Lu Bu

Lu Bu is a character that first appeared on the first game of Chaos of the Three Kingdoms. He is the adopted son of Ding Yuan who joins Dong Zhuo after the latter forced him to kill the former. He then participated in many battles during the later Han, but eventually betrayed and killed his unruly liege after falling in love with a concubine named Diao Chan who encourage him to do so.

Description
Lu Bu is a boisterous and reckless man who is known as the strongest warrior of all ancient China. He was adopted and raised by a warlord named Ding Yuan when the latter found him stranded in the forest one stormy night. As show of gratitude, Lu Bu decided to serve his adopted father as his bodyguard and assisted him in the removal of the ten eunuchs with the other warlords in the capital of Luo Yang. However, during the struggle, Ding Yuan was fatally injured by an ambush orchestrated by Zhang Rang of the Ten Eunuchs. An infuriated Lu Bu arrived to saves his foster father and skewers Zhang Rang and his lackeys in blind rage. Ding Yuan was grateful for being rescued but his deep wounds started to take it's toll on him. Heartbroken that he failed to prevent his adopted father from danger, He was forced to kill him due the urging of Dong Zhuo, who witnessed the whole occurance nearby and forced the latter to fight under his name. Lu Bu then had to fight many battle including the Battle of Hu Lao Gate until he met and fell in love with a dancer named Diao Chan, who genuinely sympathized with him because of the pain and suffering he was going through and encourage him to kill Dong Zhuo. With those words, Lu Bu one day cut down Dong Zhuo and fled Luo Yang along with Zhang Liao and Diao Chan by his side. Determined to make a name for himself, Lu Bu sets his sights on Dark Lord Cao Cao and decided to join in on the fight to save ancient china.

Historical Information
Lu Bu was born at Jiuyuan, Jiuyuan District (modern day Baotou, Jiuyuan of Inner Mongolia). There are repeated accounts throughout historical records which attest to his strength. The historian Fan Ye, compiler for the Book of Later Han, compared Lu Bu to be the very thing which caused people to shirk with fear. Cao Cao is famous for mentioning him and Red Hare. According to the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu was a master in horse riding, archery, and armed combat. He was reportedly known as the "Flying General" (飞将).

However, strength alone was not enough to salvage his reputation. He was also known to be rough to the point of being nearly intolerable with other people, and he was known for his fickle nature. Chen Gong praised his lord as an invincible warrior in the field, but he also urged his lord to be cautious and to avoid disturbing the public opinion of him. Gao Shun remarked that it wasn't always the will of the vassal to follow his lord's orders, addressing the disfavor directed towards Lu Bu. As a retainer, he couldn't reprimand his lord's actions and felt that he should accept any joy or misgivings his lord showed him. Historian Chen Shou remarked, "In history, there is no precedent in which a person like him was not ruined".

He had one known wife whose name and family relations are unknown. He fathered one known daughter.

Early Career
According to the Yīngxióng Jìyue, Lu Bu had left his home when he was still young and had previously considered living a life of banditry. Upon realizing that reading could land him a government post, Lu Bu sought to be educated. The earliest known recording of his military career began at Bingzhou under Ding Yuan, who quickly favored him after he had enlisted. He began as a Chief Registrar and eventually rose to be the Captain of the Cavalry.

Lu Bu followed his lord to Luoyang as Ding Yuan colluded with He Jin to deal with the corrupt ministers who reigned after Emperor Ling's death. After Ding Yuan was entitled Mayor of the Capital, he sought to assassinate the influential figure head who threatened his power: Dong Zhuo. Lu Bu protested Ding Yuan's decision and eventually killed him. Cutting off Ding Yuan's head, he sent a letter to Dong Zhuo offering his services to him. The letter explained the plot and his new loyalties, and the head sealed the deal. Dong Zhuo approved Lu Bu's actions so much that he allowed his new retainer to keep his title as Captain of the Cavalry.

