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Deng Ai was from Jiyang County, Yiyang Commandery, and lost his father at a young age.

When Cao Cao conquered Jingzhou, Deng Ai moved to Runan County and herded cattle for local farmers.

When he was twelve years old, Deng Ai moved with his mother to Yingchuan County. After reading the inscription on the tomb of the late Taiqiu County Chief Chen Shi, which read "Wen Zi (literature means a model for the world) and Behavior means a model for scholars", he changed his name to Deng Fan, with the courtesy name Shi Ze.

Later, because there was someone with the same name in the clan, he changed his name to Deng Ai, with the courtesy name Shizai.

"Deng Ai was recommended as a military officer, but because of his stuttering, he could not serve as an official and could only serve as a minor official."

"Deng Ai was supported by an elder from the same county because his family was poor, but Deng Ai did not thank the elder who supported him at the beginning;"

"Whenever Deng Ai saw a mountain or a lake, he would gesture with his hands to indicate where he should set up camp, and people would laugh at him."

"Later, Deng Ai served as a subordinate of the General of Agriculture and was able to enter the court to meet with the Grand Commandant Sima Yi;"

"Sima Yi was amazed when he saw Deng Ai and appointed him as his staff, and later promoted him to the position of Shangshu Lang."

"At that time, Cao Wei planned to open up a large amount of land and store grain as supplies for the destruction of Wu, so it sent Deng Ai to inspect the area east of Chen County and Xiang County to Shouchun County."

"After Deng Ai's investigation, he believed that although the soil in this area was fertile, it lacked water. He thought that a canal should be dug to divert water for irrigation. He also wrote an article titled "On the River Migration" to explain his views."

"Deng Ai also proposed to establish military farms in Chen County and Shangcai County, station 20,000 troops north of the Huai River and 30,000 troops south of the Huai River."

"If we rotate 20% of the troops and keep 40,000 people on the frontier, we can accumulate enough food for 100,000 troops for five years in six or seven years.

"With these reserves, we can attack Sun Wu and be victorious."

"Sima Yi fully adopted Deng Ai's advice."

"In the second year of the Zhengshi reign, the imperial court began to dig and widen the canal. Whenever a war broke out in the southeast, the army could take a boat down the river and reach the Yangtze River and Huai River."

"Not only did it irrigate the farmland to store food, but it also eliminated water disasters. These were all suggestions from Deng Ai."

"Later, Deng Ai served as an assistant to General Guo Huai, the General of the Western Expedition, and was promoted to the governor of Nan'an County."

"In the first year of Jiaping, Deng Ai and Guo Huai fought against the northern invasion of Jiang Wei, the general of Shu."

"Jiang Wei retreated, and Guo Huai planned to take advantage of the situation and attack the Qiang people's residence to the west."

"Deng Ai suggested that although the enemy had retreated, they should divide their forces to guard against it. Guo Huai then ordered Deng Ai to garrison the north bank of Baishui."

"Three days later, Jiang Wei indeed sent Liao Hua to approach Deng Ai's camp from the south bank of Baishui and set up camp."

"Deng Ai believed that Liao Hua's army was only there to contain him, and Jiang Wei's original intention was to attack Taocheng."

"Deng Ai immediately led his troops back to Taocheng that night. Jiang Wei crossed the Baishui River and launched a surprise attack. Deng Ai held the city firmly and thus avoided defeat."

"After the war, Deng Ai was granted the title of Marquis of Guannei and appointed General of Suppressing Bandits. Soon after, he was promoted to Governor of Chengyang County."

"In the third year of Jiaping, Liu Bao, the Left Xian King of the Xiongnu in Bingzhou, united the local Xiongnu tribes. Deng Ai reported to the court that the Xiongnu were immoral, invading the border when they were strong and submitting to the court when they were weak."

"Now that the power of the Left Wise King Liu Bao has grown, we should guard against him and weaken the Xiongnu from within. We can grant Liu Bao's son a prominent official position and have him stationed in Yanmen County."

"Let the Xiongnu leave their garrisons and reward them for their past contributions. This is the strategy to stabilize the border."

"Deng Ai also suggested that the Qiang and Hu people who lived in the interior and mixed with the Han people be relocated to the border areas."

"At that time, Sima Yi had already passed away, and the general Sima Shi assisted in the administration of the country and adopted many of Deng Ai's suggestions."

