(6) Don't Be Too Shameless At the age of 52, Dong Zhuo was dismissed from his military post due to a failed battle. This dismissal triggered his dissatisfaction with the court and a strong sense of resentment over the extreme imbalance between his efforts and rewards. At 53, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was gaining momentum and even created a snowball effect. Han Sui and Ma Teng, officials stationed at the border, suddenly raised the banner of 'purging the court' and openly marched toward the imperial capital Luoyang. This was a formal rebellion by imperial officials, signaling the disintegration of the empire. Among the rebellious officials, Ma Teng had a son named Ma Chao, who would later become one of Liu Bei's Five Tiger Generals. However, that year, Ma Chao was only nine years old and not yet a threat to the court. However, the tens of thousands of troops under Han Sui and Ma Teng were enough to make the court nervous. The court was trembling with fear, worrying that the rebellion of Han Sui and Ma Teng might trigger an even larger cascade, with more officials rising up against them. In that case, the court would be finished. Dong Zhuo, having been dismissed, was summoned again because his soldiers were all from Liangzhou and familiar with the local terrain, making him indispensable for this suppression. Thus, an enraged Dong Zhuo donned his armor, mounted his horse, and led his troops toward Liangzhou. As the army passed Wangyuan Gorge, they saw the front crowded with dense, black-moving heads, like boiling water surging from the horizon. This was a large army made up of Qiang warriors, coordinating with Han Sui and Ma Teng to intercept Dong Zhuo. The Qiang warriors surged forward and shouted at Dong Zhuo, 'Hey, fat Dong riding that horse, don't think our numbers can be bullied by you. Wait a moment, you'll receive the battle report, and then we can talk.' What were these strange Qiang people up to? Dong Zhuo muttered to himself, looking back to the road he had come from, seeing a large cloud of dust and a messenger recklessly riding to catch up: 'Report! Something terrible has happened. The main force of our army has encountered Han Sui and Ma Teng's Qiang-Han allied troops and has been utterly defeated. General Dong, please do not advance alone and return immediately…' The Qiang warriors on the opposite side laughed heartily: 'Dong Zhuo, can you still escape? Look back—our warriors have already cut off your rear, severing your supply lines. Now, will you fight or not? If you fight, you will starve while fighting. Do you believe that before the battle ends, you will all die of hunger?'“Are you sure?” Dong Zhuo asked in surprise.
“Not a doubt!” The Qiang warrior replied confidently.
Dong Zhuo laughed heartily: “But don't forget, I, Dong Zhuo, am also half Qiang. For the Qiang people, the sky is the roof and the earth is a soft bed, and the beasts and birds of the countryside are my food. Order the army to move to the riverside immediately, build embankments and dams, block the river, catch the fish for food, and once we are full, then we'll settle accounts with you.”
The Qiang warrior laughed loudly in return: “Dong Zhuo, you really are an omnivore, daring to shove anything into your mouth. Don't forget that many of your soldiers are Han. Han people have delicate stomachs; they need millet to fill their bellies, and eating too many aquatic fish will cause indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and nausea… Once your soldiers start running diarrhea one by one, we'll slice and chop you, cutting you into pieces, and you won't even have the strength to resist.”
So Dong Zhuo moved his forces to the riverside, built a dam, blocked the river, and led his soldiers in catching fish. After a few days, the Qiang warriors rushed over eagerly, wanting to see if Dong Zhuo's soldiers were suffering from diarrhea as they had predicted. But when they arrived, they found that the dam was only half built, the riverside encampment was neat, the banners fluttering—but not a single person was to be seen.
Huh, where did Dong Zhuo and his men go?
They sent scouts to search and soon received a report: “Dong Zhuo has set up camp and pretended to build the dam and catch fish just to deceive us. In fact, he has already led his troops and sneaked away…”
When the Qiang warriors heard this, they were so furious that their eyes went black, and they could not help but curse: “What kind of man is this Dong Zhuo, full of lies? You clearly said you were building the dam to catch fish, so how could you secretly sneak away?”
The government army sent six armies to attack Han Sui and Ma Teng; all six failed, and only Dong Zhuo retreated with his entire force unscathed. This incident deepened his conflict with the Eastern Han court.
There was also hatred.
