Dong Zhuo () (c. 140s – 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minister of the imperial government. Originally from Liang Province, Dong Zhuo seized control of the imperial capital Luoyang in 189 when it entered a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling of Han and a massacre of the eunuch faction by the court officials.
Dong Zhuo subsequently deposed Liu Bian (Emperor Shao) and replaced him with his half-brother, the puppet Emperor Xian, to make him become the de facto ruler of China in the boy-emperor's name. The Eastern Han dynasty regime survived in name only.de Crespigny. A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms, biography of Liu Xie, pp. 555–556 Dong Zhuo's rule was brief and characterized by cruelty and tyranny. In the following year, a coalition of regional officials (; cishi) and warlords launched a campaign against him. Failing to stop the coalition forces, Dong Zhuo sacked Luoyang and relocated further west to the former Western Han capital at Chang'an (modern Xi'an, Shaanxi province). He was assassinated soon after in May 192 by his subordinate Lü Bu in a plot orchestrated by Interior Minister Wang Yun.
Early life Dong Zhuo was born in Lintao, Longxi Commandery in the early 140s and was said to be a chivalrous youth who was physically strong and excelled in horseback archery. He travelled around the Qiang and Xiongnu regions and befriended many people.
Around 165, Dong Zhuo became a member of the Yulin corps (, branch of the Imperial Guard) in the capital. Dong served under Zhang Huan's () northern campaign to suppress an uprising of the Qiang. He eventually became a county magistrate in the Yanmen Commandery, a divisional commandant in the Shu Commandery, the Wu and Ji colonel in the Western Regions, inspector of Bing Province, and administrator of the Hedong Commandery.
At some point in the 170s, he was employed as a minor official in an unnamed commandery, supervising captured thieves and robbers. Due to the many raids by non-Han minorities, the then-Inspector of Liangzhou, Cheng Jiu (成就), promoted Dong to serve under him. Under Cheng, Dong led troops to repel these raids and achieved much success. As such, the then-Inspector of Bingzhou, Duan Jiong (段颎), recommended Dong to the Three Excellencies of the time; then-Situ Yuan Wei (袁隗) hired Dong to serve under him.(〈《吴书》曰：郡召卓为吏，使监领盗贼。胡尝出钞，多虏民人，凉州刺史成就辟卓为从事，使领兵骑讨捕，大破之，斩获千计。并州刺史段颎荐卓公府，司徒袁隗辟为掾。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.06
By the late 170s, Dong Zhuo was Administrator of Hedong Commandery.
At the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the summer of 184, Dong Zhuo was sent to take over command from Lu Zhi in preparation of the offense on Zhang Jue in Julu. Although his efforts during the rebellion were initially unsuccessful, with the arrival of Huangfu Song, victory was achieved in the winter against the peasants.
During the Liang Province Rebellion, the barbarians rebelled with local gentries Han Sui and Bian Zhang. Dong was reinstated and sent to suppress the rebels. While suppressing this rebellion, Dong Zhuo had several tactical and strategic disagreements with Huangfu Song; after Huangfu managed to achieve victory despite Dong's disagreements, Dong became resentful and fearful of him.(卓大笾恨，由是忌嵩。) Houhanshu, vol. 71. Huangfu Song's biography in the same volume recorded some of these disagreements.
Dong Zhuo was given the title "General Who Smashes the Caitiffs" in 185, and "General of the Vanguard" in 188. He was promoted to be the governor of Bing Province, but he refused to take up his new post as he was unwilling to leave his men.
During the turbulent situation, the power of the Eastern Han dynasty was waning. Dong Zhuo then settled in Liang Province and built up his power.
Rise to power Following the death of Emperor Ling of Han in May 189, General-in-Chief He Jin ordered Dong Zhuo to lead troops into Luoyang to aid him in eliminating the powerful eunuch faction known as the Ten Attendants. Before Dong could arrive, He Jin was assassinated by the eunuchs in September that year and the capital city fell into a state of turmoil. The eunuchs took Liu Bian (Emperor Shao) hostage and fled from Luoyang. Dong Zhuo's army intercepted the eunuchs and brought the emperor back to the palace.
