Dong Cheng

Who was Dong Cheng?

Dong Cheng was an official during the late Han Dynasty. He was also the father of Lady Dong, Emperor Xian's favoured concubine.

Dong Cheng's origins are obscure; the Qing Dynasty scholar Zhao Yiqing deduced that he was of Dong Zhuo's clan, while the Liu Song Dynasty historian Pei Songzhi claimed he came from Empress Dowager Dong's branch. Nevertheless, the mysterious Dong Cheng acted as a captain of Niu Fu's private militia during the reign of Dong Zhuo's rule, but such service ended after Niu Fu had been murdered by his subordinate Huchi'er in 192. When Emperor Xian escaped the captivity of the martial regents, Li Jue and Guo Si, flighting Chang'an for Luoyang in 195, Dong Cheng worked alongside Zhang Yang, Zhu Zhi and the White Wave Bandits to protect the journey of the emperor from the pursuing armies.

The emperor and his companions reached Luoyang, but incessant conflict within the imperial loyalists led to further battles fought among them. During the eighth month of 195 AD, Dong Cheng defeated Cao Cao's general Cao Hong by allying with Yuan Shu, but Dong's political enemy, Han Xian, took the credit.