Campaign against Dong Zhuo

The Campaign against Dong Zhuo was a battle fought between the forces of Dong Zhuo and the Guandong Coalition, led by Yuan Shao. After the Ten Regular Attendants battle, Dong Zhuo managed to set Liu Xie upon the throne and used him as a puppet.

The Battle
Turmoil did not cease, following Han victories in the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Eunuch massacre. The General-in-Chief He Jin had summoned Dong Zhuo to aid him in his struggle against Zhang Rang and The Regular Attendants, despite warnings of Dong Zhuo being cruel and having no honour.

Dong Zhuo's Ambitions
Dong Zhuo arrived shortly after the eunuchs were slaughtered and Zhang Rang and followers had drowned themselves in the Yellow River. When Emperor Shao suddenly saw Dong Zhuo appear at Bowang slope, he became frightened and cried.

The Excellencies who were with Dong Zhuo said to him: "There is an imperial order to withdraw troops." Dong Zhuo replied: "You may be high ministers of state, but you could not keep the royal house in order and you have made the Emperor a homeless wanderer. What is this about withdrawing troops?"

Dong Zhuo went to speak with the Emperor and asked him what had happened, but he gained no clear answer. He then asked the Emperors younger brother, Liu Xie, about the events. Liu Xie told him everything that happened and nothing was left. This impressed Dong Zhuo and since he had been brought up by the Empress-Dowager Dong, and since Dong Zhuo himself claimed to be of the same clan as the Empress-Dowager, he took it in mind to depose the Emperor and set up the King.

On this day, September the 25th, the Emperor returned to the palace. There was an amnesty for the empire and the reign-title Guangxi was renamed Zhaoning.

The Imperial Seal was lust during the eunuch slaying. All six other seals were recovered.

Following the Emperor's return to the Imperial Capital Ding Yuan was made Bearer of the Gilded Mace.

Bao Xin, the Chief Commandant of Cavalry, had lately return from raising troops in Taishan. He talked with Yuan Shao about Dong Zhuo and said:

"Dong Zhuo has a strong army and will be inclined to rebellion. Unless you take precautions you will certainly fall into his hands. Now that he has just arrived, his men will be weary and exhausted. If you attack him by surprise, you can take him."

However, Yuan Shao was afraid of Dong Zhuo and he did not dare to act against him. Bao Xin therefor returned to Taishan.

Dong Zhuo, a while later, reached the capital. With him were only 3.000 foot-soldiers and horsemen and he thought this might be too few to gain any respect. Therefor, in the first few days after his arrival, Dong Zhuo had his men go out quietly each night to camp nearby, returning at dawn in great array of flags and drums to look as if more troops had come from the west. For some reason, nobody in Luoyang ever saw through this trick. In a short time, He Jin and He Miao's troops, who were leaderless since their generals' deaths, turned to Dong Zhuo.

Acquiring Ding Yuan's Master of Records
Ding Yuan had one man he greatly trusted, the Master of Records Lü Bu, nicknamed "The Flying General". He was a man from Jiuyuan in Wuyuan Commandery, an adept archer and rider and unmatched in arm strength. In secret, Dong Zhuo arranged for Lü Bu to murder Ding Yuan and take over his forces. Lü Bu followed through, killed Ding Yuan and went to Dong Zhuo with his former leaders' head. At arrival, Lü Bu was bestowed with the title Chief Commander of the Cavalry by Dong Zhuo. Being so fond of each other, Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo also swore to be as father and son.

With Lü Bu and Ding Yuan's forces enlisted, Dong Zhuo's army became much stronger.

Then, on grounds that it had been raining a long time, Dong Zhuo criticised the Minister of Works Liu Hong before the court, implying that he should be dismissed. The order was duly issued, and Dong Zhuo took the vacant post.

Dong Zhuo also summoned Cai Yong. Cai Yong had lived in exile near the Yangzi and the sea for twelve years after the Grand Administrator of Wuyuan, Wang Zhi, reported that Cai Yong had insulted the court. When Cai Yong received Dong Zhuo's summons, he pretended to be ill and would not come. An angered Dong Zhuo threatened: "I can destroy a man's clan". Cai Yang, now afraid, obeyed the order. When he arrived he received provisional appointment as Libationer in the offices of the Minister of Works. He was graded First Class, and in the space of three days he passed through all Three Terraces, and was then made a Palace Attendant.