After He Jin's death, He Jin's step-brother, General of Chariots and Cavalry He Miao (), was killed by He Jin's subordinate Wu Kuang (吳匡) and Dong Zhuo's brother Dong Min, for sympathizing with the eunuch faction which had assassinated He Jin.(吴匡等素怨苗不与进同心，而又疑其与宦官同谋，乃令军中曰：“杀大将军者即车骑也，士吏能为报仇乎？”进素有仁恩，士卒皆流涕曰：“愿致死！”匡遂引兵与董卓弟奉车都尉旻攻杀苗，弃其尸于苑中。) Houhanshu, vol. 69
After arriving in Luoyang, Dong Zhuo realized that his 3000 men were unequal to the numerous troops guarding the capital. Dong ordered some of his army to march out at night and re-enter the city at dawn, thus making it appear that he was receiving reinforcements. Dong then took command of the leaderless forces of He Jin and He Miao, convinced Lü Bu to join his ranks, and made himself Excellency of Works.
In 189, Dong deposed Emperor Shao and replaced him with Liu Xie (Emperor Xian). Dong declared himself chancellor, and became the head of the imperial court in Luoyang. However, in the words of Rafe de Crespigny, Dong Zhuo's "conduct towards the court and the imperial officials was bullying, oppressive and frequently bloody." This prompted Yuan Shao to form a coalition army with other regional officials in opposition to Dong Zhuo's military authority.
Coalition against Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo retreats to Chang'an
In the same year, regional officials and warlords around the country formed a coalition force and launched a punitive campaign against Dong Zhuo. In response, he sent a detachment to intercept the coalition vanguard led by Sun Jian, and ordered his son-in-law, Niu Fu, to supply his fortress and manor of Mei, also known as "Meiwu" (郿坞) or Ten-Thousand Year Fortress (万岁坞), with 30 years' worth of rations, where he had planned to centralize his power or retire in safety behind its fortified walls built to be seven zhàng in height and thickness.(数与百官置酒宴会，淫乐纵恣。乃结垒于长安城东以自居。又筑坞于郿，高厚七丈，号曰“万岁坞”。积谷为三十年储。自云：“事成，雄据天下；不成，守此足以毕老。) See Book of the Later Han, Volume 72. After his subordinates Hua Xiong, Hu Zhen, and Lu Bu were defeated by Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu at Yangren, Dong Zhuo sent Li Jue to propose a marriage between Sun's son and Dong's daughter, and split the empire between the two families. Sun Jian refused and prepared to attack Luoyang.
Dong evacuated everyone in Luoyang and moved them to Chang'an in the west. Before the relocation, Dong ordered his troops to ransack the tombs of the late Han emperors for treasures, seize valuables from the wealthy residents in Luoyang, and burn down the palaces and anything that might be useful to the coalition.
Then the chancellor assembled his forces in the city and personally led them to ambush the approaching army. Dong's ambush failed and he was driven back by Sun Jian.(卓自出與堅戰於諸陵墓閒，卓敗走) See Book of the Later Han, Volume 72. He ordered Lu Bu to lead a cavalry force back to the city to halt Sun's progress before he took flight for Mianchi. Sun Jian broke through one of the eastern gates and defeated Lu Bu, taking the city.(堅進洛陽宣陽城門，更擊呂布，布復破走。) See Book of the Later Han, Volume 72.
Defeat of the coalition Despite taking Luoyang, the city was so heavily damaged that Sun Jian chose to retreat rather than to try to hold it.
