The evaluation of Cao Cao in the history books is: "the most brilliant", "the able minister to rule the world, the treacherous man in troubled times" and "writing poems horizontally is also a hero all his life." The famous "Let the County Know the Book" was written in the fifteenth year of Jian 'an (2 10), and every word was aboveboard and sincere. Cao Cao said emotionally: "Let there be no orphans in the world. I don't know how many people are emperors and how many people are kings. " That's true.
In the long historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there are obvious ways to belittle Cao because of the need of literature. However, among the three monarchs in Wei Shuwu, he is the highest. Chen Shou commented on Cao Cao: "At the end of the Han Dynasty, there was chaos in the world, and the heroes rose together. Yuan Shao looked at the four States and was strong. Mao strategized, castigated the magic of Shen and Shang, used the unique tactics of Han and Bai, and granted official materials, each for his own purposes, melodramatic, and forgot the old evils. In the end, he was able to conquer the imperial court machine and become a flood maker, but it was only slightly better. I can be described as an extraordinary person and a peerless hero. " Cao Cao is talented and versatile, and his tactics and tactics are flexible and changeable in the military. He made great contributions to the unification of northern China, the recovery of economic production and the maintenance of social order in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In terms of internal affairs, Cao Cao established a system of reclaiming farmland and ordered soldiers who didn't need to fight to go to the fields to farm, thus alleviating the food problem during the war in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
Everyone's comments
Sun Quan commented on Cao Cao: "It's a pity to kill only small things. It' s cool to alienate people' s flesh and blood, and emperors and princes have been rare since ancient times. "
Pei Songzhi commented on Cao Cao: "Looking back at ancient and modern books, it is very important to be greedy, ruthless and ruthless." -"Reflection (Note)"
Emperor Taizong said to Cao Cao: "In times of crisis, we should control changes and expect the enemy to set up strange tricks. Once we make them smart, we will have more than enough talents. "
Tang Xuanzong often compared himself to "A God".
Yuan Zhen commented on Cao Cao: "Cao Cao's rebellion began." -"Dong Escape"
Liu Zhiji commented on Cao Cao: "The most heinous crime is the disaster of Wang Mang." -"Stone Exploration"
Sima Guang commented on Cao Cao: "Wei Wuzhi was violent, long and unintentional." Even if we dare not abolish the independence of the Han people, why not? I'm still afraid of this name and suppress myself. "-"Purple Tongzhi Sword "
Hong Mai commented on Cao Cao: "Cao Cao is a ghost of the Han Dynasty, and the gentleman does not know about it." -"Rongzhai Essays"
Wang Fuzhi commented on Cao Cao: "It is also a fact that Cao Cao's father saw the murder and dispatch troops reported it; Killing hundreds of thousands of men and women in Surabaya and killing a city is cruel and inhuman. The reason why Cao Cao is the wisdom of the world is not the Tao. " -"Reading as a Mirror"
The ancients commented on Cao Cao: "Although Cao Shi helped all China, he was deeply humiliated and resented by the people." -"The Argument about Death"
Gu commented on Cao Cao: "Meng De not only has Jizhou, but also rewards it with arrogance. Seeing that he has repeatedly given orders, as for those who laugh in the name of humiliation, they are heartless and unfilial, and they have the skill of governing the country and using troops. Therefore, Machiavellian fraud was superimposed and traitors were born. "
Chen Shou: "At the end of the Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and the heroes rose together. Yuan Shaohu stayed in four States, which was extremely powerful. Mao strategized, lashed out at the demons of internal, application and business, and the unique strategies of Korea and Belarus, and granted materials by the government, each with its own tools, melodramatic and arbitrary, and did not think about old evils, and finally conquered the imperial plane and became a career in the wild, but it was only slightly superior. I can be described as an extraordinary person and a peerless hero. "
Wang Shen: I have served in the imperial army for more than 30 years, and I don't want to give up my book. The book talks about the art of war and thinks about classics at night. Climbing to the top must be given, and the strings of new poems make a movement. -"Shu Wei"
character trait
Chen Shou, the author of the History of the Three Kingdoms, commented on Cao Cao at the end of the chapter Wei Shu Wu Di Ji: "..... Mao planned and whipped the demons inside, surrounded Shen, Shang, Han and Bai with their own strategies, and the officials granted talents, each with his own tools, and put aside the old evils, and finally mastered the imperial machine and became a flood maker, but only slightly better." I can be described as an extraordinary person and an unparalleled hero. "
The above passage describes Cao Cao's life behavior quite accurately. In fact, Cao Cao is an extremely complicated figure. He is a hero in troubled times, who can strategize, storm in and do things that ordinary people can't do. He is also a symbol of the alternation between the old and the new, or a traitor in troubled times caught between heredity and abdication.
