- Hou Cheng
Three Kingdoms infobox
Name=Hou Cheng
imagesize=
Caption=
Title=Cavarly commander
Kingdom=Lü Bu
Born=
Died=
Simp=侯成
Trad=侯成
Pinyin=Hóu Chéng
WG=Hou Ch'eng
Zi=
Other=Hou Cheng (侯成) was a cavalry commander under the minor
warlord Lü Bu during the lateEastern Han Dynasty andThree Kingdoms era in ancientChina . He eventually defected to rival warlordCao Cao during theBattle of Xiapi .According to the "
Spring and Autumn Annals of the Nine Provinces " (九州春秋) bySima Biao (司馬彪), Hou Cheng once sent a man to graze a band of fifteen horses outside the city. But the man drove the horse towardsXiaopei (小沛, present dayPei County ,Jiangsu ), intending to defect toLiu Bei . Hou Cheng personally led a pursuit and reclaimed the horses. His colleagues then gathered to celebrate. Before the feast ensued, Hou Cheng brought some wine to pay respect to Lü Bu, but the latter was enraged as he had enforced a ban on liquor. The fearful Hou Cheng then discarded all his wine and called off the celebration.When Cao Cao laid siege on Lü Bu in
Xiapi in 198, Hou Cheng, together withSong Xian andWei Xu , captured Lü Bu's chief advisorChen Gong and surrendered. Lü Bu was defeated and executed shortly afterwards. However, Hou Cheng's fate after the defection was not known.Hou Cheng in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Chapter 19 of the
14th century historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms " byLuo Guanzhong , Hou Cheng was said to have been spanked fifty times at the order ofLü Bu for breaking the liquor ban. This sowed the seed of discord between Lü Bu and his officers, who were already dissatisfied over Lü Bu valuing his wives more than his men.Hou Cheng then plotted with fellow colleagues
Song Xian andWei Xu to betray Lü Bu toCao Cao . That very night, he stole theRed Hare , Lü Bu's powerful steed, and headed for Cao Cao's camp outside the city. The next morning, Cao Cao's army launched an all-out attack on the city. Without his favorite ride, Lü Bu was ultimately bound by Song Xian and Wei Xu and handed to the enemy.References
*cite book|author=Chen Shou|title=San Guo Zhi|publisher=Yue Lu Shu She|year=2002|id=ISBN 7-80665-198-5
*cite book|author=Luo Guanzhong|title=San Guo Yan Yi|publisher=Yue Lu Shu She|year=1986|id=ISBN 7-80520-013-0
*cite book|author=Lo Kuan-chung; tr. C.H. Brewitt-Taylor|title=Romance of the Three Kingdoms|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|year=2002|id=ISBN 0-8048-3467-9ee also
*
Three Kingdoms
*Personages of the Three Kingdoms
*"Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms"
*"Romance of the Three Kingdoms "
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