Ancient Chinese have a saying “First Lu, second Zhao, third Dian Wei, fourth Guan, fifth Ma, sixth Zhang Fei” The title refers to the ranking of the six strongest generals of the chaotic era, with Lu Bu at the top and known as “the strongest war god of the Three Kingdoms”. The remaining generals are Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Guan Yu, Ma Chao, and Zhang Fei, ranked after him.
Image of Lu Bu character in movies. Source: Sohu
Due to the influence of the massive historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms – one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century using the “7 parts fact, 3 parts fiction” method – and many other forms of folk art, Lu Bu always exists in the minds of later generations as the number one “God of War” in the world.
The battle of Hulao Pass in 190 was very vividly depicted by La Quan Trung as Lu Bu's unparalleled strength. In the story “Three Heroes Battle Lu Bu”, Lu Bu fought single-handedly against Liu Bei's three brothers without flinching or faltering. He even suffered no injuries.
The combined strength of the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei could only match Lu Bu. This shows how brave, resilient, and extraordinary Lu Bu was.
However, In official history, Lu Bu never killed a famous general. Lu Bu's lifetime achievement was killing 2 people and wounding 2. None of them were famous generals.
Why is Lu Bu the strongest war god of the Three Kingdoms?
1. Extraordinary physical strength, good at close combat, unparalleled horseback riding and archery
Although Lu Bu's achievements were only mediocre, his real strength was unparalleled in the world. The story “Three Heroes Battle Lu Bu” is a fictional plot in a fictional battle by La Quan Trung. However, in reality, Lu Bu fought with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
The two tiger generals of Shu Han joined forces to attack Lu Bu, but no matter how many rounds they fought, it was difficult to defeat Lu Bu because this general had extraordinary endurance and physical strength.
Illustration of the story “Three Heroes Battle Lu Bu”. Source: The Paper.cn
At the Puyang gate, Lu Bu once again proved his invincible strength when he fought Cao Cao's strongest general, “Tiger Marquis” Xu Chu, to a draw after 20 rounds. Cao Cao, who was observing the battle, quickly realized that Xu Chu was in danger of defeat, so he ordered his five generals, Dian Wei, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, and Yue Jin, to join forces and attack Lu Bu at the same time.
Surrounded and attacked by six famous generals of Cao Wei, Lu Bu was not only not defeated but also escaped the siege in a spectacular way.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xu Chu, and Dian Wei were all famous generals throughout the world during the Three Kingdoms period, yet, against Lu Bu, none of them had a chance of winning.
In addition to being good at close combat, Lu Bu was also good at horse riding and archery. “Romance of the Three Kingdoms: A Biography of Lu Bu” It is written that Lu Bu “had a bow and a horse, and was of extraordinary physical strength, so he was called Flying General”.
Possessing two rare treasures in the world, the Red Hare and the Fang Tian Hua Ji, plus extraordinary physical strength, Lu Bu made many people terrified when they first heard of his name. All of these combined to create an invincible “God of War”.
2. Know yourself and know your enemy, command your troops like a god.
The books “Apocrypha” and “The Story of Lu Bu” All wrote that Lu Bu was born into a wealthy family. From a young age, Lu Bu was proficient in martial arts, mastering the art of music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Lu Bu's greatest hobby was practicing swordplay and staff boxing. Thanks to that, from a young age, Lu Bu was famous throughout the land of Jiu Yuan as a martial arts talent, brave, and more intelligent than others.
Thanks to his frequent reading and mastery of military strategy, when he grew up he was appointed as a chief clerk in charge of managing military records and documents, so Lu Bu was able to learn a little about military leadership skills later on.
Image of Lu Bu character in the movie. Source: Sohu
After Lu Bu killed Dong Zhuo in Chang'an in 192, Dong Zhuo's subordinate Li Jue and many other generals gathered a force of 100,000 troops and turned back to attack Lu Bu in Chang'an to avenge their lord.
Baidu It is reported that, in the battle of Chang'an, when General Guo Si under Dong Zhuo brought ten thousand troops to surround the north of the city, Lu Bu proactively led his troops out of the city to fight: “Order the soldiers and horses to retreat. You and I will fight to determine victory or defeat.”
Of course, Guo Si did not miss this opportunity. The two rushed into battle. Lu Bu stabbed Guo Si, but he did not die. Instead, his left and right soldiers rushed forward to fight and successfully saved him. When Guo Si's army poured into the city, Lu Bu knew that his army could not compete with the thousands of revenge-thirsty soldiers of Li Jue and Guo Si, so he led hundreds of cavalry out of Wuguan Pass (present-day Shaanxi).
Faced with Guo Si's fierce pursuit, Lu Bu had to flee to Yuan Shao. Here, thanks to his military talent, Lu Bu defeated the Yellow Turban rebel general Zhang Yan. In the battle of Changshan in 192, the generals Cheng Lian, Wei Yue, and Lu Bu led dozens of elite cavalry and bravely charged straight into the enemy camp with tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of cavalry. After 10 days, Zhang Yan's army was defeated.
This feat proved that Lu Bu's title of “Flying General” was not in vain. This warrior was not only good at martial arts but also had a talent for commanding troops in battle that was second to none.
It's a pity that this fierce warrior died quite young.
In the third year of Jian'an (198), Lu Bu was besieged by Cao Cao at Xiapi. He surrendered a few months later and was finally hanged by Cao Cao. His early appearance in the third chapter and ending in the nineteenth chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms somewhat shows the bitter end of the strongest warrior of the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu.
Lu Bu, once famous throughout the world, now dies at the hands of Cao Cao. Illustration: Sohu
Lu Bu's death revealed his greatest weakness: he had no clear, long-term goal. Look at Liu Bei, who devoted himself to the Han Dynasty. When he was weak, Liu Bei relied on Cao Cao, then gathered enough forces to attack Cao Cao. However, no one criticized Liu Bei because people knew his ultimate goal was to establish the Shu Han Dynasty.
In contrast, Lu Bu never found his long-term goal, but became increasingly obsessed with the gains and losses of personal achievement.
Without any ambition to conquer the world, the world's number one war god Lu Bu was eventually lost during the Three Kingdoms period while the forces continued to grow stronger. Lu Bu thus became a glorious “springboard” for the rise of true heroes.
However, people still pass down the saying: “Among men, Lu Bu, among horses, Red Hare” to honor these two majestic and imposing men and horses of the past.
Reference: KKNews, Sina, The Paper, Baidu
