Campaign against Dong Zhuo

Campaign against Dong Zhuo
Part of the wars at theend of the Han dynasty
A mural inFragrant Hillsdepicting the duel between thethree sworn brothersandLü BuatHulao Passin a fictional encounter.
Date February 190–191 Location Henan,China Result Inconclusive; Dong Zhuo retreats west, Coalition disbanded
Belligerents
Guandong Coalition	Dong Zhuo
Commanders and leaders
Yuan Shao Cao Cao Yuan Shu Sun Jian Zhang Miao Han Fu Bao Xin Yuan Yi Zhang Chao Zhang Yang Ma Teng Yufuluo Kong Zhou Wang Kuang Liu Dai Qiao Mao Liu Bei	Dong Zhuo Lü Bu Li Jue Guo Si Hua Xiong† Xu Rong Hu Zhen Zhang Ji Niu Fu Fan Chou Li Ru
Strength
100,000+	Described as less than coalitions'

Campaign against Dong Zhuo
Traditional Chinese	Đổng trác thảo phạt chiến
Simplified Chinese	Đổng trác thảo phạt chiến
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dǒng Zhuó Tǎofá Zhàn

TheCampaign against Dong Zhuowas apunitive expeditioninitiated by a coalition of regional officials and warlords against the warlordDong Zhuoin 190 in the lateEastern Han dynasty.The members of the coalition claimed that Dong had the intention of usurping the throne by holdingEmperor Xianhostage and by establishing a strong influence in the imperial court. They justified their campaign as to remove Dong from power. The campaign led to the evacuation of the capitalLuoyangand the shifting of the imperial court toChang'an.It was a prelude to theend of the Han dynastyand, subsequently, theThree Kingdomsperiod.

In the 14th-century historical novelRomance of the Three Kingdoms,the campaign is memorable for at least two famous incidents: one isGuan Yu's slaying ofHua Xiong;the other is the three-on-one duel between the three sworn brothers (Liu Bei,Guan Yu,Zhang Fei) andLü Bu.The two scenes are often reenacted inChinese operaalong with other famous scenes from the novel. Both incidents however, are fictional; Hua Xiong was captured and executed bySun Jianafter a brief battle. Liu, Guan and Zhang did participate in the campaign although their actions are not further described,with no mention that they dueled with Lü Bu, who, historically, was defeated by Sun Jian in battle.

Background

Main article:History of the Han dynasty

Following the death ofEmperor Lingin 189, General-in-ChiefHe Jinsummoned the frontier generalDong Zhuofrom the northwest into the capital city ofLuoyang.Dong was ordered to lead his troops into the capital city to aid He in eliminating the eunuch faction, theTen Attendants,from the imperial court. However, before Dong Zhuo's arrival, He Jin's plan was revealed and he was assassinated by the eunuchs on 22 September 189.He Jin's associates led byYuan Shaostormed the palace after the assassination and startedmassacring eunuchs.The youngEmperor Shaoand his younger brother, thePrince of Chenliu,were brought out of the palace by the surviving eunuchs during the chaos. The emperor lost theImperial Sealduring his escape. They were eventually discovered by a search party and escorted back to the palace safely by Dong Zhuo and his men.

Subsequently, the warlordDing Yuanwas killed by his subordinateLü Bufor opposing Dong Zhuo's decision to depose Emperor Shao. Lü then defected to Dong's side.

In 190, Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao and installed the Prince of Chenliu on the throne. The prince became historically known as Emperor Xian. Dong appointed himself asChancellor of State,an official post abolished almost 200 years before. On March 26 in the same year, Dong had Liu Bian (the former Emperor Shao) andEmpress Dowager Hekilled.

Since then, Dong Zhuo had established a strong influence in the imperial court. He was authoritarian and showed no regard for the absolute monarchy as he made the final decisions on policies without consulting or seeking approval from the emperor. He eliminated several of his opponents in the imperial court to further strengthen his grip over the apparatus of state. Yuan Shao fled from Luoyang after openly disagreeing with Dong Zhuo's decision to depose Emperor Shao. Dong Zhuo feared that Yuan Shao might rise in revolt against him as Yuan was also an influential figure in politics as well. Dong heeded his advisor's suggestions and proposed to the emperor to appoint Yuan as Grand Administrator ofBohaias an act of appeasement.

