turbans counties.

Victory Conditions
All followers of the Way of Supreme Peace are united in a common goal:
overthrowing the Han Empire. The flames of rebellion will not be quenched
until this goal is achieved!

Some turns into the campaign the Mandate War will commence in earnest, driving
the Yellow Turbans and the Han into relentless conflict. Victory in this war
is the ultimate victory for the Yellow Turbans, and they must capture 50
regions or Luoyang itself.

Reforms
All Yellow Turban factions have access to the new Yellow Turbans reforms tree.
The tree contains four major branches, reflecting:

* Infrastructure & Economy
* Philosophy & Trade
* Military Power
* Military Doctrines
## Yellow Turbans Factions

Zhang Jue
A renowned healer in his native Julu commandery, Zhang Jue is known as the
General of Heaven. His discovery of the Scriptures of Great Peace, detailing
the connection between heaven and earth, have set him on the path to raising a
righteous rebellion against the corrupt Han Dynasty. Zhang Jue has mustered
his brothers and their followers to his cause and sparked a flame in the
hearts of the people.

Zhang Liang
Zhang Liang, the General of the People, is an artisan of defensive strategies.
As such, his aim is to build an impregnable defence against the Han as they
attempt to stamp out the rebellion. In fact, the Han warlord Lu Zhi has been
dispatched with precisely this directive, and Zhang Liang has been tasked with
defending against him. The result of this clash could dramatically shift the
balance of power!

Zhang Bao
Known as the General of the Land, Zhang Bao hones naked aggression into a
force for change. He forms the spear-tip of the rebellion, hurling himself
boldly into the fray. He seeks to rapidly expand the rebels’ sphere of
influence and is in the best position to achieve this.
## Other Factions also playable in Mandate of Heaven

You can also play this campaign from the perspective of several notable Three
Kingdoms characters, each of whom has unique start-positions and missions
reflecting their early (and in one case, deeply humble!) beginnings:
* Cao Cao
* Liu Bei
* Sun Jian
* Dong Zhuo
## New campaign features:

Regionless Recruitment
In the Mandate campaign, a faction’s armies may now recruit troops when in
non-hostile territory, even if they own no regions. Units and retinues may be
recruited, but new armies may not be formed.

Emergent AI factions
As time passes in the Mandate of Heaven campaign, notable factions from the
190 CE campaign will begin to emerge according to key historical conditions.
For example, Yuan Shao may appear, but only if The Emperor is deposed, while
Zheng Jiang will begin to terrorise the northern Commanderies around 189 CE.
## New battlefield units (highlights)

With 40 new units available, playable factions get a range of new options for
recruitment. Here you’ll find a list of some of the most notable elite units.
## Han Empire

Imperial Conscripts (Liu Hong)
The elite Imperial Army of the Han Empire, these units represent all five
elements of the Wu Xing, and are all heavily armoured. All Imperial units have
a unique ability granting them increasing armour and damage bonuses while
fighting as long as another Imperial unit is nearby.

Chen Peacekeepers (Liu Chong)
The finest melee cavalry of Prince Liu Chong’s army, clad in heavy golden
armour and also armed with crossbows.

Chen Royal Guard (Liu Chong)
Heavily armoured Crossbow Infantry, ready to switch to shield and spear in
defence of their emperor.

Destroyer of Traitors (Lu Zhi)
A very effective Shock Cavalry unit with splash-damage attacks.
## Yellow Turbans

Messengers of Heaven (Zhang Jue)
Zhang Jue’s messengers bear forth his prophecies and instructions. These very
fast, unarmoured, fear-causing melee cavalry have good morale and are Ideal
for chasing missile infantry down, killing them swiftly and moving on before
others arrive.

Zealots of the Way (Zhang Bao)
Zhang Bao’s all-purpose infantry, equipped with two-handed polearms. Their
unique ability improves their combat prowess over time at the front of the
unit, though they become more vulnerable to the flanks and rear.

Yaoguai Hunters (Zhang Bao)
Zhang Bao’s Archers, armed with poisoned arrows. They can be deployed outside
of the regular deployment zone before battle commences, and can only be
detected from up close. They are deadly while they remain hidden, but the
enemy must be kept at arm’s length as they will fall swiftly in melee.

Tyrant Slayers (Zhang Liang)
Zhang Liang’s Shock Cavalry, they have a very hard-hitting charge, and a
unique damage bonus when fighting heroes and generals.

## Mature Content Description
The developers describe the content like this:
Gameplay consists of graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical
conflict, weapons and depictions of human injury and death.

Total War: THREE KINGDOMS – Mandate of Heaven