Dong Zhuo's Plan
Sometime after this, Dong Zhuo talked to Yuan Shao about the Emperor:

He drew his own sword from his belt, gave a curt salute, and went out.

Dong Zhuo did not dare to harm Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao came from an esteemed family and Dong himself had only just taken some power. Yuan Shao hung his insignia of office on the Upper East Gate and fled to Ji province.

In September of 189 A.D., day 27, Dong Zhuo called a great assembly of the officials. He raised his head and said:

"The Emperor is ignorant and weak. He is not capable of maintaining the imperial temples nor acting as master of the empire. I intend to follow the examples of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, and set [Liu Xie] the King of Chenliu upon the imperial throne. What is your opinion?"

All the present Excellencies, ministers and men of lower rank were frightened and confused. They didn't dare to speak against Dong Zhuo, who then continued:

"In former times, when Huo Guang settled policy, Tian Yannian held the sword. Anyone who seeks to impede the grand design will be dealt with by military law."

All those who were present were shaken. Only Lu Zhi, the Master of Writing, said:

"In former times, Taijia held position but lacked understanding, and the faults of [the King of] Changyi were more than a thousand, so there were reasons for the depositions. Our present Emperor, however, is rich in years, and his actions have shown no lack of virtue. There is no parallel with the past."

Dong Zhuo was furious, left his seat and wanted to kill Lu Zhi. Cai Yong pleaded for him and Peng Bo also argued "Master of Writing Lu is a leading scholar of the empire. People look up to him. If you harm him, the whole country will be disturbed." Dong Zhuo stopped and got a hold of himself and did no more then simply dismiss the Master of Writing. Lu Zhi, however, left Luoyang and fled to Shanggu, where he lived in seclusion.

The next day, the 28th of September, Dong Zhuo again summoned all officials for an asembly. This time, at the front apartments of the Hall of Exalted Virtue. This time Dong Zhuo compelled the Empress-Dowager to issue an edict dismissing the Little Emperor:

"In mourning, the Emperor lacked the feelings of a true son, while his dignity and conduct are unworthy of a ruler. We now depose him to be King of Hongnong and we establish Liu Xie, King of Chenliu, as Emperor."

After this, Yuan Wei, uncle of Yuan Shao, removed the Emperor's seal and ribbon and presented them to the King of Chenliu, who was then escorted to the body of the hall and there he faced north to to acknowledge himself as subject. The Empress-Dowager muffled her sobs and the ministers restrained their grief. No-one dared to speak.

Dong Zhuo then announced:

"The Empress-Dowager made the Lady of the Palace of Perpetual Joy [the Empress-Dowager Dong] uneasy and miserable, and even caused her to die of grief. This is contrary to the proper behaviour of a daughter-in-law to a mother."

He transferred the Empress-Dowager to the Palace of Perpetual Peace.

Following these events, an amnesty for the empire was held and the reign-title changed from Zhaoning to Yong-Han.

Following Liu Xie's Ascendancy
On 30 September 189 A.D., Dong Zhuo had the Empress-Dowager He killed by poison. When her burial ceremony was being held, the Excellencies, ministers and lower officials did not wear linen clothes, but simply wore white clothes, while the ceremony was carried out.

Dong Zhuo also dug up the coffin of He Miao, took out the body, broke up the joints and left it on the side of a road. He killed He Miao's mother; the Lady of Wuyang, and threw her corpse into some brambles in a park.

Following this was an edict which called for the sons and younger brothers of Excellencies, ministers and lower officials to be appointed as Gentlemen. By doing, replacing the eunuchs at the palace.

10 October 189 A.D.; Grand Commandant Liu Yu was appointed as Commander-in-Chief and enfeoffed as Marquis of Xiangfei.

Dong Zhuo made himself Grand Commandant controlling the affairs of the General of the Van. He also took the Staff and Insignia, Battle-Axe, Ceremonial Axe and Gentlemen Rapid as Tigers, and changed his fief to become Marquis of Mei.

On the 11th of October, Yang Biao, who Grand Palace Grandee at that time, was made Minister of Works. On 19 October Huang Wan, Governor of Yu province, was made Minister over the Masses.

Dong Zhuo also ordered the Excellencies to present memorials to justify the actions of Chen Fan, Dou Wu and the men of Faction. Their titles and ranks were restored envoys were sent to offer mourning sacrifices to them, and their sons and grandsons were selected for office.

