In the seventeenth year of Jian'an (212), Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty allowed Cao Cao to "visit the unknown and go to the palace with a sword", such as the story of Xiao He, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty.

In the eighteenth year of Jian'an (213), Cao Cao raised an army of 400,000 and personally conquered Sun Quan in the south. In the first month of the following year, Cao's army marched to the mouth of the city (now southeast of Chaoxian County, Anhui), broke through Sun Quan's camp in Jiangbei, and captured his general Sun Yang. Sun Quan personally led an army of 70,000 and went to the mouth of the river to resist Cao's army. The two armies held each other for more than a month, and Cao Cao's naval army lost the battle. Due to the pouring spring rain and the rising river, Cao Cao saw that it was difficult to win, so he withdrew his troops to the north.

In May of the same year, "Yu Gong" was restored to Kyushu. Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty canonized Cao Cao as the Duke of Wei, added nine tins, built the Wei State, and set the capital of the country in Yecheng. Wei owned the land of ten counties in Jizhou, and placed hundreds of officials such as prime ministers, captains, and generals.

In April of the twenty-first year of Jian'an (216 years), Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty canonized Cao Cao as the king of Wei, 30,000 households, located on the princes and kings, did not call the ministers, did not worship the edict, and worshiped the world with the crown of the Son of Heaven, the car uniform, the flag, the ritual and music suburbs, and the entry and exit were called the police, the temple, the ancestors, and the wax were all like the Han system, and the national capital was Yecheng. The princes were all princes. He was still nominally a Hanchen, but in fact he was already the emperor.

In the winter and October of the twenty-second year of Jian'an (217), Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty gave Cao Cao the crown of two out of ten, taking the golden root car, driving six horses, and setting up a five-hour auxiliary car, Cao Cao took Cao Pi as the prince of Wei with five official Zhonglang. [38]

Compete for Hanzhong

In March of the twentieth year of Jian'an (215), Cao Cao saw that Liu Bei had obtained Yizhou, and Hanzhong was the gateway to Yizhou, "if there is no Hanzhong, there will be no Shu", Liu Bei must capture Hanzhong. So Cao Cao took the lead and led an army of 100,000 to conquer Zhang Lu in Hanzhong. In May, he conquered Hechi and beheaded Dou Mao, the king of Di [39], and in July, Cao Cao's army marched to Yangping Pass (northwest of present-day Mianxian County, Shaanxi). Zhang Lu heard that Yangping Pass was lost and fled to Bazhong. Cao Cao marched into Nanzheng and obtained the treasures of Zhanglu's treasury. In November, Zhang Lu surrendered to Cao Cao, and Hanzhong was owned by Cao Cao.

In the spring of the 22nd year of Jian'an (217), Cao Cao again marched south, led his army to storm the mouth of the river, and defeated Sun Quan, who sent the commander Xu Shen to ask for surrender [40], Cao Cao agreed, and promised to re-marry. [41]

After Cao Cao's main force withdrew from Hanzhong, Liu Bei launched an attack on Hanzhong. In the twenty-third year of Jian'an (218), Liu Bei personally led a large army to Yangping Pass, Xiahou Yuan and others confronted Liu Bei at Jiaguan, and Cao's army repelled Liu Bei's fierce attacks many times [42] . In July, Cao Cao personally led a large army to Guanzhong and sat in Chang'an, so that he could command the Hanzhong war situation at any time. At the same time, the smoke of gunpowder rose again, and Cao Cao ordered Cao Zhang and Tian Yu to march north to break the Wuhuan Xianbei coalition army. [43]

In the first month of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Liu Bei crossed the water from the south of Yangping Pass (now Hanshui), marched along the mountain, and garrisoned in Dingjun Mountain (now southeast of Mianxian County, Shaanxi), Xiahou Yuan sent troops to compete with Liu Bei for terrain, was beheaded by Huang Zhong, and Cao's army was defeated. After that, Cao Cao personally led a large army to capture Hanzhong, but Liu Bei did not come out, and Cao Jun and Liu Bei's army were separated by several months, which was unprofitable, so he gave up Hanzhong. [44]

