Xiahou Dun () (died 13 June 220), courtesy name Yuanrang, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served for a few months under Cao Cao's successor, Cao Pi, before his death. As one of Cao Cao's most trusted generals, Xiahou Dun aided the warlord in his campaigns against Lü Bu, Liu Bei, Sun Quan and others.
Xiahou Dun lost his left eye when he was a hit by a stray arrow during a battle against Lü Bu in the late 190s, and subsequently became known among the army as "Blind Xiahou".
Xiahou Dun was from Qiao County (譙縣), Pei State (沛國), in present-day Bozhou, Anhui. He was a descendant of Xiahou Ying, who served under the Han dynasty's founding emperor, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao). Though the family hadn't reached national prominence in the centuries since, they were a leading family in Pei, often intermarrying down the generations with the other prominent local Ding and Cao clans. Xiahou Dun first gained recognition when he killed a man who insulted his teacher when he was 13 years old.
In the 180s, possibly when Cao Cao was appointed Cavalry Commandant to help fight Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan, Xiahou Dun helped Cao Cao raise troops, and from then on would follow him across many a battle as his second in command. In 190, when Cao Cao was raising an army to participate in the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Xiahou Dun became his Major (司馬), and when they were defeated by Xu Rong at Suanzao, Xiahou Dun went with Cao Cao to recruit more troops in Yang Province, though they would face a mutiny among their new soldiers. Xiahou Dun was sent to garrison Boma (白馬; near present-day Hua County, Henan), later promoted to Colonel Who Breaks and Charges (折衝校尉), and as Cao Cao became Governor of Yan in 192, Dun succeeded him as the Administrator (太守) of Dong Commandery (東郡; the areas around present-day Puyang, Henan and Liaocheng, Shandong).
In 193, Cao Cao left his base in Yan Province on a campaign against Tao Qian, the Governor of Xu Province, whom he held responsible for the murder of his father Cao Song. Xiahou Dun was left behind in Dong commandery, stationed to hold its capital Puyang.
While Cao Cao was away in Xu Province, his subordinates Zhang Miao and Chen Gong rebelled in Yan Province and invited the warlord Lü Bu to take Yan. However, Zhang Miao's attempt to reassure Xun Yu of Lü Bu's intent instead tipped Xun Yu off to the revolt, prompting Xun Yu to write to Xiahou Dun requesting that he reinforce Juancheng County. Xiahou Dun led a lightly armed force towards Juancheng, but he encountered Lü Bu's army on the way and engaged the enemy in battle. Lü Bu withdrew his forces and took advantage of Xiahou Dun's absence to conquer Puyang, capturing much of Xiahou's supplies and equipment. Lü Bu later sent his men to pretend to surrender to Xiahou Dun, who fell for the ruse and was taken hostage by the enemy in his own camp. Lü Bu's men demanded a heavy ransom, and Xiahou Dun's troops panicked, but Xiahou Dun's personally recruited subordinate Han Hao settled the troops and ordered an attack on the surprised hostage-takers, who surrendered. Han Hao had them executed, and Xiahou Dun was rescued.
Xiahou Dun then continued eastwards to Juancheng, reinforcing the small garrison there where a number of military officials had been plotting to join the revolt. The night he arrived, Xiahou Dun executed the plotters and settled the army. He also urged Xun Yu not to endanger himself by meeting with the wavering Inspector of Yu Province, Guo Gong, whose army had camped outside the city gates, as Dun feared the consequences of losing such a prominent official as Xun Yu. Xun Yu, however, went out and was able to persuade Guo Gong to withdraw. Xiahou Dun, Xun Yu and the local official Cheng Yu would comprise the core of the Cao loyalists preserving the slim remnant Cao holdings in eastern Yan.
