Chen Shi
Encyclopedia
Chen Shi was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei
during the late Han Dynasty
and Three Kingdoms
era of Chinese history
.
, and the Battle of Xiaoting
. Despite being treated as one of the small potatoes by most modern researchers, Chen was highly valued by Liu as evidenced by his role in the wars he took part in.
, Chen was given command of ten camps, and was tasked to cut the connection between Nanzheng (where Cao Cao's generals, Xiahou Yuan
and Zhang He
stationed their troops) and Chang'an
(which served as a grain depot). However, Xiahou had placed Xu Huang
in Mamengge to keep check on his supply line; when Chen was leading his troops through a mountainous terrain, he encountered Xu, and was dealt a major defeat wherein many Shu soldiers fell from the cliff and died. Although being badly defeated, Chen continued to support Liu in the campaign, and assisted him to reach ultimate military objective in conquering Hanzhong region.
After Guan Yu
lost Jing Province
to the southern warlord, Sun Quan
, Liu Bei was furious and launched an all-out assault on Sun. Chen was assigned as the Naval Commander (or Deputy Naval Commander) along Wu Ban
to lead the navy downstream the Yangtze River
to attack Yiling. Chen and Wu achieved initial success on their mission as the Sun forces under Lu Xun
's command performed a strategic retreat. Liu controlled the high rounds along the way and set up numerous camps with wooden barricades protecting each; Chen guarded the water passages and Huang Quan
stationed on the northern bank to prevent any interruption from the state of Cao Wei
. By the time, the Shu Han forces thought they would score a complete victory, and challenged the Sun forces several times, but Lu Xun did not make any move. However, Lu was actually waiting the Shu emperor to relocate his best troops into the forests when summer came, because Lu had noticed a fatal mistake committed by Liu: Liu distributed his troops in over 50 camps along the 350 km line from Wuxia to Yiling on the banks of Yangtze River, and had his camps linked with mainly wooden fortifications. When autumn arrived, the grandiose display of Liu's camps was destroyed by Lu's fire attack. Meantime, Chen lost the control of upstream Yangtze to Sun’s generals, Song Qian and Zhu Ran
, and went into Ma'an Hills to rendezvous with the remnants of Liu. They were caught up and besieged on the top of a mountain, but was able to sneak out under the cover of night, and successfully fled to Baidicheng to recuperate.
, launched his first Northern Expedition, an unusual scenario befell Chen Shi, as he was placed under the inexperienced Ma Su
as a subordinate general to guard the strategic Jieting, where Ma's force was annihilated by the enemy. Even being the most favored assistant of Zhuge, Ma was blamed as the cause of the failure of the entire campaign; thus, he was executed by Zhuge in tears, and four subordinate generals including Chen, whom Ma commanded during the siege of Jieting, were also held responsible and were punished severely. Chen’s penalty could be said to be comparably light to his executed comrades as he only got all his hairs shaved.
Being a man without hairs looked funny and was shameful in the world Chen lived, yet, he was able to overcome this inglorious page of his life, and actively joined Zhuge's 2nd invasion in 229. Upon the painful lesson from Jieting, Zhuge finally used Chen, who was valued by Liu Bei, to be the vanguard. Chen led his troops into Wudu and Yinping commanderies, while Zhuge led the main force to Jianwei County. Cao Rui
's general, Guo Huai
, planned to attack Chen, but aborted the operation when he received intelligence that Zhuge had led a sizable army to the northwest of Chen's position. Thus, Chen conquered the two commanderies without much resistance.
in his Records of Three Kingdoms
, makes people suspect they were somehow related. As recorded, Chen Shou's father was punished by Zhuge Liang, so researchers in later dynasties deduced Chen Shi was the father of the Jin Dynasty historian, Chen Shou; however, such claim is lack of precise historical support.
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
, Chen was captured at the Battle of Mount Dingjun
by Xiahou Yuan's forces, but was released in exchange for Xiahou Shang
, who was captured by Liu Bei's forces. In the same novel, during the third Northern Campaign of Zhuge Liang
, he tried to lay his failure to Wei Yan
however Zhuge already knew the truth that Chen Shi tried to blame Yan, he was executed by Zhuge.