Battle of Xiangfan

In July of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Cao Cao had just withdrawn from Hanzhong, and Liu Bei's general Guan Yu launched an attack from Jingzhou to his southeastern defense line, Xiang and Fan. When Cao Cao heard this, he immediately sent the general to Ban to lead his troops to rescue Fancheng. In August, when Guan Yu was flooded (in the official history, Guan Yu did not break the embankment) [45-47], he attacked in a large boat, captured the ban, beheaded Pang De, and marched to besiege Fancheng. At that time, there were only a few thousand people in the Cao army in Fancheng, the city was flooded, and the water surface was only a few feet away from the city tower, and Cao Ren led the army to defend it. Cao Cao sent Xu Huang to lead his troops to rescue Fancheng. In October, Cao Cao rushed to Luoyang from Guanzhong and personally commanded the rescue of Fancheng.

Because Guan Yu was in the upper reaches, Sun Quan was unwilling to let Guan Yu's power develop, and he had already had the intention of capturing Jingzhou, so he joined Cao Cao and prepared to attack Jiangling, the key place of Jingzhou, with the general Lü Meng. After Cao Cao received the letter, he informed Cao Ren of the news, ordered him to continue to hold on, and advanced to Mopi (southeast of present-day Jiaxian) by himself, approaching the command, and sent 12 battalions to reinforce Xu Huang, ordering him to counterattack Guan Yu. After a fierce battle, Guan Yu was defeated. Soon, Lü Meng made a sneak attack on Jiangling and succeeded. Guan Yu retreated to Yizhou, and was captured and killed by Sun Quan's army on the way, Sun Quan sent Guan Yu's head to Luoyang, Cao Cao was buried with the rites of princes, and the battle of Xiangfan ended. [48]

The twilight of a strong man

After Cao Cao captured Guan Yu and obtained Jingzhou by Sun Quan, he called Sun Quan a hussar general and a pastor of Jingzhou. Sun Quan sent envoys to pay tribute to Cao Cao, and persuaded Cao Cao to replace the Han Dynasty and proclaim himself Emperor of Great Wei. Cao Cao sent Sun Quan's letter to the ministers inside and outside, saying: "I want to sit on the fire!" Cao Cao's subordinates took the opportunity to persuade Cao Cao. [49] Cao Cao himself did not want to abolish the emperor and stand on his own, he said: "If the destiny of heaven is in me, I will be the king of Zhou Wen." ” [50]

In the first month of the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an (220 years), Cao Cao returned to Luoyang. In the same month, he died of illness in Luoyang at the age of 66. [51] Before his death, he left a "testament". According to Cao Cao's will, he was buried in Gaoling on the western outskirts of Yecheng on April 11. [52]

In October, Cao Pi, the king of Wei, replaced the Han Dynasty and established himself as the emperor, with the country name Wei, and posthumously honored Cao Cao as the Wu Emperor, and the temple name Taizu.

Edited for political initiatives

In the warlord melee in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Huanghuai River Basin suffered unprecedented social and economic destruction, the people were slaughtered, the land was barren, and the survivors were forced to leave their homes and live in other places. It can be said that "the famous capital is empty but not inhabited, and there are countless people who are desperate for a hundred miles" [53], "the white bones are exposed in the wilderness, and there is no rooster crowing for thousands of miles" [54] . Faced with this tragic scene, Cao Cao implemented a series of policies during his lifetime to restore the economy and stabilize the situation. Judging from Cao Cao's performance in the political, military, and economic aspects, such as the implementation of tuntian, the construction of water conservancy, and the implementation of the system of official sale of salt and iron, Cao Cao played a positive role in the social and economic recovery and economic rectification. [55]

