Dong Cheng

Historical Record

Dong Cheng was a nephew of Empress Dowager Dong, mother of Emperor Ling of Han, and the father-in-law of Emperor Xian. Amid the upheaval at the end of the Han, Dong Cheng played an important role. In the third year of Chuping under Emperor Xian of Han (192 CE), the remnant followers of Dong Zhuo—Li Jue, Guo Si, and others—rose in revolt at Chang'an, and Emperor Xian was forced to move east. In the second year of Xingping (195 CE), Li Jue's general Yang Feng plotted with Song Guo to assassinate Li Jue but failed, and so defected from Li Jue. With Li Jue's power weakened, Zhang Ji mediated between them, and Emperor Xian was able to leave Chang'an, traveling to the region between Xinfeng and Baling ^c:3156.

However, Guo Si again wished to coerce the Son of Heaven into returning to Meiwu. Emperor Xian fled to Yang Feng's camp, and Yang Feng defeated Guo Si. Thereafter, Yang Feng and Dong Cheng together escorted the Son of Heaven back toward Luoyang ^c:3156. But Li Jue and Guo Si regretted having let the Son of Heaven go, and once more joined forces, overtaking the Son of Heaven at Caoyang in Hongnong. Yang Feng urgently summoned the White Wave commanders of Hedong—Han Xian, Hu Cai, Li Le, and others—to combine their forces and do great battle with Li Jue and Guo Si. Yang Feng's troops were defeated, and Li Jue and the others let their soldiers slaughter the high ministers and officials and seize palace women, entering Hongnong. The Son of Heaven fled to Shan County and crossed the Yellow River to the north; all the baggage was lost, and they could only proceed on foot. Dong Cheng and others had planned to link horse reins together to fasten around the emperor's waist so he could descend the bank, but in the end it was the army-protocol colonel Shang Hong who carried the emperor down to the boat ^c:3156.

Yang Feng, Han Xian, and the others then escorted the Son of Heaven to make his capital at Anyi, where he rode in an ox-cart. At that time the close attendants who accompanied him—the Grand Commandant Yang Biao, the Grand Coachman Han Rong, and others—numbered only a little over ten. Han Xian, Hu Cai, and Li Le were appointed Generals Who Conquer the East, West, and North, and together with Yang Feng and Dong Cheng jointly held governmental power. Dong Cheng and the others once sent Han Rong to Hongnong to reconcile with Li Jue and Guo Si and to recover the seized palace women, high ministers and officials, and carriages and horses ^c:3156. At that time a locust plague raged and a drought left no grain, so the accompanying officials could only eat jujubes and vegetables. The generals could not keep one another in order; high and low were in confusion, and the food ran out. Yang Feng, Han Xian, and Dong Cheng then escorted the Son of Heaven back to Luoyang. They went out through Jiguan and down the Zhi road, and Zhang Yang met them with provisions. When the Son of Heaven entered Luoyang, the palaces had been burned to nothing, the streets and lanes lay desolate, and the officials, parting the brambles, dwelt against ruined walls. The various provinces and commanderies kept their troops to themselves, and none came to defend the throne. The famine grew worse by the day; even officials of the rank of secretariat gentleman and below had to gather their own firewood and forage, and some starved to death among the walls ^c:3156.

In the fourth year of Jian'an (199 CE), Dong Cheng received a secret edict hidden in Emperor Xian's girdle, intending to kill Cao Cao. Before Liu Bei had raised troops, Cao Cao once said to Liu Bei: "The heroes of the realm today are only you, sir, and Cao." Hearing this, Liu Bei was so startled that he dropped his chopsticks. Thereafter, Liu Bei conspired together with Dong Cheng, the Colonel of the Changshui regiment Zhong Ji, the general Wu Zilan, Wang Zifu, and others. However, the matter was exposed, and Dong Cheng and the rest were all executed [c3157].

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dong Cheng's image is further developed, especially highlighting his loyalty to the Han and his plot to kill Cao Cao. He first appears when Emperor Xian was surrounded by Guo Si; as an imperial relative, he led troops to come to the rescue and pledged his loyalty to the Son of Heaven, swearing to "behead the two traitors and pacify the realm" ^c:3161. On the way escorting Emperor Xian back to Luoyang, Dong Cheng deliberated with Yang Feng over repairing the Luoyang palaces and strongly advocated returning the imperial carriage to the capital, displaying his hopes for the revival of the house of Han ^c:13304.

Dong Cheng's most iconic episode in the novel is the "Girdle Edict" affair. Discontented with Cao Cao's domination of power, Emperor Xian, with the help of Empress Fu, concealed a secret edict within a jade girdle and summoned Dong Cheng into the palace. Emperor Xian, using the pretext of discussing the ancestral foundations, bestowed upon him a brocade robe and jade girdle, hinting that he should "examine it closely, and do not betray my intent" ^c:3164. After Dong Cheng returned home, he carefully inspected the brocade robe and jade girdle, and at last discovered the blood-written edict hidden in the lining of the jade girdle ^c:13313. The edict directly charged Cao Cao with "holding the Son of Heaven hostage to command the lords, his crimes filling to the brim," and ordered Dong Cheng to "rally righteous men and root out the treacherous villain" ^c:13314.

Dong Cheng then summoned Wang Zifu, Zhong Ji, Wu Shuo, Wu Zilan, and others, and together they smeared blood in oath and drew up a pledge of righteousness ^c:13314. The joining of Ma Teng added strength to the plot; he advised Dong Cheng to seek the help of Liu Bei ^c:13328. Dong Cheng visited Liu Bei deep in the night to sound out his intent, and in the end Liu Bei too joined the plot and signed his name on the pledge of righteousness ^c:13335. However, Liu Bei was sent by Cao Cao to Xu Province, causing the plot to lose an important external support ^c:13336.

