Niu Fu 牛輔
| Occupation | RNGeneral · General of the Household | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | RKilled NKilled Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R3 |
Profile
Niu Fu was Dong Zhuo's son-in-law; as General of the Household he commanded troops and was stationed separately at Shan County. He has no biography of his own in the Records; he appears in the account of Li Jue and Guo Si in the Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao (Records of Wei 6) and in the account of Jia Xu in the Biographies of Xun Yu, Xun You and Jia Xu (Records of Wei 10), and his courtesy name, origins and age are not recorded. Records, Wei 6 §19Records, Wei 10 §70
When Dong Zhuo died in the 4th month of the 3rd year of Chuping (192), Lü Bu sent Li Su to Shan County to put him to death by imperial decree, but Niu Fu and the others fought back and put Li Su to flight. Afterward, when soldiers in his camp deserted by night, he assumed that all of them had rebelled, took gold and treasure and fled, and was beheaded by Hu Chi'er and other friends who went with him. Records, Wei 6 §16 · 19
In his assessment in Records of Wei 6, Chen Shou condemned Dong Zhuo's cruelty but said nothing separately about Niu Fu. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 3 as Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, a General of the Household, and appears in 2 of its 120 chapters; no chapter has his name in its title. In Chapter 9 he joins forces with Li Jue to avenge his father-in-law, is defeated by Lü Bu, and is killed by his trusted follower Hu Chi'er. Records, Wei 6 §96Romance, Ch. 3 §2Romance, Ch. 9 §38 · 40–41
In the Records
Niu Fu, Dong Zhuo's son-in-law and a General of the Household, commanded troops and was stationed separately at Shan County, and he sent out the colonels Li Jue, Guo Si and Zhang Ji separately to plunder the counties of Chenliu and Yingchuan. The Biography of Jia Xu records that Jia Xu, who after Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang had gone from clerk of the Grand Commandant to Commandant of Pingjin and then moved to Colonel Who Attacks Caitiffs, was in the army of Niu Fu stationed at Shan. Records, Wei 6 §19Records, Wei 10 §70
In the 4th month of the 3rd year of Chuping (192), the Minister over the Masses Wang Yun, the Supervisor of the Imperial Secretariat Shisun Rui and Dong Zhuo's general Lü Bu plotted together and killed Dong Zhuo. After Dong Zhuo's death Lü Bu sent Li Su to Shan County to put Niu Fu to death by imperial decree. Niu Fu and the others fought back against Li Su, and Li Su was defeated and fled to Hongnong, and Lü Bu put Li Su to death. Records, Wei 6 §16 · 19
Afterward some soldiers in Niu Fu's camp deserted by night, and when the camp was thrown into alarm, Niu Fu assumed that all of them had rebelled. He took gold and treasure and, accompanied only by five or six men including his close friend Hu Chi'er, climbed over the city wall and crossed the Yellow River to the north. Hu Chi'er and the others, coveting the gold and treasure, cut off Niu Fu's head and sent it to Chang'an. Records, Wei 6 §19
When Li Jue and the others returned, Niu Fu had already been destroyed, and his followers, having no one to rely on, each wished to scatter and go home. The Biography of Jia Xu records that when Dong Zhuo had been overthrown and Niu Fu too had died, the men were afraid, and the colonels Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji and others wished to disband their troops and slip home to their villages by back roads. Jia Xu, saying that there was talk in Chang'an of killing every man from Liang Province, proposed that they lead their men west, gathering troops as they went, and attack Chang'an to avenge Lord Dong. Li Jue and the others adopted his plan, and by the time they reached Chang'an their host numbered more than 100,000; they took the city in ten days. Records, Wei 6 §20Records, Wei 10 §70–71
In his assessment in Records of Wei 6, Chen Shou said that Dong Zhuo was fierce as a wolf, cruel and ruthless, tyrannical and inhumane, such that there had probably been no one like him since writing began, but he said nothing separately about Niu Fu. Records, Wei 6 §96
In the Romance
