Cheng Lian

Historical Record

According to the available historical and biographical materials, the record of Cheng Lian is blank. In the official sources such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, no explicit record or account of Cheng Lian's deeds can be found. Therefore, it is impossible to verify or expound from a historical standpoint his life, deeds, or specific role during the Three Kingdoms period. This means that the figure Cheng Lian exists mainly in literary creation, rather than being a real figure of the historical record.

In the Novel

Cheng Lian appears in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a general under Lü Bu, his image shaped mainly through his actions on the battlefield and his eventual end. He first appears in Chapters 11 and 12 of the novel as a general under Lü Bu's command. In Chapter 12 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cheng Lian accompanied Lü Bu on campaign and fought Cao Cao's army. At that time, Lü Bu, following Chen Gong's advice, laid an ambush outside the city of Dingtao, intending to break Cao Cao with fire. Cao Cao, however, saw through Lü Bu's scheme and instead laid an ambush of his own. When Lü Bu led his troops in deep, Cao Cao's generals Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xu Chu, Dian Wei, Li Dian, and Yue Jin charged out from all sides, forming an encirclement around Lü Bu's army. In this fierce battle, Lü Bu, outnumbered, was forced to flee in defeat. Cheng Lian, as one of Lü Bu's subordinate generals, did not escape. He was struck by an arrow from Cao Cao's general Yue Jin and died on the spot. This event directly caused Lü Bu's army heavy losses—"two of every three were gone"—and dealt a severe blow to their morale. Cheng Lian's death is not only an epitome of Lü Bu's faction's defeat in the Battle of Dingtao, but also indirectly prompted Chen Gong to advise Lü Bu to abandon Dingtao and turn instead to take refuge with Yuan Shu, thereby altering the course of Lü Bu's faction's fate. Though Cheng Lian's appearance in the novel is brief, his death episode played a key role in advancing Lü Bu's faction's retreat and the expansion of Cao Cao's power. History makes no clear record of this man named Cheng Lian; his image in the novel is entirely the product of literary creation.

Key Relationships

* Lü Bu: Cheng Lian was a general under Lü Bu, following Lü Bu on campaign. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, as one of Lü Bu's subordinate generals, he obeyed Lü Bu's command on the battlefield and joined in opposing Cao Cao. His death in battle directly affected the morale of Lü Bu's army and the course of the battle. (unique to the novel)
* Yue Jin: Yue Jin was the one who ended Cheng Lian. In the Battle of Dingtao, it was Yue Jin who shot Cheng Lian dead with a single arrow, ending his life in the novel. This earned Yue Jin a battle merit within Cao Cao's camp and further highlighted the valor of Cao Cao's generals. (unique to the novel)

Signature Scene

Cheng Lian's signature scene is concentrated in the Battle of Dingtao in Chapter 12 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In this scene, Lü Bu and Cao Cao fought a fierce battle at Dingtao. Lü Bu had originally intended to lay an ambush and attack Cao Cao with fire, but was instead seen through by Cao Cao, who laid an ambush of his own. When Cao Cao's generals Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xu Chu, Dian Wei, Li Dian, and Yue Jin charged out from all sides, Lü Bu's army fell into chaos, and Lü Bu himself, "reckoning he was no match for the enemy, fled in defeat." In this rout, Cheng Lian, as one of Lü Bu's subordinate generals, could not escape the pursuit of Cao Cao's army. He was at last "shot dead by an arrow" from Cao Cao's general Yue Jin. This scene is not only the only specific depiction of Cheng Lian in battle in the novel, but also the moment of his life's end. His death marks Lü Bu's crushing defeat in the Battle of Dingtao, and directly led Lü Bu's faction to abandon Dingtao and become wanderers. Thus Cheng Lian's being shot dead by Yue Jin is his best-known and only decisively significant signature scene in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. (unique to the novel)

Cheng Lian

Historical Record

In the Novel

Key Relationships

Signature Scene

1 relationships

Other1

演 ch.12