Chen Deng (c. 170 – c. 209), courtesy name Yuanlong,[a] was a Chinese military general and politician who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
His granduncle, Chen Qiu (陳球; 118 - 30 Nov 179[4]), held high-ranking positions in the Han government during the reign of Emperor Ling.
[7] When a famine broke out in Xu Province, the provincial governor Tao Qian invited Chen Deng to serve as Colonel of Agriculture (典農校尉).
During this time, Chen Deng surveyed the lands, assessed their suitability for growing crops, and then implemented agricultural and irrigation works accordingly.
When Tao Qian became critically ill in 194,[9] he told his subordinate Mi Zhu: "No one but Liu Bei can bring peace to this province."
After his death, Mi Zhu invited Liu Bei to be the new Governor of Xu Province in accordance with Tao Qian's dying wish.
"[13]Kong Rong, the Chancellor (相) of Beihai State (北海國; around present-day Weifang, Shandong), also urged Liu Bei to accept the governorship.
[26] After assuming office as the Administrator of Guangling Commandery, Chen Deng governed his jurisdiction fairly and justly and built up a good reputation.
He also managed to induce Xue Zhou (薛州), a pirate leader, to lead thousands of his followers to surrender to the local government.
"[27] He is generally credited with the establishment of the Gaojia Weir (高家堰, Gāojiāyàn) around the year Jian'an 5 (c. 200), a massive 30-li embankment intended to protect nearby farmland and the Han or Hangou Canal (t 邗溝, s 邗沟, Hángōu) constructed centuries before by the hegemon Fuchai of Wu from floods of the Huai River.
Chen Deng refused to start peace talks with Lü Bu, and ordered his troops to press on the attack on Xiapi.
At the time, Chen Deng was highly popular among the people living in the Jianghuai region (covering parts of present-day Anhui and Jiangsu).
Sometime between early 199 and the summer of 200,[c] Sun Ce sent his forces to attack Chen Deng at Kuangqi (匡琦), a fortress in Guangling Commandery.
When Chen Deng's subordinates saw that Sun Ce's invading forces outnumbered the defending troops in Guangling Commandery by more than ten times, they became fearful and worried that they could not resist the enemy.
"[34] He then ordered his troops to shut the gates, hold up inside the fortress and refrain from engaging Sun Ce's forces in battle.
When the opportunity came, he opened the south gates of the fortress and led his troops out to attack the enemy camp and block them from retreating back to their boats at the riverbank.
Chen Deng then ordered his troops to launch a fierce attack on Sun Ce's forces while he beat a war drum to boost his men's morale.
[36] After losing the first battle, Sun Ce gathered more troops and prepared to launch another attack on Chen Deng.
At the same time, he also ordered his men to go to a military camp about 10 li away from the fortress, neatly arrange piles of firewood in rows and columns with a spacing of ten steps, and set them on fire at night.
Chen Deng then took advantage of their confusion and led his troops to attack them, scoring yet another major victory and killing thousands of enemy soldiers.
[38] In the summer of 200,[32] Sun Ce led his forces to attack Huang Zu at Jiangxia Commandery in Jing Province.
At the time, Chen Deng was at Sheyang County (射陽縣; east of present-day Baoying County, Jiangsu) and he wanted to take revenge against Sun Ce for attacking his relative Chen Yu (陳瑀), the Administrator of Wu Commandery (around present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu), and seizing Wu Commandery from him in 197.
[39] After Sun Ce returned to Jiangdong, he planned to retaliate against Chen Deng and launch an attack on Sheyang County.
During this time, he went on a hunting excursion and was ambushed and assassinated by the retainers of Xu Gong, a commandery administrator he killed earlier.
[40] The Han central government later reassigned Chen Deng to be the Administrator (太守) of Dongcheng Commandery (東城郡; around present-day Mingguang, Anhui).
"[41] Chen Deng became affected by an illness with symptoms such as a feeling of stuffiness in his chest, facial redness, and loss of appetite.
The physician Hua Tuo came to treat him, took his pulse and said, "Sir, there are several sheng of parasites in your stomach and you're on the verge of developing an ulcer.
Within a span of time needed to have a meal, Chen Deng vomited up three sheng or more of wriggling parasites with red heads.
His failure to heed Chen Deng's advice had allowed the Sun family to gain a strong foothold in the region and pose a threat to him.
[45][2] The Xianxian Xingzhuang (先賢行狀) recorded that Chen Deng was known for his loyalty, forthrightness, virtuous character, and for being a resourceful, astute and deep-thinking strategist.