Ma Su: Difference between revisions
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|Kingdom=the [[Shu Han]] |
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|birth_date=190 |
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|death_date=228 |
|death_date=228 (aged 38) |
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|Simp=马谡 |
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|Trad=馬謖 |
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Revision as of 18:09, 25 June 2011
Template:Infobox Three Kingdoms biography Template:Chinese-name Ma Su (190–228)[1] was a military strategist of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the younger brother of Ma Liang. Ma Su had conspicuous talents in military theories and was admired by the chancellor of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang. However, a tactical blunder by Ma Su at the Battle of Jieting resulted in Shu being dealt a huge defeat by Zhang He, a general of the Cao Wei kingdom.
Much dramatization shrouds the death of Ma Su. In the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms as well as the Peking Opera Loss of Jieting, Ma Su was said to have been beheaded on Zhuge Liang's order. However, according to biographies of Ma Su and his close friend Xiang Lang (向朗) in Records of Three Kingdoms, Ma Su had actually attempted to escape after the defeat at Jieting, but was captured. He eventually died of sickness in jail before the ordered execution could be carried out.
Biography
A local of Yicheng (宜城), Ma Su was one of the five brothers in the family, all of whom were renowned for their intellects, though Ma Su's elder brother Ma Liang was deemed to be the most talented among them all. Together with Ma Liang, Ma Su began his service under Liu Bei around 205, when Liu Bei was still a guest of Liu Biao in Jing Province (present day Hubei and Hunan).
Since the start, Liu Bei's chief advisor Zhuge Liang had been impressed by Ma Su's expansive knowledge in military strategies. Before Liu Bei died in 223, he warned Zhuge that Ma Su was not as talented as he seemed and should not be given important appointments. However, Zhuge did not heed the warning, and Ma Su was made a personal military consultant to Zhuge soon after Liu died. The two would often hold discussions from dawn to dusk.
During the campaign against Meng Huo, Ma Su advised Zhuge to win Meng Huo over to serve Shu by capturing and releasing him again until Meng Huo finally surrenders and joins Shu.
Performance in Jieting
In 228, Zhuge Liang launched his Northern Expeditions against Cao Wei, Ma Su also proposed a plot to remove Sima Yi from command by causing discord within Wei by spreading rumors that Sima Yi intended to rebel and Cao Rui then removed him from command.[citation needed] Many suggested appointing either Wei Yan or Wu Yi (吴懿) as the vanguard commander, but Zhuge Liang chose the callow Ma Su instead.
Ma Su's forces encountered Zhang He's forces at Jieting. It was here that Ma Su made a serious tactical blunder. He had camped on top of a hill, believing the vantage point would provide him with a more advantageous position in terms of observation and a place of attack. The veteran general Wang Ping advised against Ma Su's decision, arguing that their water supply might be cut off and their forces surrounded. While his good counsel was rejected, Ma Su allowed Wang to take 1,000 men and camp nearby the source of the Shu forces' water supply.
As Wang Ping predicted, Zhang He took advantage of Ma Su's mistake by striking at the Shu camp's water supply. Scattering Wang Ping's much smaller force, he succeeded in cutting off the enemy's water supply. The parched soldiers of Shu were easily defeated when Zhang He then launched an offensive on the main camp itself.
Records on Ma Su's death
Though he survived the battle, Ma Su's army was nearly annihilated (Wang Ping was able to regroup some scattered forces), so he was soon arrested and was killed by Zhuge Liang as a way to soothe the mass.[2] However, a log from Ma Liang's biography says Ma Su eventually died of sickness in jail before an execution was actually carried out. Yet, another record from the biography of Xiang Lang states Xiang, as a close friend of Ma, assisted the latter to escape by muffling up Ma's jailbreak.[3] In any case, Ma was blamed by Zhuge to be a major factor the latter lost his first expedition to the north. But his wife and children were said to be taken good care of by Zhuge after Ma vanquished.
See also
Notes
- ^ de Crespigny, Rafe (2007). A biographical dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD). Brill. p. 649. ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0.
- ^ ((亮)戮謖以謝眾。) SGZ. Biography of Zhuge Liang.
- ^ (朗素與馬謖善，謖逃亡，朗知情不舉，亮恨之，免官還成都。). SGZ. Biography of Xiang Lang. Note the quote can combined with other sources to be interpreted as Ma deserted his army earlier (...but was captured and sent to jail.)
References
- Chen Shou (2002). San Guo Zhi. Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80665-198-5.
- Luo Guanzhong (1986). San Guo Yan Yi. Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80520-013-0.
- Lo Kuan-chung; tr. C.H. Brewitt-Taylor (2002). Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3467-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)