"Later, Deng Ai was transferred to be the governor of Runan County. He sent people to look for the elder from the same county who had helped him, but he learned that the elder had passed away.

"Deng Ai then sent people to offer sacrifices at his tomb, presented his family with generous gifts, and recommended his son to be a county official."

"During Deng Ai's tenure, he vigorously reclaimed the wilderness, and the military and civilians had enough food and clothing."

Li Qingzhao: In the fifth year of Jiaping, Zhuge Ke, the Grand Tutor of the State of Wu, led a large army to attack the new city of Hefei, but failed to capture it and the enemy troops retreated.

Deng Ai asserted to Sima Shi that after Sun Quan's death, the civil and military officials of Wu were not loyal to the new king, and the aristocratic families of Wu were holding their own troops.

Zhuge Ke had just taken charge of government affairs and lacked prestige. He did not consider how to appease the court officials in order to stabilize the situation.

Instead, he rashly used his military force and mobilized the entire country to attack the new city of Hefei, but failed, with tens of thousands of casualties. He returned in disgrace, which was truly his own destruction.

When Zhuge Ke returned to the capital, he aroused the resentment of the Wu royal family and was indeed killed.

Deng Ai was promoted to the post of Governor of Yanzhou and was granted the title of General Zhenwei.

He also submitted a memorial to the court, proposing to develop agriculture and strengthen preparations for war;

Only when the country is rich can the army be strong;
Only if the army is strong can the battle be won; and agriculture is the foundation of all this.

Deng Ai suggested that the court establish titles to reward officials who worked hard to develop industry and accumulate wealth for the country;

Focusing the performance evaluation of officials on storing grain to enrich the people can also cut off the personnel favors and factionalism among officials.

In the sixth year of Jiaping, Sima Shi deposed Emperor Shao Cao Fang and enthroned Cao Mao, Duke of Gaogui, as emperor, and promoted Deng Ai to Marquis of Fangchengting.

In the first month of the following year, General Zhendong Guanqiu Jian and Governor of Yangzhou Wen Qin rebelled and sent envoys to write to Deng Ai, hoping to join forces with Deng Ai to attack Sima Shi.

Deng Ai killed the envoy and led his men to march day and night to attack, heading straight for Lejia City and building a pontoon bridge.

Sima Shi arrived shortly afterwards, and his army occupied Lejia City;
Wen Qin led his army to attack, but was defeated at the gate of the city;
Deng Ai led his army to pursue the victory to Qiutou, and Wen Qin had to flee to Sun Wu.

Sun Wu's general Sun Jun and others led an invading army, claiming to have an army of 100,000 men, and were about to cross the Yangtze River.

General Zhendong Zhuge Dan sent Deng Ai to guard the north bank of Feishui River. Deng Ai believed that the garrison was too far away from the enemy and was not a strategic location.

So he decided to move to Futing and station there, and sent Zhuge Xu, the governor of Taishan County, and others to block the Wu army in Lijiang and repel the enemy.

This year, Deng Ai was appointed as the Changshui Commandant.

Because of his contribution in defeating Wen Qin, he was granted the title of Marquis of Fangcheng Township and appointed acting General Anxi.

Wang Jing, the governor of Yongzhou, was besieged in Didao by the Shu general Jiang Wei. Deng Ai led his troops to rescue him, and Jiang Wei retreated to Zhongti.

The court officially appointed Deng Ai as General Anxi, granted him the title of General, and concurrently appointed him as the Colonel Protector of the Eastern Qiang.

Many people believed that Jiang Wei's army was exhausted and would not launch another attack.

Deng Ai analyzed that the Wei troops stationed in Longxi had just been defeated and the people were displaced, so the enemy would definitely take advantage of the victory to pursue them.
He speculated that Jiang Wei would most likely march into Qishan, harvest the wheat there as military rations, and then attack again.

Soon, Jiang Wei indeed attacked Qishan, but upon hearing that Deng Ai had prepared for it, Jiang Wei turned to attack Nan'an County. Deng Ai fought a fierce battle with Jiang Wei in Duangu and defeated the enemy.

In the first year of Ganlu, the imperial court issued an edict to praise Deng Ai, praising him for his good planning, killing generals and enemies, and promoting the country's prestige, which shocked the Wu and Shu countries.

Therefore, Deng Ai was appointed General Zhenxi, commanding all the troops in Longyou, and was promoted to Marquis of Deng. His son Deng Zhong was also granted the title of Marquis of Ting.

