Best way to get my heir to marry?

[Super_]

Hello!

I'm playing Cao Cao and I'd like my heir, Cao Ang, to have a wife.

I've seen three ways to do this but only one of them seems available.
1 - Go into diplomacy and receive a marriage with any faction. However, there are currently zero suitable wives from this option.
2 - Select the Marry option in family tab and spend 2000 gold. However, yet again there are no options available.
3 - Select the Arrange Marriage option and spend 4000 gold! This is the only way I can get a wife. However, the wife will be some random character, currently an old lady.

Is option 3 really all I can do? Should I ever bother finding a wife for my heir yet? He's 22 years old which is perfect for the time period.

Thanks.

[Vin362]

The third option is the best way to find wives for your kin or generals if there are no female generals available, while you say Cao Ang got got an old woman as a wife that is probably just the portrait you got since using the arranged marriage normally gives a wife that is around the same age or younger (not sure on husbands as only Zheng Jiang would benefit as she is the only default female faction leader).

The option to arrange marriage was added into the game due to how difficult it was at first to find wives for your generals and heir as if remember correctly only your faction leader had the option to seek a spouse, while a bit costly and somewhat annoying it is in my opinion better than before.

[Vin362]

I would like to add there is a fourth option which is both expensive and not the best method but you can capture female generals and if they agree to you join you can then marry them to one of you generals, if they are married you can pay for a divorce and then arrange for them to remarry. Again not the best but something that I have tried out once with Xin Xianying.

[Super_]

Cao Ang is 22. The wife he gets given is 35. That's old for that time period. I'd prefer a wife around Cao Ang's age but if she's the only option then I guess it'll do.

[legend player]

I was unable to marry sun ren, because caocao's father's wife that I got him early game from Liu dai's daughter Liu huimin. After caocao's father died I divorced her then married her to another faction later the faction got destroyed and she somehow became the adopted daughter and heir of Kingdom of Wu now. So she suddenly become Sunren's sister which the game labeled her as my 'Family' so I am unable to marry her.... LIKE WTFFFF???
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1946356566

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1946356606

its ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ridiculous

[Super_]

Lmao that is quite funny. Surely if they're family, it means you can confederate them more easily. So it's not all bad news.

[Qwertykov]

Originally posted by Super_:

Lmao that is quite funny. Surely if they're family, it means you can confederate them more easily. So it's not all bad news.

Confederation means? Issuing them an ultimatum to annex them?

[Super_]

During my first Cao Cao Campaign 6 months ago, after warring with Sun Ce for a while, I managed to confederate him. All of his land, armies, generals and court members joined my empire. I think he did it as he didn't want his family to get hurt. If you're family with him, he may be inclined to confederate to you without a war.

[legend player]

Originally posted by Super_:

During my first Cao Cao Campaign 6 months ago, after warring with Sun Ce for a while, I managed to confederate him. All of his land, armies, generals and court members joined my empire. I think he did it as he didn't want his family to get hurt. If you're family with him, he may be inclined to confederate to you without a war.

True but its not just Sun ce, almost every other faction is like this. Truth is they have given up due to your superior military power usually after 2-3 decisive victories you should be able to do that