Lv Bu, the single most powerful warrior in all of China, comparable to the Greek hero Achilles in prowess. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lv Bu was a master in horseback riding and archery, and was thus known as the Flying General. His image as a handsome and mighty warrior wearing a pheasant-tailed helmet and wielding a ji known as the "Great Sky Halberd" on top of his steed Red Hare was later popularized by the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
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Defection to Dong Zhuo
Lv Bu first appeared in Chapter 3 as the adopted son of Ding Yuan, who opposed Dong Zhuo's plan to depose the emperor. Dong Zhuo intended to kill Ding Yuan but feared the strength of Lv Bu. Li Su, a general under Dong Zhuo and a fellow villager of Lv Bu, then volunteered to persuade the formidable warrior to defect.
Bringing along a famous steed named the Red Hare, a thousand taels of gold, dozens of pearls and a jade belt, Li Su came to see Lv Bu, who was encamped outside the city. It did not take much persuasion to convince Lv Bu to betray his master, as he felt continued service under Ding Yuan was a dead end. That very night, LvBu carried a sword into the tent of Ding Yuan, who was reading under the candlelight. Ding Yuan questioned him as to why he was holding the sword. Quickly sensing that Lv Bu had switched sides, Ding Yuan tried to escape but was unsuccessful.
With a stroke of his sword Lv Bu cut down his master and father's head, which he brought to Dong Zhuo the next morning. Lv Bu then took Dong Zhuo as his new adoptive father, who was overjoyed and showered his newly adopted son with more gifts. The presence of Lv Bu at his side deterred future assassins.
Battle with three heroes at Hulao Pass
Since he placed the puppet Emperor Xian in the throne, Dong Zhuo's tyrannical and cruel ways had angered many warlords around the country. The warlords formed a coalition under Yuan Shao in 190 and came for Dong Zhuo in the capital Luoyang to vanquish him.
However, they were stopped at Hulao Pass, 50 li from Luoyang. Riding forth on his Red Hare, his halberd in hand, dressed in the finest siLüer armor and wearing a twin pheasent-tail headpiece, Lv Bu taunted for challengers to duel him. Every warrior who came within range of his halberd was either maimed horribly or met a swift, bloody death. Amid the chaotic screams of panic and death, Lv Bu heard a loud, bass voice call him a "bastard slave with three last names". Wielding his Eight-Zhang Serpent Spear, Zhang Fei shouted the insult at Lv Bu to get his attention and galloped out to fight him.
Zhang Fei was said to have wielded the strength of a hundred men in battle, but he struggled against Lv Bu for more than fifty bouts,neither side able to gain an advantage. Then Guan Yu, brandishing his Blue Crescent Broadsword, dashed out to assist his brother. The three fighters were engaged in another thirty bouts, but still Lv Bu held his ground. Then Liu Bei, holding up his Dual Swords, also joined the battle.
Like a merry-go-round, the three brothers galloped in a circle caging Lv Bu inside, who finally began to tire. Whenever Lv Bu tried to attack one, the other two would ride in and attack his exposed flanks forcing him back on the defensive, and soon he became exhausted. Unable to face the combined efforts of his three opponents at once, Lv Bu then made a feign at Liu Bei, whose martial ability he determined was the least of the three, and retreated through the resulting gap back to the pass gate. The Trio chased after Lv Bu but due to the speed of Red Hare, his horse, they could not keep up with him. However they abandoned the chase after they spotted Dong Zhuo and then pursued him unsuccessfully .[Quote]
Slaying of Dong Zhuo
After Dong Zhuo moved the capital to the more strategically sound Chang'an, Minister of Interior Wang Yun started to contemplate a plot to assassinate the tyrant by using Diao Chan, a song girl who was brought up in his household but whom he treated like his own daughter, to plant the seed of dissension between Dong Zhuo and Lv Bu.
Inviting Lv Bu over one night, Wang Yun asked Diao Chan to serve wine to the guest. Lv Bu was immediately seized by the girl's beauty. Well aware of this, Wang Yun then promised to marry Diao Chan to the mighty warrior.
A few days later, however, Wang Yun laid a feast for Dong Zhuo and repeated the feat. Like Lv Bu, Dong Zhuo could not lift his eyes off Diao Chan, who also displayed her prowess in song and dance. Dong Zhuo then brought Diao Chan home and made her his concubine.
When Lv Bu heard about this the next morning, he headed for Dong Zhuo's bedroom and peeped in through the window. There he saw Diao Chan sitting up grooming her hair while Dong Zhuo was still asleep. Seeing Lv Bu's reflection in the pond near the window, Diao Chan then put up a sorrowful expression and pretended to wipe tears off her eyes with a handkerchief.