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
during the late Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
and Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
era of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
.
Biography
Not much was known about Chen, but he indeed participated in the two most important campaigns of Liu Bei: the Hanzhong CampaignHanzhong Campaign
The Hanzhong Campaign was a military campaign launched by the warlord Liu Bei to seize control of the commandery of Hanzhong from his rival Cao Cao. The campaign took place between 217 and 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
, and the Battle of Xiaoting
Battle of Xiaoting
The Battle of Xiaoting, also known as the Battle of Yiling and the Battle of Yiling and Xiaoting, was fought between the states of Eastern Wu and Shu Han in 222 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
. Despite being treated as one of the small potatoes by most modern researchers, Chen was highly valued by Liu as evidenced by his role in the wars he took part in.
Service under Liu Bei
During the Hanzhong Campaign against Cao CaoCao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
, Chen was given command of ten camps, and was tasked to cut the connection between Nanzheng (where Cao Cao's generals, Xiahou Yuan
Xiahou Yuan
Xiahou Yuan was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was killed in the Battle of Mount Dingjun against Liu Bei's general Huang Zhong in 219, and was given the posthumous title of Marquis Min , literally meaning "sympathetic...
and Zhang He
Zhang He
Zhang He was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He continued serving the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period until his death....
stationed their troops) and Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
(which served as a grain depot). However, Xiahou had placed Xu Huang
Xu Huang
Xu Huang was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He served the state of Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's successor Cao Pi, during the Three Kingdoms period...
in Mamengge to keep check on his supply line; when Chen was leading his troops through a mountainous terrain, he encountered Xu, and was dealt a major defeat wherein many Shu soldiers fell from the cliff and died. Although being badly defeated, Chen continued to support Liu in the campaign, and assisted him to reach ultimate military objective in conquering Hanzhong region.
After Guan Yu
Guan Yu
Guan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...
lost Jing Province
Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province
Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province was a battle fought between the warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei in 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Sun Quan's forces, led by Lü Meng, invaded Liu Bei's territory of Jing Province , which was defended by Guan Yu, and succeeded...
to the southern warlord, Sun Quan
Sun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
, Liu Bei was furious and launched an all-out assault on Sun. Chen was assigned as the Naval Commander (or Deputy Naval Commander) along Wu Ban
Wu Ban
Wu Ban, style name Yuanxiong , was a military general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. A relative of Wu Yi , Wu Ban at one time was a close servant under Liu Zhang. During the Battle of Xiaoting against Sun Quan, Wu Ban was tasked to lead the vanguard, winning many...
to lead the navy downstream the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
to attack Yiling. Chen and Wu achieved initial success on their mission as the Sun forces under Lu Xun
Lu Xun (Three Kingdoms)
Lu Xun was a military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is best known for defeating Liu Bei's forces at the Battle of Xiaoting in 222.-Early life:...
's command performed a strategic retreat. Liu controlled the high rounds along the way and set up numerous camps with wooden barricades protecting each; Chen guarded the water passages and Huang Quan
Huang Quan
Huang Quan , style name Gongheng , was a military general of the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He first served the warlord Liu Zhang in Yi Province. In 211, Huang Quan warned Liu Zhang that Liu Bei was planning to seize control of Yi Province from him...
stationed on the northern bank to prevent any interruption from the state of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
. By the time, the Shu Han forces thought they would score a complete victory, and challenged the Sun forces several times, but Lu Xun did not make any move. However, Lu was actually waiting the Shu emperor to relocate his best troops into the forests when summer came, because Lu had noticed a fatal mistake committed by Liu: Liu distributed his troops in over 50 camps along the 350 km line from Wuxia to Yiling on the banks of Yangtze River, and had his camps linked with mainly wooden fortifications. When autumn arrived, the grandiose display of Liu's camps was destroyed by Lu's fire attack. Meantime, Chen lost the control of upstream Yangtze to Sun’s generals, Song Qian and Zhu Ran
Zhu Ran
Zhu Ran was a military general of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. Despite being a childhood friend of the first emperor of Eastern Wu, Sun Quan, he was never tasked with important position nor assignment before Lü Meng's invasion of southern Jing Province in 219,...
