RServed as Prefect of Mianzhu and Chengdu and as Administrator of YuexiShu 9 §16
NNo direct record — estimated from his duties as Army AdviserCh. 65 §47
Ma Su 馬謖
| Occupation | RNStrategist · Army Adviser | Faction | Shu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | R190 N? Unverified | Native place | Nan Commandery Yicheng County Unverified |
| Died | R228 N(same) Unverified | Place of death | |
| Cause of death | RExecuted NExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R16 |
Profile
Ma Su, courtesy name Youchang, was the younger brother of Ma Liang. As an Attendant Officer of Jing Province he followed Liu Bei into Shu and served as Prefect of Mianzhu, Prefect of Chengdu and Administrator of Yuexi. He liked to discuss military strategy, and Zhuge Liang regarded him as quite exceptional. Records, Shu 9 §16–17
In the 6th year of Jianxing (228), when Zhuge Liang marched out to Mount Qi, Ma Su led the main army at the front but was badly defeated at Jieting by the Wei general Zhang He. Zhuge Liang returned to Hanzhong and put him to death to make amends to the army, while the Biography of Ma Liang records that he was imprisoned and died there, at the age of thirty-nine. Records, Shu 5 §32–33Records, Shu 9 §17–18
In his assessment for Volume 9, Chen Shou did not treat Ma Su separately, and the Records preserves what Liu Bei said of Ma Su before his death: 'his words exceed his substance, and he must not be given great responsibility.' In the Romance his name first appears in Chapter 52 as the youngest of the five Ma brothers, and he appears in 10 of its 120 chapters; his name is in the titles of Chapters 95 and 96, 'Ma Su Rejects Advice and Loses Jieting' and 'Kongming Weeps as He Beheads Ma Su'. Records, Shu 9 §45 · 17Romance, Ch. 52 §11Romance, Ch. 95 §15–18Romance, Ch. 96 §11–12
In the Records
Ma Su, courtesy name Youchang, was the younger brother of Ma Liang. Ma Liang was a man of Yicheng in Xiangyang, and all five brothers were known for their talent. As an Attendant Officer of Jing Province, Ma Su followed Liu Bei into Shu and was appointed Prefect of Mianzhu, Prefect of Chengdu and Administrator of Yuexi. Records, Shu 9 §13 · 16
Ma Su's talent and capacity surpassed other men's and he liked to discuss military strategy, so that the Chancellor Zhuge Liang regarded him as quite exceptional. Before his death Liu Bei said to Zhuge Liang, 'Ma Su's words exceed his substance, and he must not be given great responsibility. You should observe him closely.' Zhuge Liang, however, still thought otherwise, made Ma Su an Army Adviser, and constantly called him in to talk with him from day until night. Records, Shu 9 §17
In the spring of the 6th year of Jianxing (228), Zhuge Liang spread word that he would take Mei by way of the Xie Valley road, and himself led the armies to attack Mount Qi. When the three commanderies of Nan'an, Tianshui and Anding rebelled against Wei and responded to Zhuge Liang, Emperor Ming of Wei had Zhang He resist him. At this time there were veteran generals such as Wei Yan and Wu Yi, and those who discussed the matter all said they should be made the vanguard, but Zhuge Liang went against the general opinion and picked out Ma Su to lead the main army at the front. Ma Su commanded the armies at the head of the advance and fought Zhang He at Jieting. Records, Shu 5 §32Records, Shu 9 §17
Wang Ping had been attached to Ma Su's vanguard. Because Ma Su abandoned the water and went up the hill, and his arrangements were confused and disorderly, Wang Ping repeatedly remonstrated with him, but Ma Su could not accept his advice. The Biography of Zhang He records that Ma Su relied on the steep ground of the southern hill and did not come down to hold the town, so Zhang He cut off his route for drawing water, attacked and routed him. The Biography of Zhuge Liang wrote that Ma Su disobeyed Zhuge Liang's directions, his movements were ill-judged, and he was routed by Zhang He. Records, Shu 13 §35Records, Wei 17 §51Records, Shu 5 §33
The soldiers all scattered; only the thousand men under Wang Ping beat their drums and held their ranks, so that Zhang He suspected an ambush and did not close in. With nowhere to base himself if he advanced, Zhuge Liang removed more than a thousand households of Xi County and returned to Hanzhong. Records, Shu 13 §36Records, Shu 9 §18Records, Shu 5 §33
