The life of Lü Bu

When the Ling Emperor dies, you follow Ding Yuan with his troops to Luoyang. Back in Henei, he had already made you his chief clerk and treated you with great favor: a man of arms made chief clerk—no one in the camp is unaware of how highly he regards you. In Luoyang, he plots with He Jin to kill the eunuchs and is appointed Commander of Retainers.

This month, Luoyang is like a pot of water at a boil. He Jin’s scheme fails, and many die, inside the palace and out. Then Dong Zhuo arrives. His Xiliang soldiers slip out of the city by night every four or five days, then return the next day with banners and drums, and the whole city says another batch of western troops has come. You watch from the city wall twice. You recognize those banners.

He Jin’s brothers’ troops, left without a master, all join Dong Zhuo. In Luoyang, the only soldiers not under his command are your force from Bingzhou.

That night, your fellow townsman Li Su arrives, leading a horse. The horse is red as burning coals from head to hoof, without a single stray hair. He says its name is Red Hare.

After a few rounds of wine, he laughs: “I, Su, seldom get to see you, younger brother; yet your father comes by often.” You tell him he is drunk. Your father has been dead for many years. He laughs loudly: “No, I mean the Inspector Ding of today.”

You say only one thing: “I serve Ding Jianyang out of necessity too.” He says: “A fine bird chooses a tree to nest in; a worthy minister chooses a lord to serve. If you do not seize the moment, you will regret it too late.” Then he lays gold and pearls, a jade belt, before you, saying they are all gifts from Lord Dong, and so is Red Hare.

He leaves. In the tent, only a lamp remains, and the horse tethered outside. You remember how Ding Yuan calls you before everyone.

RomanceThe Records don't tell this scene. The whole chapter comes from the Romance.

The eastern forces arrive below the pass. You ride out to meet them with 3,000 ironclad cavalry, scattering Wang Kuang's men in every direction.

The way you look that day will be told and retold by storytellers in later generations: a three-pronged purple-gold crown binding your hair, a red brocade robe embroidered with flowers from Xichuan over your body, and linked armor with beast-face plates, a painted halberd in your hand, the Red Hare beneath you, whinnying in the wind.

A few days later, the 8 lords mount their horses together, their armies formed into 8 divisions and arrayed on a high ridge. You lead your troops into the fray. Mu Shun is struck from his horse by a single halberd thrust. Wu Anguo fights for more than 10 exchanges before a halberd chops through his wrist. You withdraw. Before long, you lead your troops out to challenge them again. Gongsun Zan comes to fight you, but loses after only a few exchanges. You spur your horse after him. The Red Hare covers 1,000 li in a day, flying like the wind. You are about to catch him—

"Slave with three surnames, don't run! Zhang Fei of Yan is here!"

Three surnames. Lü, Ding, Dong. Your grip tightens on the halberd.

You fight for more than 50 exchanges, neither gaining the upper hand. A red-faced man with a long beard swings a Green Dragon Crescent Blade and joins the attack on you; then another draws his twin swords, spurs his yellow-maned horse, and comes to help from the flank.

The 3 men surround you, fighting like lanterns spinning around. The 8 armies watch, stunned.

Your halberd can scarcely hold them off now. The 3 horses' panting mingles together. You look toward the man with the double swords and make a feinting thrust. He dodges sharply, and you seize the moment to break through the edge of their formation, drag your painted halberd behind you, and gallop back.

You remember that face: a pair of large ears.

RomanceThe Records don't tell this scene. The whole chapter comes from the Romance.

Situ Wang Yun sends someone with a gold crown set with a precious pearl from his family collection. You go in person to his residence to thank him.

He comes out to welcome you and invites you to the seat of honor. You say you are merely a general in the Chancellor's residence, while he is a minister of the court; why show you such misplaced respect?. He says: "In all the realm today, there is no hero but the general."

Halfway through the wine, he says: "Call my daughter here."Two maids in blue lead out a woman in full finery. You ask who she is. "My daughter, Diao Chan."

She pours you wine. By the lamplight, a length of her wrist shows at her sleeve. Your eyes meet, back and forth, and you cannot take your eyes off her.

Wang Yun points to her and says: "I wish to give this woman to the general as a concubine. Will you accept her?" You leave your seat and bow in thanks: "If I may have her, Bu will repay you with the service of a dog or horse."

A few days later, you run into Wang Yun on the road and seize him by the lapel: "Since you promised Diao Chan to me, why now give her to the Grand Preceptor? Why mock me?"

He says the Grand Preceptor came in person to ask for her, saying he would "match her with Fengxian". You believe him.

The next day, a concubine tells you: "Last night the Grand Preceptor shared a bed with his new bride, and he has not risen yet."You creep behind Dong Zhuo's bedchamber to spy. She is combing her hair beneath the window. Seeing your shadow reflected in the pool, she furrows her brows and wipes away her tears again and again with a fragrant kerchief.

Dong Zhuo falls ill. You go in to ask after him; he is asleep. From behind the bed, she leans out to look at you, points to her heart, then points to Dong Zhuo, and weeps without stopping. Your heart shatters.

