Ma Chao, styled Mengqi, was one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Shu Han dynasty, brave and skilled in warfare, and had once been a vassal of the Xiliang region. However, after defecting to Liu Bei, his deeds rarely appeared in historical records. Why is that?

1. Early Experiences of Ma Chao

Ma Chao was born into a prominent family of Xiliang, with his father Ma Teng being a vassal of the region. As a young man, Ma Chao exhibited exceptional martial arts skills and was praised as "Splendid Ma Chao". He had once united with vassals of the Guangdong region to resist Cao Cao, but ultimately failed and was forced to defect to Zhang Lu.

2. Reasons for Defecting to Liu Bei

There were two reasons why Ma Chao defected to Liu Bei: first, he was not highly valued under Zhang Lu's command; second, he saw the benevolence and talent in Liu Bei. After Liu Bei captured the Yizhou region, Ma Chao chose to defect to him and became one of his subordinates.

3. Reasons for Disappearance

i. Changes in Political Status: Although Ma Chao was appointed as one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Shu Han dynasty after defecting to Liu Bei, his political status was not stable. Liu Bei's main cronies were Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, etc., and Ma Chao was always marginalized.

ii. Decrease in Warfare: There were relatively fewer wars in the Shu Han dynasty in the period after Ma Chao defected to Liu Bei. This meant that Ma Chao's martial arts skills were not fully utilized, and he made fewer military achievements.

iii. Personality Traits: Ma Chao had a fierce personality and was not good at handling interpersonal relationships. This affected his relations with other generals and led to a gradual decline in his status in the Shu Han dynasty.

4. Conclusion

In summary, the main reasons for Ma Chao's disappearance after defecting to Liu Bei were changes in his political status, a decrease in warfare, and personality traits. Nevertheless, Ma Chao remains a brave and skilled general of the Three Kingdoms period, and his deeds are still worth remembering.

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