RLü Bu's valiant general, who pierced the enemy's spearhead and charged into their linesWei 1 §48Wei 7 §7
NA stalwart general of Lü Bu, but could not withstand Dian WeiCh. 11 §48Ch. 11 §55
Cheng Lian 成廉
| Occupation | RNGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R2 |
Profile
Cheng Lian was a close general of Lü Bu. When Lü Bu went over to Yuan Shao and joined him in attacking Zhang Yan at Changshan, Lü Bu, always together with his close followers Cheng Lian, Wei Yue and others, pierced the enemy's spearhead and charged into their lines, and in the end defeated Zhang Yan's army. Records, Wei 7 §7
In the 10th month, in the winter of the 3rd year of Jian'an (198), when Cao Cao reached Xiapi and Lü Bu led his cavalry in person to meet the attack, Cao Cao badly defeated him and captured Lü Bu's valiant general Cheng Lian. In Chen Shou's main text Cheng Lian's name appears only in these two places, and his courtesy name, his origin and what became of him after his capture are not recorded. Records, Wei 1 §46 · 48Records, Wei 7 §7
In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 11, at the battle of Puyang, as one of the stalwart generals led by Zhang Liao and Zang Ba, and appears in 2 of its 120 chapters; there is no chapter with his name in the title. He blocks Cao Cao's way together with Hao Meng, Cao Xing and Song Xian but is driven off by Dian Wei, and in the battle of Dingtao in Chapter 12 he is killed by a single arrow from Yue Jin. Romance, Ch. 11 §48 · 53 · 55Romance, Ch. 12 §42
In the Records
After killing Dong Zhuo, Lü Bu was defeated by Li Jue and others and, leading a few hundred horsemen, left through Wu Pass meaning to go to Yuan Shu, but Yuan Shu, detesting his inconstancy, would not take him in. Lü Bu went north to Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao, together with Lü Bu, attacked Zhang Yan at Changshan. Zhang Yan had more than 10,000 crack troops and several thousand cavalry. Records, Wei 7 §6–7
Lü Bu had a fine horse called Red Hare. Always together with his close followers Cheng Lian, Wei Yue and others, Lü Bu pierced the enemy's spearhead and charged into their lines, and in the end defeated Zhang Yan's army. But when Lü Bu demanded more troops and his officers and men took to plundering, Yuan Shao grew worried and wary of him. When Lü Bu asked leave to depart, Yuan Shao sent stalwart men to kill him by night, but they failed to catch him, and Lü Bu fled to Henei and joined Zhang Yang. Records, Wei 7 §7–8
In the 3rd year of Jian'an (198), when Lü Bu again, on Yuan Shu's behalf, had Gao Shun attack Liu Bei, Cao Cao sent Xiahou Dun to rescue Liu Bei, without success. In the 9th month Cao Cao set out east to campaign against Lü Bu, and in the 10th month, in winter, he massacred Pengcheng and captured its Chancellor, Hou Xie. When he advanced to Xiapi, Lü Bu led his cavalry in person to meet the attack, but Cao Cao badly defeated him and captured his valiant general Cheng Lian. Records, Wei 1 §46 · 48
When Cao Cao pursued him to the foot of the city, Lü Bu was afraid and wanted to surrender, but Chen Gong and others stopped him, asked Yuan Shu for help and urged Lü Bu to go out and fight. When Lü Bu, defeated again, went back and held the city firmly, Cao Cao breached the Si and Yi Rivers to flood the city, and after a month or so Lü Bu's generals Song Xian, Wei Xu and others seized Chen Gong and surrendered the city. Cao Cao captured Lü Bu and Chen Gong alive and put them both to death. Chen Shou's main text records nothing of Cheng Lian after his capture. Records, Wei 1 §48–49
In the Romance
In Chapter 11 of the Romance, when Cao Cao pitches camp near Puyang and draws up his troops on the plain, Lü Bu rides out at the front, with eight stalwart generals lined up on either side. Zhang Liao and Zang Ba each lead three stalwart generals of their own, and Cheng Lian appears as one of these together with Hao Meng and Cao Xing. That day, when Lü Bu, halberd levelled, charges out of his lines, Cao Cao's army is badly defeated and falls back 30 to 40 li. Romance, Ch. 11 §47–49
That night Cao Cao, following Yu Jin's advice, seizes Lü Bu's camp west of Puyang, but around daybreak, when Lü Bu's relief force arrives, he abandons the camp and flees. As Cao Cao flees west, Cheng Lian, together with Hao Meng, Cao Xing and Song Xian, leads a band of troops to block his way. Arrows pour down like a cloudburst and Cao Cao cannot break free, but Dian Wei hurls short halberds, killing a dozen or so of Lü Bu's horsemen who have come in pursuit, and then charges in with his pair of iron halberds, and the four generals, unable to withstand him, each flee. Romance, Ch. 11 §50 · 52–55
