Deng Ai

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Deng Ai (鄧艾,? - 264) was a talented young officer of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. It was said that whenever he saw a hill or wide valley, he would immediately size up the best places to store grain and position troops. He was discovered by Sima Yi, and contributed to fighting off Shu's northern campaigns led by Jiang Wei.

In 263, he took part in the war to conquer the Shu Han with Zhong Hui (鍾會). Jiang Wei fended them off somewhere south of Hanzhong (漢中). Deng Ai suggested to pass troops through Yinpin (陰平) but Zhong Hui rejected the idea.

Deng Ai then carried out his own plan with his son and troops and it turned out to be a great success. They eventually managed to enter Chengdu, and the Shu Han emperor Liu Shan surrendered.

However, Jiang Wei didn't want the Kingdom of Shu to fall. He determined that Zhong Hui wanted to rebel against Wei. They united, defamed Deng Ai, and ordered the officer Wei Guan (衛瓘) to capture him.

Jiang Wei's plan failed and the Army killed Zhong Hui and Jiang Wei. These soldiers tried to rescue Deng Ai, but Wei Guan feared that he might take vengeance on him so he killed Deng Ai.

Deng Ai, prior to his appointment, was often harassed because of his stuttering problem, a fault which he used to his advantage in speaking with his superiors, who often regarded his curious stuttering as jokes or witty expressions.