In Chapter 6 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dong Zhuo’s troops was defeated by Sun Jian. To reverse the battlefield setbacks, Dong Zhuo proposed a marriage alliance with Sun Jian. Dong Zhuo sent his senior general Li Jue to propose the marriage alliance, hoping to forge a political bond through kinship. Unexpectedly, Sun Jian rejected the proposal outright.
Sun Jian snapped, “What brings you here?”
Li Jue replied, “The Prime Minister (Dong Zhuo) respects no one more than General you. He has specially sent me to propose a marriage alliance—his daughter wishes to marry your son.”
Sun Jian flew into a rage and shouted, “Dong Zhuo defies heaven and violates moral principles; he has overthrown the royal family! I vow to exterminate his entire clan to apologize to the world. How could I ever form an alliance with such a traitor? I will spare your life for now, but you must leave immediately and urge the surrender of the pass at once! If you delay, you will be smashed to pieces!”
After the failed marriage alliance, Li Ru—Dong Zhuo’s son-in-law and chief strategist—put forward the proposal to move the capital, which gained Dong Zhuo’s approval.
However, many officials voiced their opposition, including Yang Biao, Huang Wan, and Xun Shuang. Dong Zhuo did not only accept their advice, but also demoted all three to commoners.
Later, Zhou Bi and Wu Qiong also remonstrated against the capital relocation. Taking the excuse that the two had colluded with Yuan Shao and plotted rebellion, Dong Zhuo ordered Zhou Bi and Wu Qiong to be beheaded, completely silencing all dissenting voices.
In this article, we’ll discuss the reasons that made Dong Zhuo resolute in moving the capital.
Core Motive: Evading the direct military threat from the coalition
In 190 AD, warlords from the east, such as Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and Cao Cao, formed a coalition to campaign against Dong Zhuo.
Although the coalition was loosely organized internally, it had already formed an encirclement around Luoyang—Sun Jian’s troops even broke through Dong Zhuo’s defense lines, killed his subordinate Hua Xiong, and advanced to the outskirts of Luoyang.
Luoyang, located on the central plains, had no natural defenses to rely on. In contrast, Chang’an was situated in the hinterland of Guanzhong, protected by natural fortresses like Hangu Pass to the east and Wuguan Pass to the south, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Moving the capital to Chang’an allowed Dong Zhuo to retreat from defenseless Luoyang to Guanzhong (a region shielded by natural barriers), completely escaping the direct military threat from the coalition and avoiding being trapped in a two-front war. For Dong Zhuo, this was the optimal choice to preserve the main force of his Liangzhou Army and prevent defeat in a decisive battle.
In-Depth Purpose: Weakening the rivals, and Strengthening control over the imperial court
The capital relocation was not merely an act of evading war; it was a tactical maneuver by Dong Zhuo to cripple the eastern warlords and consolidate his own power.
Plundering resources to cut off the coalition’s rear support
When ordering the capital relocation, Dong Zhuo forced hundreds of thousands of Luoyang residents, imperial treasures, grain, and even craftsmen to move to Chang’an. At the same time, he set fire to Luoyang’s imperial palaces, government offices, and civilian residences, turning the city into ruins. This move not only emptied Luoyang of its strategic value (even if the allied forces captured Luoyang, they would have no food, troops, or resources to use) but also allowed Dong Zhuo to accumulate ruling capital in Chang’an, weakening his rivals economically and materially.
Isolating the imperial court from the warlords
Chang’an was far from the spheres of influence of the eastern warlords. After Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and court ministers were forcibly taken away from Luoyang by Dong Zhuo, they completely lost contact with the scholar-officials and warlords in the east, becoming Dong Zhuo’s puppets entirely. Dong Zhuo could then control the imperial government without worrying about court ministers colluding secretly with the coalition—further strengthening the pattern of “holding the emperor to command the warlords.”
Feasibility of relocating the capital to Chang’an
Chang’an had been the capital of the Western Han Dynasty for long time, with existing foundations. Dong Zhuo only needed minor renovations to put these facilities into use, without spending massive human and material resources on rebuilding the capital. Additionally, the Guanzhong region had a developed agricultural sector and a dense population, which could provide a stable supply for Dong Zhuo’s troops, avoiding the crisis of food shortage caused by prolonged warfare. For Dong Zhuo, moving the capital to Chang’an was a practical choice that balanced military security and economic costs.
Conclusion
In short, Dong Zhuo’s decision to move the capital to Chang’an was a comprehensive strategy: militarily, it evaded the enemy’s sharpness; politically, it consolidated his control over the emperor or imperial court; economically, it plundered resources for self-preservation.
Although the capital relocation temporarily stabilized his power, his brutal acts of burning the capital Luoyang and forcing residents to relocate completely alienated him from the people, laying the groundwork for the subsequent plot by Wang Yun and Lü Bu to assassinate him.
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