The Han courts appointed Han Sui as Zhen Xi Jiangjun (General Who Defends the West) and to be stationed at Jing Cheng Ma Teng was appointed as Zheng Xi Jiangjun (General Who Conquers the West) and to be stationed at Tun Mei.ġ: Dian Lue: Ma Teng, styled Shoucheng, was a descendent of Ma Yuan. During the reign of Emperor Huan, his father, who was styled Zishuo, was a colonel at Lan’gan at Tianshui. He lost his position later, and stayed behind in in West Long, living together with the Qiang peoples. His family was too poor to have a proper marriage, so he married a Qiang woman, who gave birth to Ma Teng. When Teng was young, he was poor and had no means of living, and so he would often chop firewood from Mount Zhang, and carry it to sell in the cities to support himself. Teng was over 8 chi tall, of a massive build and with an exceptional complexion and nose he was a kind and generous man, though, and most people respected him. At the end of Emperor Ling’s reign, the Inspector of Liang province, Geng Pi, took to listening to corrupt officials, which caused the rebellion of the commoner Wang Guo along with the Di and Qiang tribes. The province recruited strong men from the commoners in order to quell the uprising, and Ma Teng was in the list. The provincial officials considered him extraordinary, and so they made him an officer in the army, and gave him a command of men.

When he obtained merit through defeating the rebels, he was made a major in the army, and later was promoted to lieutenant-general, and then to general of the west. He was often garrisoned between Qian and Long. During the Chuping years, he was made General who Conquers the East. At that time, Xizhou was short of grains, and so Ma Teng requested to move to Chiyang for the harvest, since his soldiers were in lack. Thus he was transferred to the shores of Changping.

However, Wang Cheng, a general there, feared that Ma Teng was going to bring him harm, and so he attacked Ma Teng’s camp. Right then Ma Teng was out, and unprepared, and so he was defeated and fled westward. Since the Sanfu area was in chaos at that time, he did not come back east again, but became sworn brothers with Han Sui, General who Keeps the West, and were very close friends at first. However, some time later, due to fighting between their subordinates, they became enemies. Ma Teng attacked Han Sui, and Sui left the area, but regrouped his forces and returned to attack Teng and killed his wife and sons. The fighting between them could not be stopped.

At the beginning of the Jian’an reign, the order of the country was disrupted, and so the court sent the Sili Xiaowei (an officer in charge of law and order in the capital), Zhong Yao, and governor of Liang Province, Wei Duan, to reconcile the two sides. Ma Teng was sent to return to his fort in Huaili, and promoted to be General of the Front, given a tiger tally, and made Marquis of Huaili. He guarded against the Hu marauders from the north, and the Bai riders from the east. He treated scholars well, and promoted the worthy. He was sympathetic to the plight of the commoners and sought to help them, and pacified and cared for Sanfu. In the 15th year, Ma Teng was summoned to be the Commandant of the Palace Guard. Seeing that he was getting old, Ma Teng went in the Palace Guard. Formerly, when Lord Cao was the Prime Minister, he recommended Ma Teng’s firstborn, Ma Chao, to serve in office, but he declined.

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