Lü Bu (; died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese general and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Originally a subordinate of Ding Yuan, he killed Ding Yuan and defected to Dong Zhuo. In 192, he killed Dong Zhuo after being instigated by Wang Yun and Shisun Rui (),Per vol.60 of Zizhi Tongjian, it was Shisun who wrote the formal orders for Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo. but was defeated and driven away from Chang'an by Dong Zhuo's followers.
From 192 to early 195, Lü Bu consecutively sought shelter under warlords such as Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, and Zhang Yang. In 194, he managed to take control of Yan Province from Cao Cao, but Cao took back his territories within two years. In 195, Lü Bu turned against Liu Bei, who had offered him refuge in Xu Province, and seized control of the province from his host. Although he had agreed to an alliance with Yuan Shu earlier, following Yuan declaring himself emperor in a treason against Emperor Xian of Han, Lü Bu joined Cao Cao and others in attacking the pretender. In 198, he sided with Yuan Shu again and came under attack by the combined forces of Cao and Liu, resulting in his defeat at the Battle of Xiapi in 199. He was captured and executed on Cao Cao's order.
Although Lü Bu is depicted in both historical and literary sources as an exceptionally formidable warrior, he was also notorious for his volatile temperament and political unreliability, traits that contributed to his downfall. His life is dramatized in the 14th-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which introduces fictional elements such as his romance with Diaochan.
Historical sources on Lü Bu's life There are two official biographies of Lü Bu. The first one is in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), which was written by Chen Shou in the third century.
In the fifth century, Pei Songzhi annotated the Sanguozhi by incorporating information from other sources to Chen Shou's original work and adding his personal commentary. Some alternative texts used in the annotations to Lü Bu's biography include: Yingxiong Ji (Chronicles of Heroes and Champions), by Wang Can; Xiandi Chunqiu (Chronicles of Emperor Xian), by Yuan Wei; Wei Shi Chunqiu (Chronicles of the Ruling Family of Wei), by Sun Sheng; Cao Man Zhuan (Biography of Cao Man), by an unknown writer.
The second biography of Lü Bu is in the Book of the Later Han (Houhanshu), which was compiled by Fan Ye in the fifth century.
Physical appearance No descriptions of Lü Bu's physical appearance exist in historical records. It was noted that he specialized in archery and horse-riding, and possessed great physical strength. He was nicknamed "Flying General" () for his martial prowess.() Sanguozhi vol. 7. He also owned a powerful steed known as the "Red Hare".() Sanguozhi vol. 7.() Houhanshu vol. 75. The Cao Man Zhuan recorded that there was a saying at the time to describe Lü Bu and the Red Hare: "Among men, Lü Bu; Among steeds, Red Hare)".() Cao Man Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 7.
Lü Bu is described as follows in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms:
Biography Service under Ding Yuan and defection to Dong Zhuo
Lü Bu was from Jiuyuan County (), Wuyuan Commandery along the northern Han frontiers, which is near present-day Baotou, Inner Mongolia. He was known for his martial valour in Bing Province. In early 188, his home province fell into disorder after the local Xiuchuge and Southern Xiongnu vassal tribes rebelled and murdered the Chinese regional Inspector ().(五年春正月，休屠各胡寇西河，殺郡守邢紀... 三月，休屠各胡攻殺并州刺史張懿，遂與南匈奴左部胡合，殺其單于。) Houhanshu, vol. 8. The official, Ding Yuan was appointed the new Inspector of Bing to quell the uprising by the Han central government. He was later promoted to Cavalry Commandant () and ordered to garrison at Henei Commandery. It was around this time when Ding Yuan met and recruited Lü Bu as a Registrar (), treating him with exceptional kindness.() Sanguozhi vol. 7.
