The 10 most powerful generals under Cao Cao’s command

The end of the Eastern Han Dynasty was a tumultuous period of history, with many brave and skilled generals taking the stage. Among the generals of the Three Kingdoms, the most powerful was the Cao Wei camp. The Shu Han generals are most famous for their “Five Tiger Generals”, namely Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong. However, in history, Zhao Yun was not among Liu Bei’s four generals of “front, back, left, right”. The generals of Eastern Wu were led by the “Twelve Tiger Ministers”, among whom Gan Ning and Tai Shi Ci were the most brave.
The generals under Cao Cao’s command can be divided into two categories. One is the “inner surname generals”, such as Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, etc; The other type is “foreign surnamed generals”, such as Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, etc. Today, let’s take a look at the top 10 most powerful generals under Cao Cao’s command. Dian Wei ranked last and was the first to sweep 6 Eastern Wu generals.
10th place: Dian Wei
Dian Wei, Cao Cao’s personal bodyguard, had extremely high martial arts skills. In the catchphrase “One Lv, Two Zhao, Three Dian Wei”, Dian Wei ranked third. But Dian Wei’s martial arts are actually similar to Xu Chu’s, but unfortunately he died very early. Dian Wei fought heroically to protect Cao Cao’s escape by blocking Zhang Xiu’s rebel army alone. Cao Cao deeply regretted and regretted this.
9th place: Xu Chu
Xu Chu, known as the ‘Tiger Madness’, became Cao Cao’s personal bodyguard after Dian Wei’s death and saved Cao Cao from danger multiple times. During the decisive battle between Cao Cao and Ma Chao, there was a meeting with Ma Chao. Ma Chao wanted to launch a surprise attack on Cao Cao, but he was glared at by Xu Chu and was too scared to act rashly. This incident is recorded in the “Records of the Three Kingdoms”.
Why are Dian Wei and Xu Chu ranked last? It’s because the most important thing for a general is to lead the army in battle, and their martial arts skills are secondary. For example, Zhou Yu and Lu Xun may not have high martial arts skills, but when it comes to commanding troops, they can completely crush Dian Wei and Xu Chu.
8th place: Full Pet
Man Chong, perhaps everyone is not very familiar with this person. He was a great general of Cao Wei and made great military achievements for Cao Cao. During the Battle of Red Cliffs, Man Chong began to follow Cao Cao in his expeditions to the east and west. Later, when Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan, Man Chong assisted Cao Ren in defending Fancheng with very few troops. Afterwards, Man Chong stationed his troops in Xinye to defend against Eastern Wu and repeatedly repelled its advances. Man Chong has experienced the three emperors of Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui, and can be said to have worked hard and achieved great success.
7th place: Xu Huang
Xu Huang was one of the “Five Great Generals” of Cao Wei. Xu Huang was a fierce general who followed Cao Cao in the early days. During the Battle of Guandu, he fought alongside Cao Cao against Yuan Shao and made military achievements. He was praised by Cao Cao as having the style of Zhou Yafu. Xu Huang’s most outstanding battle example was when Xiangfan defeated Guan Yu. At that time, Yu Jian was captured alive, Pang De was beheaded, and Cao Cao was so scared that he wanted to move the capital. Xu Huang was entrusted with the task at the critical moment and finally intercepted Guan Yu, who had shaken China, directly leading to Guan Yu’s defeat in Maicheng.
6th place: Yu Ban
Before the Battle of Xiangfan, Yu Jian was undoubtedly the leader of the “Five Wise Generals” and held the highest position among the foreign military commanders of Cao Wei. In the 21st year of Jian’an, Yu Jian was awarded the title of “False Jieyue” by Cao Cao and was appointed as the Left General. Yu Jian was very good at managing the army. In the battle where Dian Wei died, many soldiers of Cao Wei scattered and fled. Only the Wei army led by Yu Jian remained calm in the face of danger and protected Cao Cao’s safe retreat. Later, Yu Jian followed Cao Cao to the official ferry and defeated Yuan Shao, quelling the Changxi Rebellion. If he hadn’t met Guan Yu, Yu Jian would definitely have gone down in history.
In the Battle of Xiangfan, Yu Jian and Pang De led their troops to rescue Cao Ren. But during the rainy season, it rained heavily for more than ten days in a row, and Guan Yu flooded the Seventh Army, capturing Yu Jian and Pang De alive. Yu Jian surrendered to Guan Yu, while Pang De would rather die than surrender. After several twists and turns, Yu Jian returned to the state of Wei. At that time, Cao Cao had already passed away. Cao Pi showed Yu Jian a painting depicting him kneeling on the ground and surrendering to Guan Yu. After watching it, Yu Jian felt ashamed and soon ended in depression.
