Wutugu is the ruler of Wuguo in the southern campaign of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The novel presents him as a figure of exceptional size who commands troops equipped with rattan armor.
A Giant Southern Ruler
Wutugu’s exceptional height and strength distinguish him from ordinary commanders, while the massed rattan-armored troops mark him as the ruler of a formidable southern army.
The Rattan-Armored Army
His army wears armor made from treated rattan. Within the novel, this armor resists blades and arrows but becomes vulnerable to fire. That contrast drives the strategy used against the army.
The Fire Attack
Zhuge Liang draws the rattan-armored troops into confined terrain and destroys them with fire. The same treated rattan that resists blades and arrows makes escape almost impossible once the valley burns.