In the winter, in the tenth month on 29 October they buried Empress-Dowager He of Emperor Ling. She was posthumously awarded with the title "Thoughtful" and was given the honour of burial with her late husband Emperor Ling. His tomb was named Mound of Accomplishment, hers within that complex, was called Mound of Accomplished Display

During the same month, the Bobo bandits ravaged Hedong. Dong Zhuo sent his officer Niu Fu to take care of the matter.

During the eleventh month Dong Zhuo was made Chancellor of State, with the right to perform obeisance without calling his own name, to enter court without hastening step, and to stand in the hall of audience with sword and shoes.

In the twelfth month, 19 February 190 A.D.; Huang Wan, who had recently been made Minister over the Masses, was now made Grand Commandant and Yang Bao, the Minister of Works, became Minister over the Masses. Xun Shuang, the Superintendent of the Imperial Household, was now Minister of Works.

Attempting To Gain Heart
Before these events, the Master of Writing; Zhou Bi of Wuwei and the Colonel of the City Gates; Wu Qiong of Runan had suggested an idea that would gain Dong Zhuo the hearts of the people. The idea was that Dong Zhuo should reform the the government of Emperors Huan and Ling and appoint famous scholars to office. Dong Zhuo followed the advice.

He commissioned the men Zhou Bi, Wu Qiong, Zheng Tai and He Rong to seek out the dishonest and wicked men and those who had been neglected unjustly in the past. Several people who had received no official rank were summoned. These men were:

Xun Shuang, he was first appointed as Chancellor of Pingyuan, but while he was still on his way there, he was transferred to Wanling. There he became Superintendent of the Imperial Household, but after attending to the duties of that position for three days he was promoted to be Minister of Works. All-in-all, since his first summons it took ninety-three days to his appointment as an Excellency.

Chen Ji became General of the Gentlemen of the Household for All Purposes.

Han Rong became Grand Herald.

There was a fourth man, named Shentu Pan, who also received Dong Zhuo's summons. Unlike the other three men however, he dared to refuse the summons and simply laughed. Dong Zhuo tried, but could not compel him. Shentu Pan was an old man, over seventy years of age. He died of old age.

Further appointments were made later on:

Han Fu, who was Master of Writing at that time, became Governor of Ji province.

Liu Dai, the Palace Attendant, became Inspector of Yen.

Kong Zhou of Chenliu was made Inspector of Yu.

Zhang Miao of Dongping was made Grand Administrator of Chenliu.

And Zhang Zi of Yingchuan became Grand Administrator of Nanyang.

Dong Zhuo's favourite men were appointed only as Generals of the Gentlemen of the Household, or Colonels and were not given important posts.

An edict abolished the three reign-titles Guangxi, Zhaoning and Yong-Han, making the current year count as the sixth of Zhongping.

Cruel Ambition
By nature, Dong Zhuo was a cruel and vindictive man. All of a sudden he came to supreme power and had control of all the arms and treasures of the empire. His authority shook the empire and his ambitions knew no limit. He said to his retainers: "It is written on my countenance that I should gain the highest honours."

The Attendant Imperial Clerk Raolong Zong went to Dong Zhuo to make a report, and he failed to take off his sword. He was immediately flogged to death.

At this time in Luoyang the mansions of the nobility and the imperial relatives stood one beside the other, every house filled with treasure of gold and silk. Dong Zhuo let his soldiers loose to break into these buildings, to plunder the property and to force into marriage the wives and daughters of their families, regardless and unsparing of high position or connection to the throne. The spirits of the people were fallen in terror and there was no security from dawn to dusk.

Opponents Rise
Dong Zhuo had set his sights on Yuan Shao. He offered him rewards in trying eagerly to capture him. Zhou Bi and Wu Qiong argued with him:

"To dismiss one emperor and set up another, these are matters of moment, quite beyond the comprehension of ordinary men. Yuan Shao could not appreciate such a great action, and he ran away simply because he was frightened. If you chase him too anxiously, however, the situation will certainly change. That family has been distributing favours for four generations, so they have clients and officials who have served under them throughout the empire. If Yuan Shao calls up fighting men and raises an army, then bold warriors will join him in rebellion and you will hold nothing east of the mountains. It would be much better to pardon him and give him appointment as administrator in some commandery. Yuan Shao will be glad to escape punishment and will certainly cause no trouble."