The general first marched to battle Dong Zhuo's oppressors in 190, when Cao Cao and his regiment marched near Bianshui. Cao Cao's forces had defeated Xu Huang and were gaining momentum during their pursuit. Lu Bu's forces rode out at this time to counteract their raised spirits and to restore ally morale. A year later, he was a part of the subjugation army to intercept Sun Jian's forces at Yangren. Lu Bu is not known to have contributed much for the battle, instead choosing to bicker with the equally arrogant and foul natured, Hu Zhen. Since they were members of the same cavalry unit, Lu Bu made his grudge apparent by lying about Hu Zhen's orders. The troops were miserably confused and disorganized and caused Hu Zhen to suffer defeat. Lu Bu's further whereabouts at this time are not recorded, but the conflict resulted in Sun Jian's withdraw.

Since Lu Bu was infamous for his prowess, Dong Zhuo tried to keep him beside him to deter his many hated rivals in Luoyang. People would normally confront Dong Zhuo personally if Lu Bu was not present; if Lu Bu was there, they wouldn't even dare to bump into him. His new master loved him like a son and even adopted Lu Bu into his family. Lu Bu eventually was given the titles Commander of the Palace Guards and Ting Marquis.

Mutiny with Wang Yun
Wang Yun, who had been exhausted by Dong Zhuo's iron grip around this time, conspired to assassinate his lord. He wanted other retainers who shared his beliefs to join his uprising. Somehow, he convinced Lu Bu to join his cause. Lu Bu expressed concern over slaying his adoptive father, but Wang Yun convinced him that their surnames were different enough to avoid confusion regarding their family ties to one another. Wang Yun said to him, "What difference does your ties with him make if the knowledge is to die with the dead?"

There are three argued reasons why Lu Bu decided to join the plot against his adoptive father. One of them involves an incident in which Dong Zhuo was angry with Lu Bu, unsheathed a short sword, and hurled it at him. Lu Bu was barely able to dodge the thrown weapon in time. The other concerns his secret trysts with one of Dong Zhuo's servant maids. He remained in constant anxiety if and when the other palace attendants learned of their relationship for he feared suffering Dong Zhuo's wrath. The third reason is thought to be fueled by jealousy for other retainers' promotions or positive treatment they received from Dong Zhuo. In either scenario, it's generally accepted that Wang Yun had used Lu Bu's anxieties to sway him for his coup d'état.

In April 192, Lu Bu and Li Su waited in secret at Endless Palace. Dong Zhuo wanted to visit the palace to celebrate Emperor Xian's illness and was lured there by Wang Yun earlier the same morning. Once Dong Zhuo had entered the palace, Lu Bu and Li Su's soldiers emerged to strike him down. Dong Zhuo was able to hold off Li Su's troops and, as he neared the gate, he angrily summoned for Lu Bu to come to his aid. Lu Bu emerged at this time. He answered, "It's an imperial order", before he killed Dong Zhuo with his own blade. At Lu Bu's insistence, Dong Zhuo's relatives were massacred as well.

After the Dong family were slaughtered in Chang'an, Wang Yun claimed the capital. Lu Bu was given the title General of Summoned Might, was named one of the Three Excellencies, and was promoted to Marquis of Wen. Despite his celebrated services, Lu Bu was loosely trusted by his comrades in Chang'an. Wang Yun had originally considered Lu Bu as a last resort to remove Dong Zhuo and many didn't approve of his attitude. They also suspected that Lu Bu could someday turn against them if they were to somehow offend him.

Approximately one or two months later, Chang'an was surrounded by Dong Zhuo's former retainers who sought to avenge their lord's death. According to Yīngxióng Jìyue, Lu Bu led ten or so horsemen and confronted Guo Si in battle. He challenged his opponent to a duel and nearly killed the general. If the incident is true, then it would be one of the rare instances in history in which a military conflict was ended by a duel between generals. Although Lu Bu led troops to oppose them, the 100,000 troops overpowered Chang'an's defenses in ten days. Before the castle had completely fallen, Lu Bu gathered several hundred horsemen, attached Dong Zhuo's head to his horse, and rode out of the castle to flee. Whilst his horse circled around Chang'an's gates, he implored Wang Yun to escape as well. Wang Yun refused the request for he didn't want to turn his back on those remaining and was prepared to face his punishment.

