Niu Jin was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao

Cao 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...

 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...

 period 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...

. He continued serving 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...

 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...

 period.

Biography

Niu participated in the Battle of Jiangling

Battle of Jiangling

The Battle of Jiangling was fought by the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei against Cao Cao during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...

, during which he volunteered to lead 300 cavalry to attack the enemy, but was only saved by Cao Ren

Cao Ren

Cao Ren was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He played a significant part in assisting Cao Cao in the civil wars leading to the end of the Han Dynasty...

 when he got surrounded. He continued to work under Cao Ren at the battle of the Middle Island against Eastern Wu

Eastern Wu

Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...

, but they were defeated again.

Years later, he participated in the counter-attack against the invading 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...

 forces in 231 and scored a victory over 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....

's unit, and pursuited him to Mount Qi. In 234, he soundly defeated the Shu Han general Ma Dai

Ma Dai

Ma Dai was a military general of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He previously served under his uncle, the warlord Ma Teng...

 on the battlefield, and chopped off thousands of enemies' heads. In 238, he followed 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...

 in his campaign against Gongsun Yuan

Sima Yi's Liaodong campaign

Sima Yi's Liaodong campaign occurred in 238 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Sima Yi, a general of the state of Cao Wei, led a force of 40,000 troops to attack the warlord Gongsun Yuan, whose clan had ruled independently from the central government for three generations in the...

, and was promoted to General of the Rear.

However, his accomplishments during his later years had only earned him the apprehension from the Simas, thus he was ordered to commit suicide by drinking poison.

In fiction

In Luo Guanzhong

Luo 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...

, Niu was one of Cao Ren

Cao Ren

Cao Ren was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He played a significant part in assisting Cao Cao in the civil wars leading to the end of the Han Dynasty...

's subordinates. He chased Gan Ning

Gan Ning

Gan Ning was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was born in Linjiang, Ba Commandery .-Early life as a pirate:...

 back to Yiling during the battle of Jiangling

Battle of Jiangling

The Battle of Jiangling was fought by the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei against Cao Cao during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...

, but was surrounded by reinforcements led by Zhou Yu

Zhou Yu

Zhou Yu was a military general and strategist who served his close friend, the warlord Sun Ce, during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...

, and was ultimately defeated. Niu then regrouped and planned a night attack on Zhou's camp, but in the end he was once again beaten, suffering another great loss.