politics

Punish Haoqiang

Cao Cao began to embark on a career in office, and tried to use stricter laws to change the situation of the rampant power at that time. Due to the disaster in the center, Cao was unable to carry out his intentions. It was only after he took power that he had to fully implement the rule of law policy of restraining the powerful and powerful. He said, "The husband is punished, and the life of the people is also"; The government of chaos should be punished first". He used Wang Xiu, Sima Zhi, Yang Pei, Lu Qian, Man Chong, Jia Kui and other local officials to curb the lawless and powerful. If we compare the governance techniques successively implemented by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in Jizhou, we can see two different situations: "At the end of the Han Dynasty, the government was lenient, and Shao was lenient and wide, so it was not taken." Under Yuan Shao's leniency policy, "the powerful and the powerful were arbitrary, relatives were merged, the people were poor and weak, they rented out their endowments, and showed off their family wealth, which was not enough to meet their orders." In this way, it is natural that "the people will be attached to each other, and the armoured soldiers will be strong." Therefore, although Yuan Shao had a larger land, more soldiers, and more food, he was eventually defeated by Cao. After Cao won Jizhou, he immediately "emphasized the method of annexation of the powerful and strong", so it received the effect of "pleasing the people". Sima Guang's statement that Cao "turned chaos into order" was not unfounded.

Stabilize the situation

Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was contested by the Western Liang Army, and the shepherds and guards of all prefectures and counties were supporting their troops to strengthen themselves and cut off the tribute. The situation in China as a whole is one of division and warlordism. At this time of crisis, Cao Cao hijacked the emperor at the end of his rope, moved the capital to Xu County, and flattened the northern heroes by force, trying to unify China, which played a role in stabilizing the political situation of the Eastern Han Dynasty. [56]

Meritocracy

During the Han Dynasty, officials were selected, and the selected people must not only have feudal moral qualities such as benevolence, righteousness, filial piety, etc., but also have noble family backgrounds.

Cao Cao does not pay attention to false reputation in employing people, and he selects officials to "understand the law" and be able to implement the rule of law. Cui Yan and Mao Jue are in charge of the election, "all of them are upright people, although they are famous at the time, and those who do not do it will not be able to enter." To be thrifty, the people of the world are not self-motivated by honesty, although the ministers of noble favors, public opinion does not dare to be excessive." The social climate has improved. [57]

In order to maintain and develop the power, so that more people can serve their own causes, not restricted by the above standards, emphasizing "meritocracy". As long as he has talent, even if he lacks feudal moral character and is from a lower class, he will pay attention to promotion. From 210 to 217, he successively issued three "merit orders" to select and appoint some talented people. Break the concept of the clan, recruit the middle and lower classes of the landlord class, restrain the powerful and strong, and strengthen the centralization of power. [57]

Respect the law

Cao Cao's thought was influenced by Confucianism, and its roots belonged to the category of Confucianism, which was to uphold benevolence, righteousness, and courtesy, and tried to use benevolence, morality, and courtesy to teach the people and administration, that is, "governing and ruling etiquette first". On the other hand, Cao Cao's emphasis on law and art, strict punishment and strict law, the history is very clear, which constitutes another important aspect of Cao Cao's thought. This is the "first priority to put the punishment first". Therefore, Cao Cao's thought is a contradictory unity. Cao Cao, who was in troubled times, emphasized criminal law and did not forget the use of etiquette. He has always respected the law with both hands, and has shown a unique ability to deceive in the simultaneous use of etiquette and law. [58]

military

Unify the North

Cao Cao was proficient in the art of war and played an active role in the unification of the north, and after the Yellow Turban Uprising, the Eastern Han Dynasty disintegrated, and the warlords fought in a melee. In the melee, not only Dong Zhuo, Li Dao and other Liangzhou warlords slaughtered people and looted property everywhere, so there was a desolate scene of "cannibalism among the people and depression in the state". From the second year of Chuping (191) to the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208), Cao Cao successively eliminated the separatist forces north of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and unified most of northern China. Cao Cao's war to unify the north lasted 17 years, which was the founding battle of Cao Wei and laid a solid foundation for the later unification of China by the Western Jin Dynasty. [59]

Proficient in the art of war

Cao Cao studied the art of war, had advanced military theories, and was familiar with Sun Wu, Wu Qi and other previous generations of military affairs

Portraits and statues of Cao Cao

Portraits and statues of Cao Cao (18 photos)

On the basis of studying the art of war, he wrote the book "Receiving the Essentials of the Military Books", which was discussed in combination with his own war experience. The "Brief Explanation of Sun Tzu" created a precedent for sorting out and commenting on the thirteen articles of "Sun Tzu". He advocated the concept of war of "soldiers acting with righteousness" and emphasized that the division is famous and in line with morality. It is flexible in strategy and tactics, adapts to the situation, wins in any situation, and never tires of deceit.

