The Battle of Chang'an, also known as the Sack of Chang'an, took place in the western Chinese imperial capital city of

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

on 28 June 192, at the

end of the Han dynasty The end of the (Eastern) Han dynasty was the period of History of China, Chinese history from 189 to 220 CE, roughly coinciding with the tumultuous reign of the Han dynasty's last ruler, Emperor Xian of Han, Emperor Xian. It was followed by the ...

, the prelude of the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

Background

After the Massacre of the Eunuchs (September 189), general

Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo () (c. 140s – 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful ...

had seized control over the imperial court in

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

, forcing Emperor Shao to abdicate in favour of

Emperor Xian Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until his abdication and subsequent end ...

and appropriating the position of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

for himself, ruling with an iron fist. A coalition of warlords launched the

Campaign against Dong Zhuo 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 i ...

(190–191), which had the effect of Dong burning down Luoyang, abducting the emperor and relocating the imperial court to Chang'an. The coalition was unable to pursue them and fell apart due to internal conflict, with many warlords returning home to start their own quests to take over the empire, whose central authority had almost disappeared. In early 192, Dong Zhuo's loyal general

Niu Fu Niu Fu () (died June 192) was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Life Niu Fu served under the warlord Dong Zhuo when Dong was still serving as a military general in ...

ordered officers Li Jue and

Guo Si Guo Si () (died 197), also known as Guo Duo, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He assisted Dong Zhuo in his many campaigns and served as a ...

to attack general Zhu Jun, after which they raided

Yingchuan Yingchuan Commandery ( zh, 潁川郡) was a Chinese commandery from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty, located in modern central Henan province. The name referred to the Ying River, which flowed through its territory. The commandery was e ...

and Chenliu. Meanwhile, Excellency over the Masses Wang Yun persuaded officers

Lü Bu Lü Bu (; died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betrayed a ...

(Dong Zhuo's adopted son and personal bodyguard) and Li Su to join his plot to assassinate Dong Zhuo, which was successfully carried out on 22 May 192, with Lü Bu striking the lethal blow. Wang Yun then took control of the government as regent, and set about eliminating all remaining Dong Zhuo loyalists. When Li Su failed to defeat Niu Fu, however, Lü Bu had their co-conspirator executed.

Battle

By the time Li Jue, Guo Si and their colleagues returned to Chang'an, Niu Fu had been killed by his own troops. Li Jue and Guo Si offered their submission to Wang Yun, but requested

amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...

for their past actions, as they feared execution for their part in Dong Zhuo's regime. However, when the new regent refused, they took the advice of

Jia Xu Jia Xu (147 – 11 August 223), courtesy name Wenhe, was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the early Three Kingdoms period of China. He started his career in the late Eastern Han dynasty as a minor official. In 189, when the warlord Don ...

and decided to storm the capital to seize control of the imperial government and save themselves. In the Battle of Chang'an on 28 June 192, Li Jue and Guo Si drove Lü Bu to flight, killed officials and civilians, and captured Wang Yun, who was executed a few days later.

Aftermath

Lü Bu fled east to offer his service to

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (155 – 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189. He decla ...

; his Chang'an regime with Wang Yun had lasted just 37 days. Li Jue and Guo Si would end up fighting each other for years for control of what was left of the imperial government, further devastating the city, until the emperor managed to escape east in 195. Warlord

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

took the emperor, who had returned to Luoyang in August 196, into his protection/custody in the autumn of 196, moving the capital to Xu city.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chang'an 190s conflicts 192 Military history of Xi'an