Dong Zhuo agreed and made a change of plans; he promptly appointed Yuan Shao as Grand Administrator of Bohai, with enfeoffment as Marquis of Kang District. He also appointed Yuan Shu as General of the Rear and Cao Cao as Colonel of Resolute Cavalry.

Dong Zhuo's plans had an opposite effect. Yuan Shu was afraid of Dong Zhuo and he fled to Nanyang. Cao Cao also fled east, disguised and under a false name As he went through Zhongmou, however, the chief of a village became suspicious: he arrested Cao Cao and sent him to the county office. They had a letter from Dong Zhuo [ordering his arrest] but only the Officer of the Bureau of Merit recognised him. He thought it wrong for one of the leading men in the empire to be imprisoned when the world was in such disorder, so he advised the prefect to release him.

When Cao Cao reached Chenliu, he sold off his family property and recruited five thousand soldiers.

Many warriors of the empire had plans to rebel against Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao was one of them, but Han Fu, the Governor of Ji province, sent several Attendant Officials into the commandery to keep him under control. Yuan Shao was unable to make a move.

In the meantime, Qiao Mao, the Grand Commandant of Dong Commandery, forged letters as if sent by the Excellencies in the capital to the provinces and commanderies. The letters listed faults and crimes of Dong Zhuo and went to say: "We are oppressed and can do nothing to help ourselves. We look eagerly for loyal troops to free the state from danger and harm."

One of the men who received this letter was Han Fu, who then asked the members of his staff: "Do we support the Yuan clan or the Dong?"

Li Zihui, Han Fu's Attendant Official at Headquarters replied: "If you raise troops on behalf of the state, how can there be any question of Yuan and Dong?" Han Fu blushed in shame. Li Zihui continued: "War is bad and you should not be the first to begin it. Wait and see what other provinces do. If they take action you can join them, and since Ji province is one of the most powerful, the chiefs of other provinces will never be able to rival you for the leading position."

Han Fu agreed. So he wrote to Yuan Shao, discussing the crimes of Dong Zhuo, and giving tacit consent to his levy of troops.

Warlords Unite
In February of the year 191 A.D., a general council was held among the leaders east of the passes. It was observed that the Emperor was young and weak and under the control of Dong Zhuo. The men of the council were far away from Luoyang and didn't even know if the Emperor was still alive. Liu Yu, Governor of You province, was worthy and able and a member of the imperial clan. It was therefore proposed he be set up as ruler.

Cao Cao said:

"When we raised loyal troops, all the people supported us, and the reason was that our cause is just. Now we have a young ruler who is feeble and weak, in the power of an evil minister. These are not the faults for which [the King of] Changyi [Liu He] forfeited his imperial throne.2 If we make a sudden change, who in the empire can be at ease? You may look north [to Liu Yu], but I turn west [to the Emperor at Chang'an]."

Han Fu and Yuan Shao wrote to Yuan Shu:

"The Emperor is not a true son of Xiao-Ling. We want to act like [the Marquis of] Jiang and Guan [Ying] in former times, when they punished and deposed a puppet ruler, and welcomed the King of Dai to his place. We plan to set up the Commander-in-Chief Liu Yu as Emperor."

Secretly, Yuan Shu desired the throne for himself, but he realised that if the state had a stronger ruler, attaining his desire would become difficult. Because of this, Yuan Shu argued, on the best principles, against the proposal. Yuan Shao wrote to Yuan Shu again:

"Now in the west there is a young ruler who has the name [of an emperor], but has no blood relationship to the imperial clan, while all his officials, high and low, are supporters and flatterers of Dong Zhuo. How can we continue to trust them? We need only send troops to camp at the passes and strategic points, and all [the supporters of Dong Zhuo and the Emperor] will be cramped and die. If a sage ruler is set up in the east, then we may hope for great peace. How can you still have doubts? Moreover, the people of our clan have been slaughtered. Do you not recall [the example of] Wu Zixu? How can you still accept this ruler?"

Yuan Shu replied:

"The Emperor is wise and capable, with the nature of King Cheng of Zhou. The bandit Dong Zhuo has taken advantage of a temporary confusion and compelled the officials to obey him, so this is a moment of difficulty for the house of Han. Now you say the Emperor 'has no blood relationship,' but that is simple slander. You say, 'the people of our clan have been slaughtered,' and 'how can you still accept this ruler?' But this was Dong Zhuo's work, certainly not the Emperor's. "It is with the utmost loyalty that I seek the destruction of Dong Zhuo, I refuse to think of anything else!"

