The Five Elite Generals refer to five military generals serving under the warlord
Cao Cao
Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...
in the late
Eastern Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
of China. They later served in the state of
Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's son and successor
Cao Pi, during the
Three Kingdoms period. The five were
Yu Jin,
Zhang He,
Yue Jin,
Zhang Liao and
Xu Huang.
The biographies of the five generals are found in the historical text ''
Records of the Three Kingdoms
The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...
'' (''Sanguozhi'') written by
Chen Shou in the third century. After writing the biographies, Chen Shou commented: "Throughout Cao Cao's military exploits, these five were the ''crème de la crème'' of the best generals of that era."
Chen Shou then appraised Yu Jin, Zhang He and Yue Jin as follows:
: "Yu Jin was persistent and steady but he did not remain firm until the end."
: "Zhang He was famous for his ability to adapt well to changes in the situations he faced."
: "Yue Jin made his name due to his bravery but his deeds are not supported by other historical sources. It could be due to lapses in documentation, which is why (information on Yue Jin) is not as complete as compared to that on Zhang Liao and Xu Huang.
[(...樂進以驍果顯名，而鑒其行事，未副所聞。或註記有遺漏，未如張遼、徐晃之備詳也。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 17.]
See also
*
Five Tiger Generals
*
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...
References
*
Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''
Records of the Three Kingdoms
The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...
'' (''Sanguozhi'').
{{DEFAULTSORT:Five Elite Generals
Cao Wei generals