Course of events

Ceramicstatues of a prancing horse (foreground) and a cavalryman on horseback (background),Eastern Han dynasty(25-220 AD)

Formation of the coalition

While in Bohai, Yuan Shao was not appeased by Dong Zhuo's proposal to appoint him as Grand Administrator. He planned to start acoup d'etatto remove Dong from power by rising in revolt but he was kept in check byHan Fu,the Governor of Ji Province ( ký châu ).

At the same time, the Grand Administrator ofDong Commandery,Qiao Mao,forged letters of accusation against Dong Zhuo, denouncing him as a traitor with the intention of usurping the throne, calling for apunitive expeditionagainst Dong. These letters were distributed all around the nation in the name of officials from the capital. Regional officials and warlords all around China received the letters and responded to the call to remove Dong Zhuo from power.

In February 190, the Guandong Coalition ( quan đông liên quân, literally: Coalition East of the Pass) was formed after several regional officials and warlords gathered east ofHangu Passwith their armies in response to the call for a punitive war against Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao was elected to be the leader of the coalition. The forces ofSun JianandCao Caoalso participated in the campaign under the banners ofYuan ShuandZhang Miaorespectively. The participants of the campaign included:

• Yuan Shu,General of the Rear ( hậu tương quân )
• Han Fu,Governor ( mục ) ofJi Province
• Kong Zhou,Inspector ( thứ sử ) ofYu Province
• Liu Dai,Inspector ofYan Province
• Wang Kuang,Grand Administrator ( thái thủ ) ofHenei
• Yuan Shao,Grand Administrator ofBohai
• Zhang Miao,Grand Administrator ofChenliu
• Qiao Mao,Grand Administrator ofDong Commandery
• Yuan Yi,Grand Administrator ofShanyang
• Bao Xin,Chancellor ( tương ) ofJibei
• Zhang Chao, Grand Administrator ofGuangling
• Zhang Yang,Grand Administrator ofShangdang
• Yufuluo,Chanyuof theSouthern Xiongnu

Pottery figurines of shield-wielding infantry (foreground) and cavalrymen on horses (background), dated from theWestern Han dynasty(202 BC –9 AD)

The coalition forces encamped in several locations east of the capital city of Luoyang, effectively surrounding it. The locations of the coalition members in relation to Luoyang are as follows:

• To the north, in Henei ( hà nội ): Yuan Shao, Wang Kuang, Zhang Yang, Yufuluo
• To the east, in Suanzao ( toan táo ): Zhang Miao, Liu Dai, Qiao Mao, Yuan Yi
• To the south, in Luyang ( lỗ dương ): Yuan Shu
• To the southeast, in Yingchuan ( dĩnh xuyên ): Kong Zhou
• To the northeast, inYe:Han Fu

The blockade had the effect of cutting supplies from the eastern part of the Han empire from the capital, which drastically reduced the government's tax revenue. In response, Dong Zhuo melted nine of theTwelve Metal Colossiand other treasures to gather bronze that he could use to mint more coinage.These new coins flooded the market and caused rampantinflationthroughout the empire.

Despite the impressive showing of force, most of the coalition's armies were hurriedly rallied family retainers and opportunists for loot with little battle experience. The leader of the coalition Yuan Shao himself had not seen action in much of the 180s since he had been in six years mourning for first his mother and then his adoptive father, during which he could not participate in military matters. This is contrasted with Dong Zhuo's battle-hardened frontiersmen, who had previously fought in theLiang Province Rebellion.

Razing of Luoyang

Dong Zhuo was alarmed by the formation of the Guandong Coalition against him. He proposed that the capital ofLuoyangbe evacuated immediately and the imperial court be shifted toChang'anin the west. All civilians were to evacuate Luoyang as well and move to Chang'an, with only Dong and his military staying behind to defend Luoyang from the coalition forces.

A Qing dynasty illustration of the fire being ignited.

