Cao Cao
According to the records of "Three Kingdoms·Wei Shu·Wudi Ji". In the 19th year of Jian'an, that is, 214 AD. Cao Cao attacked Sun Quan because of the hot weather in July. When Cao Cao was marching through what is now Hanshan County in Anhui Province, the soldiers could no longer hold on because of thirst. So Cao Cao asked the guide where there was water. The guide replied that the Ruxu River was more than ten miles ahead.
But the soldier could no longer hold on. He received an accurate reply from the guide, and in order to make the soldier insist on walking near the water source. Cao Cao had a plan in mind. Standing on the mountain and pointing into the distance, he said, I have been here before, and there is a big plum forest in front of me. Just get there and quench your thirst. This is used to encourage soldiers to temporarily endure difficulties and persist until they get out of trouble.
As a result, the soldiers were refreshed. Their thirst was temporarily relieved by the desire to eat plums, and they cheered up and continued to move forward because of the temptation of plums. Although there is no plum forest here, the past ten miles or so is what the guide calls the middle reaches of the Ruxu River. There will naturally be no shortage of water, even though the soldiers were deceived. But he also cheered up and persisted until he reached the water source. This is the origin of the familiar idiom "looking at plum blossoms to quench thirst".
Character profile
Cao Cao (155-March 15, 220), whose courtesy name was Mengde, whose last name was Jili, whose diminutive name was Amo, was born in Qiao County, Peiguo (now Bozhou, Anhui). people. He was an outstanding politician, militarist, writer, and calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the founder of the Cao Wei regime in the Three Kingdoms.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos. In the name of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao conquered the four directions, internally eliminated the separatist forces such as Yuan, Lu Bu, Liu Biao, and Han Sui, and externally surrendered the Southern Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, etc., and unified He conquered northern China and implemented a series of policies to restore economic production and social order, laying the foundation for the founding of Cao Wei. When Cao Cao was alive, he served as the Prime Minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and later as the King of Wei. After his death, he was given the posthumous title of King Wu.
Cao Cao was skilled in military tactics and good at poetry. He expressed his political ambitions and reflected the suffering life of the people in the late Han Dynasty. He was majestic, generous and desolate. His prose was also clear and neat, which opened up and prospered Jian'an literature and gave it to later generations. The people left behind precious spiritual wealth, which is known in history as the character of Jian'an. At the same time, Cao Cao was also good at calligraphy, especially Zhangcao. Zhang Huai of the Tang Dynasty rated it as a "wonderful product" in "Shu Duan".
Biography
Cao Cao’s grandfather, Cao Teng, was a prominent eunuch in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His father, Cao Song, rose to the rank of Taiwei. Cao Cao has been alert and mature since he was a child, and he likes to associate with famous people. When he was 20 years old, he was recommended by the prefecture and county, and was awarded the title of "Lang" with "Xiaolian" as the "Lang" in the northern part of Luoyang. During his tenure, he made a five-color stick and hung it on the gate of Weishi. Anyone who violated the prohibition, regardless of their status, would be killed with the stick. Later, he moved to Dunqiu Ling and conscripted Yilang.
In the 7th year of Guanghe reign of Emperor Ling (184), he was appointed as the cavalry captain. He followed Huangfu Song to suppress the Yingzhou Yellow Turban Army and moved to Jinan Prime Minister. In the 6th year of Zhongping (189), Cao Cao and Yuan Shao defeated Dong Zhuo. After suppressing the Yellow Turban Army, the team grew day by day. In the first year of Jian'an (196), he welcomed Xu County, the capital of the Han Dynasty, and was granted the title of General and Marquis of Wuping. From then on, Cao Cao held great power and ordered all directions to destroy Lu Bu, defeat Yuan Shao, conquer Wuhuan, and unify northern China.