He wakes and sees you staring behind the bed: "Do you dare trifle with my beloved concubine?"He orders his men to drive you out and forbids you to enter the hall again. The next day he summons you back, saying he was muddled by illness, and gives you 10 jin of gold and 20 bolts of brocade. You are at his side, but your heart is bound to her.

When he recovers, he goes to court to discuss affairs. You follow with a halberd in hand; while he speaks with the emperor, you carry your halberd through the inner gate, mount your horse, and ride straight to the Chancellor's residence, then enter the rear hall with your halberd and find her. She says: "Go wait by Fengyi Pavilion in the rear garden."

You stand beside the curved railing beneath the pavilion. The water in the lotus pond is utterly still. Only after a long while does she come, parting flowers and brushing willows aside.

"This body is already stained; I can no longer serve a hero. I would rather die before you, to make my devotion clear!"She clutches the curved railing and leaps toward the lotus pond. You hurriedly catch her. She says: "I cannot be your wife in this life; I hope we may meet again in the next." You say: "If I cannot make you my wife in this life, I am no hero!"

You say you came in a stolen moment, fear the old villain will grow suspicious, and must leave at once. She clutches your sleeve: "If you fear the old villain so, I shall never see the light of day!" You stop and say: "Let me think of a good plan in time."With that, you raise your halberd to leave. Behind you, she says: In her secluded chamber, she has heard your name ring like thunder, and thought you the one hero of the age; who could have known you would be controlled by another.

Dong Zhuo turns around in the hall and does not see you. Suspicious, he hurriedly takes his leave of the Son of Heaven and rides back to his residence. He searches into the rear garden and finds you speaking with Diao Chan beneath Fengyi Pavilion, the painted halberd leaning nearby.

He gives a great shout.

You turn and run. He snatches up the painted halberd and gives chase. You run fast; he is too fat to catch you, so he hurls the halberd at you. You knock the halberd to the ground, and run out through the garden gate without looking back.

Dong Zhuo knows he treats people without courtesy and fears they will plot against him, so whenever he goes out or comes in, he always has you guard him.

But he is hard-tempered and narrow-minded, and in his anger thinks nothing of the danger. Fengyi Pavilion is not the first time. Earlier, when only some small thing had not gone his way, he drew his hand halberd and hurled it at you.

You are quick and dodge it; the halberd grazes your ear and sticks in a pillar. You turn back and apologize to him, and his anger subsides. He is already talking to someone else.

From then on, you secretly resent him.

He has you guard the central chamber. You have an affair with a woman in his household, and, afraid the matter will come to light, you feel uneasy. Whenever he summons you, you first wonder: is it about that?

Situ Wang Yun has always treated you generously because you are a strong man from the same province. This day, you go to his residence and tell him how Dong Zhuo has nearly killed you several times. Wang Yun sends everyone else away, closes the door, and says that he and Attendant Shisun Rui intend to kill Dong Zhuo, and want you to act as an inside agent.

You say: "But we are father and son—what of that?"

Wang Yun says: "You bear the surname Lü; you are not blood kin. You are fearing for your very life—what father and son?"

Yuan Shu sends Ji Ling and others with 30,000 foot and horse against Liu Bei, who asks you for help.

The generals all say: "The general has always wanted to kill Bei. Now you can let Shu do it for you."

Xiaopei lies northwest of Xiapi, more than 300 li away.

When he reaches the city, he sends you a letter, setting out the consequences, for good and ill. You read it twice.

You want to surrender. You climb White Gate Tower and call down to the soldiers below: "Do not hem me in, gentlemen. I will present myself to the lord in person."

Chen Gong is behind you: "Cao Cao is a traitor—what sort of lord is he! If you surrender to him today, it will be like throwing an egg against a stone. How could you survive?"He knows his own guilt is too great, and stops you.

You do not surrender. Cao Cao digs trenches and surrounds the city. Outside the walls, the trenches grow deeper each day. At night you hear the sound of digging, basket after basket, without pause.

Chen Gong comes again: "Cao Cao has come from far away; he cannot keep this up for long. If the general takes infantry and cavalry out to camp and threatens him from outside, while I hold the city with the remaining troops, then if he attacks you, I will lead my men against his rear; if he attacks the city, you can come to its aid from outside. In no more than 10 days, his army's provisions will be gone, and we can defeat him."You think he is right.

You return to your inner chambers and tell your wife what Chen Gong has said.

She says: "Gong and Shun have never been on good terms. If the general leaves, Gong and Shun will surely not work together to defend the city. If anything goes wrong, where will the general establish himself?"

She says again: "When I was in Chang'an, the general had already abandoned me. I survived only because Pang Shu hid me in secret. You need not worry about me now."

Chang'an. The day you left through Wu Pass, she was not on your horse.

"In the past, Cao Cao treated Gongtai like a child, yet he still left him. Now the general does no more for Gongtai than Cao Cao did, yet you would entrust the whole city to others, abandon your wife and children, and ride far away with a lone army. If something changes in a moment, how could I still be your wife?"