Chen Tai (died June 260), courtesy name Xuanbo, was a military general and official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Chen Qun and a maternal grandson of Xun Yu. Chen Tai was very knowledgeable in the art of war, and so led his men as if they were his own children. When the regent Sima Shi began abusing his power and the emperor Cao Mao died under very suspicious circumstances, Chen Tai expressed his deep loyalty to the Cao Wei state by donning mourning garments at Cao Mao's funeral.

Early life
As a scion of two of Wei's most powerful families (the Chen and Xun families), Chen Tai grew up with the sons of other prominent political families such as the Sima family. He was a good friend of Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, who later became the regents and de facto rulers of Wei. After he reached adulthood, he was appointed as the Inspector of Bing Province in 244. There, he fought off raids from the Xianbei tribes and became known as a skilled military leader. At some point during all of this, some officials attempted to bribe him to buy slaves from the tribes, but Chen Tai refused and returned their money. When he was recalled back to the imperial capital Luoyang in 249, Sima Yi had just seized power in a coup against his co-regent, Cao Shuang. Chen Tai was one of several officials who sent letters to Cao Shuang, asking him to give up and surrender to Sima Yi. Cao Shuang did so and was executed along with most of his clan/inner circle later as part of Sima Yi's plan to gain complete control over the Wei government.

Going west and battles with Shu

With Cao Shuang eliminated, the Sima family become more powerful in Wei and completely monopolised state power. Chen Tai initially favoured the changes in the political environment as he believed that Sima Yi was far more capable as a regent than Cao Shuang. However, he felt uneasy about the growing influence of the Sima family and became torn between his loyalties to the Wei emperor Cao Fang and the regent Sima Yi. To avoid getting caught up in the political rivalries, he requested to be transferred to the western border to guard against invasions by Wei's rival state, Shu Han. The Wei government commissioned him as a general and appointed him as the Inspector of Yong Province.

In the autumn of 249, the Shu general Jiang Wei led the Shu army to invade Wei's western border. Seeing that Jiang Wei had constructed a fortress at Mount Chu and incited several Qiang tribes to rebel against Wei rule in the neighbouring counties, Chen Tai asked his supervisor, the veteran Wei general Guo Huai, to lead an attack on the fort to cut them off from Jiang Wei's main army. He pointed out that although the fortress at Mount Chu was strong, it was also far from the Shu base and it would be easy to cut off the supply route. Guo Huai, along with Chen Tai and Deng Ai, led the Wei forces to besiege the Shu camp at Mount Chu. They cut off the supply route without difficulty. Acting on Chen Tai's advice, Guo Huai also led his army to occupy Mount Niutou, blocking Jiang Wei's retreat route and cutting him off from his supply routes. Jiang Wei and the Shu forces retreated, abandoning the soldiers at Mount Chu, who quickly surrendered. 

Later, in May or June 253, Jiang Wei led the Shu forces to attack Wei territory and besieged the Wei garrison at Didao. At the same time, Zhuge Ke, a general from Wei's other rival state Eastern Wu, also led the Wu forces to attack Wei's eastern border. Jiang Wei hoped that Zhuge Ke would help him divert away the Wei forces' attention to the east and allow him to gain a foothold in the west. However, Guo Huai and Chen Tai led the Wei forces to attack Jiang Wei and managed to lift the siege on Didao, forcing Jiang Wei to withdraw again.

After Guo Huai died in February 255, Chen Tai succeeded him and took charge of military affairs in the Guanzhong region. During this time, Jiang Wei led the Shu forces to attack Wei and aimed to capture Didao. Chen Tai ordered Wang Jing, the Inspector of Yong Province, to defend Didao and guard the fortress while waiting for reinforcements. However, Wang Jing, in his eager to gain glory, led the troops out of Didao to attack the enemy at Gu Pass, where he suffered a defeat and was forced to return to Didao with only 10,000 men. Wang Jing then focused on defending Didao, as Chen Tai instructed him. Upon hearing news of Wang Jing's defeat, Chen Tai quickly mobilised his troops to come to Wang Jing's aid. However, he was also worried that Jiang Wei would use the opportunity to attack the Wei army's supply depot at Liyang in the east, and that Jiang Wei would recruit the Qiang tribesmen to join the Shu army and pose an even greater threat. To his relief, Jiang Wei did not do so and instead concentrated his attacks on Didao and besieged the fortress. Wei forces led by Deng Ai, Wang Bi and Hu Fen came to join Chen Tai's army. Jiang Wei predicted correctly that Wei reinforcements would come to Didao, so he had ordered some units to ambush the reinforcements when they showed up. However, Chen Tai and his army took another route through the mountainous terrain and arrived in the hills southeast of Didao, completely bypassing the other route laden with ambushes. Jiang Wei attacked Chen Tai on the hills but Chen Tai drove him back easily because the mountainous terrain was to his advantage. As more Wei reinforcements approached Didao, Jiang Wei realised that the siege could not last any longer so he pulled back the Shu forces and retreated to Zhongti by October or November 255.

