Deng Ai
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Deng Ai (鄧艾, 197 - 264 AD) was a talented young officer of the Kingdom of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. 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 Kingdom of Shu 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 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 Huan (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 Huan feared that he might take vengeance on him so he killed Deng Ai.