Ma Su's end is recorded differently in each biography. The Biography of Zhuge Liang says that Zhuge Liang put Ma Su to death to make amends to the army, and the Biography of Wang Ping says that Zhuge Liang executed Ma Su together with the generals Zhang Xiu and Li Sheng and took away the troops of the general Huang Xi and others. The Biography of Ma Liang says that Ma Su was imprisoned and died there, and that Zhuge Liang wept for him, and records that he was thirty-nine at his death. The Biography of Xiang Lang records that Xiang Lang, who had long been on good terms with Ma Su, knew the circumstances when Ma Su fled but did not report him, so Zhuge Liang resented him, dismissed him from office and sent him back to Chengdu. Records, Shu 5 §33Records, Shu 13 §36Records, Shu 9 §18Records, Shu 11 §14
Zhuge Liang submitted a memorial saying that the fault for the disobedience of orders at Jieting and the lack of vigilance at the Ji Valley lay entirely with himself, for having no proper method in entrusting men with command, and he asked to be demoted three grades; he became General of the Right acting in the affairs of the Chancellor. The edict issued to Zhuge Liang in the 7th year of Jianxing (229) said, 'The fault for the battle of Jieting stemmed from Ma Su, yet you took the blame upon yourself and deeply humbled yourself.' Records, Shu 5 §33–35
In his assessment for Volume 9, Chen Shou named Dong He, Liu Ba, Ma Liang, Chen Zhen and Dong Yun as outstanding among the servants of Shu, and said Ma Liang was upright and sincere and was called an excellent gentleman, but he made no separate assessment of Ma Su. Records, Shu 9 §45
In the Romance
In Chapter 52 of the Romance, Yi Ji recommends to Liu Bei the five brothers of the Ma family of Jingxiang, introducing the youngest as named Su, with the courtesy name Youchang. In Chapter 85 Liu Bei, near death, has Ma Su, who is at his side, withdraw for a while and then asks Zhuge Liang about his talent; when Zhuge Liang answers that he is an outstanding talent of the age, Liu Bei charges him that Ma Su's words exceed his substance and he must not be given great responsibility. Romance, Ch. 52 §11Romance, Ch. 85 §19–20
In Chapter 87 Ma Su, dressed in white because he has just lost his elder brother Ma Liang, brings wine and silk to the southern expeditionary army by imperial command. When Zhuge Liang asks for his advice, he says that the southern Man, even if defeated today, will rebel again tomorrow, and urges him to win their hearts, saying that 'attacking the heart is the best course and attacking cities the worst'. Zhuge Liang, marveling that Ma Su knows his innermost thoughts, makes him an Army Adviser. In Chapter 88 Ma Su writes on paper his reading of why Meng You has come bearing treasures and presents it, and Zhuge Liang says that his view is the same as his own. Romance, Ch. 87 §29–31Romance, Ch. 88 §28
In Chapter 91 he proposes a plan to spread rumors and placards in Luoyang, Ye and elsewhere saying that Sima Yi intends to rebel. Cao Rui sees the placards and, following Hua Xin's advice, strips Sima Yi of his offices and sends him back to his home district. In Chapter 94, when Sima Yi is restored to office, Ma Su urges that a letter be sent quickly to Meng Da to have him prepare. Romance, Ch. 91 §22–23 · 31Romance, Ch. 94 §31–32
In Chapter 95, when Zhuge Liang looks for someone to hold Jieting, Ma Su steps forward, saying that he has read military texts thoroughly since childhood, and writes a pledge of military responsibility asking that his whole family be beheaded if he fails. Zhuge Liang gives him twenty-five thousand picked troops and sends the cautious Wang Ping with him. Arriving at Jieting, Ma Su rejects Wang Ping's proposal to build a camp at the road junction and encamps on the hill, saying that looking down from a height gives a momentum like splitting bamboo. To the question of what to do if the water route is cut, he answers that only after being placed on deadly ground does one survive, and he gives Wang Ping just five thousand troops. Romance, Ch. 95 §7–9 · 14–18
