Although the couple are usually shown to have a comic relief relationship, she has genuine feelings for her husband and her fiery nature complements his casual attitude. Some games have a segment where she personally rescues her husband from capture. She supports her husband in his resistance against northern invaders, usually appearing in the game after he has been captured and released a number of times. In the Games: Zhu Rong is a daughter of a fire God (from whom she receives her identical name) and married to the Nanman king Meng Huo. Xiao Qiao is not mentioned again after her husband’s death. There are rumours in the historical records that some months after Sun Ce’s death, Da Qiao ran off with a Wei officer – Liu Xun. While Da Qiao and her husband had several daughters, it is unknown whether Zhou Yu’s children were by Xiao Qiao. Both men died young Sun Ce at 25 and Zhou Yu at 35, the former with his wife at his death bed. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were both involved in the Wu conquest of Huan where they met an Elder Qiao who was known for his two beautiful daughters who they then married. Although collectively they are known as the Two Qiaos, the names ‘Da’ and ‘Xiao’ simply denote ‘elder’ and ‘younger’. In History: Historically, as with most of the women mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, very little is known about them, including their names. In some fiction they are both talented martial artists which bring them to the attention of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. In Fiction: Both women are said to be exceptionally beautiful and Cao Cao’s attraction to the younger sister, Xiao Qiao, is the dramatic reason given for his advance against Wu at the Battle of Red Cliff (Chi Bi in the games). Both are shown to adore their husbands, while their husbands are fiercely protective of them in return. Initially they were both portrayed as rather excitable due to their youth, though later editions of the game had Da Qiao mature, to distinguish her from her more headstrong sister. They are both shown to be completely loyal to their husbands and their participation in battles is usually to assist them in their missions. In the Games: In their first appearances, the games’ stories have the two Qiaos being rescued from varying antagonists by Wu’s Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, who then marry them respectively. In this series I intend to look at the women presented in the Dynasty Warriors series, their role in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other fiction, and finally their place in history and what we actually know of them. But this does not relegate them to boring side notes in history, and many of those who participated in the events of the time obviously did so to the extent that they were noted for it, rather than disappearing from the record. They were, instead, integral in alliances and domestic affairs, as we might expect. It probably won’t surprise you (and if it does, it really shouldn’t) to learn that the women of the Three Kingdoms weren’t riding into battle, laying waste to their enemies with fans, whips and…flutes. Even though women at this time generally received much less coverage than men, especially during a time of war when men engaged in fighting while women acted as dynastic alliance makers and supporters, Dynasty Warriors does feature a number of playable female characters. The Three Kingdoms is noted for the sheer number of celebrated heroes who came to the forefront of history, many of whom appear as playable characters in the games. The Dynasty Warriors series first appeared in 1997 as a fighting game, but since then has become a tactical/action/hack ‘n’ slash with a number of spin off titles. The novel draws together history, legend, myth and fiction and is considered one of the most influential works of Eastern literature. Written by Luo Guanzhong in the fourteenth century, Romance of the Three Kingdoms documents and dramatises the Three Kingdoms period of China’s history, a period of just over a hundred years that saw the land ravaged by war as competing feudal lords fought for power. The not entirely historically accurate Dynasty Warriors series is based on the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Dynasty Warriors (and later Kessen 2) fostered a love of a period that I probably wouldn’t have been exposed to, otherwise. It is many years later and Sun Shang Xiang is still my go to character when I start a new game. They played the Yellow Turban Rebellion level, Sun Shang Xiang confronted them, and I fell in love. It was the last day of school, someone had brought in their brand spanking new Playstation 2 and knocked out a few rounds of Dynasty Warriors 2. I was eleven years old when I first saw Dynasty Warriors.
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