Dongtuna

Historical Record

Dongtuna has no record in the official materials such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms; his life and deeds are not found in any verifiable sources. Therefore, the historical record concerning Dongtuna is a blank, and his actual existence or historical contribution cannot be ascertained.

In the Novel

In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dongtuna, as one of the three cave marshals under the southern Man chieftain Meng Huo, first appears in chapter eighty-seven^[1]. Together with Jinhuansanjie and A Huinan, he received Meng Huo's command to divide their forces into three routes to resist the Shu Han army led by Zhuge Liang. Dongtuna was ordered to guard the left route, leading fifty thousand Man soldiers to meet the enemy.

In chapter eighty-eight, Dongtuna was again dispatched by Meng Huo, taking over from Mang Yazhang—who had been killed in an engagement with Ma Dai—to lead three thousand troops to Jiashan Gorge to give battle to Ma Dai^[2]. However, when he faced off against Ma Dai, Ma Dai recognized that he had once received Zhuge Liang's grace of being spared, and publicly rebuked him as "ungrateful and a betrayer of kindness," so that Dongtuna, feeling ashamed, withdrew without fighting^[3]. This enraged Meng Huo, who regarded Dongtuna's deliberate withdrawal without fighting as "a scheme to sell out the battle line" and wished to behead him. Only thanks to the pleas of the assembled chieftains did Dongtuna escape death, though he was still punished with one hundred strokes of the heavy staff and released back to his own stockade.

After undergoing this humiliation, Dongtuna conferred with A Huinan and the other chieftains who had likewise received Zhuge Liang's grace. They reasoned that although Meng Huo's power was strong, Zhuge Liang's stratagems were unfathomable, and that since they had all received Kongming's grace of being spared, they should no longer help Meng Huo do evil. Thereupon Dongtuna resolved to capture Meng Huo alive together with the others, so as to go over to Zhuge Liang and spare the southern Man people the ruin of war^[4]. Taking advantage of a moment when Meng Huo was heavily drunk, they burst into his tent and, with the aid of two guards who had also received Zhuge Liang's grace, successfully captured Meng Huo and escorted him to the north bank of the Lu River to present him to Zhuge Liang. However, after Meng Huo was released, he harbored resentment. He devised a scheme to lure Dongtuna and A Huinan to the main stockade, on the pretext that "an envoy from Kongming has arrived," and there had the two treacherously killed, casting their corpses into a ravine^[5]. Dongtuna's end was tragic, and in the end he did not die a good death.

Key Relationships

* Meng Huo (commands_in): Dongtuna, as one of the three cave marshals under Meng Huo, was subject to his control and command^[1]. However, in the course of Zhuge Liang's seven captures and seven releases of Meng Huo, Dongtuna, having once received Zhuge Liang's grace of being spared, in the end betrayed Meng Huo and tried to capture and present him to Zhuge Liang. Meng Huo harbored resentment over this and in the end devised a scheme to kill Dongtuna (unique to the novel)^[5].
* Zhuge Liang (benefactor): Dongtuna had once been captured by Zhuge Liang, but Zhuge Liang, in his magnanimity, released him. This grace of being spared left a deep impression on Dongtuna's heart and became an important reason for his later betrayal of Meng Huo and his going over to Zhuge Liang (unique to the novel)^[3].
* Ma Dai (opponent): Dongtuna once faced off against Ma Dai on the battlefield. Ma Dai's rebuke made Dongtuna feel ashamed, so that he withdrew without fighting (unique to the novel)^[3].
* A Huinan (colleague/ally): Dongtuna and A Huinan were both cave marshals under Meng Huo, and the two fought side by side in resisting the Shu Han army. Later, they also together plotted to capture Meng Huo, and in the end were together killed by Meng Huo's scheme (unique to the novel)^[5].

Defining Scenes

* First leading troops (unique to the novel): At his first appearance, Dongtuna, together with Jinhuansanjie and A Huinan, received the command, each leading fifty thousand Man soldiers to advance by three routes, with Dongtuna in charge of the left route, displaying his standing as a marshal and his ability to command troops^[1].
* Disgraced before the battle line (unique to the novel): When facing off against Ma Dai, Ma Dai publicly exposed that Dongtuna had once received Zhuge Liang's grace of being spared, leaving him "filled with shame, with no words to answer, withdrawing without fighting"^[3]. This scene displays not only Dongtuna's inner struggle but also lays the groundwork for his later actions.
* Plotting to capture Meng Huo (unique to the novel): After being beaten with the staff by Meng Huo, Dongtuna conferred with A Huinan and the other chieftains and, taking advantage of a moment when Meng Huo was heavily drunk, captured him alive and escorted him to the bank of the Lu River to present to Zhuge Liang^[4]. This was Dongtuna's most crucial action in the novel, directly advancing the plot and reflecting his repayment of Zhuge Liang's grace and his consideration for the southern Man people.
* Lured and killed by Meng Huo (unique to the novel): Dongtuna was in the end lured back to the main stockade by Meng Huo with a ruse of feigned surrender and there cruelly killed, his body cast into a ravine^[5]. This scene reveals Meng Huo's cunning and cruelty and brings a close to Dongtuna's tragic fate.