When Cao Cao learned of the rebellion, he withdrew his army from Xu Province and returned to Yan Province to attack Lü Bu. Xiahou Dun participated in the campaign and was struck in the left eye by a stray arrow during a skirmish. As a result, when Dun and his cousin Xiahou Yuan had both reached the rank of General (putting this from 209 onwards), he was given the nickname "Blind Xiahou" (盲夏侯) in Cao Cao's army. Xiahou Dun hated this nickname and would throw a mirror to the ground whenever he saw his own reflection. Lü Bu and Cao Cao fought near Puyang for over one-hundred days, during which time Xiahou Dun's Major Dian Wei distinguished himself and was transferred to Cao Cao's personal guard. Eventually, famine forced both armies to withdraw, and in 195 Cao Cao drove Lü Bu out of Yan.
Xiahou Dun was appointed as the Administrator (太守) of Chenliu (陳留; around present-day Kaifeng, Henan) commandery, the area once under Zhang Miao's control, where had a falling out with his Reporting Officer Wei Zhen around 200. Xiahou Dun invited Wei Zhen to bring his wife out to the feast, to which Wei Zhen strongly objected to as inappropriate to the fury of Xiahou Dun who had his subordinate jailed but soon released him. Then to Jiyin (濟陰; near present-day Dingtao County, Shandong) commandery, and held the rank of General Who Builds Martial Might (建武將軍). He was also enfeoffed as the Marquis of Gao'an District (高安鄉侯). While he was in office, a drought broke out and there was a locust infestation in the region. To counter these problems, Xiahou Dun spearheaded an agricultural program, in which he instructed workers to dam up the Taishou River (太壽水; a tributary of the Huai River) to create a large pond. He personally participated in the construction works and also encouraged the people to grow crops in the inundated land. This program greatly aided the people during those years of severe famine. He was later reassigned to be the Intendant of Henan (河南尹). In 198 Xiahou Dun was dispatched to Xu to reinforce the allied Liu Bei, who was under attack from Gao Shun on the orders of Lü Bu, but Gao Shun defeated Xiahou Dun then would drive out Liu Bei.
Xiahou Dun did not participate in Cao Cao's campaigns in northern China against Yuan Shao, Yuan's sons and their allies throughout the 200s CE. Instead, he held Henan, possibly the campaign being when he was made Intendant of Henan, helping keep Cao Cao's western flank secure and holding the Meng ford to protect the Ao Granary. In 202, Cao Cao's rival Liu Bei, who had sought refuge under Jing Province's governor Liu Biao, launched a series of raids into Cao Cao's lands. In response, Cao Cao sent Xiahou Dun, Yu Jin and Li Dian to lead an army to resist Liu Bei, both sides clashed at the Battle of Bowang. Liu Bei burnt his camps and feigned retreat to lure the enemy into an ambush. Xiahou Dun and his men fell for the trick and were defeated in the ambush. Li Dian, who warned Xiahou Dun about the danger of an ambush and did not join in the pursuit, led reinforcements to help Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin. Liu Bei withdrew his forces after seeing Li Dian's approach and the raid stopped.
After the Battle of Ye in 204, Xiahou Dun was promoted to General Who Calms the Waves (伏波將軍) but retained his appointment as the Intendant of Henan with the freedom to act on his own initiative without being restricted by regulations. In 205, Gao Gan encouraged revolts in Hedong with Wei Gu holding the Shan crossing and local loyal forces unable to cross, Xiahou Dun was sent but before he could arrive, Du Ji persuaded Xiahou Dun to let him go across with a small escort and plot with the local loyalists. On 21 March 207, as Cao Cao prepared to attack the remnants of the Yuan family, he rewarded 20 of his officers with greater enoffments with Xiahou Dun granted an additional 1,800 taxable households in his marquisate in recognition of his contributions, bringing the total number of households to 2,500. Xiahou Dun befriended Tian Chou and would be sent by Cao Cao to, unsuccessfully, persuade Tian Chou to take up honors for his service In 213, Xiahou Dun would be one of the signatories calling for Cao Cao to become Duke of Wei.