Niu Fu

Historical Record

According to the surviving historical material, Niu Fu has no detailed record in the official histories; his life, deeds, offices, and appointments are not found in the Records of the Three Kingdoms or other historical biographical material. Therefore, factual information about Niu Fu is almost entirely blank, and no objective account of him can be given.

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Niu Fu, as Dong Zhuo's son-in-law and a subordinate general, has an image that unfolds chiefly around the rise and fall of Dong Zhuo's group. He first appears when Dong Zhuo entered the capital by imperial summons. After Dong Zhuo failed to gain merit in breaking the Yellow Turbans, he escaped punishment by bribing the Ten Attendants and gradually came to command the great army of the western provinces. When he received the edict and prepared to enter the capital, he "had his son-in-law, the General of the Household Gentlemen Niu Fu, hold and guard Shaanxi" ^c:5868, while he himself led Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, and others to Luoyang. This shows that Niu Fu held a certain standing within Dong Zhuo's group, charged with guarding an important strategic point.

After Dong Zhuo was assassinated by Lü Bu, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, and the others fled to Shaanxi and tried to seek pardon from the court. However, Wang Yun refused to pardon them, regarding them as accomplices in Dong Zhuo's tyranny. At the advice of the strategist Jia Xu, Li Jue and the others decided to gather their old troops and fight their way back to Chang'an to avenge Dong Zhuo. At this point Niu Fu appears again. He "led five thousand troops, intending to go and avenge his father-in-law" ^c:2691, joined forces with Li Jue and the others, and was made vanguard. This further reinforces Niu Fu's image as Dong Zhuo's trusted man and successor; he was not only loyal to Dong Zhuo but, after Dong Zhuo's death, actively sought to avenge him.

However, Niu Fu's military ability is portrayed as quite mediocre in the Romance. When he faced Lü Bu in battle, "how could Niu Fu withstand Lü Bu? Once again he was greatly defeated and fled" ^c:3028. Facing Lü Bu's fierce valor, Niu Fu grew fainthearted and summoned his trusted man Hu Che'er to confer, deciding to "deceive the four men Li Jue and the others, secretly hide gold and pearls, and abandon the army and flee with three to five close attendants" ^c:3028. He tried to carry off gold and treasure and slip quietly from the battlefield. Yet on the way across the river, his trusted man Hu Che'er, coveting the gold and pearls, actually killed Niu Fu and presented his head to Lü Bu. When Lü Bu learned that Hu Che'er had murdered for gain, he had him executed. Niu Fu's end not only reveals his cowardly, disloyal, and faithless side but also sows the seeds of the counterattack by Li Jue, Guo Si, and the others.

Key Relationships

* Dong Zhuo's Faction (serves): Niu Fu was an important member of Dong Zhuo's faction; as Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, he was deeply trusted by Dong Zhuo and given important responsibilities, charged with guarding Shaanxi (unique to the Romance). After Dong Zhuo's death, he actively took part in the action to avenge him, joining forces with Li Jue, Guo Si, and the others (unique to the Romance).
* Dong Zhuo (kin_of): Niu Fu was Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, and this marital tie was an important source of his standing and power within Dong Zhuo's group. He showed a certain loyalty to Dong Zhuo, especially after Dong Zhuo's death, when he tried to avenge him (unique to the Romance).
* Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou (associates): Niu Fu and these four were all subordinate generals of Dong Zhuo; after Dong Zhuo's death, they jointly plotted to avenge him. Niu Fu once joined forces with Li Jue and was made vanguard (unique to the Romance).
* Lü Bu (adversary): Lü Bu was Niu Fu's chief opponent on the battlefield. Niu Fu was greatly defeated in his clash with Lü Bu and finally chose to flee out of fear of Lü Bu, thereby losing his life (unique to the Romance).
* Hu Che'er (subordinate/betrayer): Hu Che'er was Niu Fu's trusted man, but in the end, for the sake of treasure, betrayed and killed Niu Fu (unique to the Romance).

Signature Scenes

* Ordered to guard Shaanxi: When Dong Zhuo entered the capital, he dispatched Niu Fu to "hold and guard Shaanxi" ^c:5868, showing Niu Fu's important standing within Dong Zhuo's group and Dong Zhuo's trust in him (unique to the Romance).
* Joining forces to avenge: After Dong Zhuo's death, Niu Fu "led five thousand troops, intending to go and avenge his father-in-law" ^c:2691, and joined forces with Li Jue and the others to become the vanguard of the counterattack on Chang'an, embodying his loyalty to Dong Zhuo and his resolve for vengeance (unique to the Romance).
* Defeat, flight, and death: In battle against Lü Bu, Niu Fu was greatly defeated and, growing fainthearted, decided to "secretly hide gold and pearls and abandon the army and flee with three to five close attendants" ^c:3028. Yet on the road of flight, he was murdered for gain by his trusted man Hu Che'er, ending his career in the Romance. This scene not only displays Niu Fu's cowardice but also sows the seeds of the later actions of Li Jue and the others (unique to the Romance).