5th place: Xiahou Dun
Xiahou Dun was a senior general of the Cao Wei dynasty, holding the highest position among the military commanders of Cao Wei, and was conferred the title of “Grand General” by Cao Cao. Xiahou Dun was one of the earliest followers of Cao Cao, but unfortunately, he was shot blind in one eye during the battle with Lu Bu. Although Xiahou Dun had a high status, his performance was very dismal, with almost all losses and few victories. Later, Cao Cao had him guard the rear, and the opportunity to lead the army was reduced.
4th place: Zhang He
Zhang He was one of the “Five Wise Generals” of Cao Wei. Zhang He was originally a general of Yuan Shao, but after the Battle of Guandu, he surrendered to Cao Cao. Cao Cao highly valued Zhang He and directly appointed him as a subordinate general. Later, Zhang He fought countless battles with Cao Cao and achieved great success in pacifying Ma Chao and Han Sui. Zhang He led his army to defeat Ma Chao’s Western Liang army and fled in embarrassment. Later, during Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expedition, Zhang He was also the most relied upon veteran of Cao Wei.
3rd place: Xiahou Yuan
Xiahou Yuan, a famous general of Cao Wei. Ma Chao and Han Sui were defeated and defeated by Xiahou Yuan. Then Cao Cao ordered Xiahou Yuan to attack Zhang Lu and seize Hanzhong. Zhang Lu was no match for Xiahou Yuan and had no choice but to surrender. Afterwards, Xiahou Yuan stationed in Hanzhong to defend against Western Shu. Xiahou Yuan was the commander-in-chief of the Western Front of Cao Wei, and Zhang He was his deputy. In the Battle of Dingjun Mountain, Xiahou Yuan was killed by Huang Zhong and became the highest ranking military general who died on the front line during the Three Kingdoms period.
2nd place: Cao Ren
Cao Ren, the “Number One Fierce General with Inner Surnames” under Cao Cao’s command. Cao Ren’s defense can be regarded as the top of the Three Kingdoms. Cao Ren’s defense is not a battle level defense, but a strategic level defense. Cao Ren usually does not appear on the front battlefield, he is Cao Cao’s eternal iron guard. Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian, while Cao Ren suppressed Lv You; Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao, while Cao Ren defeated Liu Bei and Han Xun who were eyeing him fiercely; Cao Cao attacked Ma Chao, while Cao Ren brutally beat up the rebel generals Su Bo and Tian Yin in Xiliang. With Cao Ren’s flank guards, Cao Cao was able to move freely on the front battlefield without any worries.
1st place: Zhang Liao
If the general under Cao Cao’s command is the most capable of fighting, there is no doubt that it is Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao’s combat style is very tough, belonging to a typical reckless style. During Cao Cao’s northern expedition to Wuhuan, he was besieged at White Wolf Mountain due to intelligence errors. The generals of Cao Wei were all submissive and found it difficult to break through. Zhang Liao volunteered voluntarily, and Cao Cao handed over his commanding banner to Zhang Liao, allowing him to command the Wei army on his behalf. After Zhang Liao’s deployment was completed, he led his army into the battlefield and killed Wu Huan, Dan Yu, and Tuodun with one strike, becoming famous in the battle.
Zhang Liao’s most famous battle was the Battle of Xiaoyaojin. In the Battle of Xiaoyaojin, Zhang Liao led 800 cavalrymen to charge and kill Sun Quan’s 100000 strong Wu army formation, all the way to Sun Quan’s central army tent, which scared Sun Quan to the point of losing his life. This battle turned Zhang Liao into Sun Quan’s nightmare. In the Battle of Xiaoyaojin, Zhang Liao only used 7000 troops to sweep through six fierce generals of Eastern Wu. These six fierce generals of Eastern Wu are Zhou Tai, Gan Ning, Ling Tong, Chen Wu, Xu Sheng, and Pan Zhang.
In this battle, Zhang Liao, Wei Zhen, Xiaoyao, Jin, and Chen Wu died in battle, and Xu Sheng was seriously injured; Ling Tong and Zhou Tai were injured more than ten times to protect Sun Quan; Pan Zhang’s subordinates were defeated in all directions, and Gan Ning fought to the death with three hundred imperial guards. As a result, most of the Wu army lost their fighting spirit, and Gan Ning had to retreat.