1, be cautious when things go wrong, keep calm in times of crisis, and make more decisive moves.
According to Wei Shu, in the first month, Yuan Shao and other officials even attacked Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao recruited more than 4,000 soldiers to fight in Danyang. There was a mutiny in Longkang and the rebels burned Cao Cao's tent. In desperation, Cao Shenyi was calm and sharp-headed, holding a sharp knife, killing dozens of people and calming the situation. Although the story is as small as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is enough to show that Cao Cao is brave and martial. The battle of Guandu was a key battle between Cao Yuan and Cao Yuan, and the elite soldiers rushed to the Wu Dynasty by pushing and shoving. When the battle of robbing the village was in full swing, Yuan Shao's reinforcements arrived and the situation changed suddenly. Victory or defeat is only a matter of thought. Cao Cao's men began to panic and said urgently that Cao Cao would divide his forces to resist. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao flew into a rage and shouted, "There are thieves behind him, and this is for nothing!" It means the enemy will talk behind his back. Because the coach is determined, he takes the lead. The belief of "life or death" immediately showed all the people that the whole army was determined to fight to the death, broke the old nest and killed Chun Yuqiong, an alcoholic, which laid the foundation for the final elimination of Yuan Shao. If Cao Cao sees the enemy reinforcements hiding, he is terrified and divides his forces to fight, then the outcome of the battle will of course be extremely clear. And calling yourself a hero is just a ridiculous word that you can't chew.
2. Broad-minded, optimistic and fearless.
There are many scenes of Cao Cao laughing in the TV series. No matter how to win or lose in the battle, Cao Cao is always unmoved by appearances. Winning without arrogance and losing with grace is another major feature of his brave temperament. It is a matter of life and death to levy Wu Huan and leave the desert. Only Cao came up with a clever plan to let the soldiers look to plum to quench their thirst and save the day. This optimistic spirit of putting life and death at risk is the foundation of Yucheng No.1 hero. In the fiasco of Battle of Red Cliffs and Cao Shi, Cao Cao's lofty sentiments and ambitions are highly reflected in his graceful demeanor, smiling proudly and speaking freely. As for the battle of Puyang, Lu Bu hit his helmet with a halberd and asked him, "Where is Cao Cao?" Cao Cao hid his face with his sleeve and said, "Those who ride Huang Ma in front are also there." Later, when Ma Chao chased him, he abandoned his robe and cut his beard, which is impossible for ordinary people in an emergency. When he was dying, Cao still found the way out of danger without fear and without thinking, which was optimistic and humorous.
"The big move is absolutely successful, the risk is fearless and the situation is complicated. In the meantime, only heroes can be called heroes. Cao Gong and Cao Mengde are real. "
3. The complexity and multiplicity of personality are fully displayed and integrated in him.
Cao Cao is a maverick reformist, but his means and measures are illegal, rational, arbitrary and heartless. Although he shocked the world by "relying on the emperor to make the princes", he always carefully protected the representative of the old forces, the Liu Han Dynasty, until his death, giving up the complete revolution from content to form and falling into a halfway ending.
Cao reclaimed land, built water conservancy projects, advocated frugality, neglected taxes, restrained strongmen, and did many good things for the people all over the world. However, endless power and profit struggles, meaningless warlord scuffles and a large number of soldiers and laborers were killed, which further aggravated people's suffering and hindered social progress. The stick stretched out to try to reform hit him on the head, leaving only more bones, more refugees and more cries of hunger and cold in the field.
Cao Cao is eager for talents and accepts kindness. He ordered more than once to recruit talents and talents, which really brought a fresh wind to the dirty society at that time, and let those who had the heart to retaliate against the world see a glimmer of hope. However, his first requirement for the talents he recruited was to serve Cao Shi Group unconditionally, obey him and be driven by his selfish ambition. Otherwise, a little meticulous will be punished. This means and mentality have greatly undermined the development of talents. Kong Rong, Yang Xiu, Yu Xun and Hua Tuo, rare wizards in the world, all died in his hands, completely tearing up his hypocritical face.
