Cao Cao

Cao Cao (in Chinese, 曹操; pinyin, Cáo Cāo, Wade-Giles: Ts'ao Ts'ao; b. 155 – March 15, 220) was the last prime minister of the Han dynasty of ancient China. As a central figure of the Three Kingdoms Period, he laid the foundations of what would become the kingdom of Wei (also known as Cáo Wèi) and was posthumously named Emperor Wu of Wei (魏武帝).

Although in popular culture and in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms he is portrayed as a cruel and suspicious character, the historical Cao Cao shone as a ruler, strategist and poet. Among the Chinese, the figure of Cao Cao is of great importance even today. For example, the saying "speaking of the king of Rome, through the door appears", which in Spanish is said when someone who has just been mentioned suddenly appears, has in Chinese the equivalent of " talk about Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will appear" (in Chinese, 說曹操，曹操到; pinyin, shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào).

Biography

Early years

Cao Cao was born in Qiao District (譙, now Bozhou, Anhui) in 155. His father, Cao Song (曹嵩), was taken in by Cao Teng (曹騰), one of Emperor Huan's favorite eunuchs.. Some historical documents, including the Biography of Cao Man, state that Cao Song was originally surnamed Xiahou, which would make Cao Cao a cousin of Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, two of the most prominent generals of he. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is stated that Cao Cao's father was a Xiaohou adopted by the Cao family.

As a young man, Cao Cao was known for his cunning. His uncle frequently complained to Cao Song about his indulgence in hunting and music. To counter these attacks, Cao Cao one day faked an attack in front of his uncle, who quickly informed Cao Song. He went to see his son, who had returned to normal. When he was asked, Cao Cao responded: "I have never had that disease, but I have lost my uncle's love, and that is why he has deceived you." From that moment on, Cao Song stopped believing his brother's words regarding Cao Cao, causing him to become more capricious.

At that time, in Runan (汝南) there lived a man named Xu Shao (許劭) who was known for his ability to identify the hidden talents of others. Cao Cao wanted me to visit him. After a thorough questionnaire, Xu Shao said: "You would be a skillful minister in peace and an unscrupulous hero in chaos." Cao Cao took it as a compliment and felt lucky.

When he was twenty years old, Cao Cao was recommended to be captain of the Luoyang District. After taking office, he arranged a row of colored batons and ordered his assistants to whip anyone who violated the law without taking into account his social position. An uncle of Jian Shuo, an influential eunuch of Emperor Ling, was once caught walking through the city past curfew and was flogged.

When the Yellow Turban Rebellion (騎都尉) broke out in 184, Cao Cao was promoted to captain of cavalry and sent to Yingchuan (潁川) to crush the rebels. After the success obtained with his exploits, he was promoted to Governor of Dong Commandery (東郡).

Alliance against Dong Zhuo

In 189, Emperor Ling died and was succeeded to the throne by his eldest son, although it was the empress dowager and the eunuchs who held the real power. The two most powerful generals of that time, He Jin and Yuan Shao, conspired to eliminate the influence of the eunuchs. He Jin summoned Dong Zhuo, governor of Liangzhou (凉州) to enter the capital Luoyang with his army and pressure the empress. However, before he arrived, He Jin was killed by the eunuchs and Luoyang fell into chaos. After his army had disposed of the opposition in the palace, Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor, replacing him with the puppet emperor Xian Di. Seeing that an agreement with Dong Zhuo was not possible, Cao Cao left Luoyang in the direction of Chenliu (陳留; southeast of present-day Kaifeng, in Henan) where he formed his own army. The following year, the warlords, under the leadership of Yuan Shao, joined forces against Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao joined his cause. When Dong Zhuo was finally assassinated in 192, by his own adopted son Lü Bu, a powerful warrior, China fell into civil war. After several short-lived regional wars, Cao Cao continued to increase his power.

In 196, Cao Cao convinced Emperor Xian to move the capital to Xuchang, under the custody of warlords. From then on, the last Han emperor was to be a figurehead in Cao Cao's hands. He was installed as General-in-Chief (大將軍) and Marquis of Wuping (武平侯), although both titles had little practical implication.

In 200, Yuan Shao gathered more than 100,000 soldiers and marched south on Xuchang to rescue the emperor. Cao Cao gathered 20,000 men at Guandu, a strategic point on the bank of the Yellow River. Using great skill and brilliance in his military maneuvers, and with the help of a deserter from Yuan Shao's camp, he won a decisive and seemingly impossible victory.

After the defeat, Yuan Shao fell ill and died shortly after, leaving two of his sons, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang (袁尚), as heirs, but designating the latter, who was the youngest, as his successor, which It went against tradition. This caused them to dispute among themselves as well as against Cao Cao, so he was able to defeat them by using their differences to his advantage. From that moment on, Cao Cao assumed effective control over all of northern China. He sent his armies out of the area and extended his control beyond the Great Wall, as far as Korea in the north and as far as the Han River in the south.

However, his attempt to extend his rule south of the Yangtze River collided with the first coalition of his rivals Liu Bei and Sun Quan (who would later found the kingdoms of Shu and Wu respectively) and his army was defeated in the Battle of Chibi, or the Red Cliffs in 208.

Three Kingdoms Period

In 213, Cao Cao was invested as Duke of Wei (魏公), granted the Nine Dignities and fiefdom over ten cities, known as the State of Wei. In 216, he was promoted to king of Wei. Over the next few years, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan continued to consolidate their power over their respective areas. After many wars, China was divided between the three kingdoms, which sporadically fought battles among themselves, with the balance not tipping significantly towards any of them.

