Red Hare was Lü Bu

Lü Bu

Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...

's horse

Horse

The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

 during the Three Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...

 period of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. Historical records only mention the horse when Lü Bu temporarily became a subordinate of Yuan Shao

Yuan Shao

Yuan Shao was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...

, where he charged and defeated the armies of Zhang Yan

Zhang Yan

Zhang Yan, né Chu Yan , also known as Zhang Feiyan , was the leader of the Heishan bandits during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a native of Zhending, Changshan commandery .He was born Chu Yan...

 while riding the Red Hare. Additionally, the annotated Cao Cao's biography in Sanguo Zhi also contained the phrase: "Among men, Lü Bu; among horses, Red Hare" (人中呂布，馬中赤兔) when describing Lü Bu's prowess in battle.

In fiction

In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...

by Luo Guanzhong

Luo Guanzhong

Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...

, the life of the Red Hare was fleshed out. It was originally a treasured horse of Dong Zhuo

Dong Zhuo

Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...

, but at Li Su's suggestion, he gave it to Lü Bu to persuade him to abandon his stepfather Ding Yuan

Ding Yuan

Ding Yuan was a regional governor and minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. In 189, both he and Dong Zhuo were summoned into the capital Luoyang with their individual troops to assist in the struggle against the powerful eunuch faction...

, and join Dong Zhuo. Red Hare was said to be able to run one thousand li

Li (unit)

The li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, which has varied considerably over time but now has a standardized length of 500 meters or half a kilometer...

in a day (during the Three Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...

 period, 1000 li

Li (unit)

The li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, which has varied considerably over time but now has a standardized length of 500 meters or half a kilometer...

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

Cao Cao

Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...

 in Xiapi, Cao Cao presented this horse to Guan Yu

Guan Yu

Guan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...

 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

Lü Meng

Lü Meng was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He served as the commanding general in the invasion of Jing Province that led to the death of Guan Yu.-Early life:Lü Meng was born in Fupo, Runan Commandery in 178...

 after Lu Meng's invasion of Jing province

Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province

Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province was a battle fought between the warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei in 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Sun Quan's forces, led by Lü Meng, invaded Liu Bei's territory of Jing Province , which was defended by Guan Yu, and succeeded...

, the Red Hare was given to Ma Zhong

Ma Zhong (Han Dynasty)

Ma Zhong was a general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Under Pan Zhang's command, he captured Guan Yu and Guan Ping during Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province.-In fiction:...

 by Sun Quan

Sun Quan

Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....

. However, following the execution of Guan Yu, Red Hare refused to eat and died of starvation.