When Chang'an fell, Lu Bu and his men fled southward through Guanzhong's Wu Pass. He was able to keep his three noble titles for a mere sixty days.

Establishing Independence
He first wandered towards Jizhou and eventually relied on Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao temporarily housed Lu Bu's forces and used the general to fight his current adversary at the moment, Zhang Yan and his bandits. The bandits were armed in the hundred thousands and severely outnumbered Lu Bu's forces at Changshan. Lu Bu led several dozen horsemen and rode with his retainers, Wei Yue and Chen Lian, to oppose Zhang Yan. They clashed with their foe three or four times and, ten days of fighting later, Zhang Yan's army suffered defeat.

Lu Bu's stay with Yuan Shao was a weary and short one. Yuan Shao had planned to keep using Lu Bu's abilities for his expeditionary forces, but he was disturbed by Lu Bu's willingness to pillage for supplies. There have been also argued accounts that Yuan Shao disapproved his troops accepting Lu Bu's thievery. His visitor's request for additional troops under his command therefore disgusted Yuan Shao. Once he learned of Yuan Shao's ire, Lu Bu mutually shared these feelings and sought to desert Yuan Shao. Fearing that Lu Bu would strike against him, Yuan Shao planned to have the general assassinated. Lu Bu learned of the plot from his retainers and escaped before it succeeded. The Yīngxióng Jìyue states that he left Yuan Shao's borders by offering to play music for the Yuan retainers. As the generals enjoyed themselves and had drunken themselves into a slumbering stupor, Lu Bu used this chance to escape. Yuan Shao later regretted his failure to procure the general for his cause.

During his time spent with Yuan Shao, Lu Bu had befriended Zhang Miao. He originally wanted to go to Zhang Miao, but he was close friends with Yuan Shao at the time. To avoid troubling him, Lu Bu eventually found another home at Henei with Zhang Yang.

There are two accounts of Zhang Yang's treatment of Lu Bu. In the Yīngxióng Jìyue, Zhang Yang was a mild-mannered lord who showered his retainers with affection and resented calamity in his ranks or with other people. When he received news from Guo Si and Li Jue that a reward was on Lu Bu's head, Zhang Yang had thought to accept Lu Bu and kill him shortly after. Upon seeing Lu Bu's calm demeanor, Zhang Yang ultimately failed to carry out the deed. The other account in the Weizhi establishes that he accepted Lu Bu since they shared similar northern origins. In any case, Lu Bu was soon titled Governor of Yingchuan.

After experiencing a falling out with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, Zhang Miao conspired with Chen Gong to oppose Cao Cao. Both instigators then sought to make Lu Bu their figurehead lord. In 194, as they rebelled against Cao Cao's army at Yanzhou, Zhang Miao granted Lu Bu's entry into the thick of their conflict at Yanzhou. Lu Bu and his forces successfully took Puyang away from Xiahou Dun during Cao Cao's absence. Lu Bu's forces tried to expand their influence deeper into Cao Cao's territory, but they were ultimately foiled by Xun Yu and Cheng Yu. When Cao Cao returned to Yanzhou, he gathered troops to attack Lu Bu at Puyangcheng. The following battle resulted in a disastrous defeat for Cao Cao who escaped due to the help of his capable vassals. Lu Bu was in a position to overwhelm Cao Cao, but the one hundred plus days of famine and the storm of locusts destroying crops and troop supplies stayed his hand. Lu Bu's forces eventually stationed themselves in Shanyang, which allowed Cao Cao's retreat.

A year of grueling and relatively fruitless conflicts later, each side was locked in a stalemate. When Cao Cao directed his attention towards other rebelling factions, Lu Bu's forces used this opportunity to pummel through their foe's dwindled numbers to flee towards Liu Bei's hospitality at Xuzhou.