Cao Cao is versatile, not only a commander in chief in the military, but also very creative in literature, music and other arts. His unique poetry creation has become a symbol of the new trend in literary world. But he didn't reach the peak, limited to creation, and didn't make great achievements. There are not many works, so it is difficult to form a system, and his achievements and influence are far less than his two sons. His poetry pays attention to the publicity of connotation and ignores the change of form. When new wine is put into old bottles, it becomes rootless and floats.
Cao Cao is a pioneer in the new historical period, and he should have brilliant achievements. Both content and form should be substantial and complete. But his contradiction determines his lack of confidence in making decisions on key issues. It is recorded in Wei Chunqiu that Xia Houdun tried to persuade Cao Cao to let Wei go to Han. Cao Cao replied, "If fate belongs to me, I should be Zhou Wenwang." At an important historical turning point, he took a detour with a little complacency and gave the old man a hard back.
At that time, the general trend of the world really needed Cao Cao to make a decisive and bright image. If so, the later history will be different. But Cao Cao is brave without this. He is a flower firmly established on the old foundation, with brilliant colors, but with decadent roots.
Therefore, Cao Cao's flogging of Yu Yu is only an inevitable act of cleaning the historical palace. At best, he himself is a conscientious servant, a middle-stream runner holding the second relay race in the process of alternating between the old and the new. As Mr. Lu Xun said, Cao Cao is a very capable person, at least a hero, but that's all.
Literary achievements
Cao Cao has profound cultivation in literature, calligraphy and music. His literary achievements are mainly manifested in poetry and prose.
There are less than 20 poems by Cao Cao, all of which are Yuefu poems. The content can be roughly divided into three categories. One is related to current affairs, the other is mainly to express ideals, and the other is poetry about immortals. For more than 30 years, Mao Yujun never gave up his books. The book talks about the art of war and thinks about classics at night. Climbing to the top must be given, and the strings of new poems make a movement. (Shu Wei) Although Shang Yahao was in the army, he couldn't put it down. Every time I decide to save, I calmly say: people who are less eager to learn will think professionally, and after a long time, they will forget; When I grow up, I can be a diligent scholar, just me and Yuan Boye. ("Canon on self-narration", Yuan Boye left his name and Yuan Shao was his brother. ) Cao Gong's old road is straight, and there is a sad saying. (Zhong Rong's Poems)
His works related to current affairs include Lu Luxing, Good Li Xing, Bitter Cold Travel, Walking Out of Xiamen, etc. Two songs, Autumn Journey and Good, were written in the early years of Jian 'an. The foregoing reflects that He Jinmou murdered eunuchs, and Dong Zhuo went to Luoyang for insurrection. The second article is about the states and counties in Kanto, each with its own ambitions, fighting with each other, and keeping pace with each other in content. Poetry describes this historical process in concise language, so it is known as "a true record of the late Han Dynasty, an authentic work of poetry history" (Zhong Xing's Return of Ancient Poems). What is particularly commendable is that in the poem "A Journey to Luxury", he wrote the profound sufferings of the broad masses of the people in the war in a sympathetic tone: "When lice are born, everyone dies, bones are exposed in the wild, and there are no crows in a thousand miles. There are hundreds of people left behind, which makes people feel sad. " A Journey to Bitter Cold was written in the 11th year of Jian 'an. The poem describes the coldness, desolation and precipitousness of Taihang Mountain in winter, with vivid images, and also writes the poet's inner complex feelings. "Out of Xiamen" was written in the twelfth year of Jian 'an, and the five rings levied three counties. This poem includes "Yan" (prelude) and four explanations. Yan concentrated on the poet's complex mood when he went to war. Explain "Watching the Sea" and write about the impressions when marching through Jieshi; Second, explain "October in Winter" and third "Cold in the River", and write about what you saw on your way home; Fourth, explain "although the tortoise lives long" and write about the ideological activities after winning this important battle. Among them, "Looking at the Sea" describes the seascape, "The autumn wind is bleak, the waves are rough, and the trip between the sun and the moon is unexpected; The stars are brilliant, magnificent and magnificent, which embodies the poet's broad mind of embracing the universe and devouring the sun and the moon. Guibishou expresses the poet's views on life and career with a series of vivid metaphors: "An old man rode on a horse, aiming for a thousand miles, and a martyr died with great courage". This is the true confession of the poet's active and enterprising spirit all his life.
