Hou Cheng

Here is the exhaustive biography of Hou Cheng (侯成) (? – ?), a cavalry commander under Lü Bu whose recovery of stolen horses, violation of the wine ban, flogging, and subsequent theft of Red Hare precipitated the fall of Xiapi, incorporating historical records and the full dramatic sequence from Romance of the Three Kingdoms Chapter 19.

Historical Career

Hou Cheng served as one of Lü Bu’s cavalry officers. According to the Spring and Autumn Annals of the Nine Provinces, during the siege of Xiapi he sent a retainer out with fifteen horses to graze; the man tried to defect to Liu Bei at Xiaopei. Hou Cheng pursued, recovered the horses, and was congratulated by his colleagues. He prepared several hu of wine and roasted hogs for a feast, then presented half a hog and five dou of wine to Lü Bu, kneeling and saying:

“With your grace, I managed to retrieve the stolen horses. The others came to congratulate me, so I prepared some wine and hogs for a feast. I don’t dare to start first, so now I present the food and wine to you.”

Lü Bu, who had banned alcohol, flew into a rage: “I banned alcohol, but you and the others dare to throw a party! Are you plotting with them to kill me?” Hou Cheng hastily discarded the wine and returned the gifts. On 7 February 199 (Jian’an 3), together with Song Xian and Wei Xu, he captured Chen Gong and Gao Shun and led his troops to surrender to Cao Cao. Lü Bu was subsequently taken and executed. Hou Cheng’s fate after the defection is unrecorded.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms Portrayal

The novel expands the episode into the decisive betrayal that ends Lü Bu’s career. After Cao Cao floods Xiapi, Lü Bu looks in a mirror, is shocked by his wasted appearance, and issues a strict ban on wine under penalty of death. Hou Cheng’s stableman steals fifteen horses intending to take them to Liu Bei. Hou Cheng pursues, kills the thief, and recovers the horses. His colleagues congratulate him; he brews five or six vats of wine. Fearing his lord’s anger, he first sends five bottles to Lü Bu’s residence with the petition:

“By your virtue of warlike renown, I have recovered my stolen horses, and as my comrades have come to me with congratulations, I brewed some wine. I dare not drink it without permission, and so I first present this small token to Your Lordship.”

Lü Bu replies in fury: “When I have forbidden all wine, you brew some and begin to host feasts. Are you not conspiring against me?” He orders Hou Cheng’s immediate execution. Song Xian, Wei Xu and others intercede; Lü Bu reduces the sentence to fifty lashes. The officers are deeply disheartened and later complain that Lü Bu listens only to his women and cares nothing for his generals.

That night the three men conspire. Hou Cheng proposes: “I suffered for recapturing the horses, yet it is Red Hare that he depends on. If you two will betray the gate and seize Lü Bu, I will steal the horse and go out to Cao Cao’s camp.” He slips into the stables, takes Red Hare, and rides out through the east gate, which Wei Xu opens under pretence of pursuit. At Cao Cao’s camp he presents the famous steed and reveals the plot, arranging a white-flag signal. The next morning Cao Cao’s army storms the city; Song Xian and Wei Xu bind Lü Bu while he sleeps and open the gates. Lü Bu is captured at the White Gate Tower and later executed.

Hou Cheng (侯成) — Historical & Literary Timeline

Historical Note

Historically the wine incident is recorded as a genuine quarrel that left Hou Cheng humiliated and fearful; the subsequent joint defection of Hou Cheng, Song Xian and Wei Xu on 7 February 199, including the capture of Chen Gong and Gao Shun, was the immediate cause of Xiapi’s fall. The novel heightens every element: the mirror scene that prompts the wine ban, the elaborate petition, the near-execution reduced to fifty lashes, the explicit conspiracy dialogue, and—most famously—the theft of Red Hare itself. By making Hou Cheng the man who both suffers Lü Bu’s arbitrary justice and delivers the warlord’s irreplaceable steed to Cao Cao, the novel turns a historical defection into the dramatic climax of Lü Bu’s downfall at the White Gate Tower.