King Mulu

Historical Record

There is no clear record of King Mulu in the official histories. In the Records of the Three Kingdoms and other sources, no information related to him can be found, and so his life, deeds, the tribe to which he belonged, and his interactions with figures of the Three Kingdoms period are all impossible to verify. This means that in the true record of history, the figure of King Mulu is absent.

In the Novel

King Mulu is a figure of legendary color in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, first appearing in chapter 90 of the novel ^c:2360. He is depicted as the lord of the Bana Cave, a barbarian chieftain possessing mysterious sorcery and the ability to command savage beasts. After Meng Huo was captured for the seventh time, he sought aid from King Mulu in order to oppose Zhuge Liang's Shu army. King Mulu gladly agreed and promised to avenge Meng Huo. In the novel, King Mulu's image is full of exotic flavor: he rode a white elephant, wore gold and pearl tassels, hung two great sabers at his waist, and was thronged by soldiers who reared tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves. His army too was out of the ordinary: most of the soldiers were bare to the waist, ugly of face, and bore sharp knives; they did not sound drums or horns but used the striking of a gong as their signal ^c:2360.

King Mulu's performance on the battlefield was even more striking. He did not rely on conventional weapons and tactics but employed sorcery. When he faced Zhao Yun and Wei Yan, he chanted incantations and shook a bell, and in an instant a fierce wind would arise, sand flying and stones rolling, sweeping in like a sudden downpour. Even more terrifying, he could summon tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, venomous snakes, and savage beasts, which came forth riding the wind, baring fangs and brandishing claws as they charged the Shu army ^c:2360. Facing this supernatural assault, the Shu army was utterly unable to withstand it and could only collapse and retreat. Zhao Yun and Wei Yan, two veterans long seasoned in battle, were shocked as never before by King Mulu's strange arts, admitting that they had never seen such a man ^c:2360. Although King Mulu won the first engagement and displayed his powerful sorcery, in the end he still could not escape Zhuge Liang's stratagems. Zhuge Liang used fire attack and a method of countermeasures prepared in advance, rendering King Mulu's savage beasts useless, and finally defeated him. King Mulu's image was created by Luo Guanzhong to add fantastical color and dramatic conflict to the novel, and has no connection to historical fact.

Key Relationships

* Meng Huo (commands_in): King Mulu was one of the allies whom Meng Huo sought out for aid when opposing the Shu army. After Meng Huo had been captured and released by Zhuge Liang many times, he sought the strength to counterattack and turned to King Mulu, lord of the Bana Cave, gaining his strong support. King Mulu promised to avenge Meng Huo and personally led troops into battle ^c:2360. (Unique to the novel)
* The Southern Barbarians (dies_in): As lord of the Bana Cave among the Southern Barbarians, King Mulu was one of the representatives of the many tribal chieftains of the Southern Barbarian region. His appearance enriched the image of the Southern Barbarian region in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, displaying that region's distinctive culture and strange arts. In the end, he too was defeated by the Shu army on the Southern Barbarian battlefield. (Unique to the novel)

Iconic Scenes

King Mulu's most iconic scene is undoubtedly his first sortie, his display of sorcery when facing Zhao Yun and Wei Yan ^c:2360. In this clash, he rode a white elephant, wore gold and pearl tassels, hung two precious sabers at his waist, held a bell, and came forth from beneath his great banner. When he chanted his spell and shook the bell, a fierce wind suddenly rose, sand flying and stones rolling, and then tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, venomous snakes, and savage beasts came forth riding the wind to assault the Shu army. This scene not only caught the Shu army off guard, but left even the battle-hardened Zhao Yun and Wei Yan shocked as never before, declaring bluntly, "In all our lives of taking the field, we have never seen such a man" ^c:2360. This scene fully displays King Mulu's powerful abilities and mysterious aura as a sorcerer, and adds rich fantastical color to Romance of the Three Kingdoms; it is his most representative moment in the novel. (Unique to the novel)