Wen Chou () (died 200) was a military general serving under the warlord

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred to ...

during 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. His force was defeated by that of rival 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

Battle of Yan Ford The Battle of Yan Ford took place along the southern banks of the Yellow River in the late Eastern Han dynasty. The battle was closely preceded by the Battle of Boma, and was part of a series of engagements leading to the decisive confrontatio ...

and he was killed in the midst of battle.

Life

Historical records pertaining to Wen Chou are scarce. References to him could be found in the ''

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– ...

'' in the biographies of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao,

Xun Yu Xun Yu (163–212), courtesy name Wenruo, was a Chinese military official and politician who served as an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Early life Xun Yu was from Yingchuan Commandery (around pr ...

and

Xun You Xun You (157–214), courtesy name Gongda, was a statesman who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China and served as an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao. Born in the influential Xun family of Yingchuan Commandery (around present-d ...

, from where it could be gathered that Wen Chou was a fierce warrior whose prowess in battle matched that of his counterpart,

Yan Liang Yan Liang () (died 200) was a military general serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was slain by Guan Yu at the Battle of Boma. Life Little is known about Yan Liang's life. The only historic ...

. In 200, after Yan Liang was killed in the

Battle of Boma The Battle of Boma or Battle of Baima was the first of a series of battles that led to the decisive Battle of Guandu between the warlords Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in northern China in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Although Cao Cao won t ...

, Yuan Shao brought his main army south of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

and launched a full-fledged attack on Cao Cao. Wen Chou and

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...

were sent forth with a vanguard force of more than 5,000 riders to pursue Cao Cao's retreating forces. Making a stand atop a knoll, Cao Cao retained less than 600 cavalry and let loose the remaining horses. As Wen Chou's troops arrived, many broke ranks to loot the horses and other supplies. Cao Cao then gave order for a counterattack. The small but elite cavalry force scored a brilliant victory over the disorganised enemy and killed Wen Chou in battle. In the official records, Wen Chou died in battle to unknown assailants, but secondary sources written after the period attribute

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

as the one who slayed Wen Chou.《山西通志》：斩颜良于白马，诛文丑于南坡。

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

In the 14th-century historical novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'', Wen Chou is said to have a face like that of the ''

xiezhi The ''xiezhi'' () is a mythical ancient creature of Chinese origin impact to throughout East Asian legends. It resembles an ox or goat, with thick dark fur covering its body, bright eyes, and a single long horn on its forehead. It has great intel ...

''. In Chapter 5, Yuan Shao praises Wen Chou's prowess in battle when he laments, while under attack by

Hua Xiong Hua Xiong () (died 191) was a military general serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Little is recorded about Hua Xiong in history, apart from the fact that he served as a military officer un ...

, that "If I had either Yan Liang or Wen Chou here, I would have nothing to fear." This comment foreshadows the appearance of Wen Chou in chapter 26, where he volunteers to avenge his close friend Yan Liang, who is killed in the Battle of Boma by Guan Yu. Given 70,000 troops, Wen Chou crosses the Yellow River and heads straight towards Cao Cao's camp. In an unusual move, Cao Cao turns his entire formation around, placing the supplies in front. While Wen Chou's soldiers are busy looting the supplies, Cao Cao directs his men south onto a knoll, from where they allow their horses to graze. Wen Chou's soldiers pounce upon the horses as they approach the knoll and become disorganised. Cao Cao then gives the order for a counterattack, forcing the enemy to retreat.

Zhang Liao Zhang Liao () (169–222), courtesy name Wenyuan, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served briefly in the state of Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's successor Cao Pi, in the ...

and

Xu Huang Xu Huang () (died 227), courtesy name Gongming, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later served in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period under the first ...

, two of Cao Cao's best generals, give chase. Wen Chou fires two arrows from atop his horse, one of which slices off the feather on Zhang Liao's helmet and the other hits his horse in the face. Brandishing his poleaxe, Xu Huang charges towards Wen Chou but has to retreat when a band of enemy soldiers come to their commander's rescue. Leading a dozen riders,

then cuts off Wen Chou's escape and engaged him in a duel. Within three bouts, Wen Chou withdraws and attempts to evade. However, Guan Yu's horse, the

Red Hare The Red Hare or Chi Tu () was a famous horse owned by the warlord Lü Bu, who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In historical records The Red Hare was mentioned in Lü Bu's biographies in the historical texts ''Records of the T ...

, is of a superior breed and soon catches up with him. Guan Yu then kills Wen Chou from behind.

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Wen, Chou 2nd-century births 200 deaths Generals under Yuan Shao Han dynasty people killed in battle

Life

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

See also

Notes

References