Wu Dun 吳敦
| Occupation | RGeneral · Administrator of Licheng | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R5 |
Profile
Wu Dun was a man who gathered a following in the Taishan region at the end of the Han. The Annals of Emperor Wu list him with Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Yin Li and Chang Xi as men of Taishan who each gathered a following. According to the Biography of Zang Ba, Zang Ba became their leader and they were stationed at Kaiyang, and when Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu, Zang Ba and the others led troops to aid Lü Bu. After Lü Bu was captured, Cao Cao had Zang Ba summon Wu Dun and others, and Wu Dun became Administrator of Licheng. Records, Wei 1 §49Records, Wei 18 §21
The Records has no separate biography of him; he appears only in one passage each of the Annals of Emperor Wu and the Biography of Zang Ba, and his courtesy name and death are not recorded. His name does not appear in Chen Shou's assessment either. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 18 as one of the 'Taishan bandits' who join hands with Lü Bu, and he appears in 3 of its 120 chapters; no chapter title bears his name. In Chapter 19 he is defeated by Xu Chu at Xiao Pass, and in Chapter 20 he surrenders to Cao Cao at Zang Ba's urging. Records, Wei 1 §49Records, Wei 18 §21 · 92Romance, Ch. 18 §23Romance, Ch. 19 §10Romance, Ch. 20 §2
In the Records
The Annals of Emperor Wu record Wu Dun in the passage where, after Cao Cao set out east against Lü Bu in the 9th month of the 3rd year of Jian'an (198), he captured Lü Bu and Chen Gong at Xiapi and put them both to death. Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and Chang Xi of Taishan had each been gathering a following, and when Lü Bu defeated Liu Bei, Zang Ba and the others all followed Lü Bu. When Lü Bu was defeated, Cao Cao captured Zang Ba and the others but received and treated them generously; in the end he detached the coastal areas of the two provinces of Qing and Xu and entrusted them to these men, and divided Langya, Donghai and Beihai to create the commanderies of Chengyang, Licheng and Changlü. Records, Wei 1 §46 · 48–49
According to the Biography of Zang Ba, Zang Ba gathered troops in Xu Province and, together with Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and others, assembled a following of which Zang Ba became the leader, and they were stationed at Kaiyang. When Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu, Zang Ba and the others led troops to aid Lü Bu. Records, Wei 18 §21
When Lü Bu was captured, Zang Ba went into hiding. Cao Cao offered a reward, found Zang Ba and, pleased on meeting him, had him summon Wu Dun, Yin Li, Sun Guan, Sun Guan's elder brother Sun Kang and others, and all of them came to Cao Cao. Cao Cao made Zang Ba Chancellor of Langya, Wu Dun Administrator of Licheng, Yin Li Administrator of Dongguan, Sun Guan Administrator of Beihai and Sun Kang Administrator of Chengyang, and detached the two provinces of Qing and Xu and entrusted them to Zang Ba. Records, Wei 18 §21
Chen Shou's main text does not record what Wu Dun did after he became Administrator of Licheng, nor does it give his courtesy name or the year of his death. Chen Shou's assessment at the end of the volume says only that Li Tong, Zang Ba, Wen Pin and Lü Qian guarded and protected provinces and commanderies and all displayed both authority and kindness, and does not assess Wu Dun separately. Records, Wei 18 §21 · 92
In the Romance
In Chapter 18 of the Romance, Lü Bu, having seen Liu Bei's reply in the possession of Cao Cao's messenger whom Chen Gong had seized, curses loudly and has the messenger beheaded. He then first sends Chen Gong and Zang Ba to join hands with the Taishan bandits Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and Chang Xi and attack the commanderies of Yan Province in Shandong to the east. Romance, Ch. 18 §21–23
In Chapter 19, when Cao Cao personally leads a great army out with Liu Bei to attack Lü Bu and approaches Xiao Pass, the Taishan bandits Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and Chang Xi block his way with more than 30,000 troops. When Cao Cao sends Xu Chu out to meet them, the four generals ride out all at once, but Xu Chu fights with all his might as if ready to die, and unable to withstand him, they are each defeated and flee. Cao Cao takes advantage of the momentum and pursues them as far as Xiao Pass. Romance, Ch. 19 §9–10
