Ma Liang

Ma Liang (onyomi: Ba Ryō) is a vassal of Shu. A talented young man, he was given the nickname "White Eyebrows". Together with his younger brother Ma Su, he served Liu Bei. He helped Guan Yu with the domestic affairs in the Jing Province. At the Battle of Yiling, he delivered encampment plans to Zhuge Liang, but fell during the chaos of the fire attack.

Roles in Games
In Dynasty Warriors 5, Ma Liang has a minor role in some battles. At the Battle of Fan Castle, Ma Liang is positioned at the southeastern edge of the map and usually succumbs to the Wu forces who arrive in aid of Wei. At Yi Ling, he is a subordinate officer of Liu Bei and will usually perish in an attempt to protect his lord.

He resumes a similar role in Dynasty Warriors 6, although he will appear as early as Changban, where he aids in Liu Bei's escape. He will also reinforce the Shu army at Jing Province and participates in the Hanzhong campaign.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, he will also fight by Liu Bei's side in Wei's hypothetical Nanjun and appears at Nanzhong.

During Orochi's story mode in Warriors Orochi 2, Ma Liang acts as the army's main commander against Wu if the player chooses to use Zhuge Liang. He is trusted by the strategist to execute his plans. He is also a stand-in for Yueying during the third title.

Ma Liang is a very good domestic officer in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where he is given a politics stat in the 90's. In the eleventh installment, his skill increases the amount of weapons produced, which allows the player to build up armies faster and cheaper.

Quotes

 * "We must maintain the path to our lord's future! Forward! Drive back the Wu forces!"
 * "Thank you for coming to our aid, my lord. We need to regroup, but it will be difficult.

Historical Information
Ma Liang was born in Xiangyang. He had four brothers and they were very famous in Jing Province. Villagers would often say, "Of the Ma family were five Changs, the one with white eyebrows is Ma Liang". This was due to Ma Liang having some white hairs in the middle of his eyebrows. The Ma brothers were known as the five Changs because all of them had the character "Chang" in their style names. His style name also indicates that he was probably the fourth son, Ma Su being the youngest.

Ma Liang entered the service of Liu Bei when the latter governed Jing Province and was appointed as Congshi. When Liu Bei attacked Yi Province, Ma Liang was left to guard Jing. He later wrote a letter to Zhuge Liang, in which he greatly praised his abilities and urged him to continue to support the state. Pei Songzhi described Zhuge Liang and Ma Liang as having been "as close as brothers", a phrase he also used to describe the relationship between Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. This was because Ma Liang constantly referred to Zhuge Liang as "elder brother". After Liu Bei's conquest of Shu, Ma Liang served in the office of the General of the Left.

Afterwards, Ma Liang was sent to Wu as an emissary. He wrote a letter to Zhuge Liang, saying that the fate of the state would rest on him. Zhuge Liang advised him to write a letter to Sun Quan. So Ma Liang sent a letter to Sun Quan, in which he wrote, "My lord has sent thy official, Ma Liang, to continue the friendly relations as well as encourage the exchanging of letters. My lord is always courteous to scholars. Governing the region of Jingchu, he has not the ability to cause havoc but rather has the ability and desire to co-operate, settle the minds as well as reassuring the soldiers". Sun Quan thus treated him with respect.

Ma Liang was made Shizhong when Liu Bei became Emperor of Shu. He was sent to recruit the tribes of Wuling when Liu Bei started his campaign against Wu to retake Jing. Ma Liang presented the barbarians an official seal and completed the mission. Still, Liu Bei was defeated at Yiling and Ma Liang died in battle. The Zizhi Tongjian states that Ma Liang was killed at Wuqi, where he was sent to recruit the barbarians. He had a son named Ma Bing.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the novel, Yi Ji recommended Ma Liang to Liu Bei. Ma Liang subsequently joined his service. In chapter 63, he brought Liu Bei a letter from Zhuge Liang. Later, he warned Guan Yu about Lu Su's ability. He followed Guan Yu on his campaign on Fancheng and played a game of Go with him, while he was being treated by Hua Tuo. He and Yi Ji were then sent by Guan Yu to ask Liu Bei for help. After Guan Yu's death, he tried to dissuade Liu Bei from attacking Wu and warned him about Lu Xun. Liu Bei sent him to Zhuge Liang with his maps to campaign against Wu. When he returned to Liu Bei, he only found the army already defeated. He mentioned to have died in chapter 87 while Ma Su was mourning for him.