Learning from the scouting of his son Sima Zhao that the Shu army is on the hill, Sima Yi mocks Ma Su as a mediocre talent with an empty reputation. He has Zhang He block the road by which Wang Ping would come, and has Shen Dan and Shen Yi surround the hill and cut off the route for drawing water. When Ma Su waves the red flag and his generals and soldiers do not move, he kills two generals with his own hand. With no water, the soldiers cannot eat; the Shu troops on the south side of the hill surrender to Wei, and Ma Su fights his way down the hill and flees west, while Wei Yan stops Zhang He, who is pursuing him. Romance, Ch. 95 §19–26
In Chapter 96 Ma Su binds himself and kneels before the tent. Zhuge Liang rebukes him, saying that had he listened to Wang Ping there would have been no such disaster, promises to provide his wife and children with a monthly stipend and grain, and orders him beheaded. Jiang Wan, an Army Adviser who has come from Chengdu, tries to stop him, regretting the killing of a resourceful servant, but Zhuge Liang says that if the law is abandoned the rebels cannot be punished. When the head is presented, Zhuge Liang recalls the late emperor's words and weeps bitterly. The Romance records that Ma Su died at thirty-nine, in the 5th month, in summer, of the 6th year of Jianxing. Romance, Ch. 96 §9–13
In Chapter 99 the edict brought by Fei Yi says that 'the fault for the battle of Jieting stemmed from Ma Su' and restores Zhuge Liang, who had demoted himself, to the post of Chancellor. Romance, Ch. 99 §16–17
Where the Romance differs
The plan for the southern campaign: In Chapter 87 of the Romance, Ma Su offers Zhuge Liang, on his way south, the plan that 'attacking the heart is the best course'. The Biography of Zhuge Liang in the Records says only that he campaigned in the south in the spring of the 3rd year of Jianxing (225) and pacified it completely that autumn, and the Biography of Ma Liang also has no words of Ma Su from the time of the southern campaign. Romance, Ch. 87 §30–31Records, Shu 5 §24Records, Shu 9 §16–18
How he became Army Adviser: In Chapter 87 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang, marveling at the plan of attacking the heart, makes him Army Adviser on the southern campaign. The Biography of Ma Liang in the Records records that Zhuge Liang made him Army Adviser because he thought otherwise despite Liu Bei's warning not to give him great responsibility, and it does not state when. Romance, Ch. 87 §31Records, Shu 9 §17
The plan that removed Sima Yi: In Chapter 91 of the Romance, Ma Su's plan to sow discord causes Sima Yi to lose his offices and return to his home district. This plan is not in the Biography of Ma Liang. In the Annals of Emperor Ming in the Records, Sima Yi attacked Xincheng in the 1st month, in spring, of the 2nd year of Taihe (228) and beheaded Meng Da. Romance, Ch. 91 §22 · 31Records, Shu 9 §16–18Records, Wei 3 §7
How he came to go to Jieting: In Chapter 95 of the Romance, Ma Su volunteers and writes a pledge of military responsibility staking his whole family. In the Biography of Ma Liang in the Records, those who discussed the matter proposed making veteran generals such as Wei Yan and Wu Yi the vanguard, but Zhuge Liang went against the general opinion and picked out Ma Su. Romance, Ch. 95 §7–9Records, Shu 9 §17
The enemy commander at Jieting: In Chapter 95 of the Romance, Sima Yi surveys the hill in person and directs Sima Zhao, Zhang He, Shen Dan and Shen Yi to surround it. In the Records, Emperor Ming of Wei had Zhang He resist Zhuge Liang, and Zhang He cut off Ma Su's route for drawing water, attacked and routed him. The Annals of Emperor Ming also records that the one who routed Zhuge Liang at Jieting was the General of the Right Zhang He. Romance, Ch. 95 §20–23Records, Shu 5 §32Records, Wei 17 §51Records, Wei 3 §8
Wang Ping: In Chapter 95 of the Romance, Wang Ping is given five thousand troops, sets up a camp ten li from the hill, fights Zhang He for dozens of bouts and withdraws. In the Biography of Wang Ping in the Records, Wang Ping belonged to Ma Su's vanguard and repeatedly remonstrated with him, and after the troops scattered he beat the drums with a thousand men and held his ranks, so that Zhang He suspected an ambush and did not close in. Romance, Ch. 95 §18 · 25Records, Shu 13 §35–36
