Deng Ai was a military general 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...

 during the 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...

. It was said that whenever he saw a hill or wide valley, he would immediately size up the best places to store grain and position troops. His talent was recognized by Sima Yi

Sima Yi

Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...

, who recommended him to take up greater appointments. Deng Ai also defended Wei from attacks

Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions

Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions refer to a series of nine military campaigns launched by Shu Han general Jiang Wei against the rival state of Cao Wei from 247 to 262 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Each expedition was aborted eventually due to inadequate food supplies or...

 led by Jiang Wei

Jiang Wei

Jiang Wei was a military general and regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He originally served Shu's rival state, Cao Wei, as a middle-level military officer, but defected to the Shu strategist Zhuge Liang, leaving his mother in Wei. After that, Jiang...

 of the rival state of Shu Han

Shu Han

Shu Han was one of the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period, after the fall of the Han Dynasty. The state was based on areas around Sichuan, which was then known as Shu...

.

In 263, Deng Ai took part in the campaign against Shu

Conquest of Shu by Wei

The conquest of Shu by Wei was a military campaign launched by the state of Cao Wei against its rival Shu Han in 263 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The campaign culminated in the fall of Shu and the tripartite equilibrium maintained in China for over 40 years since the end of...

 with Zhong Hui

Zhong Hui

Zhong Hui was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the son of Zhong Yao, a calligrapher and politician of Wei....

. Jiang Wei fended them off somewhere south of Hanzhong

Hanzhong

Hanzhong is a municipality in southwest Shaanxi Province, China, occupying a historically significant valley in the mountains between the Xi'an area, home to many Chinese capitals, and the fertile but isolated Sichuan Basin...

. Deng Ai suggested to pass troops through Yinping (陰平) but Zhong Hui rejected the idea.

Deng Ai then carried out his own plan with his son Deng Zhong and troops and it turned out to be a great success. They eventually managed to enter Chengdu

Chengdu

Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...

, and the Shu emperor Liu Shan

Liu Shan

Liu Shan, , was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. As he ascended the throne at the young age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Liang and Imperial Secretariat Li Yan...

 surrendered.

Jiang Wei, however, did not want Shu to fall. He determined that Zhong Hui wanted to rebel against Wei. They united, defamed Deng Ai, and ordered Wei Guan

Wei Guan

Wei Guan , style name Boyu , formally Duke Cheng of Lanling , was an official of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He served the Jin Dynasty after the end of Cao Wei.-Early life and career:...

 to capture him. Jiang Wei's plan failed and the Wei army killed Zhong Hui and Jiang Wei. These soldiers tried to rescue Deng Ai, but Wei Guan feared that they might take vengeance on him so he killed both Deng Ai and Deng Zhong.

Deng Ai, prior to his appointment, was often harassed because of his stuttering problem, a fault which he used to his advantage in speaking with his superiors, who often regarded his curious stuttering as jokes or witty expressions.

Appointments and titles held

• Official in the Grand Commandant's Office (太尉府掾屬)
• Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat (尚書郎)
• Marquis of Guannei (關內侯)
• Administrator of Runan (汝南太守)
• Inspector of Yan Province (兗州刺史)
• General Who Inspires Might (振威將軍)
• General Who Pacifies the West (安西將軍)
• General Who Guards the West (鎮西將軍)
• Marquis of Deng (鄧侯)
• General Who Attacks the West (征西將軍)

Modern references

Deng Ai is first introduced as a playable character in the seventh installment

Dynasty Warriors 7

is a hack and slash video game and the seventh official installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. It is developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game has been confirmed to be PS3 exclusive in Japan. The story is based on Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms....

 of Koei's Dynasty Warriors

Dynasty Warriors

is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...

video game series.