Red Hare - in Fiction

In Fiction

In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, the life of the Red Hare was fleshed out. It was originally a treasured horse of Dong Zhuo, but at Li Su's suggestion, he gave it to Lü Bu to persuade him to abandon his stepfather Ding Yuan, and join Dong Zhuo. Red Hare was said to be able to run one thousand li in a day (during the Three Kingdoms period, 1000 li would have equated to roughly 415.8 km or 258.2118 miles). It was of a uniform ashen red, with not a hair of another color. It measured ten spans from head to tail (8 ft. long) and from hoof to neck eight spans (nearly 7 ft. tall).

After Lü Bu was executed by Cao Cao in Xiapi, Cao Cao presented this horse to Guan Yu as a gift, as Guan Yu had managed to tame it after all other officers had failed. Cao Cao allowed him to keep the horse even after Guan Yu left Cao Cao's service and hospitality.

Later, when Guan Yu was captured by Lu Meng after Lu Meng's invasion of Jing province, the Red Hare was given to Ma Zhong by Sun Quan. However, following the execution of Guan Yu, Red Hare refused to eat and died of starvation.