Dong Zhuo Enters the Capital 董卓進京

Dong Zhuo had gone out to resist Han Sui, who had risen in Liang Province, alone brought his troops back intact, became General of the Front and was summoned to be Governor of Bing Province. When Emperor Ling died and the Young Emperor took the throne, the Empress Dowager presided over the court, and the General-in-Chief He Jin planned with the Colonel Director of Retainers Yuan Shao to kill the eunuchs, but the Empress Dowager would not go along. The Biography of Yuan Shao records that when the Regular Attendants and the Yellow Gate eunuchs heard of this and came to He Jin to apologize, Yuan Shao urged him two or three times to settle the matter then and there, but He Jin did not agree; instead he had military officers in charge of strategy under Yuan Shao keep watch on the eunuchs, and had Yuan Shao's younger brother Yuan Shu guard the palace gates with two hundred Rapid as Tigers guards. Records, Wei 6 §4–5 · 34Records, Wei 1 §5

He Jin summoned Dong Zhuo to bring his troops to the capital and had him secretly submit a letter saying, "I will at once sound the bells and drums, go to Luoyang and punish Zhang Rang and the others." By this he meant to intimidate the Empress Dowager. Ding Yuan, Chief Commandant of Cavalry, who had been stationed at Henei, also led his troops to Luoyang, plotted with He Jin to kill the eunuchs and became Bearer of the Golden Mace. Records, Wei 6 §5–6Records, Wei 7 §2

Before Dong Zhuo arrived, the Regular Palace Attendant Duan Gui and others, falsely using the Empress Dowager's command, called He Jin in and killed him, and the palace fell into disorder. Yuan Shu, leading the Rapid as Tigers guards, burned the Green Lattice Gate of the Jiade Hall in the Southern Palace, and Duan Gui and the others abducted the emperor and the Prince of Chenliu and fled to Xiaopingjin. Yuan Shao beheaded Xu Xiang, the Colonel Director of Retainers appointed by the eunuchs, and killed the eunuchs without regard to age; some men without beards were killed by mistake, and more than two thousand died. Pursued, Duan Gui and the others all threw themselves into the Yellow River and died, and Dong Zhuo, leading his host, met the emperor at Beimang and brought him back to the palace. Records, Wei 6 §6 · 35–36

When He Jin's younger brother He Miao, General of Chariots and Cavalry, was killed by He Jin's followers, the retainers of He Jin and He Miao, left with no one to belong to, all came over to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo also enticed Lü Bu, whom Ding Yuan trusted, into killing Ding Yuan and absorbed his troops, so that military power in the capital lay with Dong Zhuo alone. Lü Bu cut off Ding Yuan's head and went to Dong Zhuo, who made him Chief Commandant of Cavalry and swore with him to be father and son. Bao Xin, Chief Commandant of Cavalry, whom He Jin had earlier sent out to recruit troops, urged Yuan Shao to fall on Dong Zhuo while he was weary from his recent arrival, but Yuan Shao, fearing Dong Zhuo, did not dare to act, and Bao Xin returned to his home district. Records, Wei 6 §6–7Records, Wei 7 §2–3

Citing a long drought, Dong Zhuo had the Minister of Works Liu Hong dismissed and took his place, and soon moved on to Grand Commandant. According to the Biography of Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo called in Yuan Shao to discuss deposing the emperor and setting up the Prince of Chenliu. Yuan Shao pretended to agree, saying he would consult the Grand Tutor, and when Dong Zhuo said, "The seed of the Liu clan is not worth preserving any longer," he made no reply, held his sword crosswise, bowed deeply and went out, and fled to Ji Province. When Zhou Bi, Wu Qiong and He Yong, whom Dong Zhuo trusted, persuaded him that pursuing Yuan Shao would provoke an uprising, Dong Zhuo made Yuan Shao Administrator of Bohai and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Kangxiang. Records, Wei 6 §8 · 37–38

At last Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor to make him Prince of Hongnong and set up Emperor Ling's young son the Prince of Chenliu; this was Emperor Xian. Dong Zhuo moved on to Chancellor of State and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Mei, receiving the honors of not being announced by his personal name at audiences and of ascending the hall wearing his sword and shoes. Having taken possession of the armor and weapons of the arsenal and the treasures of the state, he shook the realm with his might. Cao Cao, offered the post of Colonel of Valiant Cavalry by Dong Zhuo to plan affairs together, changed his name and went back east by byways, and Yuan Shu, who had been made General of the Rear, also fled to Nanyang for fear of disaster. Dong Zhuo then killed the Prince of Hongnong and Empress He. Records, Wei 6 §8 · 72Records, Wei 1 §5–6

Dong Zhuo intimidated people with harsh punishments. He sent troops to Yangcheng, who beheaded the men among the people gathered for the altar festival (she) of the 2nd month, carried off the women and goods, and claimed a great haul from attacking bandits. Meanwhile Dong Zhuo sent out Han Fu, Liu Dai, Kong Zhou, Zhang Zi, Zhang Miao and others, recommended by Zhou Bi and Wu Qiong, to provinces and commanderies, but once they reached their posts they joined forces to attack Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao too gathered volunteer troops at Chenliu and first raised his army at Jiwu in the 12th month, winter, of that year. In his assessment for volume 6, Chen Shou said that Dong Zhuo was as fierce and cruel as a wolf, and that since the invention of writing there had probably been no one like him. Records, Wei 6 §9–10 · 96Records, Wei 1 §6