Ma Chao faction 馬超

When Ma Teng fell out with Han Sui and asked to return to the capital region, the court summoned Ma Teng as Minister of the Guards, made Ma Chao Lieutenant General, enfeoffed him as Marquis of a Chief Village, and had him command Ma Teng's private troops. The biography of Zhang Ji records that when Cao Cao was about to campaign against Jing Province, Zhang Ji sent Ma Teng east, and Cao Cao memorialized that Ma Chao be made a general in command of his followers. Pang De, who had followed Ma Teng, stayed behind under Ma Chao. Records, Shu 6 §26Records, Wei 15 §41Records, Wei 18 §69

In the 3rd month of the 16th year of Jian'an (211), when Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao to attack Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, the commanders of Guanzhong suspected that Zhong Yao meant to attack them. Just as Gao Rou had feared, Ma Chao rebelled together with Han Sui, Yang Qiu, Li Kan, Cheng Yi and others and stationed himself at Tong Pass. Cao Cao sent Cao Ren to attack them, ordering his commanders that since the troops west of the passes were elite and fierce, they should hold their walls firmly and not give battle. Records, Wei 1 §109–110Records, Wei 24 §27Records, Shu 6 §27

In the 7th month, in autumn, Cao Cao came west in person and encamped facing them across Tong Pass, and secretly sent Xu Huang and Zhu Ling across at the Puban Ford to set up camp west of the Yellow River. When Cao Cao crossed north from Tong Pass, Ma Chao rushed at the boats and pressed the attack. The biography of Xu Chu records that when Ma Chao charged with more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry and arrows fell like rain, Xu Chu raised a saddle in his left hand to shield Cao Cao, and the Annals of Emperor Wu record that Cao Cao was able to cross because the Colonel Ding Fei let loose cattle and horses, which the enemy scrambled to seize. When Cao Cao set up camp south of the Wei River, Ma Chao and the others attacked it by night but were broken by an ambush, and they asked for peace in return for the land west of the Yellow River, which Cao Cao refused. Records, Wei 1 §110–111Records, Wei 18 §52

In the 9th month, when Cao Cao crossed the Wei River, Ma Chao and the others again asked for a cession of land and offered to send sons as hostages, and Cao Cao, following Jia Xu's plan, pretended to agree. When Cao Cao met Han Sui and Ma Chao, each with a single horse, Ma Chao, trusting in his strength, meant to rush at Cao Cao, but could not move when Xu Chu glared at him. Cao Cao talked with Han Sui only of old times and sent him a letter full of erasures and corrections, and Ma Chao and the others grew suspicious of Han Sui. Cao Cao then set a day for battle, provoked them with light troops, and attacked from both sides with his Tiger Cavalry, crushing them and beheading Cheng Yi, Li Kan and others. Han Sui, Ma Chao and the others fled to Liang Province, and Yang Qiu fled to Anding. Records, Wei 1 §112–113Records, Wei 18 §53Records, Shu 6 §27Records, Wei 10 §83

Ma Chao held out by relying on the various Rong. Cao Cao pursued him to Anding but, when Su Bo rebelled in Hejian, prepared to turn back east. Yang Fu said at this time that Ma Chao had the valor of Han Xin and Ying Bu and had greatly won the hearts of the Qiang and Hu, so that unless strict precautions were taken the commanderies of Longshang would no longer belong to the state, but because the army returned in haste the precautions were incomplete. In the first month of the 17th year of Jian'an (212), when Liang Xing and others of Ma Chao's remnant forces stationed themselves at Lantian, Cao Cao had Xiahou Yuan pacify them. Records, Shu 6 §28Records, Wei 25 §26Records, Wei 1 §118