In Chapter 12, when the Tian family of Puyang surrender to Cao Cao and will not open the gate, Lü Bu flees to Dingtao. Near Dingtao Cao Cao has the wheat reaped for provisions, plants flags in a wood and hides crack troops inside an embankment. Chen Gong warns that Cao Cao is full of tricks, but Lü Bu, saying that an attack by fire will break the ambush, comes with a large army and sets the wood ablaze; when the ambushers inside the embankment pour out, he cannot withstand them and flees into the open country. At this point Cheng Lian, a general following him, is killed by a single arrow from Yue Jin, and Lü Bu's army loses two men in every three. Romance, Ch. 12 §37–42
Where the Romance differs
First battle: In the Romance, Cheng Lian first appears at the battle of Puyang in Chapter 11 as one of the generals led by Zhang Liao and Zang Ba. In Chen Shou's main text he first appears charging into the enemy lines as one of Lü Bu's close followers when Lü Bu attacked Zhang Yan at Changshan together with Yuan Shao, and Cheng Lian does not appear in this battle in the Romance. Romance, Ch. 11 §48Records, Wei 7 §7
The battle of Puyang: In Chapter 11 of the Romance, Cheng Lian blocks Cao Cao's way together with Hao Meng, Cao Xing and Song Xian and is driven off by Dian Wei. Cheng Lian's name does not appear in the accounts of the battle of Puyang in the Biography of Lü Bu and the Annals of Emperor Wu in Chen Shou's main text. Romance, Ch. 11 §53 · 55Records, Wei 7 §14Records, Wei 1 §29–31
The battle of Dingtao: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, Cao Cao defeats Lü Bu by placing ambushes in the wood and the embankment near Dingtao, and Cheng Lian dies in this battle. The Annals of Emperor Wu in Chen Shou's main text record that in the 2nd year of Xingping (195) Cao Cao made a surprise attack on Dingtao and beheaded Xue Lan and others at Juye, and that when Lü Bu then came with Chen Gong at the head of more than 10,000 men, Cao Cao set an ambush, let loose a surprise force and badly defeated him; but Cheng Lian's name does not appear. Romance, Ch. 12 §39–42Records, Wei 1 §28 · 33
Death or capture: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, Cheng Lian is killed by Yue Jin's arrow in the battle of Dingtao. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in Chen Shou's main text, in the winter of the 3rd year of Jian'an (198) Cao Cao badly defeated Lü Bu at Xiapi and captured his valiant general Cheng Lian, and what became of him afterwards is not recorded. Romance, Ch. 12 §42Records, Wei 1 §46 · 48
Yue Jin: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, the man who shoots Cheng Lian dead is Yue Jin. The Biography of Yue Jin in Chen Shou's main text says only that Yue Jin followed Cao Cao to attack Lü Bu at Puyang and to besiege Lü Bu at Xiapi, where he defeated a detached commander; Cheng Lian does not appear. Romance, Ch. 12 §42Records, Wei 17 §20
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total390 / 1000Rank 678 of 996 · Top 69%Romance total367 / 1000Rank 760 of 1,113 · Top 69%
Romance adaptation index−23Romance total − Records total
- LEA4542−3
- STR7055−15
- INT3331−2
- POL3131±0
- CHA3835−3
- VIR4245+3
- ADP3835−3
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3131±0
- DIS3131±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
9 similar abilities — show evidence
RTook part in cavalry charges as one of Lü Bu's close followersWei 7 §7
NBlocked Cao Cao's way as one of four generalsCh. 11 §53
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military generalWei 1 §48
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a military generalCh. 11 §48
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military generalWei 1 §48
NNo direct recordCh. 11 §48
RNo direct recordWei 7 §7
NNo direct recordCh. 11 §48
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a close follower of Lü BuWei 7 §7
NNo direct record — died in battle while following Lü BuCh. 12 §42
RNo direct record — captured at XiapiWei 1 §48
NNo direct recordCh. 12 §42
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military generalWei 1 §48
NNo direct recordCh. 11 §48
RNo direct recordWei 1 §48
NNo direct recordCh. 11 §48
RNo direct recordWei 1 §48
NNo direct recordCh. 11 §48
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Lü Bu faction (~198) · Records · 「大破之，獲其驍將成廉」
Related events (1)
- Battle of Xiapi 198 · Command
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).