Han Fu and Yuan Shao had send Zhang Qi, the former Grand Administrator of Lelang, to offer Liu Yu the imperial title. Zhang Qi, however, rebuked Liu Yu and his colleagues sternly when he saw them and said:

"The empire has fallen into disorder, and the ruler is forced into exile. I have received great favours from the throne, but yet I cannot clear away the disgrace from our state. You hold provinces and commanderies, and you should join all your forces to save the royal house. Instead, you have made plans of rebellion, and you seek to involve me in your shameful dealings!"

Liu Yu firmly refused them.

Following this, Han Fu and his associates asked Liu Yu to take control of the imperial secretariat, with authority to grant enfeoffments and make appointments. Still, Liu Yu would not hear of it and he threatened to take refuge among the Xiongnu, to cut himself off of these proposals. Yuan Shao and the others gave up the idea.

On 25 March, Dong Zhuo was appointed Grand Master. This ranked him above kings.

Sun Jian's Advance
Before this, Sun Jian relinquished his title as Grand Administrator and accepted the authority of Yuan Shu. Following Yuan Shu's joining of the Coalition Sun Jian volunteered to take the vanguard in the attack against Dong Zhuo as Yuan Shu’s Chief Lieutenant. Sun Jian shifted camp to the east of Liang. There he met the forces of Xu Rong, Dong Zhuo's General of the Gentlemen of the Household, but was defeated. Thanks to his officer Zu Mao he was able to escape. He reassembled his troops and headed to camp at Yangren.

Dong Zhuo now sent his Grand Administrator of Dong commandery, Hu Zhen, with 5.000 horsemen and foot-soldiers to attack Sun Jian. Along with Hu Zhen were Lü Bu, in command of the cavalry, and Hua Xiong, who held the low rank of Chief Controller. Hu Zhen and Lü Bu quarrelled. Sun Jian took advantage of this and completely defeated the three officers. Hu Zhen and Lü Bu fled. Hua Xiong was killed in battle.

Someone said to Yuan Shu:

"If Sun Jian captures Luoyang, you will not be able to control him. This is to destroy a wolf and obtain a tiger."

This made Yuan Shu concerned and he then ordered that the supplies should no longer be sent to Sun Jian. Following this, Sun Jian rode fast by night to see Yuan Shu, drew on the ground to show his plans and spoke:

"The reasons I have taken service with you are that above I am attacking a rebel for the Emperor, while below I give some help to your family in a private feud. I have no thought for my own interests, and no personal enmity for Dong Zhuo. Yet you now pay attention to slander and for no reason at all you are suspicious of me!"

Yuan Shu became embarrased and he immediatly sent supplies to Sun Jian's camp.

Sun Jian returned to camp and Dong Zhuo sent his officer Li Jue to treat with him, make peace and make an alliance. He told Sun Jian to recommend junior members of his family as Inspectors or Grand Administrators and promised to urge their appointment. Sun Jian replied:

"Dong Zhuo opposes Heaven and defies the law. Until I have killed you and all your clan and shown your heads to the four seas, I shall not be able to die in peace. How can there be alliance with you?"

After this, Sun Jian went forward to Dagu, ninety li from Luoyang. Dong Zhuo himself came out to fight Sun Jian amongst the tombs. Dong Zhuo was defeated and fled. He withdrew his camp to Mianchi and gathered troops at Shan.

Sun Jian advanced to Luoyang and attacked Lü Bu. Once again The Flying General was defeated and put to flight.

Then Sun Jian cleared out the imperial temples and held great sacrifice. He found the Imperial Seal in a well in the Pottery Office south of the city.

Following his success in Luoyang, Sun Jian sent part of his force forward to Xin'an and Mianchi to threaten Dong Zhuo's defence positions.

Dong Zhuo Talks About Sun Jian
Dong Zhuo said to his Chief Clerk Liu Ai:

"The armies east of the passes have often been defeated. All of them are afraid of me and can do nothing effective. Sun Jian, however, the little fool, is quite competent. You must warn my officers to be careful of him.

''Some years ago I was sent west with Zhou Shen to attack Bian Zhang and Han Sui in Jincheng. I suggested to Zhang Wen that I should use my troops as a rearguard for Zhou Shen, but Zhang Wen would not agree. Soon afterwards Zhang Wen sent me to attack the rebel Xianlian Qiang. I knew we would have no success, but I could not avoid the duty, and so we marched.''

