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'{{Chinese|t=赤兔馬|s=赤兔马|p=chì tù mǎ}} The '''Red Hare''' was a horse owned by the warlord [[Lü Bu]], who lived in the late [[Eastern Han dynasty]]. ==In historical records== The Red Hare was mentioned in [[Lü Bu]]'s biographies in the historical texts ''[[Records of the Three Kingdoms]]'' and ''[[Book of the Later Han]]''. It was described as very powerful, and capable of "galloping across cities and leaping over [[moat]]s". Lü Bu rode this horse in 193 during a battle in Changshan (常山; around present-day [[Shijiazhuang]], [[Hebei]]), in which he helped another warlord [[Yuan Shao]] defeat his rival [[Zhang Yan (Han Dynasty)|Zhang Yan]].<ref>(北詣袁紹，紹與布擊張燕於常山。燕精兵萬餘，騎數千。布有良馬曰赤兎。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 7.</ref><ref>(布常御良馬，號曰赤菟，能馳城飛塹， ...) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 75.</ref> The ''Cao Man Zhuan'' (曹瞞傳) recorded that there was a saying at the time to describe Lü Bu and his Red Hare: "Lü Bu [who stands out] among men, the Red Hare [who stands out] among horses".<ref>(曹瞞傳曰：「時人語曰：『人中有呂布，馬中有赤菟。』」) ''Cao Man Zhuan'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 7.</ref> ==In fiction== [[File:Guan yu -Summer Palace, Beijing.JPG|thumb|right|300px|[[Guan Yu]] riding the Red Hare, as depicted in a mural in the [[Summer Palace]], [[Beijing]].]] The Red Hare was given a more prominent role in the historical novel ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' by [[Luo Guanzhong]], which romanticises the historical events before and during the [[Three Kingdoms]] period. It was originally a prized steed of the warlord [[Dong Zhuo]], but he presented it as a gift to Lü Bu later after heeding [[Li Su (Han dynasty)|Li Su]]'s advice. Lü Bu was very pleased to receive the Red Hare and, after being persuaded by Li Su, he betrayed and murdered his foster father [[Ding Yuan]] and defected to Dong Zhuo, whom he acknowledged as his new foster father. The Red Hare was described in the novel as follows: {{blockquote| [...] named 'Red Hare', capable of travelling 1,000 ''[[Li (unit)|li]]'' in a day (this equates to 200 km/160 miles). [...] crosses rivers and climbs mountains as though it is moving on flat land, [...] It is of uniform ashen red, with not a hair of another colour; it measures one ''[[Chi (unit)|zhang]]'' from head to tail and eight ''[[Chi (unit)|chi]]'' from hoof to head; it neighs as if it has the ambition of soaring into the sky or diving into the sea.<ref>(肅曰：「某聞主公有名馬一匹，號曰『赤兔』，日行千里。 ... 肅曰：「 ... 有良馬一匹，日行千里，渡水登山，如履平地，名曰『赤兔』：特獻與賢弟，以助虎威。」布便令牽過來看。果然那馬渾身上下，火炭般赤，無半根雜毛；從頭至尾，長一丈；從蹄至項，高八尺；嘶喊咆哮，有騰空入海之狀。) ''Sanguo Yanyi'' ch. 3.</ref> }} After Lü Bu's death, the Red Hare came into [[Cao Cao]]'s possession and he gave it to [[Guan Yu]] later.<ref>(操令左右備一馬來。須臾牽至。那馬身如火炭，狀甚雄偉。操指曰：「公識此馬否？」公曰：「莫非呂布所騎赤馬乎？」操曰：「然也。」遂並鞍轡送與關公。) ''Sanguo Yanyi'' ch. 25.</ref> The horse was taken by [[Ma Zhong (Han dynasty)|Ma Zhong]] after Guan Yu's death. Ma Zhong presented it to his lord [[Sun Quan]], but Sun returned it to him. The Red Hare starved itself and died several days later.<ref>(關公既歿，坐下赤兔馬被馬忠所獲，獻與孫權。權即賜馬忠騎坐。其馬數日不食草料而死。) ''Sanguo Yanyi'' ch. 77.</ref> ==References== {{commonscat}} {{reflist}} * [[Chen Shou|Chen, Shou]]. ''[[Records of the Three Kingdoms]]'' (''Sanguozhi''). * [[Fan Ye (historian)|Fan, Ye]]. ''[[Book of the Later Han]]'' (''Houhanshu''). * [[Luo Guanzhong|Luo, Guanzhong]]. ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * [[Pei Songzhi|Pei, Songzhi]]. ''[[Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms]]'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). [[Category:Individual warhorses]] [[Category:Three Kingdoms]] [[Category:Horse in Chinese mythology]] [[Category:Guan Yu]]'