When Dong Zhuo fell sick a month later, Lv Bu took the chance to see Diao Chan on the pretext of asking after Dong Zhuo's health, but this time Dong Zhuo woke up in time to see Lv Bu staring fixedly at Diao Chan. Lv Bu was then shoved out and forbidden to enter the inner chambers henceforth.
Then one day, while Dong Zhuo was holding a conversation with Emperor Xian, Lv Bu stole to his adoptive father's residence and met with Diao Chan in the Fengyi Pavilion. Weeping, Diao Chan pled with Lv Bu to rescue her from Dong Zhuo vowing to drown herself in the pond rather than spend another minute with the fat tyrant. Taken in by Diao Chan's act, Lü Bu placed his halberd aside and held Diao Chan in his arms while comforting her with promises to for her rescue.
Back at the palace, Dong Zhuo realised that Lv Bu had slipped away. Returning to his residence, he found the Red Hare horse outside and realised that Lv Bu had gone against his orders and reentered the inner chambers. In a huff, Dong Zhuo entered his residence to find the duo in the pavilion. The startled Lv Bu turned to flee, forgetting to retrieve his halberd in the process. Dong Zhuo grabbed the halberd and gave chase. Being too obese, Dong Zhuo could not catch up with the agile Lv Bu. He then hurled the halberd at Lv Bu but the latter fended it off and got away.
After the incident, Lv Bu was becoming increasingly (and understandably) displeased with Dong Zhuo. This displeasure was further enticed by Wang Yun, who suggested subtly that Lv Bu take Dong Zhuo's life. Lv Bu attempted (weakly) to argue for Dong Zhuo's paternal relationship to himself, but Wang Yun dismissed it, saying, "His surname is Dong and yours is Lv. Where were the paternal feelings when he threw that halberd at you?" Upon this, Lv Bu made up his mind to kill Dong Zhuo.
The conspirators then sent Li Su to fetch Dong Zhuo from his castle in the county of Mei under the pretense that the emperor intended to abdicate the throne to the warlord. Despite several ill omens, the overjoyed Dong Zhuo came to the palace gate, where his troops were barred from entering. As Dong Zhuo's carriage neared the palace building, soldiers loyal to Wang Yun surrounded the carriage and stabbed Dong Zhuo with spears.
Dong was however injured only in the arms due to the breastplate he had taken the caution to wear that day. He then cried out for Lv Bu. Unfortunately for Dong Zhuo, he was impaled in the throat by Lv Bu's halberd like a wild pig, while Lv Bu proclaimed, "I have a royal decree to slay the rebel!"
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Lv Bu's downfall
In 198, Cao Cao and Liu Bei formed a short-term alliance and laid siege on Lv Bu in Xiapi. The siege dragged on for two months without significant gains. Two advisors to Cao Cao, Xun Yu and Guo Jia, then suggested flooding the city with water from the Yi River and Si River.
As the water level rose and submerged the city gates, Lv Bu's subjects rushed to inform their leader, but Lv Bu dismissed the threat on account that his Red Hare could run as well in water as on land. Thereupon he returned to his wine cups and consorts. However, heavy indulgence in alcohol and women had wasted his strength away such that one day Lv Bu looked into the mirror and found himself looking thin and pallid. Making the resolution to quit drinking, Lv Bu then passed an order for all within the city to keep off wine.
One day, Hou Cheng, an officer under Lv Bu, caught a defector who attempted to steal fifty horses and give it to the enemy. Hou Cheng then prepared barrels of wine to celebrate with his colleagues. Fearing wrath of Lv Bu, he then had five bottles sent to his superior to appease the latter, which turned out to a terrible mistake. Seeing the bottles of wine, Lv Bu was enraged at the opposition to his alcoholic ban, and had Hou Cheng thrashed sixty times as punishment.
The unhappy Hou Cheng then plotted with two colleagues, Song Xian and Wei Xu, to betray Lv Bu to the enemy. Under the cover of the night Hou Cheng stole Lv Bu's Red Hare and galloped out of the only gate not submerged in water towards Cao Cao's camp.
The next morning, Cao Cao's troops launched a fierce attack on the city. Lü Bu had to personally take part in the defense of the walls. The battle dragged into high noon and the attackers backed off for a rest. The exhausted Lv Bu then slept on top of the wall.
Taking the opportunity, Song Xian and Wei Xu tied Lv Bu up and hoisted a white flag. The two also threw Lv Bu's halberd down the wall as proof. Seeing the signals, Cao Cao's troops then poured into the city and seized it in no time.
After he had been captured he was taken in front of Cao Cao. Lv Bu attempted to appease Cao Cao, claiming that together, they would conquer China and the world beyond easily. Cao Cao, who had a penchant for recruiting powerful officers, was nearly swayed. To reinforce his point, Lv Bu then tried to get Liu Bei to plea for him. Liu Bei, however, had seen through him, and said to Cao Cao, "Don't you remember what happened to Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo?" The warlord then had Lv Bu strangled and then beheaded .