The poems that mainly express ideals are Du Guan Shan, Duijiu, and Short Song. The political ideals of the first two poets. His vision of peace and prosperity is the politics of virtuous monarch and good minister, which combines Confucianism and law with kindness and prestige. This is undoubtedly of progressive significance under the realistic background of social destruction in the late Han Dynasty. The theme of "A Short Song" is to be thirsty for talents. With the poem "The mountain is not too high, the water is not too deep, the Duke of Zhou vomits and feeds, and the world turns to the heart", it expresses the mood of seeking talents and recruiting talents to achieve its great cause.
You Xian's poems include Exhale and Autumn Hu Xing. Cao Cao didn't believe in the alchemist's theory of immortality, so he wrote these poems as something else, so he can't be equated with Qin Huang and Wu Han's quest for immortality.
In artistic style, Cao Cao's poems are unpretentious and unpretentious. They won with deep affection and charm. Poetically, it is characterized by generosity and sadness. Generosity and sadness, originally the keynote of Jian 'an literature, are the most typical and prominent in Cao Cao's poems. In terms of poetic genre, Cao Cao's Yuefu poems did not copy the rules of Han Yuefu, but developed. For example, Lu Luxing and Good Li Xing are both elegies in the Han Yuefu, but he used old topics to express brand-new contents. Cao Cao initiated the tradition of writing current affairs with Yuefu, which had far-reaching influence. A large number of Yuefu poems created by Jian 'an writers and many poets from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty can be said to be the inheritance and development of this tradition.
Cao Cao's prose is mostly applied words, which can be roughly divided into three categories: table, preface and book. Representative works include Please Increase the Feudal List of Guo Jia, Make the County Self-evident, Letters with Wang, Old Monument of Taiweiqiao, etc. These characters are characterized by simplicity, simplicity, frankness and fluency, and write the unique voice of Cao Cao. For example, "Let the princess know her will" describes her struggle experience for most of her life, analyzes the situation at that time, and dissects her own mind. His words of "seeking defeat alone, I don't know how many people are emperors and how many people are kings" are extremely frank and courageous. From the Eastern Han Dynasty, prose appeared the trend of parallel prose, and gradually appeared at the end of Han Dynasty. Ordinary prose writers began to emphasize duality and use allusions. But Cao Cao was unique at that time with his simple, practical and practical style. Lu Xun once praised Cao Cao as "the founder of reforming articles" (Wei and Jin demeanor and the relationship between articles and medicine and wine).
Cao Cao's achievements in literature are also reflected in his constructive role in Jian 'an literature (see Seven Children of Jian 'an). Jian 'an literature can flourish under the background of long-term war and social fragmentation, which is inseparable from his attention and promotion. When discussing the reasons for the prosperity of Jian 'an literature, Liu Xie once pointed out that "respecting the monarch and loving poetry and elegance" (the literary mind carves dragons). In fact, the main writers in Jian 'an period were closely related to him. Cao Pi and Cao Zhi are his sons, and the "seven sons" and Cai Yan are also sheltered by him. It can be said that "Ye Group" was formed on the basis of the material conditions he provided; And their creation is also under the influence of his advocacy.
According to the textual research of Yao Zhenzong's Records of the Three Kingdoms of Qing Dynasty, Cao Cao's works include 30 volumes of Wei Wudi Collection, Sun Tzu's Art of War 1 Volume, 13 Volume and so on. There are more than ten kinds of works, but most of them have been lost, and the only one that exists is Sun Tzu's Note. 145 poems collected by Zhang Yan in Ming Dynasty were included in Wei Wudi Collection and 103 in Records of Han, Wei and Six Dynasties. Ding's Collection of Celebrities in the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties also contains a number of works, slightly more than Zhang Pu's. 1959, according to Ding Ben, Zhonghua Book Company added the Note of Sun Tzu, attached; Emperor Wu Ji, Chronology of Cao Cao, etc. Reprinted as Cao Cao Ji.