China: Portrait of Lu Bu (- February 199 CE), from a Qing Dynasty edition of...

Lu Bu (- February 199 CE), courtesy name Fengxian, was a notorious military general and warlord who lived during the time of the Three Kingdoms. He was infamous for serving and betraying various minor warlords, defecting from one to another with increasing regularity. He managed to take over Yan Province from warlord Cao Cao in 194 CE, but lost it in less than two years. Offered refuge in Xu Province by Liu Bei, Lu Bu in turn betrayed his new benefactor, seizing control of the province from his host. He formed but quickly broke an alliance with Yuan Shu, after the latter declared himself 'Emperor', an act of treason against the true Han emperor, and joined forces with Cao Cao and others in attacking the pretenders. He sided with Yuan Shu again in 199 CE though, and was eventually punished for his numerous betrayals by the combined forces of Cao Cao and Liu Bei, resulting in his final defeat in 199 CE, where he was captured and executed by Cao Cao. Lu Bu is historically and fictionally described as an incredibly fearsome warrior marred by his temperamental behaviour, switching allegiances without warning and guiltlessly betraying his erstwhile allies. His life and achievements are dramatised in the famous historical novel, 'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms', which portrays him as warrior unmatched in his skill and ruthlessness, lacking any morals.