When Ma Chao led the Rong chieftains against the commanderies and counties of Longshang, all of them went over to him, and only Jicheng held out, upholding the provincial and commandery officials. Ma Chao absorbed the host of Longyou and, with the help of Yang Ang, the senior commander sent by Zhang Lu, attacked Jicheng with more than 10,000 men, and Yang Fu and the others held out from the first month to the 8th. The Aide-de-camp Yan Wen, who had gone out to seek help, was captured, shouted below the walls that the main army would arrive within three days, and was killed. The Inspector and the Administrator at last opened the city gates, and Ma Chao had Yang Ang kill the Inspector Wei Kang and the Administrator. Xiahou Yuan came to rescue Wei Kang, but Wei Kang was defeated before he arrived, and Xiahou Yuan fought Ma Chao without success. Records, Wei 25 §27–28Records, Wei 18 §83–85Records, Wei 9 §17

Ma Chao took Jicheng and made its host his own, styling himself General Who Conquers the West, concurrently Governor of Bing Province and supervisor of the military affairs of Liang Province. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that when Ma Chao, at Hanyang, again used the Qiang and Hu to do harm, the Di king Qianwan rebelled in response and stationed himself at Xingguo. Records, Shu 6 §28–29Records, Wei 1 §135

Yang Fu, a former official of Wei Kang, formed a plot with his maternal cousin Jiang Xu and with Zhao Ang, Yin Feng and others from his home district, and also joined with Liang Kuan of Anding and Zhao Qu of Nan'an. The biography of Yang Fu records that they raised troops at Lucheng in the 9th month of the 17th year of Jian'an (212). When Ma Chao went out in person to attack them, Liang Kuan and Zhao Qu shut the gates of Jicheng and attacked Ma Chao's wife and children, and Ma Chao raided Licheng and killed Jiang Xu's mother. Yang Fu suffered five wounds and lost seven brothers of his clan. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that in the first month of spring in the 19th year of Jian'an (214), Zhao Qu, Yin Feng of Hanyang and others killed Ma Chao's wife and children and displayed their heads, and Ma Chao fled to Hanzhong. Records, Wei 25 §29–32Records, Shu 6 §29Records, Wei 1 §136

According to the biography of Xiahou Yuan, Ma Chao, who had fled to Hanzhong, came back and besieged Mount Qi. Without waiting for Cao Cao's instructions, Xiahou Yuan sent Zhang He ahead with 5,000 infantry and cavalry, and Ma Chao met Zhang He on the Wei River with several thousand Di and Qiang but fled before any fighting. When Xiahou Yuan besieged Xingguo, the Di king Qianwan fled to Ma Chao. Records, Wei 9 §18–19 · 21

Ma Chao, finding that Zhang Lu was not a man with whom great plans could be made, grew inwardly depressed, and on hearing that the First Sovereign was besieging Liu Zhang at Chengdu, he secretly sent a letter asking to surrender. The biography of Li Hui records that when the First Sovereign sent Li Hui to Hanzhong to establish friendly relations with Ma Chao, Ma Chao at last obeyed. When Ma Chao led his troops straight to the foot of the walls, the city trembled with fear and Liu Zhang bowed his head and surrendered. Ma Chao was made General Who Pacifies the West with supervision over Linju. The Biography of the First Sovereign records that in the summer of the 19th year of Jian'an (214) Luocheng fell and Chengdu was besieged for several tens of days before Liu Zhang came out and surrendered, and says that the First Sovereign made Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao his claws and fangs. Records, Shu 6 §29–30Records, Shu 13 §13Records, Shu 2 §33

Pang De, who had followed Ma Chao to Hanzhong and served Zhang Lu, surrendered along with the others when Cao Cao pacified Hanzhong. Ma Chao died in the 2nd year of Zhangwu (222) at the age of forty-seven, after submitting a memorial saying that his clan of more than two hundred people had been almost entirely killed by Mengde and that only his cousin Ma Dai remained. In his assessment in Records of Shu 6, Chen Shou wrote that it was regrettable that Ma Chao, relying on the Rong and trusting in his valor, brought ruin upon his clan, but asked whether it was not better that he was able to escape his straits and reach safety. Records, Wei 18 §69Records, Shu 6 §33 · 44