Dong Zhuo

Imperial Protector of Xizhou; loses badly to Zhang Jue near Guangzong and is rescued by the Three Brothers, then treats them with such open rudeness that Zhang Fei tries to kill him on the spot. First appearance of the novel's recurring tyrant.

Introduced with his origins at Lintao in the West Valley Land; as Governor of Hedong he is arrogant and overbearing, and only Liu Bei's restraint keeps Zhang Fei from killing him after his contempt toward the brothers. His repeated defeats against the Yellow Scarves get him superseded in command by Huangfu Song.

Marches his two hundred thousand Xizhou troops on Luoyang at He Jin's summons and meets the rescued Emperor at Beimang, where the Prince of Chenliu's composure plants the deposition idea. He swallows the He brothers' leaderless troops, proposes the deposition at the Wenming Garden feast - faced down by Ding Yuan, rebutted by Lu Zhi - then buys Lü Bu with Red Hare, has Ding Yuan murdered, heaps offices on himself, and at a second banquet draws his sword on Yuan Shao.

Completes the deposition in the Hall of Virtue on the first of the ninth month, executing Ding Guan for objecting, and installs the nine-year-old Prince of Chenliu. As Prime Minister he sleeps on the Dragon Couch, defiles the palace women, sacks Yangcheng during the spring festival and parades the heads as rebel trophies, survives Wu Fu's dagger, orders the murder of the deposed imperial family, and - after the sword incident - puts a price on Cao Cao's head across the empire.

Sends Hua Xiong to hold Sishui Pass, and after Guan Yu kills him, takes Li Ru's advice to act in person: Li Jue and Guo Si slaughter Imperial Guardian Yuan Wei's whole household, fifty thousand troops screen Sishui, and Dong Zhuo himself leads a hundred and fifty thousand with Lü Bu to Tiger Trap Pass, his black gauze umbrella visible from the walls.

Takes Li Ru's prophecy as mandate and moves the capital: demotes Yang Biao, Huang Wan, and Xun Shuang to commoners for protesting, executes Zhou Bi and Wu Qiong at the gate, plunders and murders Luoyang's rich as 'traitors', drives millions of inhabitants west, and burns the whole city - palaces, temples, houses - while Lü Bu rifles the imperial tombs. Then he plants the Yingyang ambush that shatters Cao Cao's pursuit.

Dong Zhuo; signs off on the truce envoys to the eastern princes - happy to see his enemies bleed each other.

Styles himself Imperial Rector, apes imperial state, and builds the replica city Meiwo with twenty years of stores and eight hundred maidens. He tortures surrendered rebels to death mid-feast and has Minister Zhang Wen beheaded at table, the head served on a red dish. Snared by Wang Yun's flattery and Diao Chan's beauty, he takes her home, neglects a month of business, banishes Lü Bu from her sickroom - and ends the chapter hurling the trident halberd at his fleeing 'son' in the Phoenix Pavilion garden.

Lured to Changan with the false promise of imperial abdication; Lu Bu kills him at the Hall of Virtue. His corpse is exposed in the marketplace; passing soldiers stuff lighted wicks into his belly-fat. The chapter pivots on his death.

Dead but restless: his followers carve a fragrant-wood likeness for the missing corpse and try to bury him at Meiwo - and three times thunderstorms burst the coffin and hurl the remains out, until the thunder-fire consumes them. Heaven, the narrator observes, was exceedingly angry.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the chapter's recap of Lu Bu's career.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the recap of the Changan situation.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the recap.

Dong Zhuo; named alongside Ding Yuan in Liu Bei's reminder on the scaffold.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the chapter's recap.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in Chen Lin's manifesto enumerating Cao Cao's crimes.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the chapter recap of the belt-decree's lineage of court murder.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the chapter's recap.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the chapter's recap.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the chapter's recap.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in Zhuge Liang's oration as the original Han traitor that Wang Lang served.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in Cao Mao's accession history.

Dong Zhuo; named in passing in the closing historical elegies.