11 Wildest Assassinations During Total War: Three Kingdoms' Historical Setting

8. Dong Zhuo

Total War Three Kingdoms
Creative Assembly

We're just rolling along with these court politics aren't we? He Jin, former Emperor Shao, Ding Yuan... and now the big man himself: Dong Zhuo. After several years of ruling the Empire with Lü Bu at his side, Dong Zhuo has weathered numerous assassination attempts, including one where a man ambushed him on the stairs of the palace with a hidden dagger.

But this time he let his loins lead the way to ruin, as is common in the history of powerful men. A court minister set Lü Bu against Dong Zhuo over the affections of a woman – in the novel it was the minister's daughter, Diaochan, but historically it was just one of Dong Zhuo's many courtesans.

Regardless of who the woman was, it was enough for the minister to spring an ambush of Dong Zhuo, and when the tyrant called for Lü Bu to protect him, the great warrior instead turned on him and killed his second adoptive father.

Contributor
Contributor

Author of Escort (Eternal Press, 2015), co-founder of Nic3Ntertainment, and developer behind The Sickle Upon Sekigahara (2020). Currently freelancing as a game developer and history consultant. Also tends to travel the eastern U.S. doing courses on History, Writing, and Japanese Poetry. You can find his portfolio at www.richardcshaffer.com.