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Ma Chao

Courtesy nameMengqi

Ma Chao the Splendid, Fierce General of Xiliang

Best of the Rank and File · Fierce Generals & Fine Strategists

CavalryRevengeFerocity

Who they are

Son of Ma Teng, a fierce general of Xiliang, so martial in bearing his troops called him "Ma Chao the Splendid." To avenge his father he joined Han Sui and other Guanzhong warlords in revolt against Cao Cao, and at Tong Pass drove Cao Cao to cut off his beard and cast off his robe, nearly killing him. Later, after the coalition’s infighting and Zhang Lu’s suspicion left him with nowhere to turn, he submitted to Liu Bei and became a Five Tiger General — but constrained and frustrated after joining Shu, he died disheartened at forty-seven.

Primary sourcesChen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Ma Chao

Key stories

Driving Cao Cao to Cut His Beard and Cast Off His Robe at Tong Pass

Ma Chao joined Han Sui and others in revolt to avenge his father, and at Tong Pass led his crack cavalry in a fierce charge on Cao Cao’s camp; Cao Cao fled the rout in disarray and, it is said, was forced to cut off his beard and shed his robe to avoid being recognized — a rare moment of humiliation in a lifetime of war. The victory spread the fame of "Ma Chao the Splendid" across Guanzhong, and later drove Cao Cao to use a scheme of estrangement expressly to break Ma Chao from Han Sui.

A Cornered Man Joining Shu, Dying Disheartened

After his defeat at Tong Pass, Ma Chao drifted into Zhang Lu’s service, then, cornered by suspicion, at last submitted to Liu Bei. Liu Bei treated him well and made him a Five Tiger General, but Ma Chao always lacked roots in the Shu regime and was sidelined; with most of his family killed in the earlier wars, he grew despondent in his later years and died at forty-seven — from a fierce general who shook Guanzhong to a surrendered man dependent on others, a steep fall indeed.

Relationships

Serves

🐉Liu Bei　Joined him cornered, made a Five Tiger General

Ally

🏜️Han Sui　Joined in revolt against Cao Cao, later set at odds

Nemesis

🦅Cao Cao　The Battle of Tong Pass; the cut beard and cast-off robe

Echoes today

Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.

"Ma Chao the Splendid"Named for his martial bearing, he is a recurring "handsome general" type in Three Kingdoms games and anime.

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