In the same chapter Chen Deng falsely tells Lü Bu that Sun Guan and the others on the pass all intend to hand it over, and tells Chen Gong that Cao Cao's troops have already entered the pass by a byway, sending him back. While Chen Gong's troops and Lü Bu's troops attack each other in the dark, Cao Cao's troops see the signal fire and charge in, and Sun Guan and the others scatter and flee in all directions. This passage names only Sun Guan and does not mention Wu Dun separately. Romance, Ch. 19 §14–16
In Chapter 20, after Lü Bu's death, Cao Cao makes Zhang Liao a General of the Household and has him win over Zang Ba. Hearing that Lü Bu is already dead and Zhang Liao has already surrendered, Zang Ba leads his own troops to surrender, and he in turn persuades Sun Guan, Wu Dun and Yin Li to surrender, but Chang Xi alone does not submit. Cao Cao makes Zang Ba Chancellor of Langya, gives Sun Guan and the others each an additional office, and has them guard the coastal lands of Qing and Xu provinces. In the Romance, Wu Dun does not appear after this chapter. Romance, Ch. 20 §2
Where the Romance differs
First appearance: Chapters 18 and 19 of the Romance call Wu Dun one of the 'Taishan bandits' and portray him as a general who joins hands with Lü Bu. In the Biography of Zang Ba in the Records, Zang Ba gathered a following in Xu Province together with Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and others, became its leader and was stationed at Kaiyang, and when Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu, Zang Ba and the others led troops to aid Lü Bu. Romance, Ch. 18 §23Romance, Ch. 19 §10Records, Wei 18 §21
The battle at Xiao Pass: In Chapter 19 of the Romance, Wu Dun and the other three generals are defeated by Xu Chu in front of Xiao Pass. The Annals of Emperor Wu and the Biography of Zang Ba in the Records say only that Zang Ba and the others were captured or summoned after Lü Bu's defeat, and there is no fight between Wu Dun and Xu Chu at Xiao Pass. Romance, Ch. 19 §10Records, Wei 1 §49Records, Wei 18 §21
How he surrendered: In Chapter 20 of the Romance, Cao Cao has Zhang Liao win over Zang Ba, and Zang Ba, having surrendered, in turn persuades Sun Guan, Wu Dun and Yin Li to surrender. In the Biography of Zang Ba in the Records, Cao Cao offered a reward to find Zang Ba, who had gone into hiding when Lü Bu was captured, and had him summon Wu Dun and the others. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that Zang Ba and the others were captured when Lü Bu was defeated. Neither record says that Zhang Liao won Zang Ba over. Romance, Ch. 20 §2Records, Wei 18 §21Records, Wei 1 §49
The office he received: Chapter 20 of the Romance says only that Sun Guan and the others were each given an additional office and made to guard the coastal lands of Qing and Xu provinces, and does not state what office Wu Dun received. In the Biography of Zang Ba in the Records, Wu Dun became Administrator of Licheng. Romance, Ch. 20 §2Records, Wei 18 §21
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
- LEA4540−5
- STR4238−4
- INT3833−5
- POL4031−9
- CHA4238−4
- VIR4038−2
- ADP4845−3
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3331−2
- DIS3331−2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
RGathered a following in Taishan with Zang Ba, Sun Guan and othersWei 18 §21
NBlocked the road with Sun Guan and others with more than 30,000 troops, but was defeatedCh. 19 §10
RNo direct record — estimatedWei 18 §21
NThe four of them together could not withstand Xu Chu alone and fledCh. 19 §10
RNo direct record — estimatedWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimatedCh. 18 §23
RNo direct record — estimated from his appointment as Administrator of LichengWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimatedCh. 20 §2
RNo direct record — estimated from his gathering a followingWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimatedCh. 18 §23
RNo direct record — estimatedWei 1 §49
NNo direct record — estimatedCh. 18 §23
RWhen Lü Bu fell, came to Cao Cao at Zang Ba's summons and received officeWei 18 §21
NSurrendered to Cao Cao at Zang Ba's persuasionCh. 20 §2
RNo direct record — estimatedWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimatedCh. 18 §23
RNo direct record — estimatedWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimatedCh. 18 §23
RNo direct record — estimatedWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimatedCh. 18 §23
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (3)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →