Chapter 9: Lu Bu Kills Dong Zhuo For Wang Yun; Li Jue Attacks The Capital On Jia Xu’s Advice

Dong Zhuo collided with his trusted adviser, Li Ru, who quickly helped him to his feet and guided him to the library.

“What brings you here?” asked Dong Zhuo.

Li Ru explained, “I heard you were in the garden looking for Lu Bu. Then Lu Bu rushed by, crying you wanted to kill him. I hurried to intervene and accidentally collided with you. I deserve punishment.”

Dong Zhuo snarled, “That wretch! How dare he toy with my fair one? I’ll kill him!”

Li Ru cautioned, “Your Graciousness, remember King Zhuang of Chu and his restraint when his queen’s hat tassel betrayed Jiang Xiong. Jiang later saved his life. Diao Chan is just a maid, but Lu Bu is your fiercest warrior. If you gift her to him, his gratitude will be boundless.”

Dong Zhuo mulled over the advice. “You’re right. I’ll consider it.”

Later, in his quarters, Dong Zhuo summoned Diao Chan. “What were you doing with Lu Bu?” he demanded.

She wept. “I was in the garden when he pursued me, halberd in hand. I tried to escape to the lily pond, but he caught me. I thought he’d harm me until you arrived.”

“What if I send you to him?” asked Dong Zhuo.

Diao Chan, horrified, grabbed a dagger to kill herself. Dong Zhuo snatched it away, embracing her. “I was joking!”

She sobbed, “This is Li Ru’s scheme! He’s too close to Lu Bu and cares nothing for your honor or my life!”

Dong Zhuo reassured her, “I could never lose you. We’ll leave for Meiwo tomorrow, away from all this.”

The next day, Li Ru returned to urge Dong Zhuo to gift Diao Chan to Lu Bu, but Dong Zhuo refused. “He is like a son to me. I’ll forgive him, but I won’t speak of this again.”

Li Ru sighed as he left. “We’re doomed, undone by this woman,” he muttered.

On the journey to Meiwo, Diao Chan caught Lu Bu’s gaze from her carriage, lowering her eyes with melancholy. Watching her departure, Lu Bu’s heart ached with unspoken sorrow.

Wang Yun, appearing nearby, remarked, “Why do you sigh, General?”

Lu Bu vented, “That daughter of yours—Dong Zhuo has taken her for himself!”

Feigning outrage, Wang Yun invited him to his house, where Lu Bu recounted the incident. Wang Yun stirred Lu Bu’s anger, calling Dong Zhuo a shame to both of them.

“I’ll kill him!” Lu Bu roared.

“Think carefully,” warned Wang Yun, “but the world will praise you for restoring the Han and ending his tyranny.”

Convinced, Lu Bu vowed to act. Wang Yun devised a plan with his allies: summon Dong Zhuo to the capital under false pretenses, where Lu Bu would ambush him.

Li Su, once Lu Bu’s ally in betraying Ding Yuan, agreed to lure Dong Zhuo with a fabricated imperial decree.

When Li Su arrived in Meiwo, Dong Zhuo eagerly received him. “The Emperor wishes to abdicate in your favor,” Li Su proclaimed. “Wang Yun is already preparing the Terrace of Abdication.”

Elated, Dong Zhuo exclaimed, “This is destiny! I must seize it!”

Dong Zhuo entrusted Meiwo’s defense to his four generals—Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji—with 3,000 Flying Bear troops. Before departing for Changan, he made promises: to Li Su, a high post; to Diao Chan, the title of Lady of the Palace; and to his mother, that she would soon be Empress. Despite ominous signs on the journey—broken carriage wheels, a restless horse, a gale, and cryptic children’s songs—Li Su offered interpretations that bolstered Dong Zhuo’s confidence.

Arriving in Changan, Dong Zhuo was met with a grand welcome. Wang Yun and other officials, armed and ready, awaited at the Reception Hall. As Dong Zhuo entered, Wang Yun shouted, “The rebel is here! Executioners, act!” Soldiers attacked, and Lu Bu, once his adopted son, delivered the killing blow. Li Su decapitated Dong Zhuo, and his head was displayed publicly. The populace desecrated his corpse, and his family was slaughtered.

Lu Bu and Wang Yun then launched an assault on Meiwo, routing the remaining Dong loyalists. They seized immense treasures, freed captives, and executed Dong Zhuo’s relatives, including his mother. Feasts and rewards followed, celebrating the victory.

However, Dong Zhuo’s generals—Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji—regrouped in Liangzhou under Jia Xu’s counsel. They spread rumors of a massacre, incited rebellion, and amassed 100,000 troops. Joined by Niu Fu, they marched on Changan.

Lu Bu led the defense, but the rebels used guerrilla tactics, wearing down his forces. Meanwhile, Fan Chou and Zhang Ji besieged the capital. Betrayed from within by Dong Zhuo’s loyalists, the gates were opened, and the city fell. Wang Yun refused to flee with Lu Bu, accepting his fate as a sacrifice for the Han.

The rebels entered the palace, demanded Wang Yun’s surrender, and pledged loyalty to the Emperor. Wang Yun, recognizing the dire situation, offered himself. He was executed, his head displayed as a warning.

The rebels pillaged Changan, killing ministers and looting the palace. Though they swore fealty to the Emperor, their actions left the court weakened and the empire in chaos, setting the stage for further turmoil.