Dong Zhuo's proposal was met with strong criticisms from other court officials but Dong silenced them by deposing anyone who opposed him. On 9 April 190, Dong's proposal was implemented. He ordered his soldiers to massacre and loot the rich households of Luoyang and drive Luoyang's civilian population towards Chang'an. Emperor Xian, nobles, aristocrats and officials followed the civilians and Dong's troops as they made their long journey towards Chang'an. Anyone who refused to obey orders to evacuate to Chang'an was killed on the spot. Dong Zhuo also orderedLü Buto lead men to raid ancient tombs and burial mounts for their valuables and treasure. After the evacuation, Luoyang was set on fire and razed to the ground. According toChen Shou'sRecords of Three Kingdoms"the numbers of the innocent dead were beyond measurement."

Rubbing of a low bas-relief carving on the west wall of theWu family shrinesinShandong,dated 2nd century AD, showing a battle scene at a bridge

In Suanzao ( toan táo ),Cao Caoled his men westward to attack Dong Zhuo's forces. He was followed by a contingent fromZhang Miao's army led byWei Zi( vệ tư ). Cao Cao's army was defeated by Dong's forces, led byXu Rong,in theBattle of Xingyang,and Cao Cao himself was injured in battle.Cao Hongoffered his steed to him and he followed Cao Cao on foot, and they managed to escape from the battlefield. Xu withdrew his troops after the battle.

When Cao Cao returned to Suanzao, he suggested that the coalition pursue Dong Zhuo's retreating forces to threaten Dong by showing him that the coalition was still on the move. However, Zhang Miao and the others present dismissed his suggestion. Cao Cao then led his men to join Yuan Shao inHeneitogether withXiahou Dun.After Cao's departure, the coalition forces stationed in Suanzao ran out of supplies and dispersed.Liu Daiseized the opportunity to killQiao Mao,whom he held a grudge against.

At the same time, Dong Zhuo sent reputable men such asHan Rong( hàn dung ),Yin Xiu( âm tu ),Humu Ban( hồ vô ban ),Wu Xiu( ngô tu ), andWang Gui( vương côi ) to see Yuan Shao and negotiate for anarmistice.However, Yuan had all the negotiators detained and killed except for Han Rong. Seeing peace was impossible, Dong Zhuo rapidly surrounded Wang Kuang's encampment in Heyang Ford ( hà dương tân ) north of Luoyang and dealt a defeat so severe that Wang Kuang abandoned the coalition and fled back to his home inTaishan Commandery( thái sơn quận ).

Sun Jian's advances

In Luyang to the south, Sun Jian, who had joined Yuan Shu with 20,000 - 30,000 men, was given the rank General Who Quells Rebels ( phá lỗ tương quân ) and Governor of Yu Province by Yuan. Yuan made Sun the vanguard, and Sun started to train his men in Luyang.

In the winter of 190, Dong Zhuo sent a force of some ten thousands to attack Luyang. At the time, Sun Jian's men were having a drinking party, but Sun did not stir upon hearing the news; instead, he calmly continued to pass his wine around while his troops gathered into formation. Seeing such discipline, Dong Zhuo's men turned around and retreated.

In March 191, Sun Jian moved his camp north to Liangdong ( lương đông ), but he was outnumbered by Xu Rong there. With several dozen men, he broke through the encirclement. Seeing that his red scarf could easily identify him, Sun Jian gave it to a close aide Zu Mao ( tổ mậu ), whom Xu Rong's soldiers chased while Sun escaped. Zu Mao later hung the scarf onto a half-burnt pillar, and hid himself in the tall grasses nearby. The enemies surrounded the pillar and approached cautiously till they realized they had been fooled, whereupon they retreated.

Gathering his scattered armies, Sun Jian went forward to camp in Yangren ( dương nhân; believed to be near present-dayWenquan, Ruzhou,Henan). This time, Dong Zhuo sentHua Xiong,Hu Zhen,and Lü Bu with 5,000 men to attack Sun. However, Lü Bu, who was in charge of cavalry, was not in good terms with Hu Zhen and quarreled with him. Sun Jian seized the opportunity to attack them, and Dong Zhuo's forces were defeated in a rout. Hua Xiong was captured by Sun and promptly executed.