The following year, Deng Ai once again led his army to resist Jiang Wei's invasion. Jiang Wei was defeated and retreated. Deng Ai was promoted to General of the Western Expedition and was granted a fief of 6,600 households.

"In the third year of Jingyuan, Deng Ai led his army to defeat Jiang Wei's army in Houhe, and Jiang Wei had to retreat to Dazhong to defend himself."

"In February of the fourth year of Jingyuan, the Grand Commander Sima Zhao ordered Deng Ai, the Governor of Yongzhou Zhuge Xu, and the General of Zhenxi Zhong Hui to attack Shu in three directions."

"Deng Ai led an army of 30,000 from Didao straight to Dazhong to besiege Jiang Wei;"

"When Jiang Wei heard that Zhong Hui's army had entered Hanzhong, he immediately led his entire army to retreat."

"Zhuge Dan's army blocked Jiang Wei's way, and Jiang Wei led his army to retreat eastward and guard Jiange."

"Zhong Hui led his army to attack Jiang Wei, but was never able to defeat him."

"Deng Ai asked Sima Zhao for permission to lead a group of elite soldiers to bypass Jiange via the Yinping trail and head straight to Chengdu, so as to attack the enemy by surprise and defeat them."

"In October of the same year, Deng Ai led his army from Yinping and trekked over 700 miles through the uninhabited mountainous area, cutting through the mountains to open roads and building plank roads;"

"The mountains are high and the valleys are deep, the terrain is extremely dangerous, and with the food supply cut off, the entire army is in danger of being destroyed."

"Deng Ai was the first to wrap himself in felt and roll down the mountain; the other soldiers climbed trees and clung to the cliffs, advancing one by one."

"Deng Ai's vanguard troops arrived in Jiangyou, and the Shu army garrison commander Ma Miao led his troops to surrender."

"Zhuge Zhan, the general of Shu, led his army to stop Deng Ai and marched north to Fu County."

"Deng Ai led the Wei army to advance straight into the city, the Shu army's vanguard was defeated, and Zhuge Zhan retreated to Mianzhu Pass."

"Deng Ai sent someone to deliver a letter to persuade Zhuge Zhan to surrender. Zhuge Zhan flew into a rage and beheaded Deng Ai's messenger."

"Deng Ai sent his son Deng Zhong to lead an army to attack the right wing of the Shu army, and General Shi Zuan to lead an army to attack the left wing of the Shu army."

"But Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan lost their first battle and thought it was not the right time to launch an attack."

"Deng Ai was furious and wanted to behead the two men as a warning to the public. Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan then led their troops in a desperate battle, defeating the Shu army and beheading Zhuge Zhan and Shu's Shangshu Zhang Zun and others. Deng Ai then continued his march southward and arrived at Luocheng."

"Liu Chan, the last ruler of Shu, sent an envoy to present the emperor's jade seal and ribbon and wrote a letter of surrender to Deng Ai."

"Deng Ai led his troops to Chengdu. Liu Chan led the crown prince, princes and more than 60 ministers, tied their hands behind their backs, carried the coffin, and came to the gate of Deng Ai's camp to formally surrender."

"Deng Ai held the staff in his hand, untied the ropes for Liu Chan and others, burned the coffins, accepted the surrender of the ruler and ministers of Shu and pardoned them;"

"At the same time, he ordered his soldiers to restrain themselves and not to rob the people. He also sent people to appease the surrendered soldiers and let them go home to resume their old jobs. The people of Shu praised him unanimously."

"After Deng Ai conquered Shu, he decided without asking for permission to follow the example of Deng Yu in the Eastern Han Dynasty and appointed Liu Chan as acting General of Cavalry, the crown prince of Shu as Commandant of the Imperial Chariot, and the princes of Shu as Commandants of the Imperial Concubines;"

"Officials of the Shu Kingdom were appointed as officials of the Wei Dynasty according to their ranks, and some of them also served as subordinates of Deng Ai."

"Deng Ai also appointed Shi Zuan as the governor of Yizhou, and appointed Qian Hong, the governor of Longxi County, as governors of various counties in Shu."

"Deng Ai also sent people to build a high platform in Mianzhu to show off his military achievements."

"Deng Ai was proud of his achievements and told the scholars and officials of Shu that they were able to survive only because of his protection;"

"If they had encountered someone like Wu Han, a general during the Eastern Han Dynasty, they would have been killed long ago."

