The Battle of Chang'an occurred in 192 AD when the forces of Dong Zhuo's former general Li Jue attacked the imperial capital of Chang'an in an attempt to slay Wang Yun and Lu Bu, who had betrayed and murdered Dong Zhuo that same year.
Background[]
Wang Yun
After his defeat at the Battle of Hulao Pass, Dong Zhuo burned the imperial capital of Luoyang and brought Emperor Xian of Han with him to Chang'an, his new capital. Wang Yun, a Han official who remained loyal to Dong Zhuo during the alliance against him, was asked by the Emperor to assist him with regaining his freedom, so Wang Yun decided to use his adoptive daughter Diao Chan to seduce Lu Bu into betraying and killing Dong Zhuo. Soon, Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu were both enamored with Diao Chan, and Wang Yun convinced Lu Bu to slay Dong Zhuo after Dong Zhuo angrily threw a halberd at him; Lu Bu stabbed Dong Zhuo through the neck after he was summoned to the palace under the pretense that Emperor Xian would abdicate the throne in his favor. With Dong Zhuo dead, a power vacuum ensued, and Wang Yun sent Lu Bu, Huangfu Song, and Li Su with 50,000 troops to destroy Dong Zhuo's castle at Meiwo, scaring his loyalists Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji into fleeing west to Liang Province. Lu Bu and his army rescued Diao Chan at Meiwo and killed Dong Zhuo's brother Dong Min, nephew Dong Huang, and even Dong Zhuo's aged mother. Lu Bu set free Dong Zhuo's female captives from his harem and confiscated all of his vast properties, and many celebrated across the land. However, Imperial Counselor Cai Yong was executed on Wang Yun's orders after he appeared to be sad over Dong Zhuo's passing, although Wang Yun came to regret his decision.
Battle[]
Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji, having fled Meiwo for Liang Province, were refused amnesty by Wang Yun after fleeing. Their strategist Jia Xu advised them to cajole the people of Shanxi into revolting against Wang Yun by claiming that he wished to execute all of them for harboring the generals, and the people agreed that they would rather die fighting than die for nothing. Niu Fu and his 5,000 troops from Xiliang also joined the generals, hoping to avenge his father-in-law Dong Zhuo.
Lu Bu and Li Su headed out to engage Dong Zhuo's army as it marched towards Chang'an, and Niu Fu was outmatched and was forced to retreat after a slaughter. However, he returned in a night attack on Li Su's camp and slew many, routing Li Su. Lu Bu, seeing Li Su's defeat as sullying his reputation as a warrior and driving down the army's fighting spirit, had Li Su executed. He then advanced his own force and defeated Niu Fu, who was convinced by his aide Hu Chier to desert the generals and steal their belongings. However, Hu Chier then beheaded Niu Fu and sought to win favor with the other generals by presenting them with his head. The generals were none too pleased with his double-treason and had him executed as well. Lu Bu then attacked the rebel army, and Li Jue's force was defeated and forced to retreat 15 miles.
Li Jue was forced to draw up a new strategy: he would alternate between attacking and retreating from Lu Bu's army as Guo Si attacked him from the rear, while Zhang Ji and Fan Chou would march on Chang'an and slay Wang Yun. The strategy played out over the next several days, and Lu Bu's troops were unable to rest. Lu Bu was eventually forced to turn back to save the capital, upon which Li Jue and Guo Si's forces attacked his army's rear and inflicted heavy losses. Lu Bu found the city surrounded, and, as Lu Bu launched failed attacks to break the siege, many of his men defected to the rebels. Dong Zhuo's former officers Li Meng and Wang Fang, who were still inside Chang'an, began to lend aid to the attackers, opening the city gates and allowing the rebels to pour into the city. Wang Yun refused to leave the city, and Lu Bu was forced to flee as the city was burned. Li Jue and Guo Si allowed for their men to murder and rob their fill, and ministers Chong Fu, Lu Kui, and Zhou Huan and Imperial Commanders Cui Lie and Wang Qin were among the massacred. Wang Yun turned himself in to the rebels rather than endanger the Emperor, and he was slain at the palace steps. The rebels then exterminated Wang Yun's family, and they forced the Emperor to grant them new titles: Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji were each given command of their own armies, while Li Meng and Wang Fang became Imperial Commanders. Li Jue and Guo Si then departed for the Chang'an suburb of Xunung with their army, and the capital was once again free of occupying troops.
Aftermath[]
Li Jue and Guo Si had a statue of Dong Zhuo buried (his body had been torn to fragments upon his death), but thunder and rain struck as the burial occurred, and the coffin was destroyed in a bad omen. Li Jue and Guo Si removed palace attendants and made several appointments and demotions, becoming the new military rulers of the Imperial Court. This led to Ma Teng and Han Sui rebelling against the warlords and leading their own army to attack Chang'an in the Battle of Zhouzhi.