•
In the chaotic aftermath of Dong Zhuo’s seizure of the Han capital in 190 AD, the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition, led nominally by Yuan Shao, struggled to maintain unity.
•
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Ru is portrayed as a central and sinister figure—Dong Zhuo’s son-in-law and chief strategist, to whom the warlord turned for counsel on every major decision. Though historically obscure, Li Ru is elevated in the novel to the role of Dong Zhuo’s intellectual architect, shaping his rise, reign,…