After the death of Emperor Ling in May 189, Ding Yuan led his troops to the capital Luoyang to assist the general He Jin in eliminating the eunuch faction. He Jin ended up being assassinated by the eunuchs instead, after which the warlord Dong Zhuo led his forces into Luoyang and occupied the capital. Dong Zhuo wanted to kill Ding Yuan and take control of Ding's troops, so he induced Lü Bu into betraying Ding and defecting to his side. Lü Bu killed Ding Yuan, cut off his head, and presented it to Dong Zhuo, who had by then seized control of the Han central government. Dong Zhuo appointed Lü Bu as a Cavalry Commandant and placed much faith and trust in him. He also accepted Lü Bu as a foster son. Lü Bu was later promoted from the position of a Cavalry Commandant to a General of the Household (). He was also made a Marquis of a Chief Village ().() Sanguozhi vol. 7.
Service under Dong Zhuo
In 190, a coalition of warlords led by Yuan Shao initiated a punitive campaign against Dong Zhuo in response to Dong's tyranny and monopoly of the central government. Dong Zhuo had deposed Emperor Ling's successor, Emperor Shao, earlier that year and replaced him with Emperor Xian, who was actually a puppet ruler under his control. Lü Bu defended Dong Zhuo and fought in battles against the coalition. In one battle at Yangren (; believed to be near present-day Wenquan, Ruzhou, Henan), Dong Zhuo ordered Lü Bu and Hu Zhen to attack Sun Jian (one of the coalition members), but Lü Bu and Hu Zhen could not get along with each other, resulting in disorder in their army. Sun Jian used the opportunity to attack them and forced them to retreat.() Houhanshu vol. 72.() Zizhi Tongjian vol. 60. Within months, the coalition forces had reached the capital Luoyang. Dong Zhuo personally led an army to engage the coalition vanguard, led by Sun Jian, in the area where the tombs of the Han emperors were located, but was defeated and forced to retreat. Sun Jian then passed through Luoyang's Xuanyang Gate (), where he attacked Lü Bu and drove him back.() Houhanshu vol. 72.() Zizhi Tongjian vol. 60. Dong Zhuo was alarmed, so he decided to evacuate Luoyang and move the capital to Chang'an in the west. He sent his troops to pillage Luoyang and force its residents to move to Chang'an as well, and then had Luoyang destroyed by fire. The coalition did not pursue Dong Zhuo to Chang'an and eventually dissolved by itself in the following year.
As Dong Zhuo usually behaved rudely in front of other people, he was afraid of being assassinated, hence he often kept Lü Bu by his side as a bodyguard. Dong Zhuo also had a bad temper and was easily agitated. During his outbursts, he threw short jis at Lü Bu, but Lü Bu reacted fast and dodged the weapons. Dong Zhuo's anger subsided after that. Lü Bu was very unhappy and he bore a grudge against his foster father. At the same time, Lü Bu was tasked with guarding Dong Zhuo's central living quarters, and he had a secret affair with one of Dong's maids. He feared that Dong Zhuo would find out and felt very uneasy about it.() Sanguozhi vol. 7.
Earlier on, Lü Bu had been warmly received by Wang Yun, the Minister over the Masses, so he went to see Wang and complained about how Dong Zhuo almost killed him. At the time, Wang Yun and another official, Shisun Rui (), were plotting to get rid of Dong Zhuo so they told Lü Bu about their plan and sought his help. Lü Bu said, "But we are father and son!" Wang Yun replied, "Your family name is Lü so you have no blood relations with him. He was not concerned about you at all when you almost died, so where was the father-son bond?" Lü Bu agreed to join them and personally killed Dong Zhuo later. After Dong Zhuo's death, Wang Yun and Lü Bu took charge of the central government. Lü Bu was appointed General of Vehement Might () and received the honours equivalent to those received by the Three Ducal Ministers – three high-ranking officials in the Han administration. Emperor Xian also enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Wen ().() Sanguozhi vol. 7.