In Chapter 3 of the Romance, Dong Zhuo, on receiving the secret letter, musters his troops and horses and advances on Luoyang, having his son-in-law Niu Fu, a General of the Household, hold Shaanxi while he himself leads Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou and others. Romance, Ch. 3 §2
In Chapter 9, Li Jue and the others, having failed to obtain a pardon after Dong Zhuo's death, follow Jia Xu's advice, gather a host of more than 100,000 and invade Chang'an along four routes. On the way they meet Dong Zhuo's son-in-law Niu Fu, a General of the Household, who is leading 5,000 troops to avenge his father-in-law, and Li Jue joins forces with him and makes him the vanguard. Romance, Ch. 9 §36–38
Encountering Li Su, sent by Lü Bu, Niu Fu fights a fierce battle, cannot hold out and withdraws, but that night at the second watch he takes advantage of Li Su's unpreparedness to raid his camp. Li Su loses more than half his troops and flees more than thirty li in defeat, and Lü Bu, saying that Li Su has blunted his army's keen edge, beheads Li Su and hangs his head at the gate of the camp. Romance, Ch. 9 §39
The next day Niu Fu faces Lü Bu and is again heavily defeated, and that night he calls his trusted follower Hu Chi'er and says that Lü Bu cannot be matched, so they should deceive Li Jue and the other three, take gold and pearls and leave. As he abandons his camp and flees with three or four men and is about to cross a river, Hu Chi'er, wanting the gold and pearls for himself, kills Niu Fu and presents his head to Lü Bu. Lü Bu, learning what happened from the attendants who had gone with them, is enraged and beheads Hu Chi'er. Romance, Ch. 9 §40–41
Where the Romance differs
The battle with Li Su: In Chapter 9 of the Romance, Niu Fu, marching on Chang'an after joining forces with Li Jue, fights Li Su, withdraws by day, then wins by raiding his camp at night, and Lü Bu beheads Li Su for having blunted his army's edge. In the Records, when Dong Zhuo died, Lü Bu sent Li Su to Shan County to put Niu Fu to death by imperial decree, and when Niu Fu and the others fought back, Li Su fled to Hongnong and was then put to death by Lü Bu. Romance, Ch. 9 §38–39Records, Wei 6 §19
His relationship with Li Jue: In Chapter 9 of the Romance, Li Jue, marching on Chang'an, meets Niu Fu on the road, joins forces with him and makes him the vanguard. In the Records, Niu Fu had sent out the colonels Li Jue, Guo Si and Zhang Ji separately to plunder, and by the time Li Jue and the others returned, Niu Fu had already been destroyed. Romance, Ch. 9 §38Records, Wei 6 §19–20
Why he fled: In Chapter 9 of the Romance, Niu Fu flees after being heavily defeated by Lü Bu a second time, saying that Lü Bu cannot be matched. In the Records, when soldiers deserted his camp by night and the camp was thrown into alarm, he assumed that all of them had rebelled and fled; there is no mention of his fighting Lü Bu. Romance, Ch. 9 §40Records, Wei 6 §19
Where his head was sent: In Chapter 9 of the Romance, Hu Chi'er presents Niu Fu's head to Lü Bu, and Lü Bu, learning the circumstances, beheads Hu Chi'er. The Records say only that Hu Chi'er and the others cut off Niu Fu's head and sent it to Chang'an, and do not mention Hu Chi'er being killed. Romance, Ch. 9 §41Records, Wei 6 §19
Jia Xu's position: In Chapter 9 of the Romance, Jia Xu appears as an adviser urging Li Jue and the others to attack Chang'an, and his connection with Niu Fu is not depicted. In the Biography of Jia Xu in the Records, Jia Xu was in the army of Niu Fu stationed at Shan, and after Niu Fu's death he offered that plan to Li Jue and the others, who were about to disperse. Romance, Ch. 9 §36–37Records, Wei 10 §70–71
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.
- LEA4550+5
- STR4042+2
- INT3542+7
- POL3333±0
- CHA3033+3
- VIR2525±0
- ADP1518+3
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3333±0
- DIS2525±0
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
RNo direct record — estimated from his conductWei 10 §70
NNo direct record — estimated from his conductCh. 9 §38
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 (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Dong Zhuo faction (~192) · Records · 「初，卓女壻中郎將牛輔典兵別屯陝」