''I left the Major with a Separate Command Liu Jing, with four thousand horse and foot, to camp in Anding as a show of strength. The Qiang tried to cut our lines of ommunication, but I opened them with a small attack, and the reason [I could do this so easily] was that the enemy were afraid of the soldiers in Anding. They thought there must be tens of thousands; they had no idea it was only Liu Jing.''

''At the same time, Sun Jian was with Zhou Shen. He offered to lead ten thousand men forward to Jincheng, leaving Zhou Shen to act as rearguard with twenty thousand. Bian Zhang and Han Sui would have been afraid of Zhou Shen's great force, and would have been cautious about committing themselves against Sun Jian, while Sun Jian's troops were strong enough to cut their line of supplies.''

''Had the commanders used our suggestions, Liang province would have been settled. But just as Zhang Wen could not use my advice, so Zhou Shen could not use Sun Jian's, and in the end they were defeated and turned back.''

''So when he was an Associate Major, Sun Jian saw things the way I did, and he has some useful talents. Now, however, for no good reason he has joined the Yuan gang, and in the end he will die too.''"

To Chang'an And After
Dong Yue, the General of the Gentlemen of the Household of the East, was sent by Dong Zhuo to camp at Mianchi. Duan Wei, the General of the Gentlemen of the Household, was sent to camp at Huayin and Niu Fu, Dong Zhuo's son-in-law and the General of the Gentlemen of the Household was sent to camp at Anyi. Other officers were sent to block any attacks coming from the east. Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo led his own troops away to Chang'an.

Sun Jian had just repaired the imperial tombs and went back to Luyang.

In the fourth month, summer, Dong Zhuo arrived in Chang'an. Ministers and excellencies came out to welcome him. They all bowed before his carriage. Dong Zhuo clapped and said to the Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk Huangfu Song: "Yizhen, are you afraid?"

"If Your Excellency uses virtue to maintain the court," replied Huangfu Song, "this will be a time of great blessing, and why then should I be afraid? If you govern badly and inflict arbitrary punishments, however, I shall not be the only person who is frightened."

Some supporters of Dong Zhuo wished to honour him as the Grand Duke and give him the title of Honoured Uncle. Dong Zhuo asked Cai Yong what he thought of the proposal. Cai Yong said:

"Your excellency's majestic virtue, how truly imposing! In my humble opinion, however, it is not yet possible to make a comparison with the Grand Duke. It would be better to wait until the east of the passes is settled and at peace, and the Emperor is returned to his former capital [at Luoyang]. Then we can talk about it."

Dong Zhuo gave up the idea.

The Colonel Director of Retainers Liu Ao was asked by Dong Zhuo arrest those of the officials and people who had not been respectful sons, loyal subjects, honest officials or obedient younger brothers. All those who were arrested were executed shortly after and their wealth was confiscated. This resulted in many people make false accusations against one another and thousands were put to death without good cause. The people became anxious and fearful and when they passed one another on the read they did no more then exchange glances, not daring to speak.

The Coalition Begins To Crumble
Zhang Yang had allied himself with Yuan Shao, when the latter was in Hefei. Zhang Yang camped with the Southern Shanyu Yufuluo by the Zhang River.

Han Fu became jealous at Yuan Shao because so many leading men had turned to him. He quietly cut down on his military supplies, hoping his army would drift apart. However, shortly after this his officer Qu Yi rebelled. Han Fu fought him and was defeated, and Yuan Shao made an alliance with Qu Yi.

Pang Ji, a follower of Yuan Shao, said to his general:

"You have undertaken a great work, but you still rely upon others for subsidy and supplies. Unless you take a province for yourself, you will never be able to act independently."

Yuan Shao objected, saying:

"Ji province has a strong army and my troops are hungry and weary. If we fail we shall be left with nothing."

Pang Ji argued:

"Han Fu is a very ordinary fellow. If we make a secret agreement with Gongsun Zan to have him take Ji province, Han Fu will certainly be startled and frightened. Then you send someone who can argue a case well, to explain things to him. Han Fu will be under pressure, he will get flustered and he will certainly be willing to yield."

This made Yuan Shao change his mind and he wrote to Gongsun Zan at once. Gongsun Zan approved and he came up with troops. He pretended he was going to attack Dong Zhuo but then turned against Han Fu. Han Fu fought him but without success.

