Jia Xu, early in his career, joined the forces of Niu Fu (Dong Zhuo’s son-in-law) through hometown connections, becoming an important adviser. After Dong Zhuo was killed by Lü Bu and Wang Yun in collaboration, Niu Fu was soon assassinated by his own trusted subordinates. Generals like Li Jue and Guo Si, unable to obtain pardon from the Wang Yun-led court, prepared to disband and return home.
Jia Xu’s decisive intervention
At this critical moment, Jia Xu stepped forward and said:
“I heard that in Chang’an, they are discussing plans to exterminate all of you. If you abandon your troops and leave, even a lowly local constable could capture you. Instead, lead your forces west, gather soldiers along the way, and then attack Chang’an. If you are fortunate enough to succeed, you can command the empire in the name of the court. If you fail, then escape would still be an option.”
In plain terms, this was “holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles.” Previously, Yuan Shao’s adviser Ju Shou had also proposed the strategy of “welcoming the emperor to command the empire.” Ju Shou and Jia Xu advocated the same strategy. This reveals the shifting sentiments of the time—no one truly respected the Han emperor anymore; all sought to exploit him for their own ends.
The march on Chang’an
Li Jue then declared to everyone that the court intended to exterminate them, and their only chance for survival was to resist. He joined forces with Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and others, leading several thousand troops toward Chang’an. Wang Yun sent Hu Zhen and Xu Rong, Dong Zhuo’s former subordinates, to confront them; Xu Rong died in battle, and Hu Zhen surrendered. Xu Rong was no ordinary man. Back when the coalition of warlords rose up against Dong Zhuo, Xu Rong had already sent both Cao Cao and Sun Jian fleeing in disarray.
Interestingly, Li Jue’s forces started with relatively few men but swelled to over one hundred thousand by the time they reached Chang’an. This included defectors like Hu Zhen and Dong Zhuo’s former subordinates Fan Chou and Li Meng. Although they besieged Chang’an, the city’s sturdy walls held firm against their assaults. Ultimately, it was defecting soldiers inside the city who opened the gates to the Liangzhou army. After the fall of Chang’an, Guo Si engaged the mighty warrior Lü Bu in street combat. Surprisingly, Lü Bu was defeated by Guo Si in a one-on-one duel and fled. Wang Yun refused to escape and was killed, and the streets of Chang’an were littered with corpses—both officials and commoners suffered a great massacre.
Why did Li Jue’s counterattack succeed?
The most crucial reason was Jia Xu’s timely intervention, which prevented their disbandment and provided a strategic plan along with a compelling slogan: “Avenge Lord Dong.”
In the eyes of most, Dong Zhuo was an irredeemable villain, so why did so many respond to the call for vengeance? Although Dong Zhuo was exceptionally cruel, regardless of who held power, their actions essentially involved redistributing interests. Those whose interests were harmed naturally viewed Dong Zhuo as evil, while those who gained significant benefits under Dong Zhuo’s rule regarded him as a benefactor. For example, Han Fu owed his position to Dong Zhuo, who had installed him as governor of Jizhou. As a result, Han Fu was reluctant to join the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition at the first beginning. And this had been the very important reason why Yuan Shao turned on Han Fu.
During the progression of Li Jue’s march, lots of Dong Zhuo’s former subordinates joined in succession. Was this due to genuine loyalty to Dong Zhuo? Certainly not that simple. If Li Jue and the others were truly loyal to Dong Zhuo, they wouldn’t have considered disbanding to save their lives. The reason for their desperate counterattack was Jia Xu’s claim that Wang Yun intended to kill them all. Faced with the life threat, they had no choice but to fight back.
However, their successful breach of Chang’an relied on not only their fearless determination and exceptional combat effectiveness but more the betrayal by Lü Bu’s own troops. It was Lü Bu’s soldiers who opened the gate allowed Li Jue’s army to enter into the Chang’an City. These defecting soldiers cannot be simply labeled as good or evil. Had they planned to betray from the start, they could have colluded with the external forces from the beginning, avoiding days of resistance. It was only during the prolonged conflict that they witnessed Li Jue’s growing strength. Continuing to resist meant likely becoming cannon fodder and losing their lives, so they chose betrayal.
The inevitability of interest conflicts
We often say that one should never test human nature against interests—it will only lead to disappointment. Whether it was Dong Zhuo or Wang Yun, after seizing power, their redistribution of interests would inevitably satisfy some and discontent others. No matter what they did, they could never please everyone; the key lies in where one’s own interests align.
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