"Deng Ai also talked about this to others, saying that although Jiang Wei was a hero, he was in trouble because of his encounter with him. People with insight secretly ridiculed Deng Ai."

Wang Anshi: In December of the same year, the imperial court issued an edict commending Deng Ai for his pacification of Bashu, promoted Deng Ai to the position of Grand Marshal, and increased his fiefdom by 20,000 households.

He appointed his two sons as Marquis of Ting, and granted each of them a fief of one thousand households.

Deng Ai wrote a letter to Sima Zhao, saying that after conquering Shu, he should take advantage of the victory to attack Sun Wu and sweep across the south of the Yangtze River.
But after the great campaign, the soldiers were tired and could not move immediately, so they postponed the plan.
It was suggested to leave 40,000 soldiers in Yizhou to boil salt, smelt iron, and build boats in preparation for the future attack on Sun Wu.

In the letter, he proposed to make Liu Chan the Prince of Fufeng County and use Meiwu, which Dong Zhuo had built earlier, as Liu Chan's palace.
This is to demonstrate the court's favor to those who surrender. When the rulers and ministers of Sun Wu learn of this, they will surely surrender.

After receiving the letter, Sima Zhao immediately asked the military supervisor Wei Guan to warn Deng Ai that all his suggestions should wait for the court's approval and should not be implemented without authorization.

Deng Ai then wrote another letter to Sima Zhao, stating that he had been ordered to launch an expedition and that the ruler and ministers of Shu had surrendered. He granted them official positions in the name of the emperor in order to appease those who had just surrendered, which was appropriate at the time.

The ruler, ministers and people of Shu have all surrendered. Its territory is vast, extending to the South China Sea in the south and to Sun Wu in the west. The situation should be stabilized soon.

If we wait for the imperial court's approval, the journey will be long and will inevitably take time.

His colleagues Zhong Hui, Hu Lie, Shi Zuan and others reported Deng Ai's actions one after another, believing that he had disobeyed orders and that signs of rebellion had already formed.

In the first month of the first year of the Xianxi reign, the imperial court issued an edict to escort Deng Ai back to the capital in a prison cart.

Sima Zhao was worried that Deng Ai would not obey, so he ordered Zhong Hui to march into Chengdu.

Zhong Hui sent Wei Guan to Chengdu to imprison Deng Ai.
After Wei Guan arrived in Chengdu, he first took out an imperial edict to calm the soldiers under Deng Ai's command;

Then he led his troops straight into Deng Ai's residence and imprisoned Deng Ai and his son.

Zhong Hui led a large army into Chengdu, first sent people to escort Deng Ai back to the capital, and then launched a rebellion.

Because the conspiracy was exposed, Zhong Hui died in the chaos; Deng Ai's subordinates caught up with Deng Ai's prison cart and took him back.

Wei Guan sent Tian Xu and other generals to lead troops to intercept Deng Ai, who was beheaded in Mianzhu County and his son Deng Zhong was also killed.

Deng Ai's other sons in the capital Luoyang were executed; his wife and surviving sons and grandsons were exiled to Xicheng County.

In the first year of Taishi, the Jin Dynasty was established, and Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, issued an edict allowing Deng Ai's family to return home from exile.

In the third year of Taishi, the counselor Duan Zhuo petitioned for Deng Ai, saying that Deng Ai was loyal but was accused of treason, and that he was exterminated after trying to pacify Bashu.
When Deng Ai was in Chengdu, he rewarded the ruler and his ministers of Shu and stabilized the order. His original intention was not to rebel.
Zhong Hui was jealous of Deng Ai's reputation, so he fabricated charges against him and accused him of treason, which led to Deng Ai's unjust death.

Now that the emperor is benevolent, he should issue an edict to rehabilitate Deng Ai.

In the ninth year of Taishi, Emperor Wu of Jin issued an edict to rehabilitate Deng Ai, affirmed his merits, and appointed Deng Ai's grandson Deng Lang as a doctor.

Deng Ai was both brave and wise, and was good at commanding troops. In his edict, Emperor Cao Mao of Wei praised him for his good planning, his loyalty as a minister, and his bravery in defeating the enemies.

After Deng Ai conquered Shu, Cao Huan, the last emperor of Wei, mentioned him in his edict along with other famous generals such as Bai Qi, Han Xin, and Zhou Yafu, praising his contribution to pacifying Bashu. (End of this chapter)