Lü Bu

Lu Bu (? - February 7, 198 AD) was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu was a master in horseback riding and archery, and was thus known as the Flying General. His image as a handsome and mighty warrior wearing a pheasant-tailed helmet and wielding a ji known as the “Sky Piercer” on top of his steed Red Hare was later popularized by the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In the story, he is the single most powerful warrior in all of China, comparable to the Greek hero Achilles in prowess. It was often said, “Among men, Lu Bu. Among horses, Red Hare.”

Besides being matchless on the battlefield, Lu Bu was also notorious for having betrayed and slain two separate masters (who were both his adoptive fathers). He was perhaps most well-known for his amorous relationship with the most likely fictional Diao Chan which led to his slaying of his adoptive father Dong Zhuo, the tyrannical warlord who held the puppet figurehead Emperor Xian in his control.

Lu Bu was eventually defeated and captured by Cao Cao in the city of Xia Pi. At Liu Bei’s suggestion, Cao Cao had Lü Bu hanged.