In film and television dramas, especially in the relevant films and televisions of the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, we can see many general titles, including former general, rear general, left general, right general, four marches and four towns, hussar general, and cheri general. So why was the title of general named before, after, left and right? Do they have different responsibilities or do they determine their status? Let's explore the differences between these titles.
As early as the Warring States period, the title of left general already existed, when the general who commanded the left wing of the army was called the left general. After Qin Shi Huang unified the Six Kingdoms, the military position was reformed, and the chaotic general positions of various countries were integrated and unified, of which the left general was retained as an official position, but since the establishment of the Han Dynasty, this position was not often established. However, after the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the powerful and powerful in various places rose up, and the princes divided one side and fought everywhere. As a result, the demand for military generals in various armies was particularly large, and at the same time, more titles were needed to name these generals, so the abandoned titles were pulled out and used, including the titles of front, back, left, and right. During the Three Kingdoms period, many generals had obtained these titles, such as Ma Chao, Yu Ban, and Zhang Gao, who were once left generals, and Zhang Fei, Xu Huang, and others who led the right generals.
Usually, the left and right general officer positions are of the same rank, and the positions are the same, but the names are different.
The official positions of each dynasty reflected some of the characteristics of this era, and during the Three Kingdoms period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, because of the frequent wars between princes and large and small areas throughout the years, the official positions of military generals were naturally expanded, once reaching more than twenty kinds, which can be divided into generals, cavalry generals, car riding generals, Wei generals, front and back left and right generals, and a bunch of miscellaneous generals according to the level of quality. The Cao clique controlled the Han Xiandi and the imperial court, and could arbitrarily appoint some orthodox officials under his subordinates. And Liu Bei's subordinates, although there are also many talents, but because Liu Bei's own official positions are not high, and the appointment of subordinate senior general positions still needs to be recognized by the Han court, it is impossible to give subordinates some orthodox general titles, and can only expand the titles of a number of miscellaneous generals to seal subordinates. Therefore, in the Liu clique, if you have made great achievements, Liu Bei will find a way to get you a mighty and domineering general title, such as a Pingyu general and a thief general. But don't think that the names are loud and the official positions are also high, and these titles are not even as high as the front, back, left, and right grades.
Therefore, around the Three Kingdoms period, the generals around the left and right already belonged to the higher ranks, and the Five Tiger Generals of Shu Han and the Five Sons of Cao Wei both held this position.
Although the nominal left and right generals had the same rank, the Han Dynasty after all followed the rules of left and right respect, so the status of the left general at that time would be slightly inferior to that of the right general. However, this gap is very small, almost no substantial impact, the right general can not command the left general, in most of the time, still will not carefully distinguish between the front and back of the left and right. Among all the general positions, the Han Dynasty general was a yipin position, the general of the horse and the general of the car and the general of the wei belonged to the second product, only these few generals had the right to command the overall situation, and the other generals could only serve as executors.
During the Three Kingdoms period, the former generals who had previously held senior positions were reduced, and the ranks of the left and right generals were raised, so that they also had the power to formulate military and political strategies.
In the era when they were most used, the generals also belonged to a high-level title for generals, and they had command of part of the army, mostly by military generals who could lead one side alone. There are also subtle differences between them due to the nuances of the age of hierarchy, but they are generally similar and functionally identical. The general, on the other hand, is an auxiliary officer of the general, mainly responsible for handling daily affairs rather than leading the charge.