The execution and Jiang Wan: In Chapter 96 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang beheads Ma Su outside the camp gate even though Jiang Wan tries to stop him. In the Records, the Biography of Zhuge Liang says that he put Ma Su to death to make amends to the army, and the Biography of Wang Ping says he was executed together with Zhang Xiu and Li Sheng, but the Biography of Ma Liang records that he was imprisoned and died there. Jiang Wan's attempt to stop him is not in these records. Romance, Ch. 96 §11–12Records, Shu 5 §33Records, Shu 13 §36Records, Shu 9 §18
Flight: In Chapter 96 of the Romance, Ma Su binds himself and comes before Zhuge Liang. The Biography of Xiang Lang in the Records records that Ma Su fled, and that Xiang Lang lost his office because he knew the circumstances but did not report him. Romance, Ch. 96 §9Records, Shu 11 §14
The time of death: Chapter 96 of the Romance records that Ma Su died in the 5th month, in summer, of the 6th year of Jianxing. The Records says only that after the campaign of the spring of the 6th year of Jianxing (228) Zhuge Liang returned to Hanzhong and put him to death, without giving the month, and the Biography of Ma Liang gives his age at death as thirty-nine, the same as the Romance. Romance, Ch. 96 §13Records, Shu 5 §32–33Records, Shu 9 §18
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 total399 / 1000Rank 621 of 996 · Top 63%Romance total385 / 1000Rank 627 of 1,113 · Top 57%
Romance adaptation index−14Romance total − Records total
- LEA2522−3
- STR3538+3
- INT5262+10
- POL5238−14
- CHA4030−10
- VIR3040+10
- ADP3022−8
- SCH4550+5
- DIP5555±0
- DIS3528−7
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
ROf outstanding talent and fond of discussing military strategy, but relied on a hill and had his water route cutShu 9 §17Wei 17 §51
NImpressed Zhuge Liang with the plan of attacking the heart and devised a plan to sow discord, but insisted on deploying on the hillCh. 87 §30Ch. 91 §22Ch. 95 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from the absence of any record of popular esteem beyond Zhuge Liang's favorShu 9 §17
NEven when he waved the red flag, his generals and soldiers shifted the task onto one another and did not moveCh. 95 §24
RDisobeyed Zhuge Liang's directions, and his flight after the defeat is recordedShu 5 §33Shu 11 §14
NSaid he would not share the credit with Wang Ping, and after his defeat bound himself and asked for punishmentCh. 95 §18Ch. 96 §9
6 similar abilities — show evidence
RLed the main army as vanguard but disobeyed directions, made confused arrangements, and was badly defeated at JietingShu 9 §17Shu 5 §33Shu 13 §35
NAt Jieting his officers and men would not obey orders, so he killed two with his own hand, and with his water route cut he was badly defeatedCh. 95 §24Ch. 95 §25Ch. 96 §9
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a staff officer who served as prefect and administratorShu 9 §16
NNo direct record — estimated from the battle of Jieting, where he only gave commands from the hilltopCh. 95 §24
RDid not accept Wang Ping's repeated remonstrances, fled after the defeat and died in prisonShu 13 §35Shu 11 §14
NBelittled Sima Yi and Zhang He, even wrote a pledge of military responsibility, and laughed off Wang Ping's remonstranceCh. 95 §8Ch. 95 §16Ch. 95 §18
RTalked with Zhuge Liang day and night, but the late ruler judged that his words exceeded his substanceShu 9 §17
NCoherently set out the essentials of pacifying the southern Man and won Zhuge Liang's agreementCh. 87 §30Ch. 88 §28
RNo direct record — estimated from his failure to accept the remonstrances of his subordinate Wang PingShu 13 §35
NDismissed the remonstrance of the lifelong cautious Wang Ping as a woman's view and sent him off with a detachmentCh. 95 §16Ch. 95 §18
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 (10)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Shu · Records · Records vol. 39 「以荊州從事隨先主入蜀」
Family
| Siblings | Ma Liang Novel & History |
|---|
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Related events (6)
- Seeing Through a False Surrender, Meng Huo Captured the Third Time 225 · Appears (Romance scene)
- Zhuge Liang Submits the Memorial to Attack the Central Plains 227 · Appears (Romance scene)
- Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions 228~234 · Command
- Battle of Jieting 228 · Command
- Zhuge Liang Tearfully Executes Ma Su 228 · Appears (Romance scene)
- Ma Su Ignores Advice and Loses Jieting 228 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).