Yīngxióng Jìyue remarks that Lu Bu was initially respectful towards Liu Bei and treated him with reverence. He gradually became more arrogant of his benefactor's generosity. Within mere days, Lu Bu boldly called Liu Bei "[his] younger brother" without the lord's consent, thus earning Liu Bei's inward scorn. About a month later, Liu Bei left Xuzhou to subjugate Yuan Shu at Shouchun. Cao Bao, one of Chen Gong's retainers, helped Lu Bu's takeover of Xiapi. Lu Bu either took advantage of the chaos caused by Cao Bao's death at Zhang Fei's hands (Yīngxióng Jìyue) or was granted entry into the castle thanks to Cao Bao and Chen Gong's coordinated defection (Liu Bei's scroll in Record of the Three Kingdoms). Either record indicates that Zhang Fei was driven away from Xiapi.

Self-proclaiming himself the Governor of Xuzhou, Lu Bu arrogantly showed "charity" towards Liu Bei when the lord returned. He allowed Liu Bei to stay at Xiaopei. The Yīngxióng Jìyue states that Lu Bu also held Liu Bei's wife and child hostage for Liu Bei's obedience. Around this time, Yuan Shu ordered Ji Ling and others to assemble an army of 300,000 to attack Xiapi. Lu Bu concluded that Yuan Shu would surround him from the northern mountains if he allowed Liu Bei's defeat at Xiaopei and decided to intercept the invaders with 1,000 men and 200 horsemen.

As Lu Bu's troops reinforced Xiaopei, Chen Gong mediated between Liu Bei and Yuan Shu's generals to a meeting with his lord. Lu Bu invited them to a feast and said to Yuan Shu's retainers, "Liu Bei is [my]* younger brother. Gentleman, I am aware that my brother has caused you unneeded hardship so I came to help. It is not in my nature to perpetuate conflict. Nay, I prefer to stop disputes." He then ordered one of his soldiers to position a halberd upright at Xiaopei's gate. As he drew an arrow back from a bow given to him, Lu Bu addressed them again, "Gentleman, please observe if you would my shot at that halberd's wooden end. If my arrow hits it, then I ask that both armies withdraw and disband their troops. If I am to fail, then your troops may do as you please." With the same arrow, Lu Bu hit the halberd exactly at the spot mentioned in his barter. Ji Ling and company were astonished and exclaimed, "You are the very light of Heaven!" On the same day, both sides conversed a while longer and obeyed Lu Bu. With Yuan Shu out of the picture, Lu Bu then attacked Liu Bei and claimed Xiaopei.
 * Throughout the exchange, Lu Bu refers to himself in third person by full name. He calls himself "Lu Bu" with a tone of arrogance and superiority.

The Yīngxióng Jìyue claims that Emperor Xian asked for Lu Bu to receive his company when he was in Hedong. At the time, Lu Bu's supplies were low so the offer was respectfully refused. As Emperor Xian sent another messenger to reach Lu Bu, he included the appointed titles General who Pacifies the East and Pingtao Marquis in his letter. However, as the messenger left for Lu Bu, the letter was lost at Shanyang.

Fall and End
In 197, Yuan Shu desired to establish an alliance with Lu Bu. He sent Han Yin as his messenger and sought to create their alliance by marrying Yuan Shu's son with Lu Bu's daughter. Both parties consented and Lu Bu's daughter left with Han Yin's escort. Neighboring ruler of Pei Chen Gui quickly learned of the warlords' plans and feared that the two would someday overwhelm him. He visited Lu Bu and convinced the lord to cancel the marriage; Lu Bu asked for his daughter's return. The angered Yuan Shu ordered Zhang Xun to lead a large army to attack Lu Bu. To counter the threat against him, Lu Bu convinced Han Xian, Yang Feng, and their several thousand horsemen to defect by sending them a letter stating his accomplishments and belittling Yuan Shu.

To end their conflict quickly, Yuan Shu once again turned to negotiation to appeal to Lu Bu. Lu Bu demanded to maintain his independence and a letter of Yuan Shu's surrender to him. Yuan Shu agreed to the terms and obeyed. Meanwhile, Zang Ba either didn't know or hear of Lu Bu's plans for peace and attacked the independent ruler of Langye, Xiao Jian. Lu Bu was angered on two counts: Zang Ba disobeyed him and Zang Ba caused his third-party ally to lose his castle, Jucheng. Furious with his retainer, Lu Bu ignored Gao Shun's request to wait for Zang Ba's forgiveness and gathered an army to attack Zang Ba. The civil war ended with Lu Bu triumphant; the afflicted parties then reconciled and renewed their loyalties to one another.

