Who is stronger or weaker, Zhang Fei or Ma Chao? Not only do people like to talk about it today, in fact, even in the era when they lived, people have been talking about it. 1800 years later, this discussion and controversy continues. Since there is a dispute, it implies that they are evenly matched. Otherwise, there is nothing to argue about, just like the gap between Guan Gong and Yan Liang. Look at the romance before telling the official history. In the battle between Zhang Fei and Ma Chao, Luo Guanzhong wrote in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms:

Ma Chao saw that Zhang Feijun had arrived, drew his gun and retreated. There was still a stone's throw to retreat. Zhang Fei's army was tied to horses; Turn on the charger and come down one after another. Zhang Fei came out with a gun and shouted, Know Yan Zhang Yide! ? Ma Chao said: My family has been waiting for generations, and I don't know the village man! ? Zhang Fei was furious. Two horses at the same time, two guns at the same time About a hundred battles, regardless of the outcome.

I have to say that this description is unfair to Zhang Fei. ? With a gun? 、? Shout? 、? Great anger? This kind of modal particles and adjectives, Luo Guanzhong likes to use on Zhang Fei very much, so as to create an image of a brainless and headstrong man. Luo Guanzhong's intention is unknown, but Zhang Fei in history is not so simple. As for Ma Chao, Luo Guanzhong is still to the point.

There are countless arguments in history about who is stronger and who is weaker, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao.

Wei has five sons and Shu has five tigers. Feathers are extraordinary and not as good as others. ? Chen Shu

Feathers are gorgeous, flying to Yupi, and later Ma Mengqi followed the leader. At that time, people realized the power of flying and surpassing, but they were speechless. ? "Yuan feng class draft? "Zhanghou Temple in Langzhou"

The rest, such as Song Shu, Nan and Bei, have similar discussions and records. "Chen Shu" means that Guan Yu and others are not on the same level among the five generals of Shu and Han (there was no such thing as a general of the Five Tigers at that time). I'm all the same? It shows that at least 300 years after the Three Kingdoms, some people think that Zhang Fei and Ma Chao are on the same level. "The top student in Yuanfeng class" has a similar meaning, thinking that Zhang Fei and Guan Yu are the strongest in Shu Han, but after Ma Chao came, it is hard to say who is strong and who is weak. Of course, nothing can compare with Guan Yu.

The previous judgment has its own truth, but if we want to approach the truth, we must pursue those historical records that are closer to the Three Kingdoms in time. The above historical materials are two or three hundred years, or four or five hundred years, from the time when Zhang Fei and Ma Chao lived. Moreover, there is only evaluation, no performance, and the arguments are not convincing enough. In fact, an ancient book in the history of China is enough to uncover this truth. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yu Qian recorded in the book "Dian lue": (Ma) after overtaking, he worked for a captain and a supervisor, begged for help, was caught by an arrow, and fought for help.

This is the earliest and only historical record of Ma Chao's combat performance. Ma Chao later became a captain in Li Si (as Cao Cao did in his early years). He was in charge of the army and took part in the crusade against the national source. He was shot in the foot by an arrow, wrapped up on the spot and continued to fight, and beheaded Guoyuan. How is this fighting capacity? Everyone should have his own judgment in his heart. Personally, there is nothing to say about being brave, but compared with Zhang Fei's performance, it opens the gap:

Zhang Fei broke the bridge according to the water and stared at the spear. Body is Zhang Yide also, can come to * * * daredevil! ? No enemy dares to approach.

Note that it was not Guoyuan and others who scared Zhang Fei away, but Cao Cao's most elite butch riding troops and generals. In addition to the performance gap, there are also evaluations. Look at Ma Chao's evaluation first:

Ma Chao resisted tolerance and bravely built his home. What a pity! ? Reflection? Ma Chao chuan

Chen Shou thinks Ma Chao is at least brave. Look at Zhang Fei's evaluation again:

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are ten thousand enemies, and the world is a tiger minister. ? Reflection? Zhang Feichuan

At the beginning, Fei Xiongcai, together with Guan Yu and others (Guo Jia and Xun You), was called the enemy of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. ? Reflection? Zhang Feichuan

Ma Chao is brave and Zhang Fei is an enemy of ten thousand people (also recognized by the enemy at that time), and the two are completely different.

Even if the personal combat effectiveness is not at the same level, even if it is a general, there is a gap between the two. Ma Chao's most proud victory was basically achieved by Qiang conference semifinals. For example, when Ma Chao was in Liangzhou, he led more than 2,000 troops and killed five times his own Hu Jiangbing, which caused a great shock among Qiang conference semifinals. Ma Chao's fame in Hu Qiang also appeared at this time. Ma Chao was able to wipe out five times his own enemies, mainly relying on courage and morale. Ma Chao is very good at overwhelming opponents in momentum, which is one of his advantages. He had many performances before, during and after other people's lives, but many people didn't notice. Even against Cao Cao, he wanted to overwhelm Cao Cao with this magnificent momentum. Unfortunately, Cao Cao didn't buy it, and there was a tiger idiot around him.

Compared with Ma Chao, Zhang Fei's performance is much more outstanding on the whole. Zhang Fei's most classic World War I is also the first world war that can establish Zhang Fei's position as a strategist in history, that is, the first world war with Zhang He. Friends who are familiar with history should know what level Zhang He is. After Xia, a senior official in the western part of Cao Wei, died in battle, Zhang He was able to provoke the existence of the west beam of Cao Wei by himself. Sima Yi was able to counter Zhuge Liang's existence in a certain period of time when he could not get away. It was one of the mainstays in the late Cao Wei period. Moreover, Zhang is famous for his ingenuity and martial arts, but such a general was defeated by Zhang Fei by fighting rather than absolute strength difference when he was fighting with Zhang Fei, which is enough to tell everything.

Zhang He and Zhang Fei refused each other for more than fifty days. Zhang Fei led more than ten thousand troops and invited Zhang to fight his way out. The mountain road is narrow and there is no way to save it. Zhang Fei broke Zhang He.

Many people say that Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and Guan Lingbing are the only soldiers in Shu Han, and others can only assist in combat. Zhang Fei can lead more than 10 thousand people to fight alone, which proves that Zhang Fei also has independent ability.

Therefore, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao are not at the same level in terms of personal combat effectiveness or leading troops to fight. It is indeed a diplomatic issue that Ma Chao can have such a high status in Shu Han later. Ma Chao and his men, as well as his influence among Hu Qiang people, make it impossible for Liu Bei to regard him only as his general.