Although Lü Bu have a high position with Wang Yun, but he contempted by Wang Yun as a swordsman, he suggested to kill Dong Zhuo’s remnants and reward officers with Dong Zhuo’s treasures, but Wang Yun refused all of them. In addition, Lü Bu always flaunted his credit, and caused the falling-out of the relationship with Wang Yun.() Houhanshu vol. 66.
Expulsion from Chang'an
After Dong Zhuo's death, his followers from Liang Province, led by Li Jue, Guo Si and others, formed an army to attack Chang'an when Wang Yun refused to grant them amnesty for their past activities under Dong Zhuo.() Houhanshu vol. 75. Guo Si led his men to attack the city's north gate, where he met Lü Bu, who told him, "Let's not send our soldiers into battle. Instead, let's have a man-on-man fight." Lü Bu then engaged Guo Si in a duel and injured him. Guo Si's men saved their superior. Both sides withdrew their forces.() Yingxiong Ji annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 7. Lü Bu was unable to resist the enemy so he eventually abandoned Chang'an and fled. His defeat and subsequent flight took place 60 days after Dong Zhuo's death.() Sanguozhi vol. 7.
Pei Songzhi commented that the "60 days" claim in the original text of the Sanguozhi was erroneous. According to other sources, Lü Bu killed Dong Zhuo on the 23rd day of the fourth month in the third year of the Chuping era (190–193) in Emperor Xian's reign, and he fled from Chang'an on the first day of the sixth month. There were no interpolated dates in between, so Lü Bu could not have spent 60 days in Chang'an after Dong Zhuo's death.() Pei Songzhi's annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 7.
Seeking shelter under Yuan Shu After leaving Chang'an, Lü Bu, accompanied by a few hundred horsemen and with Dong Zhuo's head tied to his saddle, passed through Wu Pass and went to join Yuan Shu in Nanyang Commandery. The Sanguozhi and the Houhanshu give differing accounts of how Yuan Shu treated Lü Bu. The former claimed that Lü Bu expected to be received warmly because he felt that he had helped Yuan Shu take revenge by slaying Dong Zhuo. However, Yuan Shu detested Lü Bu because of his duplicity so he refused to accept him.() Sanguozhi vol. 7. The latter stated that Yuan Shu treated Lü Bu generously, but Lü behaved arrogantly as he felt that he deserved better treatment because he had done Yuan a favour by killing Dong Zhuo. Lü Bu also allowed his men to plunder the area. Yuan Shu became worried that Lü Bu would pose a threat to him, and Lü also felt uneasy after he heard that Yuan was suspicious of him, so he left.() Houhanshu vol. 75.
Joining Yuan Shao and Zhang Yang
After leaving Yuan Shu, Lü Bu then headed to northern China to join Yuan Shu's relative, Yuan Shao. He assisted Yuan Shao in attacking Zhang Yan at Changshan. Zhang Yan had thousands of elite soldiers and cavalry. Lü Bu led his subordinates Cheng Lian () and Wei Yue () and dozens of riders to raid Zhang Yan's camp, killing several enemies and then fighting their way out. They did this three to four times every day continuously for a period of over ten days and eventually defeated Zhang Yan's forces.() Sanguozhi vol. 7.() Houhanshu vol. 75.
Lü Bu behaved arrogantly in front of Yuan Shao because he perceived that he had done the Yuans a favour by slaying Dong Zhuo. He belittled Yuan's followers and treated them with contempt. He once asked for more soldiers from Yuan Shao but was refused, after which he sent his men to plunder Yuan's territories. Yuan Shao was greatly displeased and felt that Lü Bu posed a threat to him. Lü Bu sensed that Yuan Shao was suspicious of him so he wanted to leave northern China and return to Luoyang. Yuan Shao pretended to agree and recommended Lü Bu to take up the appointment of Colonel-Director of Retainers () while secretly plotting to kill him.() Houhanshu vol. 75.() Sanguozhi vol. 7.