Later life and death
In 256, the Wei government recalled Chen Tai from the western border back to the imperial capital, Luoyang, leaving the general Deng Ai in charge of defending the border. In Luoyang, Chen Tai first served as the Right Supervisor of the Masters of Writing (i.e. the Imperial Secretariat) under the administration of the regent Sima Zhao. In 257, when the Wei general Zhuge Dan started a rebellion in Shouchun (present-day Shou County, Anhui), Sima Zhao left Chen Tai in charge of the central headquarters while he led Wei imperial forces to suppress the rebellion. Chen Tai also helped to coordinate the various Wei armies which had been mobilised from throughout the Wei Empire to assist Sima Zhao in crushing the revolt. The rebellion was completely suppressed by early 258.

In June 260, the Wei emperor Cao Mao launched a coup in an attempt to seize back power from the regent Sima Zhao, but failed and ended up being assassinated by Cheng Ji, an officer serving under Jia Chong, one of Sima Zhao's close aides. Chen Tai tried to rush to the scene to defuse tensions, but he showed up too late. Upon seeing Cao Mao's dead body, he wept and refused to attend imperial court sessions as a protest against the emperor's assassination. However, he relented and returned to work after Sima Fu, a highly respected Wei official and uncle of Sima Zhao, persuaded him to do so. Jia Chong took responsibility for Cao Mao's death but Sima Zhao spared him and had Cheng Ji executed instead; Chen Tai strongly opposed Sima Zhao's decision and urged him to execute Jia Chong but the regent refused. Chen Tai died in distress not long later.

See also
 Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

Notes

References

 Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
 Fang, Xuanling (648). Book of Jin (Jin Shu).
 Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).

Year of birth unknown
260 deaths
Cao Wei generals
Cao Wei government officials
진태(陳泰, ? ~ 260년)는 중국 삼국시대 위나라의 군인이자 정치가로 자는 현백(玄伯)이며, 영천군 허창현(許昌縣) 사람이다.

생애 
후한 시대 청류파의 명문가인 영천 진씨의 일원으로 대학자인 진식(陳寔)의 증손이며, 위의 훈신 진군(陳羣)의 아들이다. 아버지와 함께 청렴결백으로 칭송을 받았다. 그의 가문은 순씨(荀氏) 및 사마씨(司馬氏)와 교분이 깊었으며 사마사(司馬師), 사마소(司馬昭) 형제와는 어릴 적부터 친구 관계이다.

명제 때 산기시랑이 되었고, 조방(曹芳)의 즉위 후에는 형주자사, 진위장군 등을 역임했다. 흉노중랑장이 되어서는 관대하고 균형감 있는 통치로 수완을 발휘해 흉노인들로부터도 존경을 받았다고 한다.

조상(曹爽) 실각 후(249년) 촉이 대대적으로 옹주로 침공해오자 당시 옹주자사, 분위장군이었던 그는 정서장군 곽회(郭淮)가 강유(姜維), 하후패(夏侯霸) 등의 촉군 본대를 상대하는 동안 촉이 국경 지대에 쌓은 국성(麹城, 또는 국산성)을 포위했다. 국성은 험한 산에 의지하고 견고하게 지어져 직접 공격하기는 어려웠으나, 대신 물자 수송이 어렵고 물 공급도 미비한 점을 활용하기 위해 진태는 성내의 군량과 물 보급을 끊는 한편 촉군 본대의 후방을 교란했다. 성을 지키던 구안(句安)과 이흠(李歆) 등은 원군이 도착할 때까지 버텼으나 지원하러 온 요화(廖化) 등도 성을 구원하진 못하고 단념, 퇴로가 완전 끊기기 전에 전면 철수했다. 농성하던 촉군은 고립무원으로 결국 항복했다.

