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Lü Bu

Chinese warlord and general

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 (士孙瑞), 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.