With Cao Cao's support, Liu Bei returned to reclaim his spot at Xiaopei in 198. Liu Bei attacked Xiaopei, briefly reclaimed it, but ultimately lost his fight against Lu Bu. Cao Cao followed with an invasion of Xuzhou. Nearly the same time, Chen Deng displayed his displeasure for his lord by defecting to Cao Cao. Lu Bu tried to hold Chen Deng's younger brother as a hostage to regain the rioter's loyalties, but the plot failed. Seeing the tides turn against him, Lu Bu requested reinforcements from Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu's trust in Lu Bu had wilted as he was reminded of the lord's past betrayals. Lu Bu tried to offer his daughter once more to strengthen his ties with Yuan Shu, but the carriage was refused. At his wit's end, Lu Bu listened to his wife and ignored Chen Gong and Gao Shun's advice thenceforth. The sieges of Xiapi continued endlessly between the armies.

Three months later, Lu Bu's troops were riddled with anxiety and impoverished by hunger. Cao Cao planned a water attack with Xun Yu and Guo Jia by using the two rivers, Yishui and Sishui. He initiated the attack in winter when the morale of Lu Bu's troops were at their lowest. The water attack was the breaking point for Hou Cheng, Song Xian, and Wei Xu. They captured Chen Gong, Gao Shun, and Red Hare and surrendered to Cao Cao. Lu Bu tried to rouse his remaining men to keep resisting the coalition against them and threatened to kill them if they surrendered to Cao Cao. When he saw that his troops were unwilling to listen to him, Lu Bu surrendered.

As he was brought before Cao Cao, Lu Bu said to him, "Milord, if you lead the infantry and I lead the cavalry, we can pacify the land together." Upon hearing this, Cao Cao looked dismayed and considered the proposal. Upon noticing this, Liu Bei warned, "Have you forgotten the fates of Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo?" Thusly convinced, Cao Cao ordered for his prisoner's execution. Before he was hanged, Lu Bu's last words to Cao Cao were, "Under any circumstances, you mustn't trust the one with large ears (Liu Bei)." Shortly after his death, Lu Bu's head was removed and his body was buried.

Skills
Nightmarish Tragedy
 * First Appearance: Chaos of the Three Kingdoms
 * Description: Lu Bu swings his halberd in a wild manner which juggles multiple enemies in midair and sends them flying with a final blow.

Abrasive Eclipse


 * First Appearance: Chaos of the Three Kingdoms
 * Description: Lu Bu swings his halberd forward that unleashes a wave of dark energy at enemy soldiers and erases them in a matter of minutes. Darkness Elemental.

When Disorder Brings Havoc


 * First Appearance: Chaos of the Three Kingdoms
 * Description: Lu Bu charges forward and performs an overhead swing with his halberd which creates a fissure that trap enemy soldiers inside of it.

Valor Attack: Gateway Towards Bedlam


 * First Appearance: Chaos of the Three Kingdoms
 * Description: Lu Bu stabs an enemy peon with his halberd and produces a huge pinwheel of dark energy that erase multiple enemy soldiers in a instant. Darkness Elemental.

Moonlight's Hunger


 * First Appearance: Chaos of the Three Kingdoms 2
 * Description: Lu Bu spins his halberd left and right multiple times, before simultaneously planting it next to him and stomping the ground to create a black and white shockwave in front of him towards enemy soldiers, disorienting them.

Crimson Fracture


 * First Appearance: Chaos of the Three Kingdoms 2
 * Description: Lu Bu performs a combo of alternating swipes with his halberd towards enemy soldiers before grabbing one of them to deliver a crippling piledriver to knock the enemy peon out.

Misguided Purgatory


 * First Appearance: Chaos of the Three Kingdoms 2
 * Description: Lu Bu charges himself in dark energy which increases his attack speed and allows him deal shadow damage to enemy soldiers for a short time. Darkness Elemental.

Valor Attack: The Unintentional Treachery of A Mighty Pariah


 * First Appearance: Chaos of the Three Kingdoms 2
 * Description: