程普

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First name on the roll of Wu’s generals — the "Elder Cheng" who served all three Sun lords from the very first muster. He fought the Yellow Turbans and Dong Zhuo beside Sun Jian, led vanguards for Sun Ce, and shared the supreme command with Zhou Yu at Red Cliffs. At first he bristled at ranking beneath the younger man — until he famously conceded that keeping company with Zhou Yu "is like drinking fine wine: one is drunk before one knows it."

Key events

1. 195

   Sun Ce Conquers the Southland

   Sun Ce sets out to conquer the Southland with his father’s veterans. After their famous duel at Shenting, he captured Taishi Ci and won him over.

   Sun CeTaishi CiZhou YuHuang Gai

2. 208

   Battle of Red Cliffs

   Zhou Yu’s Sun–Liu alliance burns Cao Cao’s armada with fire ships, halting his southern conquest. The three-way division of the realm was sealed here.

   Zhou YuCao CaoSun QuanLiu BeiZhuge LiangHuang GaiLu SuGan Ning

History vs. the novelHistoryvsNovel

A background elder in the novel, but in the histories the highest-ranked of Wu’s founding generals — and the wine-drunk reconciliation with Zhou Yu shows the measure of the man.