Dong Zhuo (pronunciationⓘ) (c. 140s – 22 May 192),[1] courtesy name Zhongying,[a] was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty.

Originally from Liang Province, Dong Zhuo seized control of the imperial capital Luoyang in 189 when it entered a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling of Han and a massacre of the eunuch faction by the court officials led by General-in-Chief He Jin.

Failing to stop the coalition forces, Dong Zhuo sacked Luoyang and relocated further west to the former Western Han capital at Chang'an (modern Xi'an, Shaanxi province).

[4] Dong Zhuo was born in Lintao, Longxi Commandery in the early 140s and was said to be a chivalrous youth who was physically strong and excelled in horseback archery.

[6][7] At the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the summer of 184, Dong Zhuo was sent to take over command from Lu Zhi in preparation of the offense on Zhang Jue in Julu.

Following the death of Emperor Ling of Han in May 189, General-in-Chief He Jin ordered Dong Zhuo to lead troops into Luoyang to aid him in eliminating the powerful eunuch faction known as the Ten Attendants.

Before Dong could arrive, He Jin was assassinated by the eunuchs in September that year and the capital city fell into a state of turmoil.

Dong then took command of the leaderless forces of He Jin and He Miao, convinced Lü Bu to join his ranks, and made himself Excellency of Works.

However, in the words of Rafe de Crespigny, Dong Zhuo's "conduct towards the court and the imperial officials was bullying, oppressive and frequently bloody."

This prompted Yuan Shao to form a coalition army with other regional officials in opposition to Dong Zhuo's military authority.

[4]: 456–459 In the same year, regional officials and warlords around the country formed a coalition force and launched a punitive campaign against Dong Zhuo.

In response, he sent a detachment to intercept the coalition vanguard led by Sun Jian, and ordered his son-in-law, Niu Fu, to supply his fortress and manor of Mei, also known as "Meiwu" (郿坞) or Ten-Thousand Year Fortress (万岁坞), with 30 years' worth of rations, where he had planned to centralize his power or retire in safety behind its fortified walls built to be seven zhàng in height and thickness.

Before the relocation, Dong ordered his troops to ransack the tombs of the late Han emperors for treasures, seize valuables from the wealthy residents in Luoyang, and burn down the palaces and anything that might be useful to the coalition.

[15] He ordered Lu Bu to lead a cavalry force back to the city to halt Sun's progress before he took flight for Mianchi.

[4]: 465 Dong Zhuo then sent his generals Li Jue, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji to the frontline against the eastern warlords.

Dong Zhuo threw lavish banquets during which he would torture captured enemies by severing limbs, removing tongues and eyeballs, or burning them alive.

In order to purchase materials for further development of the Mei citadel, he had bells and bronze statues, among which were nine of the Twelve Metal Colossi,[21] melted and recast into coins.

[23] After Dong Zhuo's death, several of his loyalists, such as Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji and Fan Chou, escaped on the belief that their allegiance to him would be considered treason.

However, an advisor named Jia Xu suggested they should take this opportunity to launch a strike at Chang'an since the Liang faction was practically unscathed.

Lü Bu attempted to break the siege, but was defeated outside the city gate, and thus Chang'an fell into the hands of Dong Zhuo's followers.

Being sent to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Dong Zhuo was defeated by the rebel leader Zhang Jiao and the battle was turning into a rout.

After Dong Zhuo moved the capital to the more strategically sound Chang'an, Interior Minister Wang Yun started to contemplate a plot to assassinate the tyrant by using the petite Diaochan, a young singer who was brought up in his household but whom he had been treating like his own daughter, to plant the seed of dissension between Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu.

Aware of Lü Bu's presence, Diaochan put up a sorrowful expression and pretended to wipe tears off her eyes with a handkerchief.

Then one day, while Dong Zhuo was holding a conversation with Emperor Xian, Lü Bu sneaked to his foster father's residence and met with Diaochan in the Fengyi Pavilion (鳳儀亭).

The conspirators sent Li Su to fetch Dong Zhuo from his castle in Meiwu (郿塢) under the pretense that the emperor intended to abdicate the throne to the warlord.

Lü Bu walked over and impaled Dong Zhuo's throat with his halberd, proclaiming, "I have an imperial decree to slay the rebel!"