Zang Ba
After Zang Ba was captured, Cao Cao asked for his allegiance and granted him control over Qing and Xu provinces immediately. Zang Ba's old friends, Sun Guan and Wu Dun, were also appointed as local administrators. Zang Ba and his followers maintained their power, even after their submission to Cao Cao. Once, Cao Cao ordered Liu Bei (then his subordinate) to ask Zang Ba for the heads of two traitors, Mao Jun and Xu Xi, who defected to Zang Ba when the latter was still hostile to Cao Cao. However, Zang Ba refused to turn the two men over. He told Cao Cao that the reason he had been able to earn the loyalty of so many people was because he never turned his back on them. He would stick by his people no matter what happened. As such, he did not want to turn these two men over to Cao Cao. Instead of getting upset at Zang Ba's insolence, Cao Cao praised him for his honourable conduct, comparing it to that of ancient heroes. He even went so far as to pardon Mao Jun and Xu Xi and appoint them as commandery administrators.