Ma Xiu

Historical Record

Biographical material on Ma Xiu is missing; the official histories contain no clear record of his life or deeds. We therefore cannot recover any verifiable information about Ma Xiu from the Records of the Three Kingdoms or other official histories.^[1]

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ma Xiu, the second son of Ma Teng and a younger brother of Ma Chao, first appears in Chapter 57. When Cao Cao summoned Ma Teng to the capital, Ma Teng's nephew Ma Dai remonstrated, arguing that Cao Cao "harbored unfathomable intentions" and that the trip might bring disaster. Ma Chao, by contrast, took an aggressive stance, wishing to "raise all the troops of Xiliang, follow his father in storming Xu Chang, and rid the realm of this menace."^[1]

Ma Teng ultimately decided to go to the capital, but he did not let Ma Chao accompany him. Considering that Cao Cao was wary of Ma Chao's power in Xiliang and of Han Sui's support, he chose instead to take Ma Xiu, Ma Tie (another of Ma Teng's sons in the novel), and his nephew Ma Dai along with him. Ma Teng's purpose was to reassure Cao Cao and avoid arousing suspicion through Ma Chao's might, while leaving Ma Chao behind in Xiliang as backup. In this context Ma Xiu is mentioned as one of those accompanying Ma Teng to the capital, his role chiefly serving to set off Ma Teng's decision and Ma Chao's standing.^[1]

In the novel Ma Xiu's image is relatively vague, with no independent action or notable characterization. He figures mostly as a member of the family, taking part in the event of Ma Teng's journey to the capital. This arrangement leaves Ma Xiu far less prominent in the novel than his elder brother Ma Chao, and gives him fewer appearances in later episodes than Ma Dai. His fate is tightly bound to the overall trajectory of the Ma Teng family, especially in the tragic ending in which Ma Teng is killed by Cao Cao after entering the capital, where Ma Xiu too meets misfortune.^[1]

Key Relationships

* Ma Teng (kin_of): Ma Xiu is Ma Teng's second son. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Ma Teng went to the capital he deliberately chose Ma Xiu, Ma Tie, and Ma Dai to accompany him rather than Ma Chao, hoping to reassure Cao Cao and leave Ma Chao to garrison Xiliang.^[1]
* Ma Chao (kin_of): Ma Xiu is Ma Chao's younger brother. Ma Chao proposed to accompany his father to the capital, but Ma Teng ultimately had Ma Xiu go along while leaving Ma Chao to guard Xiliang.^[1] (novel only)
* Ma Tie (kin_of): Ma Xiu is Ma Tie's brother. The two went to the capital together with their father Ma Teng.^[1] (novel only)
* Ma Dai (kin_of): Ma Xiu is Ma Dai's cousin. Ma Dai also accompanied Ma Teng to the capital.^[1] (novel only)

Signature Scenes

* Accompanying his father to the capital: Ma Xiu's most important scene in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is accompanying his father Ma Teng to Xu Chang. At the time Ma Teng faced Cao Cao's summons; Ma Dai remonstrated, and Ma Chao wished to follow his father in storming Xu Chang. After careful thought, however, Ma Teng decided to take Ma Xiu, Ma Tie, and Ma Dai with him while leaving Ma Chao to guard Xiliang. This decision was meant to balance the various powers, avoid Cao Cao's wariness of Ma Chao, and leave the Ma family a fallback. As one of the companions, Ma Xiu witnessed this crucial choice and ultimately met disaster together with his father.^[1] (novel only)