Dong Zhuo then sent his generals Li Jue, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji to the frontline against the eastern warlords. By this time the coalition had already fallen into disarray and internal bickering. The only ones who actively opposed Dong were the senior imperial officer, Zhu Jun and his old friend, Tao Qian.Fan Ye. Book of the Later Han, Biography of Zhu Jun. Tao, despite having a general alliance with Dong, sent 3,000 elite troops from Danyang to aid Zhu in the battle with Dong's forces at Zhongmu. Zhu was defeated. Li Jue and his comrades then raided the surrounding area around Chenliu and Yingchuan for slaves.Chen Shou. Records of Three Kingdoms, Volume 6, Biography of Dong Zhuo. Morale among the allied soldiers were low due to news of the ways in which Dong Zhuo would torture captives. Apparently he would have them tied up with fat-soaked clothes and start a fire from their foot. He left their heads unbound so he could enjoy their screams and watch their expressions while being tortured.(献帝纪曰：卓获山东兵，以猪膏涂布十余匹，用缠其身，然后烧之，先从足起。) According to the Annals of Emperor Xian (cited in vol.06 of Sanguozhi), Dong Zhuo would carry out his horrible and complicated punishments once he captured a soldier from the eastern warlords.
Rule of terror
Two months after he moved the capital, Dong Zhuo revived the title of Grand Master, an antiquated title once reinvigorated by Wang Mang, but scrapped in the Eastern Han. He appointed his younger brother Dong Min as General of the Left and gave official posts to several of his kin.
Dong Zhuo threw lavish banquets during which he would torture captured enemies by severing limbs, removing tongues and eyeballs, or burning them alive. His audience was said to have experienced a high degree of discomfort.(于坐中先断其舌，或斩手足，或凿眼，或镬煮之，未死，偃转杯案闲，会者皆战栗亡失匕箸，而卓饮食自若。)
Dong Zhuo had very specific treatment for those who betrayed him with punishments even more severe than the ones applied to enemy captives. The betrayers would experience prolonged suffering during the process.
For Yuan Shao's role as leader of the coalition against him, Dong Zhuo had the entire Yuan clan in Luoyang wiped out. Within two years, thousands of public servants were wrongly accused and executed, and numerous commoners were kidnapped or killed. In order to purchase materials for further development of the Mei citadel, he had bells and bronze statues, among which were nine of the Twelve Metal Colossi,西汉五铢 melted and recast into coins. However, the coins did not weigh the same, resulting in all copper cash being devalued.
Downfall and death Dong Zhuo kept Lü Bu as a personal bodyguard and swore an oath as father and son. However, after an argument, Dong threw a hand-axe at Lü Bu, who dodged the weapon. Lü Bu's relationship with Dong Zhuo further deteriorated when Lü had an affair with a woman in Dong's harem.
In 192, with encouragement from Interior Minister Wang Yun, Lü Bu made his decision to kill Dong Zhuo. On the morning of May 22, 192, Lü greeted Dong at the palace gate with a dozen trusted men led by Cavalry Captain Li Su, who had pretended to stand guard at the gate alongside Wang Yun. Li stepped forward and tried to stab Dong with a ji, but Dong's body armour saved him. Dong cried out for Lü Bu to save him, but Lü merely answered, "This is an imperial order," after which he delivered a fatal blow to Dong.
It was recorded that Dong's corpse was left on the streets with a lit wick placed on his navel. The wick burned for several days on the fat of the corpse. It was said that the light from the flame could last for days.(守尸吏暝以為大炷，置卓臍中以為灯，光明達旦，如是積日。) According to the Yingxiong Ji (cited in Dong Zhuo's biographies in both Sanguozhi and Houhanshu), the glow from his corpse's light last into dawn, and then for days! A special order stated that anyone who went forth to collect the body would be killed. However, three officials, including Cai Yong, still challenged the order and were executed. Meanwhile, all affiliates of the Dong clan, including Dong's 90-year-old mother, were put to death.(卓母年九十，走至塢門曰“乞脫我死!”) Yingxiong Ji annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.06.
Legacy