, and went into Ma'an Hills to rendezvous with the remnants of Liu. They were caught up and besieged on the top of a mountain, but was able to sneak out under the cover of night, and successfully fled to Baidicheng to recuperate.
Service under Zhuge Liang
When the regent of Shu, Zhuge LiangZhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
, launched his first Northern Expedition, an unusual scenario befell Chen Shi, as he was placed under the inexperienced Ma Su
Ma Su
Ma Su was a military general and strategist of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the younger brother of Ma Liang. Ma Su had conspicuous talent in military theories and was admired by the Shu chancellor Zhuge Liang...
as a subordinate general to guard the strategic Jieting, where Ma's force was annihilated by the enemy. Even being the most favored assistant of Zhuge, Ma was blamed as the cause of the failure of the entire campaign; thus, he was executed by Zhuge in tears, and four subordinate generals including Chen, whom Ma commanded during the siege of Jieting, were also held responsible and were punished severely. Chen’s penalty could be said to be comparably light to his executed comrades as he only got all his hairs shaved.
Being a man without hairs looked funny and was shameful in the world Chen lived, yet, he was able to overcome this inglorious page of his life, and actively joined Zhuge's 2nd invasion in 229. Upon the painful lesson from Jieting, Zhuge finally used Chen, who was valued by Liu Bei, to be the vanguard. Chen led his troops into Wudu and Yinping commanderies, while Zhuge led the main force to Jianwei County. Cao Rui
Cao Rui
Cao Rui , formally known as Emperor Ming of Wei, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was a son of Cao Wei's first emperor Cao Pi according to Liu Song dynasty historian, Pei Songzhi, but was a son of Yuan Xi according to modern...
's general, Guo Huai
Guo Huai
Guo Huai , style name Boji , was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He started his career during the late Han Dynasty under the warlord Cao Cao. During Cao Pi's reign, Guo rose up the ranks and became a grand marshal under Sima Yi...
, planned to attack Chen, but aborted the operation when he received intelligence that Zhuge had led a sizable army to the northwest of Chen's position. Thus, Chen conquered the two commanderies without much resistance.
Death, and relationship with Chen Shou
Historically, besides a trusted general of Liu Bei, Chen Shi was also one of the few Shu generals who achieved some merits during Zhuge's ill-fated northern expeditions. However, the fact that he was not given a separate biography by Chen ShouChen Shou
Chen Shou was a historian during the Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history. He is best known as the author of Records of Three Kingdoms, a historical account of the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period.-Biography:...
in his Records of Three Kingdoms
Records of Three Kingdoms
Records of Three Kingdoms , is regarded as the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history covering the years 184-280 CE. Written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century, the work combines the smaller histories of the rival states of Cao Wei , Shu Han and...
, makes people suspect they were somehow related. As recorded, Chen Shou's father was punished by Zhuge Liang, so researchers in later dynasties deduced Chen Shi was the father of the Jin Dynasty historian, Chen Shou; however, such claim is lack of precise historical support.
In fiction
In Luo GuanzhongLuo Guanzhong
Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
, Chen was captured at the Battle of Mount Dingjun
Battle of Mount Dingjun
The Battle of Mount Dingjun was fought between the warlords Liu Bei and Cao Cao in 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Liu Bei's victory in the battle marked a major milestone in his Hanzhong Campaign.-The battle:...
by Xiahou Yuan's forces, but was released in exchange for Xiahou Shang
Xiahou Shang
Xiahou Shang was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was a distant nephew of Xiahou Yuan and father of Xiahou Xuan and Lady Xiahou Hui.-Biography:...
, who was captured by Liu Bei's forces. In the same novel, during the third Northern Campaign of Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
, he tried to lay his failure to Wei Yan
Wei Yan
Wei Yan was a military general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He became a soldier of Liu Bei when the latter fled Jing Province and seek protection from the eastern warlord, Sun Quan, in 208. In 211, Wei had climbed up the ranks and become a general in Liu Bei's...
however Zhuge already knew the truth that Chen Shi tried to blame Yan, he was executed by Zhuge.