In 220, Cao Cao died in Luoyang at the age of 65, without having fulfilled his ambition to unify China. His will ordered that he be buried in everyday clothes and without ceremony and that the inhabitants of the border areas remain in his places since "the country is still unstable."

He was succeeded by the eldest of his living sons, Cao Pi, who within a year forced Emperor Xian to abdicate, proclaiming himself the first emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. Cao Cao was then posthumously called Emperor Wu.

Other contributions

Agriculture and education

While continuing military campaigns against his enemies, Cao Cao did not forget the foundations of society, agriculture and education.

In 194, a plague of locusts caused a great famine throughout China. According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, people, in their desperation, came to eat human flesh. Without food, many armies were defeated without even engaging in combat. From this experience, Cao Cao saw the importance of food supply in building a powerful army. He began a series of plans for the development of agriculture in cities such as Xuchang and Chenliu. Refugees were recruited to tend the uncultivated lands. Later, camps that did not have to face the imminent danger of war also became farmland. This system continued to expand as Cao Cao's kingdom did. Although his first intention was to build a powerful army, these programs also improved the living standards of the people, especially war refugees.

By 203, Cao Cao had eliminated most of Yuan Shao's armies, allowing him to pay more attention to constructive works within his kingdom. In the fall of that year, he decreed that education be promoted in the districts and cities under his jurisdiction. An officer in charge of educational affairs was assigned to each district with a minimum of five hundred families. Young people with potential and talent were selected to be educated, thus avoiding the lack of intellectuals in those years of war, which "benefit the people"

Poetry

Cao Cao was also a renowned poet. Although few of his works have survived to us, his unpretentious but profound verses contributed to reforming the poetic style of his time. Together with his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, they are known in poetry as "The Three Cao". Along with several poets of the time, his poems form the backbone of what would be known as jian'an style (建安风骨), which is the name of the era that goes from 196 to 220.

The civil dispute that developed toward the end of the Han Dynasty gave the jian'an poems their characteristic solemn but moving tone that frequently laments the ephemerality of existence. This period marks the transition in the history of Chinese literature between early popular songs and scholarly poetry.

One of Cao Cao's most celebrated poems, written in the last years of his life, is "Although the turtle has a long life" (龜雖壽)

Although the Turtle has a long life

Although the turtle blessed with magical powers has a long life,

Your days have an assigned period

Though winged serpents walk in the high fog,

In the end they become dust and ashes;

An ancient war horse can be stabled,

However, he still longs to gallop a thousand lis;

And a man of noble heart although of advanced age

He never abandons his proud aspirations.

The Period of man's life, whether long or short,

It does not depend only on Heaven;

He who eats well and stays happy

You can live to a very old age.

And so with joy in my heart,

I hum this song.(Translation)

Cao Cao in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel by Luo Guanzhong, is a novelization of the events that occurred during that period. Although he remains faithful to the story most of the time, he inevitably gives Cao Cao a certain drama, with a tone that suggests a cruel and suspicious character. On several occasions, Luo Guanzhong even introduces fictional events.

The Cao clan

Direct male descendants

Children of Princess Bian

• Cao Pi ())
  • Cao Rui ())
    • Cao Fang ())
      • Cao Mao ())
        • Cao Huan ())
• Cao Zhang ())
  • Cao Kai ())
• Cao Zhi (植️)
  • Cao Zhi () successful)
• Cao Xiong ())
  • Cao Bin ())

Children of Liu

• Cao Ang ())
  • Cao Wan ().). It happened to Cao Ang but he was the son of Cao Jun ().).
    • Cao Lian ())
• Cao Shuo ())
  • Cao Qian ()국)
    • Cao Yan ())

Children of John

• Cao Chong () event)
  • Cao Cong. It happened to Cao Chong but he was the son of Cao Ju (). cure).
• Cao Ju ()icular)
• Cao Yu

Children of Du

• Cao Lin ()source)
  • Cao Wei ())
• Cao Gun ())
  • Cao Fu ())

Children of Qin

• Cao Xuan ())
  • Cao Heng ())
• Cao Jun ())
  • Cao Ao (澳️)

Children of Yin

• Cao Ju ())
  • Cao Min. It happened to Cao Ju but he was the son of Cao Jun ().).
    • Cao Kun ())

Children of other consorts

• Cao Gan ())
• Cao Shang () related)
• Cao Biao ())
  • Cao Jia
• Cao Qin ())
• Cao Cheng ()γ)
• Cao Zheng (整 injunction)
  • Cao Fan. It happened to Cao Zheng, but he was the son of Cao Ju.
  • Cao Chan ().). Little brother of Cao Fan, to whom it happened.
• Cao Jing
• Cao Jun ())
  • Cao Kang () train)
    • Cao Chen ())
• Cao Ji ()️)
• Cao Hui
  • Cao Xi ())
• Cao Mao ())

Other family members

• Cao Ren ().). Younger cousin.
  • Cao Tai ())
    • Cao Chu () wake)
  • Cao Kai ())
  • Cao Fan () trading)
• Cao Chun ().). Younger cousin.
  • Cao Yan (演 suspected)
    • Cao Liang ()️)
• Cao Hong ().). Younger cousin.
• Cao Xiu (). gift). Far nephew.
  • Cao Zhao ())
• Cao Zhen. Far nephew.
  • Cao Shuang ())
  • Cao Xi ())
  • Cao Xun ()γ)
  • Cao Ze ())
  • Cao Yan ())
  • Cao Ai ())
• Cao Anmin. nephew.