The eventual exposure of the plot is portrayed in the novel with greater drama. Dong Cheng once dreamed that he killed Cao Cao with his own hand, and on waking still cursed "the traitor Cao" without ceasing, which was overheard by the imperial physician Ji Ping, who had come to inquire after his illness. Ji Ping volunteered to administer poison while treating Cao Cao's illness ^c:13338. However, Ji Ping's poisoning was discovered by Cao Cao; he was severely tortured and in the end took his own life ^c:13342. Cao Cao then learned from Ji Ping of the plot of Dong Cheng and the others, and searched Dong Cheng's house, finding the girdle edict and the pledge of righteousness. In the end, Cao Cao ordered Dong Cheng's whole family imprisoned and exterminated to the third degree of kin ^c:13344. The novel's portrayal of Dong Cheng strengthens his tragic image as a loyal minister of the Han who gave his life for the state.

Key Relationships

* Yang Feng (friend_of): In historical fact, Yang Feng and Dong Cheng together escorted Emperor Xian back to Luoyang and fought side by side in the battles against Li Jue and Guo Si ^c:3156. In the novel, the two also deliberated together over returning the imperial carriage to the capital ^c:13304.
* Cao Cao (enemy_of): Dong Cheng's plot to kill Cao Cao is his central conflict in both history and the novel ^c:3157. Cao Cao in the end saw through and suppressed Dong Cheng's plot, bringing about the destruction of Dong Cheng and his family ^c:13344.
* Zhong Ji (friend_of): In the historical record, Zhong Ji was one of Dong Cheng's fellow conspirators in the plot to kill Cao ^c:3157. In the novel, Zhong Ji was one of the first conspirators Dong Cheng summoned and smeared blood in oath together with Dong Cheng ^c:13314.
* Wu Zilan (friend_of): In historical fact, Wu Zilan was also a fellow conspirator in Dong Cheng's plot to kill Cao ^c:3157. In the novel, Wu Zilan was likewise an important member of Dong Cheng's conspiratorial group ^c:13314.
* Wang Zifu (friend_of): In historical fact, Wang Zifu was a fellow conspirator in Dong Cheng's plot to kill Cao ^c:3157. In the novel, Wang Zifu was not only a conspirator but also the first person to whom Dong Cheng confided, and he actively took part in organizing the plot ^c:13314.
* Liu Bei (friend_of): In historical fact, Liu Bei was one of the fellow conspirators in Dong Cheng's plot to kill Cao ^c:3157. In the novel, Liu Bei joined the plot on Ma Teng's recommendation and signed his name on the girdle edict, becoming one of the "seven righteous men" ^c:13335.
* Ma Teng (friend_of): In the novel, Ma Teng was an important member of Dong Cheng's conspiratorial group; he not only joined in smearing blood in oath but also advised Dong Cheng to seek the help of Liu Bei ^c:13328 (unique to the novel).
* Ji Ping (friend_of): In the novel, the imperial physician Ji Ping, sympathizing with Dong Cheng's loyalty to the Han, volunteered to murder Cao Cao with poison, and in the end died when the matter was exposed ^c:13338 (unique to the novel).

Defining Scenes

* Rescuing the emperor at the western capital: When Emperor Xian was surrounded by Li Jue and Guo Si, Dong Cheng led troops to break the siege and escorted the Son of Heaven back to Luoyang. This achievement is mentioned in both history and the novel and is an important manifestation of Dong Cheng's loyalty to the house of Han ^{c:3156 c:3161}. In the novel, when Emperor Xian bestowed the brocade robe and jade girdle on Dong Cheng, he specially mentioned "the merit of rescuing the emperor at the western capital" ^c:3164.
* Meeting Cao's questioning and responding to the moment: In the novel, after Dong Cheng obtained the girdle edict from Emperor Xian, he happened to meet Cao Cao. Cao Cao questioned him about the origin of the brocade robe and jade girdle and demanded to inspect them. Though inwardly alarmed, Dong Cheng was able to respond to the moment and avoid the premature exposure of the secret edict ^c:13309. This scene displays Dong Cheng's adaptability in a moment of crisis.
* His modesty: "Your servant has not the smallest merit—how could I deserve this?": In the novel, when Emperor Xian hinted that Dong Cheng should emulate Zhang Liang and Xiao He in assisting the house of Han, Dong Cheng modestly said, "Your servant has not the smallest merit—how could I deserve this?" ^c:3164 This was both a modest reply and a reflection of his clear awareness of his own position and his helplessness over the decline of the house of Han.
* The Girdle Edict plot: This is Dong Cheng's most central iconic event. In historical fact, he received the emperor's secret edict and plotted with Liu Bei and others to kill Cao Cao ^c:3157. In the novel, this event is depicted in detail, from Emperor Xian's writing the secret edict in blood, to Dong Cheng's discovery of the secret edict, to his summoning righteous men and smearing blood in oath—all charged with dramatic tension ^c:13313.
* Exposure of the plot and execution: Dong Cheng's plot was in the end seen through by Cao Cao, leading to the execution of his whole family. This tragic ending is recorded in both history and the novel ^c:3157. In the novel, the failure of Ji Ping's poisoning and the betrayal by Qin Qingtong make the process of the plot's exposure all the more tortuous and tragic ^{c:13342 c:13344}.