At this time, someone told Yuan Shu that if Sun Jian defeated Dong Zhuo and took over the capital, he would not be controllable anymore. The doubtful Yuan then ceased providing supplies to Sun. Sun rode the hundred oddlifrom Yangren to Luyang in the night to see Yuan, whereupon he said to the latter, "I put myself in danger during battle, with a primary purpose to eliminate a traitor (Dong Zhuo) for the country and second to avenge the deaths of your kinsmen (Yuan Shu's uncle was killed by Dong Zhuo). I have no personal grudge against Dong Zhuo. Yet you believed slanderous talks and suspect me!" The words put Yuan to shame and he immediately ordered the food supply to be delivered.

Fearing Sun Jian, Dong Zhuo sent his subordinateLi Jueas an emissary to seek peace and cement an alliance. Li Jue also promised Sun Jian appointments in the government service for his sons. To this, Sun replied, "Dong Zhuo opposes Heaven and defies the law. Until I have killed you and all your clan, and shown your heads to theFour Seas,I shall not be able to die in peace. How can I ally with you? "

AQing dynastyillustration of Sun Jian finding the Imperial Seal.

Sun Jian then led his forces to Dagu Pass ( đại cốc quan ), a fortified pass guarding Luoyang to the south, 90liaway from Luoyang. Dong Zhuo personally fought in the battle at the Later Han tombs, but was defeated and fled toMianchiand Shan ( thiểm ), west of Luoyang. Sun Jian then continued to march into Luoyang, where he met and routed the forces of Lü Bu. Settling in, Sun ordered his men to reseal the tombs of former emperors that were excavated by Dong Zhuo. It was said inWei Zhao'sBook of Wu( ngô thư ) that Sun Jian found the lostImperial Sealin a well south of Luoyang and kept it for himself.

Sun Jian then sent part of his force forward toXin'anand Mianchi to threaten Dong Zhuo's defense positions. Dong now sentDong Yue( đổng việt ) to camp at Mianchi,Duan Wei(Đoạn ổi) to camp atHuayin,andNiu Futo camp at Anyi ( an ấp ). His other commanders were spread out among the counties to block any attack from the east of the mountains. After these arrangements, Dong Zhuo led his own troops away to Chang'an.

Having repaired the imperial tombs, Sun Jian led his army back to Luyang as the ruined Luoyang was vulnerable to possible counterattacks by Dong Zhuo. The former capital of Luoyang was now abandoned by both contending forces.

Internal conflict

Despite Sun Jian's successes, the coalition did not build upon them due to poor communication and coordination among the leaders. The warlords in the east were unaware that Emperor Xian was still alive as they were isolated by the passes separating Luoyang from the east. Yuan Shao and Han Fu proposed to enthroneLiu Yu,the Inspector of You Province ( u châu ) and a member of the imperial clan, as the new emperor. Cao Cao and Yuan Shu disagreed with the proposal. When Yuan Shao and Han Fu sent a messenger to Liu Yu to inform him, Liu rebuked the messenger sternly and refused the offer flatly. Liu expressed his loyalty to the current Emperor Xian and threatened to head north intoXiongnuterritory if Yuan Shao insisted that he become the new emperor. After repeated failed attempts, Yuan Shao decided to give up. In addition, the warlords turned their attention from Dong Zhuo back to themselves and started to pursue their individual interests again instead of uniting against Dong Zhuo.

Han Fu, who was in charge of provisions, gradually stopped supplying the coalition army. His subordinateQu Yirebelled against him and defeated him before defecting over to Yuan Shao. The incident alerted Yuan of his need to secure his sources of supply and he plotted to seize Han's lands. Yuan collaborated withGongsun Zansecretly to attack Han Fu's Ji Province ( ký châu ) and eventually Han surrendered Ji Province to Yuan.

Yuan Shao sentZhou Yu (Renming)( chu ngung ) to attack Sun Jian, who was returning from Luoyang to join Yuan Shu. In theBattle of Yangcheng,Zhou made a surprise attack on Sun's camp atYangchengand captured it. Yuan Shu sent Gongsun Yue ( công tôn việt ) to assist Sun Jian in fighting Zhou Yu. Gongsun Yue was killed in the battle even though it was a victory for Sun Jian. Gongsun Zan held Yuan Shao responsible for Gongsun Yue's death and declared war on Yuan Shao, which led to theBattle of Jieqiaosubsequently.

