In Liu Bei's camp, there is a military general who is quite powerful, and that is Ma Chao. His bravery once made Cao Cao feel jealous. However, Ma Chao's fate was not satisfactory, he lost his relatives many times, and was also suspicious, and finally died of depression. Ma Chao, whose name is Mengqi, was born in 176 (the fifth year of Emperor Xiping of the Han Dynasty) and was the eldest son of Ma Teng.
Ma Chao's family has a long history, and his ancestor was Zhao Hao, a famous general of Zhao during the Warring States Period. After hundreds of years, the Ma family migrated from the Warring States period to Tianshui County. Ma Chao's father, Ma Teng, was the mainstay of the family, and through years of fighting, he established his own power in the Northwest Territories. Ma Chao emerged in the war when he was a teenager and became a new force in the family.
In the battle of 196, Ma Chao made his debut, and although he was defeated by Han Sui's general Yan Xing, his prestige was greatly enhanced. With his father Ma Tengdong entering Guanzhong, Cao Cao appointed Ma Chao as the assassin of Xuzhou. This was the beginning of Ma Chao's entry into officialdom, and he showed outstanding military talent and became a star of hope for the rise of Guanzhong.
However, Cao Cao's political maneuvers put Ma Chao in a dilemma. Cao Cao tried to transfer him to the Central Plains to weaken Ma Teng's power while holding him hostage. But Ma Chao did not go and stayed with his father. Cao Cao changed his strategy and appointed him as the counselor, and Ma Chao continued to stay in the Huaili area.
The family's enemy, Han Sui, killed Ma Teng's wife and children, and Ma Teng and Han Sui fought for many years. Cao Cao took the opportunity to eliminate the worries of the northwest and launched the Battle of Tongguan. In this battle, Ma Chao joined forces with Han Sui and others, but due to internal contradictions and Cao Cao's ingenious strategy, it led to a crushing defeat. This battle revealed Ma Chao's shortcomings in courage and resourcelessness, and Cao Cao took advantage of the situation to win Guanzhong.
In 212, Cao Cao killed Ma Teng's family, and Ma Chao fought against Cao Cao regardless of the family's life and death, leaving a reputation of "betraying his father and betraying the king". After the war, Cao Cao returned to the Central Plains and won a respite for Ma Chao. In 213, Ma Chao made a comeback and occupied Jicheng, the capital of Liangzhou.
However, the joint attack of local forces in Liangzhou made Ma Chao have to withdraw from Liangzhou and take refuge in Zhang Lu. Although Zhang Lu granted him a vacant position, his worries about him deepened. Ma Chao's name of "betraying his father and betraying the king" became the fuse of internal contradictions in Liu Bei's camp.
Ma Chao's military talents made him a treasure in Liu Bei's camp, but Liu Bei could not trust him because he had turned his back on his father. Ma Chao repeatedly proposed to return to Liangzhou, but it aroused Liu Bei's suspicion. Liu Bei finally appointed him as the general of Pingxi and made him the former capital of Tinghou, although his status was high, but he failed to gain Liu Bei's full trust.
After the establishment of Shu Han, Ma Chao gradually faded out of the battlefield and lost his military power. In 222, he died of depression and ended his life magnificently. Although Ma Chao had a ** position in Liu Bei's camp, he was suspicious of his father's name, and finally failed to get Liu Bei's true respect.