page_title: Campaign against Dong Zhuo
section_title: Formation of the coalition
hierarchical_section_title: Campaign against Dong Zhuo / Course of events / Formation of the coalition
caption_attribution_description: Chinese pottery soldiers from the Western Han Dynasty.
context_page_description: The Campaign against Dong Zhuo was a punitive expedition initiated by a coalition of regional officials and warlords against the warlord Dong Zhuo in 190 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. The members of the coalition claimed that Dong had the intention of usurping the throne by holding Emperor Xian hostage and by establishing a strong influence in the imperial court. They justified their campaign as to remove Dong from power. The campaign led to the evacuation of the capital Luoyang and the shifting of the imperial court to Chang'an. It was a prelude to the end of the Han dynasty and, subsequently, the Three Kingdoms period.
  In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the campaign is memorable for at least two famous incidents: one is Guan Yu's slaying of Hua Xiong; the other is the three-on-one duel between the three sworn brothers and Lü Bu. The two scenes are often reenacted in Chinese opera along with other famous scenes from the novel. Both incidents however, are fictional; Hua was killed in a battle against Sun Jian. Liu, Guan and Zhang were not active in the campaign.
context_section_description: While in Bohai, Yuan Shao was not appeased by Dong Zhuo's proposal to appoint him as Grand Administrator. He planned to start a coup d'etat to remove Dong from power by rising in revolt but he was kept in check by Han Fu, the Governor of Ji Province (冀州).
  At the same time, the Grand Administrator of Dong Commandery, Qiao Mao, forged letters of accusation against Dong Zhuo, denouncing him as a traitor with the intention of usurping the throne, calling for a punitive expedition against Dong. These letters were distributed all around the nation in the name of officials from the capital. Regional officials and warlords all around China received the letters and responded to the call to remove Dong Zhuo from power.
  In February 190, the Guandong Coalition (關東聯軍, literally: Coalition East of the Pass) was formed after several regional officials and warlords gathered east of Hangu Pass with their armies in response to the call for a punitive war against Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao was elected to be the leader of the coalition. The forces of Sun Jian and Cao Cao also participated in the campaign under the banners of Yuan Shu and Zhang Miao respectively.
  The participants of the campaign included:
  Yuan Shu, General of the Rear (後將軍)
  Han Fu, Governor (牧) of Ji Province
  Kong Zhou, Inspector (刺史) of Yu Province
  Liu Dai, Inspector of Yan Province
  Wang Kuang, Grand Administrator (太守) of Henei
  Yuan Shao, Grand Administrator of Bohai
  Zhang Miao, Grand Administrator of Chenliu
  Qiao Mao, Grand Administrator of Dong Commandery
  Yuan Yi, Grand Administrator of Shanyang
  Bao Xin, Chancellor (相) of Jibei
  Zhang Chao, Grand Administrator of Guangling
  Zhang Yang, Grand Administrator of Shangdang
  Yufuluo, Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu
  The coalition forces encamped in several locations east of the capital city of Luoyang, effectively surrounding it. The locations of the coalition members in relation to Luoyang are as follows:
  To the north, in Henei (河內): Yuan Shao, Wang Kuang, Zhang Yang, Yufuluo
  To the east, in Suanzao (酸棗): Zhang Miao, Liu Dai, Qiao Mao, Yuan Yi
  To the south, in Luyang (魯陽): Yuan Shu
  To the southeast, in Yingchuan (穎川): Kong Zhou
  To the northeast, in Ye: Han Fu
  The blockade had the effect of cutting supplies from the eastern part of the Han empire from the capital, which drastically reduced the government's tax revenue. In response, Dong Zhuo melted nine of the Twelve Metal Colossi and other treasures to gather bronze that he could use to mint more coinage. These new coins flooded the market and caused rampant inflation throughout the empire.
  Despite the impressive showing of force, most of the coalition's armies were hurriedly rallied family retainers and opportunists for loot with little battle experience. The leader of the coalition Yuan Shao himself had not seen action in much of the 180s since he had been in six years mourning for first his mother and then his adoptive father, during which he could not participate in military matters. This is contrasted with Dong Zhuo's battle-hardened frontiersmen, who had previously fought in the Liang Province Rebellion.
caption: Pottery figurines of shield-wielding infantry (foreground) and cavalrymen on horses (background), dated from the Western Han dynasty (202 BC –9 AD)
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