21 Facts About Xiahou Ba

Xiahou Ba, courtesy name Zhongquan, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China.

Xiahou Ba was the second son of Xiahou Yuan, a prominent general who served under Cao Cao, the warlord who laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei.

Around 249, Xiahou Ba defected to Wei's rival state, Shu Han, after the regent Sima Yi seized power in a coup d'etat.

Xiahou Ba's parents were important figures in Cao Wei; his father, Xiahou Yuan, had fought alongside his distant cousin and founder of Wei, Cao Cao, since the start of the civil war, and was one of the most trusted of Cao's generals, while Xiahou Ba's mother was a sister-in-law of Cao Cao.

Xiahou Ba displayed great hatred for Shu, and vowed revenge for his father.

In 220, Xiahou Yuan's eldest son Xiahou Heng was given his own marquisate and marquis title, so Xiahou Ba inherited his father's marquis title with a stipend of tax revenues from 800 taxable households.

In 230, when the Wei general Cao Zhen proposed a shift from defensive to offensive stance against Shu Han, Lieutenant-General Xiahou Ba was named as the vanguard.

Since then, Xiahou Ba was appointed General of the Right, and stationed in Longxi Commandery to train troops; he personally cared for his soldiers and established friendly relation with the foreign tribes of the region hence he acquired their admiration.

When Cao Shuang decided to wage war against Shu to enhance his personal influence and reputation, Xiahou Ba was made Protector of the Army and came under command of Xiahou Xuan, who was the marquis's son in the clan.

From 244 to 249, Xiahou Ba played into the hands of Guo Huai, who wielded power to temporarily command him when a military crisis arose.

In 247, when some tribal leaders rebelled against Wei, Xiahou Ba came under attack by the Shu general Jiang Wei, who came to support the tribes.

Together with Guo Huai, Xiahou Ba repelled Jiang Wei's attack and struck back at the rebels, forcing many of them to surrender.

At this point, it is clear that Guo Huai, instead of Xiahou Ba Xuan, was the actual commander on the field to give out orders.

For instance, when Guo Huai decided to attack Jiang Wei's subordinate, Liao Hua, Xiahou Ba was ordered directly by the decision maker to tail Jiang Wei's main troop to the west.

In 249, after a coup d'etat by Sima Yi against Cao Shuang, a lot of the latter's affiliates were put to death; being a close friend and associate of Cao Shuang, Xiahou Ba was sensitive to the political developments and grew suspicious of Sima Yi's faction.

Fraught with dread, Xiahou Ba discussed the issue with Xiahou Xuan, and persuaded the latter to flee with him to Shu.

Therefore, Xiahou Ba embarked on his lone journey into Shu.

On his way to Shu, Xiahou Ba lost his way and went into a dead end in a valley, where he ran out of food and resorted to killing his horse, taking the carcass as a last supper.

Xiahou Ba kept walking until his legs were crippled, then he laid beneath a shadow projected from a large rock, and asked travellers for direction, but still could not figure out how to get out from the dead end.

Xiahou Ba distinguished himself in Jiang Wei's greatest victory in his campaigns, which was the Battle of Didao, after that battle, Xiahou Ba was not mentioned again in historic records.

Xiahou Ba is first introduced as a playable character in the seventh installment of Koei's Dynasty Warriors video game series.