About this time Dong Zhuo entered the passes to Chang'an and Yuan Shao brought his army back to the Yan Crossing.

He sent his nephew Gao Gan of Chenliu with Han Fu's friends Xin Ping of Yingchuan, Xun Shen, Guo Tu and others to say to Han Fu:

"Gongsun Zan is coming with an army from Yan and Dai [the north] and will follow his success with a further advance. All the commanderies will join him, and you cannot match his strength. Yuan the Chariots and Cavalry General is bringing his army eastwards, and we cannot be sure of his intentions. You seem to be in trouble!"

This frightened Han Fu and he said: "What can I do?" "Judge yourself," replied Xun Shen. "In generosity and charity, as a leader of men admired by all; how do you compare with Yuan?" "I cannot compare with him," replied Han Fu. Xun Shen continued: "Generations of his family have displayed grace and virtue, and all the empire has received their favour; once more, how do you compare with Yuan?" "I cannot compare with him," replied Han Fu.

"Yuan is the hero of the time," said Xun Shen, "and in these three ways your abilities fail to match his fine qualities. You have long held place above him, but he will surely not be satisfied to remain your subordinate. Now Ji province is an important property of the empire. If he and Gongsun Zan join forces to seize it then danger and loss can be expected any moment. On the other hand, Yuan is an old friend and a sworn ally. Here is the right plan for this moment: cede Ji province to Yuan. He will certainly be grateful to you, and Gongsun Zan cannot contest him. So you gain reputation for yielding place to a worthier man, and you yourself will be secure as Mount Tai."

Han Fu was timid and so he followed this plan.

When Han Fu's Chief Clerk Geng Wu, his Aide-de-Camp Min Chun and his Attendant Official at Headquarters Li Li heard of this, they protested, saying:

"Ji province has a million men at arms and sufficient grain to last for ten years. Yuan Shao leads an army which is isolated, dependent and poor; he relies on us for everything. Like a child on the lap, if you end its suckling it will starve and die. Why do you want to give him the province?"

Han Fu's answer was:

"I am a former officer of the Yuan and my ability is not equal to that of Benchu. I have taken account of his virtue, and so I cede it to him. The men of ancient times saw honour in such conduct. Why do you alone find fault?"

Yuan Shao Takes Ji Province
Before this, Han Fu's Attendant Officials Zhao Fu and Cheng Huan had led ten thousand Strong Bowmen to camp at the Meng Crossing. They heard what was going on and brought their men quickly back.

At this time Yuan Shao was by Qingshui in Chaoge. Zhao Fu and the others came up behind him with several hundred boats and a force of over ten thousand men. They set their weapons and drums in order and passed, which really annoyed Yuan Shao.

When Zhao Fu returned he said to Han Fu:

"Yuan Benchu's army has not a single measure of grain. Even now his men are deserting. Zhang Yang and Yufuluo have only recently joined him, and they will not accept his orders. He cannot match us. As your junior officers, we ask approval to oppose them with the troops we have at hand: within ten days his power will be like fallen earth and flying tiles. You, wise general, may rest on a high pillow with your doors open [in security and confidence]. Why should you be concerned or frightened?"

Han Fu still refused the advice. He left his office and went to lodge in Regular Attendant Zhao Zhong's former mansion. He sent his son to take the seal and tassel of his appointment as Governor and hand them to Yuan Shao.

As Yuan Shao approached, ten of Han Fu's staff hastened to abandon him and join Yuan Shao. Geng Wu and Min Chun faced them with swords, but could not hold them back and were forced to let them go. Yuan Shao killed the two loyalists.

Yuan Shao made Ju Shou of Guangping General Who Displays Firmness, with responsibility as Supervisor and Protector over all his officers, and he treated him with great favour. Because of their upright conduct, Shen Pei of Wei commandery and Tian Feng of Julu had both failed to fulfil their ambitions under Han Fu. Yuan Shao appointed Tian Feng as his Aide-de-Camp and Shen Pei as Attendant Official at Headquarters. Xu You and Pang Ji of Nanyang, with Xun Shen of Yingchuan, all became councillors.

Zhu Han of Henei was appointed by Yuan Shao as Attendant Official for the Officers at the Capital. Zhu Han had been treated rudely by Han Fu in the past. He now sought to anticipate Yuan Shao's intentions. Without authority he brought troops to surround Han Fu's house, took up a sword and climbed into the building. Han Fu fled to the upper storey, and Zhu Han seized his eldest son, beat him and broke both his legs.