By then, the coalition had failed and collapsed, existing only in name.

Death of Dong Zhuo

See also:End of the Han dynasty

For the following year, the warlords ceased to take any action against Dong Zhuo. Dong occasionally sent an army to attack the warlordZhu Junand plundered his territory.

Dong Zhuo returned to his tyrant status in the imperial court, but he had become less tolerant towards dissent, as any official who uttered a slight offensive remark would be killed immediately. He installed all members of his clan and relatives by marriage in high-ranking official posts. Even his infant sons were conferred titles of marquises and played with gold seals and purple tassels.

Court officialsWang Yun,Huang Wan( hoàng uyển ),Shisun Rui( sĩ tôn thụy ) andYang Zan( dương toản ) plotted to assassinate Dong Zhuo. They persuaded Lü Bu to join their cause because Lü's relationship with Dong was becoming increasingly strained after Dong threw ahand-axeat him and due to his affair with one of Dong's chambermaids.

On 22 May 192, Dong Zhuo was on the way to an assembly in his chariot whenLi Suadvanced towards him and stabbed him. Dong shouted for Lü Bu to protect him, but Lü killed him instead. Dong's relatives were executed after his death while his corpse was left exposed on the streets of Chang'an. The officer guarding the corpse lit a wick on the navel and it burned for days on the fats of the corpse.

After Dong Zhuo's death, several of his loyalists, such asFan Chou,Guo SiandLi Jue,escaped as they believed that their loyalty towards Dong Zhuo would be considered as treason. Wang Yun, who had taken control of the government after Dong Zhuo's death, heard their appeal foramnestyand said, "Of all those who should be pardoned, they are the exceptions." Dong's loyalists were outraged by Wang's remarks and waged war. However, they were defeated by Lü Bu and the imperial forces. Eventually, Dong Zhuo's remnant forces managed to outwit Lü Bu by distracting him and they seized control of Chang'an. Wang Yun was killed.

The power of the Eastern Han dynasty fell into the hands of Dong Zhuo's remnants after that and gradually evolved into a struggle for power, which spread throughout the nation progressively.

InRomance of the Three Kingdoms

Main articles:Battle of Hulao PassandBattle of Xingyang (190)

In the 14th-century historical novelRomance of the Three Kingdoms,the authorLuo Guanzhongemployedartistic licenserather freely as he changed some details of this campaign to better portray the main characters. For example, there is historical evidence thatLiu Bei,Guan Yu,andZhang Feiparticipated in the campaign but no specific feats,yet their achievements eclipse those of Sun Jian in the novel. Luo Guanzhong also simplified some of the historical events, invented fictional battles, and changed the sequence of events. However, due to the popularity of the novel, many people hold the events detailed in the novel to be true, not knowing the true history as presented in definitive sources such as theBook of the Later Han,Records of the Three Kingdoms,orZizhi Tongjian.This fictional account of history is also adopted by many Chinese operas and video games.

Uprising against Dong Zhuo

Warlords responding to Cao Cao's call to arms, Qing dynasty illustration

In chapter 5 ofRomance of the Three Kingdoms,Cao Caoattempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo but failed and escaped to his hometown in Chenliu. Subsequently, Cao sent secret imperial decrees, in the name of the emperor, to various regional warlords and officials, ordering them to rise up against Dong Zhuo and remove him from power. Many responded to the call and they formed the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition ( phản đổng trác liên hợp quân ).

The novel has a slightly different list of participants in the coalition:

• Cao Cao,Colonel of Resolute Cavalry ( kiêu kỵ giáo úy )
• Yuan Shu,General of the Rear ( hậu tương quân ), Administrator of Nanyang ( nam dương thái thủ )
• Han Fu,Inspector ofJi Province( ký châu thứ sử )
• Kong Zhou,Inspector ofYu Province( dự châu thứ sử )
• Liu Dai,Inspector ofYan Province( duyện châu thứ sử )
• Wang Kuang,Administrator of Henei ( hà nội thái thủ )
• Zhang Miao,Administrator of Chenliu ( trần lưu thái thủ )
• Qiao Mao,Administrator of Dong Commandery ( đông quận thái thủ )
• Yuan Yi,Administrator of Shanyang ( sơn dương thái thủ )
• Bao Xin,Chancellor of Jibei ( tế bắc tương )
• Kong Rong,Administrator of Beihai ( bắc hải thái thủ )
• Zhang Chao,Administrator of Guangling ( quảng lăng thái thủ )
• Tao Qian,Inspector ofXu Province( từ châu thứ sử )
• Ma Teng,Administrator ofWestern Liang( tây lương thái thủ )
• Gongsun Zan,Administrator of Beiping ( bắc bình thái thủ )
• Zhang Yang,Administrator of Shangdang ( thượng đảng thái thủ )
• Sun Jian,Administrator of Changsha ( trường sa thái thủ ), Marquis of Wucheng ( ô trình hầu )
• Yuan Shao,Administrator of Bohai ( bột hải thái thủ ), Marquis of Qi ( kỳ hương hầu )

With eighteen warlords participating in the novel, the campaign is thus popularly known as "The eighteen warlords' campaign against Dong Zhuo" ( thập bát lộ chư hầu thảo đổng trác ). In this campaign, Liu Bei, with his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, offered their service to Gongsun Zan, Liu's friend and former classmate. After the warlords pledged allegiance to the coalition, they insisted to have Yuan Shao as the commander-in-chief, a role which Yuan reluctantly accepted. Yuan Shao then put Yuan Shu in charge of provisions, and appointed Sun Jian as the vanguard to attack Sishui Pass.

AQing dynastyillustration of the three sworn brothers dueling with Lü Bu

Dissolution

While restoring order in Luoyang, Sun Jian was alerted by his men that there is light faintly emitting from a well. He ordered to retrieve whatever was in the well, and they found a dead woman with theImperial Sealin a silk bag around her neck. As advised byCheng Pu,Sun Jian kept the Seal for himself and warned his men not to reveal anything about the discovery.

Unfortunately for Sun Jian, one of his soldiers went and told Yuan Shao about it, and was heavily rewarded. During a meeting on the following day, Sun Jian cited health problems as an excuse to return to Changsha, to which Yuan Shao remarked sarcastically, "I know you're ill because of the Imperial Seal", causing Sun to be stunned. After rounds of accusations and denials, Yuan Shao and Sun Jian's men drew swords in preparation for a fight, but the conflict was defused by the rest of the coalition members. Sun Jian then quickly fled from Luoyang with his men. In anger, Yuan Shao sent a letter toLiu Biaoof Jing Province, asking Liu Biao to intercept Sun on the way and take him into custody. This gave rise to the conflict between Sun Jian and Liu Biao, which eventually culminated in the death of Sun at theBattle of Xiangyang.

The next day, Cao Cao returned to the main camp from his defeat in Xingyang. He lamented at the lack of motivation within the coalition and left as well. Gongsun Zan told Liu Bei, "Yuan Shao is an incapable leader, and together there will be strife, we should leave", and so they also pulled their forces from the alliance and retreated north. Seeing everyone had dispersed, Yuan Shao dismantled the camps and led his army back to his base.

References

• Chen, Shou.Records of the Three Kingdoms(Sanguozhi).
• de Crespigny, Rafe(1990)."Generals of the South"Faculty of Asian Studies, TheAustralian National University,Canberra. Internet edition 2004.
• de Crespigny, Rafe (1996)."To Establish Peace: being the Chronicle of the Later Han dynasty for the years 189 to 220 AD as recorded in Chapters 59 to 69 of the Zizhi tongjian of Sima Guang". Volume 1.Faculty of Asian Studies, TheAustralian National University,Canberra.ISBN0-7315-2526-4.
• de Crespigny, Rafe (2010).Imperial warlord: a biography of Cao Cao 155-220 AD.Leiden Boston: Brill.ISBN978-90-04-18522-7.
• Fan, Ye.Book of the Later Han(Houhanshu).
• Luo, Guanzhong.Romance of the Three Kingdoms(Sanguo Yanyi).
• Pei, Songzhi.Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms(Sanguozhi zhu).
• Sima, Guang.Zizhi Tongjian.

External links

• "Map showing the places involved during the historical campaign"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2006-09-07.Retrieved2006-10-08.(62.6KiB)