Niu Fu (; ) (died June 192) was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty. A son-in-law of Dong Zhuo, he was appointed General of the Household and led troops against rebels and the coalition that opposed Dong Zhuo. After Dong Zhuo was assassinated in 192, Niu Fu was killed by one of his own subordinates while fleeing. The historical record portrays him as timid and superstitious.
Life Niu Fu served under the warlord Dong Zhuo when Dong was still serving as a military general in Liang Province during the reign of Emperor Ling ( 168–189). Dong Zhuo deeply trusted Niu and arranged for him to marry his daughter. Niu Fu thus became a son-in-law of Dong Zhuo.Sanguozhi vol. 6.
In 189, after Dong Zhuo occupied the imperial capital Luoyang and seized control of the Han central government, he appointed Niu Fu as a General of the Household (). Later that year, Dong Zhuo ordered Niu Fu to lead troops to attack the White Wave Bandits, who were causing trouble around Hedong Commandery (), but Niu Fu failed to defeat them.Houhanshu vol. 72.
Between 190 and 191, when Dong Zhuo was at war with a coalition of warlords from the east of Hangu Pass, Niu Fu deployed troops to defend the strategic mountain passes leading into Luoyang. At the same time, he also sent Dong Zhuo's other subordinates, such as Li Jue, Guo Si and Zhang Ji, to lead soldiers to raid and pillage Chenliu () and Yingchuan () commanderies, as well as attack the general Zhu Jun at Zhongmu County ().
In May 192, Dong Zhuo was assassinated by his subordinate Lü Bu in Chang'an, after which Lü Bu ordered his subordinate Li Su to lead his troops to attack and kill Niu Fu. Niu Fu defeated Li Su and forced him to retreat to Hongnong Commandery (). Later, chaos broke out in Niu Fu's camp and many of his soldiers deserted. Niu Fu, left with only five or six men, ordered them to quickly grab all the valuables and flee with him. During the escape, Youhu Chier (), one of Niu Fu's subordinates, betrayed him and killed him, and then cut off his head and sent it to Chang'an.
Personality As Niu was cowardly and superstitious, he always used his tally to assert his authority, and carried weapons for self-protection. He frequently asked diviners to make prophecies about his visitors, to determine their intentions before accepting their visit.
When Dong Yue () visited, Niu Fu had him divined; the diviners read the I Ching hexagram as a sign that Dong Yue was plotting against him, and Niu Fu had him killed. By the account of the Xiandi Ji, the diviners, whom Dong Yue had often caned, gave this reading in revenge.() Wei Shu and Xiandi Ji annotations in Sanguozhi, vol. 6
See also Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms Notes
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