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Ma Chao
Northwestern warlord, son of Ma Teng, who rose against Cao Cao at Tong Pass in 211 and ended his life as Liu Bei's general of cavalry
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Zi Mengqi
- Roles
- Commanders
Ma Chao, courtesy name Mengqi, came from Maoling in Fufeng and was a son of the warlord Ma Teng; the Dianlue quoted in Pei Songzhi's commentary makes him a descendant of the Han general Ma Yuan. Under Zhong Yao he fought Guo Yuan and kept fighting after an arrow struck his foot. In 211 he and Han Sui led the Guanzhong commanders against Cao Cao and were beaten near Tong Pass, and the next year his father, then living at Cao's court in Ye, was executed with the family. He fought on in Longyou, killed the provincial inspector Wei Kang and held Ji until Yang Fu and Jiang Xu drove him out to Zhang Lu in Hanzhong. In 214 he went over to Liu Bei and appeared before Chengdu, whose ruler Liu Zhang surrendered soon after. Made general of cavalry in 221, he died the next year at forty-seven, writing that of his clan of two hundred only his cousin Ma Dai survived.
Life and times
Dates 176 CE–222 CE