253년 오의 제갈각(諸葛恪)과 촉의 강유가 제각기 대군을 이끌고 위에 침입했다. 촉군에게 호응해 강왕 미당이 남안으로 출진하였는데 진태는 항복한 척 하며 강군이 곽회의 진영을 자신과 함께 기습하도록 유인, 미리 기다리고 있던 곽회의 복병과 함께 동행한 강군을 전멸시키고 곧바로 강군의 본진까지 기습해 미당을 사로잡고 그를 앞잡이로 이용해 강병과 아군을 섞어 사마소가 에워싸인 철롱산을 포위하고 있는 강유의 본진으로 보냈다. 미당을 마중하기 위해 나온 강유를 강병으로 가장했던 위나라 병사들이 곧바로 습격하자 강유는 매우 당황하여 단신으로 도주하였으며 촉군 진영은 지휘 체계의 붕괴와 동맹군으로 여겼던 적군의 예상치 못한 공격으로 혼란에 빠져 무너지고 철롱산의 포위는 풀렸다.

254년 하후현(夏侯玄)의 뒤를 이어 정서대장군, 가절도독이 되어 옹주, 양주(서량)의 전군을 관할했다.

정원 2년(255년), 옹주자사 왕경(王經)에게서 촉이 군대를 셋으로 나누어 기산, 금성, 석영 쪽으로 공격해올 것이라는 보고를 받은 그는 촉군 전력이 삼분해도 좋을 만큼 강하지 않다고 판단, 반드시 한 방향으로만 주력을 투입할 것이라 예상하여 왕경에게는 정예병력을 주어 농서로 통하는 길을 지키게 하고 상규에는 등애를 주둔시킨 후 자신은 본대를 이끌고 진창으로 향하여 진로가 명백해지는 대로 촉군을 함께 협격하기로 했다. 왕경이 속공으로 나온 강유와 조서에서 교전하게 되어 배수진을 친 강유에게 참패하고 패잔병을 이끌고 적도성으로 들어가 농성하게 되자 등애(鄧艾), 호분 등은 승세를 탄 촉군과의 전투를 피해 적도를 내어주고 농우와 관중의 수비태세를 강화한 후 반격으로 나가야 한다고 했다. 진태는 거기에 동의하지 않고 만일 강유가 적도를 점령하고 강족 등과 연합해 곡창 지대인 농서를 비롯해 위군이 지키기 어렵게 된 옹주의 여러 군현을 손에 넣고 만성적인 식량 문제를 해결한 후 동진한다면 사태가 훨씬 심각해질 것이라고 보고 강유의 군대가 무장을 가볍게 하기 위해 물자나 병기를 얼마 데려가지 않은 점을 상기시키며 적도성이 버티는 동안 조속히 공격하면 강유는 퇴각할 수밖에 없을 것이라는 견해를 내었다. 진태가 즉시 적도로 행군하여 촉군을 포위하려 하자 강유는 서둘러 퇴각했다.

이후 낙양에 입조하여 상서좌복야에 임용되었다. 감로 5년(260년), 황제 조모(曹髦)가 사마소의 사주를 받은 성제(成濟)에게 피살당하자 상복 차림으로 나와 조모를 추도하였으며 사건에 깊이 관여한 가충(賈充)을 죽일 것을 요구하였다. 사마소가 그보다 지위가 낮은 사람에게 책임을 묻자고 하자, "그보다 높은 사람이라면 몰라도 낮은 사람에게 물을 수 없소"라고 말하는 기개를 보였다. 같은 해 병사하였으며 사공으로 추증되었다.

일화 
진태는 당시 유력한 가문의 저명 인사로 공인이 된 이후에도 자주 선물을 받았는데 받은 선물은 손대지 않고 발신자만 기록해 둔 다음 창고에 봉인해 두었다. 이 물건들은 나중에 상서가 되어 낙양으로 돌아온 후에 모두 되돌려 보냈다고 한다.

참고 문헌 

생년 미상
260년 사망
조위의 사공
영천 진씨