In terms of the use of troops, history called him "a marching division, which is more based on the law of Sun and Wu, and because of things, he will win against the enemy, and he will change like a god." More than 100,000 words of self-made military books, all the generals are engaged in new books, and the hands are modest, and those who obey the order are defeated, and those who violate the religion are defeated." In a series of battles against Lu Bu, Zhang Xiu, Yuan Shao, Ma Chao, Han Sui, etc., tactics such as attacking the east and attacking the west, avoiding the real and making the false are false, ambushing, outflanking, raiding, dividing, robbing grain, attacking the other to save the enemy, and abandoning objects to lure the enemy, etc., are often used to win the enemy and turn the weak into strong. Li Jing's "Li Weigong Asks the Right Questions" [60] and He Qufei's "Treatise on Dr. He's Preparations" all praise Cao Cao's marching soldiers.

The army is strictly organized

In terms of leading troops, he governed the army strictly, and the laws were strict, once on the march, Cao Cao ordered not to trample the wheat field with war horses, and if there was a violation, he would be beheaded. The soldiers dismounted and walked on foot, lest they trample on the wheat seedlings. But Cao Cao's war horse was frightened and trampled on the wheat field. He immediately drew his sword and cut off a handful of his hair as a punishment, which shows that the law is seriously enforced. [61] The "Wei Wu Military Order", "Wei Wu Boat Battle Order", and "Wei Wu Infantry Battle Order" included in the "General Dictionary and Military Dictionary" also reflect his strict military orders.

Cherish the talents

In terms of imperial generals, Cao Cao was drawn out of the ban, Lejin was in the march, and Zhang Liao and Xu Huang were among the prisoners, all of whom made meritorious contributions and were listed as famous generals. Cao Cao was able to use his strengths according to the characteristics of the generals. [62] For example, Xu Chu and Dian Wei were strong and powerful, loyal to the law, and Cao Cao let them be the front of the army in battle, and the rest was in command of his own troops; Zang Ba had the grace to trust in the eastern territory, and Cao Cao entrusted Qing and Xu Erzhou to him, so that he could concentrate on dealing with Yuan Shao and did not have to think about the east; the general Wen Pingben was a general under Liu Biao's account, and he was quite powerful in the Jianghan area, and Cao Cao appointed him as the Taishou of Jiangxia, and entrusted him with side affairs, so that he could make the imperial grandson power.

economy

Tuntian

Between the Han and Wei dynasties, social production was severely damaged, and there was a great famine. During this period, food supply became the biggest problem for all military groups, and there were countless people who were invincible and self-defeating due to the lack of military rations. Cao Cao built water conservancy in the north and solved the problem of lack of military rations, which played a certain role in the recovery of agricultural production.

In the first year of Jian'an, Cao Cao adopted the suggestions of Zao Qi and others, and used the materials seized from the Yellow Turban to recruit people to Tuntian. So Cao Cao ordered the establishment of field officials in various prefectures and counties to set up tuntian. Tuntian ensures reproduction in the form of state investment, and its work efficiency is higher than that of ordinary homesteaders. Therefore, in a short period of time, the local "peasants, officers and soldiers, the voices of chickens and dogs, and the voices of the strangers belong to each other". Tuntian effectively solved the food problem of Cao Cao's group, so Cao Cao said: "Later, because of this, the field was abundant, and the country was abundant, destroying the rebellion and subduing the world." ”

At the same time as the construction of Tuntian, Cao Cao Cai