Xiahou Ba

Xiahou Ba
A Qing Dynasty illustration of Xiahou Ba
General of Shu Han
Born	Unknown
Died	c. 255-259
Names
Traditional Chinese	夏侯霸
Simplified Chinese	夏侯霸
Pinyin	Xiàhóu Bā
Wade–Giles	Hsia-hou Pa
Courtesy name	Zhongquan (simplified Chinese: 仲权; traditional Chinese: 仲權; pinyin: Zhòngquán; Wade–Giles: Chung-chüan)

Xiahou Ba (died c. 255-259), courtesy name Zhongquan, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. He was the second son of Xiahou Yuan, a prominent general who served under Cao Cao, the warlord who laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei. Around 249, Xiahou Ba defected to Wei's rival state, Shu Han, after the regent Sima Yi seized power in a a coup d'état. He was killed in battle sometime between 255 and 259 against Wei forces.

Xiahou Ba's parents were important figures in Cao Wei; his father, Xiahou Yuan, had fought alongside his distant cousin and founder of Wei, Cao Cao, since the start of the civil war, and was one of the most trusted of Cao's generals, while Xiahou Ba's mother was a sister-in-law of Cao Cao. After Xiahou Yuan was killed at Battle of Mount Dingjun in 219 at the hands of Shu general, Huang Zhong, most of his troops were placed under the command of Zhang He upon advice from Guo Huai, while his private militia and guards were succeeded by his five sons. Xiahou Ba since then displayed great hatred against Shu, and vowed to revenge for his father. In 220, Xiahou Yuan's eldest son Xiahou Heng was given his own marquisate and marquis title, so Xiahou Ba inherited his father's marquis title with a stipend of tax revenues from 800 taxable households.

In 230, when the Wei general Cao Zhen proposed a shift from defensive to offensive stance against Shu Han, Lieutenant-General (偏将军) Xiahou Ba was named as the vanguard. He then led a force towards Hanzhong Commandery taking a route though the 330 km Ziwu Trail (子午道), and camped in a crooked gorge, near the Xingshi camp set up earlier by Shu general, Wei Yan. There, Xiahou Ba was identified by the local residents, who reported his presence to the Shu forces, and was under heavy attack. As the main army of Cao Zhen had not caught up with the vanguard, Xiahou Ba was thrown into a grave situation, where he was forced to rely on personal skills to fight his enemies between barricades until Cao Zhen arrived. The two forces reached a stalemate and the standoff lasted for a few months, but the developments favoured the Shu side as continuous rainfall over a month had rendered narrow valleys impassable, resulting in Wei army's logistical difficulty. In addition to the disadvantageous weather, Wei Yan had penetrated to the Wei army's rear and successfully incited some non-Han tribes to oppose the Wei forces, so Cao Zhen and Xiahou Ba begrudgingly consented on the decision to retreat. Since then, Xiahou Ba was appointed General of the Right, and stationed in Longxi Commandery to train troops; he treated both his militia and common soldiers well, and gained their support.