Cheng Lian

Biography & Historical Record

Cheng Lian (died 198 AD) was a military general who served under the warlord Lu Bu during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Historical records, such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms and Hou Hanshu, document Cheng Lian as one of Lu Bu’s most trusted personal vanguards and close combat cavalry officers, alongside Wei Yue. During Lu Bu’s campaign under Yuan Shao against the Black Mountain Bandits led by Zhang Yan in Changshan, Cheng Lian accompanied Lu Bu in daring cavalry charges. Riding the famous steed Red Hare, Lu Bu, Cheng Lian, and Wei Yue directly charged into Zhang Yan’s massive army of tens of thousands of infantry and thousands of armored cavalry multiple times a day, breaking enemy formations and crushing the Black Mountain forces.

In 194 AD, Cheng Lian followed Lu Bu when he seized Yan Province from Cao Cao while Cao Cao was campaigning in Xu Province. During the fiercely contested Campaign of Yan Province, particularly around Puyang, Cheng Lian commanded vanguard cavalry units in direct engagements against Cao Cao’s forces. In 198 AD, during the Siege of Xiapi, Cao Cao personally led a major assault on Lu Bu’s strongholds. Lu Bu led a cavalry detachment out of the city to engage Cao Cao’s forces in a desperate attempt to break the encirclement. In the ensuing clash, Lu Bu was soundly defeated, and Cheng Lian was captured on the battlefield by Cao Cao’s general Yue Jin (or killed in combat during the collapse of the frontline).

Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms

In Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cheng Lian appears in Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 as one of Lu Bu’s Eight Tiger Generals (Eight Mighty Officers). During the Battle of Puyang against Cao Cao, Cheng Lian rides at the vanguard of Lu Bu’s army. In Chapter 11, during a fierce skirmish outside Puyang, Cheng Lian encounters Cao Cao’s brave commander Yue Jin in single combat. After exchanging weapons, Yue Jin overpoweringly shoots Cheng Lian with an arrow, striking him down from his horse and killing him instantly. His downfall serves as an early clash demonstrating the intense struggle between Lu Bu’s vanguard and Cao Cao’s rising generals.

Cheng Lian (成廉) — Literary Timeline

For detailed historical records, archives, and official chronicles, explore Cheng Lian on Wikipedia.

Key Relationships

Family

• No information

Friends

• Lu Bu (吕布, Lữ Bố): Sovereign and warlord whom Cheng Lian served as a trusted personal vanguard officer and cavalry commander.
• Wei Yue (魏越, Ngụy Việt): Fellow cavalry officer who served alongside Cheng Lian as Lu Bu’s personal vanguard, notably charging the Black Mountain Bandits in 193 AD.
• Zhang Liao (张辽, Trương Liêu): Senior commander serving under Lu Bu during the campaigns in Yan Province.
• Gao Shun (高顺, Cao Thuận): Senior commander and strategist serving under Lu Bu.
• Zang Ba (臧霸, Tang Bá): Fellow commander serving within Lu Bu’s military hierarchy.
• Song Xian (宋宪, Tống Hiến), Wei Xu (魏续, Ngụy Tục), Hou Cheng (侯成, Hầu Thành), Cao Xing (曹性, Tào Tính) & Hao Meng (郝萌, Hách Manh): Fellow officers who, alongside Cheng Lian, comprised Lu Bu’s Eight Tiger Generals.

Enemies

• Yue Jin (乐进, Nhạc Tiến): Cao Cao’s general who engaged Cheng Lian in single combat outside Puyang in 195 AD, ultimately killing him with an arrow.
• Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tháo): Warlord whose forces were the primary target of Cheng Lian’s cavalry charges during the Campaign of Yan Province and the Siege of Xiapi.
• Zhang Yan (张燕, Trương Yến): Leader of the Black Mountain Bandits whose forces were repeatedly broken by Cheng Lian and Lu Bu in 193 AD.

Other

• No information