When Yuan Shao heard of this, he immediatly arrested Zhu Han and killed him. Han Fu, however, was still anxious and afraid. He asked Yuan Shao for permission to leave, and he went to stay with Zhang Miao.

Some time later, Yuan Shao had sent a messenger to Zhang Miao, to discuss plans with him. The messenger whispered something to Zhang Miao, while Han Fu was near. This made Han Fu believe they were plotting against him. Soon afterwards he got up and went to the lavatory and killed himself with a writing-knife.

Cao Cao's Ambition
Around that time, Bao Xin spoke to Cao Cao and said:

"Yuan Shao is leader of the covenant, but he uses that authority to his own advantage. He will himself rebel and become another Dong Zhuo. You are not yet strong enough to restrain him, and you will only make trouble for yourself if you try. What you can do, however, is establish a position south of the Yellow River and wait to see what happens."

Cao Cao thought this was an excellent idea.

Not long after this, the Black Mountain Bandits Poison Yu, Bo Rao, Sui Gu and their men, over a hundred thousand strong, plundered in Dong commandery. Wang Gang could not keep them out. Cao Cao led troops into Dong, attacked Bo Rao at Puyang and defeated him. Then Yuan Shao recommended him as Grand Administrator of Dong and Cao Cao set his government at Dongwuyang.

Further Internal Problems In Both Camps
Yufuluo compelled Zhang Yang to join him against Yuan Shao. They camped at Liyang. When Dong Zhuo heard of this, he appointed Zhang Yang as General Who Establishes Righteousness and Grand Administrator of Henei.

The Grand Astrologer examined the omens, and foretold that a great minister would be executed. Dong Zhuo had false accusations made that that the Commandant of the Guards Zhang Wen had been in contact with Yuan Shu. On 5 November 191 A.D. Zhang Wen was flogged to death in the market-place to fulfil the prophecy.

Palace Attendant Liu He, son of Liu Yu, was ordered by the Emperor to help him escape from Dong Zhuo. He wished to return east. Liu He was ordered to go in secret out the Wu Pass, and take a message to Liu Yu that he should lead troops to come and receive the Emperor.

Liu He came to Nanyang, but Yuan Shu kept him there as a guest to force Liu Yu into alliance. He would not let him continue his journey, but promised that when reinforcements came they would advance to the west together, and he made Liu He write a letter to Liu Yu.

When Liu Yu received the letter, he sent several thousand cavalry to aid Liu He. Gongsun Zan knew of Yuan Shu's rebellious ideas. He urged Liu Yu not to send the troops, but Liu Yu didn't listen. Gongsun Zan then started to fear Yuan Shu would hear of his advice and would be angry, so he sent his cousin Gongsun Yue to take another thousand horsemen to Yuan Shu. And he secretly encouraged Yuan Shu to keep hold of Liu He and take the soldiers for himself. So Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan had a grudge against each other.

Liu He fled from Yuan Shu, and got away to the north, where he was detained by Yuan Shao.

Coalition Disbanded
By this time, every ruler of a province or commandery east of the passes was trying to seize someone else's territory to make himself more powerful. The coalition existed in name only and thus the 'Campaign Against Dong Zhuo' had ended.

If you wish to read what happened with Dong Zhuo's empire after the coalition disbanded, go to The Battle of Chang'an.

Fact vs. Fiction
read about this fictional event here. read about this fictional event here. read about this fictional event here.
 * Historically, it was not Li Su who was sent to bribe Lü Bu. It is unknown who was sent.
 * Historically, the Red Hare horse was not used in bribing Lü Bu. The methods are unknown.
 * Historically, the Battle of Si Shui Gate did not take place.
 * Historically, the Battle of Hu Lao Gate did not take place.
 * Historically, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu did not participate in the campaign.
 * Historically, Hua Xiong was killed by Sun Jian and not by Guan Yu.
 * Historically, Lü Bu was defeated (twice) by Sun Jian and not by Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.
 * Historically, Sun Jian was never truly damaged by Yuan Shu's withholding of supplies.
 * Historically, Gongsun Zan, Zhang Yang, Kong Rong, Ma Teng and Tao Qian were not part of the coalition.
 * Historically, Sun Jian was an officer under Yuan Shu and not one of the main members of the coalition.