| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 马秋, 馬秋, Mǎ Qiū |
| Nickname | Eldest son of Ma Chao (马超长子) |
| Other name | Mã Thu |
| INFORMATION | |
| Birth Place | Fufeng, Liangzhou (右扶风茂陵; Hữu Phù Phong Mậu Lăng) |
| Died | 215 AD |
| Death Reason | Executed by Zhang Lu (张鲁, Trương Lỗ) on Cao Cao's orders after Hanzhong fell (215 AD) |
| FAMILY | |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Relatives | |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Ma Chao faction; Zhang Lu (as hostage) |
| Battles |
|
Biography & Historical Record
Ma Qiu (马秋, Mã Thu) was the eldest son of Ma Chao (马超, Mã Siêu) by Lady Dong (董氏, Đổng thị). When Ma Chao abandoned Zhang Lu‘s (张鲁, Trương Lỗ) Hanzhong in 214 AD to join Liu Bei (刘备, Lưu Bị) in Chengdu, Ma Qiu and his mother were left behind as hostages in Zhang Lu’s territory. The following year Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tháo) conquered Hanzhong, accepted Zhang Lu’s surrender, and deliberately broke Ma Chao’s northern lineage: Lady Dong was given to the strategist Yan Pu (阎圃, Diêm Phổ), and Zhang Lu was commanded to execute Ma Qiu personally — a cold political slaughter meant to punish Ma Chao’s repeated rebellions in Liangzhou.
Ma Qiu’s death contrasts sharply with his half-brother Ma Cheng (马承, Mã Thừa), who survived in Shu and later inherited Ma Chao’s marquisate. The episode illustrates how Three Kingdoms politics consumed even children as collateral in the struggle between Cao Wei, Zhang Lu’s Daoist state, and Ma Chao’s wandering loyalty.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapters 64–65: The novel follows Ma Chao (马超, Mã Siêu)‘s flight from Hanzhong and defection to Liu Bei — Ma Qiu is not named in Luo Guanzhong’s dialogue, but the historical hostage left behind when Ma Chao escapes Zhang Lu is the same family crisis. Chapter 67 (Hanzhong campaign context): Cao Cao’s conquest of Hanzhong and Zhang Lu’s surrender — the historical setting for Ma Qiu’s execution, though the son is not individualized in the novel text.
Ma Qiu (马秋) — Historical & Literary Timeline
Birth in Liangzhou
Eldest son of Ma Chao and Lady Dong — raised in the Ma warlord household of the northwest.
Hostage at Hanzhong
Left with Lady Dong when Ma Chao flees Zhang Lu for Liu Bei’s Yi Province.
Execution ordered
After Cao Cao takes Hanzhong, Zhang Lu kills Ma Qiu by Cao Cao’s command; Lady Dong given to Yan Pu.
See also Ma Chao and Lady Dong (Ma Chao’s Wife).
Key Relationships
Family
- Ma Chao (马超, Mã Siêu): Father — Liangzhou general who abandoned Hanzhong hostages to join Liu Bei.
- Lady Dong (董氏, Đổng thị): Mother — given to Yan Pu after Hanzhong fell.
- Ma Cheng (马承, Mã Thừa): Half-brother — survived in Shu and inherited the Wei marquisate.
- Ma Dai (马岱, Mã Đại): Cousin — continued Ma Chao’s martial line in Shu service.
Friends
- Lady Dong (董氏, Đổng thị): Mother and fellow hostage in Zhang Lu’s domain until 215 AD.
Enemies
- Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tháo): Ordered Ma Qiu’s execution to destroy Ma Chao’s northern heirs.
- Zhang Lu (张鲁, Trương Lỗ): Carried out the execution after surrendering Hanzhong to Cao Cao.
Other
- Yan Pu (阎圃, Diêm Phổ): Received Lady Dong after Cao Cao’s disposition of Ma Chao’s family.
- Liu Bei (刘备, Lưu Bị): Beneficiary of Ma Chao’s 214 AD defection — the political choice that left Ma Qiu behind.
In Novel
Chapters 64–65
- Ma Qiu (马秋, Mã Thu): Not named when Ma Chao (马超, Mã Siêu) escapes Zhang Lu (张鲁, Trương Lỗ) for Liu Bei (刘备, Lưu Bị) — the historical eldest son left as hostage belongs to the same flight scene the novel dramatizes without individual dialogue.
Chapter 67 (Hanzhong context)
- Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tháo) conquers Hanzhong and receives Zhang Lu's surrender — the campaign backdrop for the historical execution of Ma Qiu, though Luo Guanzhong does not narrate the son's death by name.
In History
Summary
- Ma Qiu (马秋, Mã Thu), eldest son of Ma Chao and Lady Dong, was executed at Hanzhong in 215 AD on Cao Cao's orders after Zhang Lu's surrender.
Year: 214 AD
- Left as hostage with Lady Dong when Ma Chao joins Liu Bei in Yi Province.
Year: 215 AD
- Cao Cao gives Lady Dong to Yan Pu and commands Zhang Lu to kill Ma Qiu personally — exterminating Ma Chao's line in the north.
Historical Record
- Sanguozhi, Shu 36 (马超传) and Wei 1 (武帝纪): Ma Chao biography and Cao Cao's Hanzhong conquest — Pei Songzhi preserves the hostage and execution notices.
- Huayang Guo Zhi traditions on Zhang Lu's surrender corroborate the family disposition.
COMMENTS (0)