Introduction: The most famous deed of Cao Cao's life is undoubtedly "coercing the emperor to order the princes". It is incredible that such a treacherous minister did not become emperor. Let us find out the secrets together!
Cao Cao (155-March 15, 220), whose courtesy name was Mengde, whose first name was Jili, whose diminutive name was Amo, was in Qiao County, Peiguo (today's Born in Bozhou, Anhui, Han nationality. An outstanding statesman, military strategist, writer, and calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty [2-3]. The founder of the Cao Wei regime in the Three Kingdoms, in the name of the Emperor of Han, he conquered the four directions, internally eliminated the separatist forces such as Yuan, Lu Bu, Liu Biao, Ma Chao, and Han Sui, externally surrendered the Southern Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, etc., and unified 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. After his son Cao Pi became emperor, he was honored as Emperor Wu, with the temple name Taizu.
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 the Jian'an literature and gave it to later generations. He left behind precious spiritual wealth, known as the Jian'an character in history, and Lu Xun evaluated him as the founder of reformed articles. At the same time, Cao Cao was also good at calligraphy, especially Zhangcao, which Zhang Huaiguan of the Tang Dynasty praised as a masterpiece in "Shujuan".
Why did Cao Cao dare not call himself emperor all his life?
Cao Cao is a controversial figure in the history of our country. He came from a humble background but had great ambitions. With his extraordinary power and wisdom, He stood out in the Dong Zhuo Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. After Dong Zhuo's death, Cao Cao accepted the advice of Xun Yu and Cheng Yu and welcomed Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty to Xuchang in the first year of Jian'an (AD 196). He began the history of coercing the emperor to order the princes, turning the 15-year-old little emperor into his own hands. The puppet makes his own orders justifiable. Relying on the emperor's trump card, Cao Cao had an absolute political advantage. From then on, he defeated Yuan Shao and Ping Lu Bu, gradually unified the Yellow River Basin, worshiped the prime minister, and granted the title of King of Wei. He achieved great success and established the situation of the Three Kingdoms. .
There have always been different opinions on Cao Cao. A "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" portrayed him as a representative of great evil and had far-reaching influence. In contrast, Xu Shao, his contemporary, described him as a capable minister in times of trouble and a traitor in troubled times, which is more objective. Cao Cao's life can be described as a battle of war, swords and swords. After countless battles and killings, he finally reached the pinnacle of power. However, there is a question that has always troubled the world: at this time, Cao Cao could be said to be only one step away from the throne. He could easily depose the young emperor and replace him, but why in 25 years, that is, from 196 AD Why did Cao Cao never take the step of holding the emperor hostage until his death in 220 AD? To sum up, there are roughly three reasons:
First, Cao Cao did not want to be known as a rebellious minister and traitor. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty declined and the world was in chaos, but the rules and regulations of the court still existed in form. The concepts of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness of Confucian culture were still the value standards of the time. He Jin, Dong Zhuo, etc. did not dare to control the government after taking control of the government. He rashly proclaimed himself emperor. Although Cao Cao had talents and strategies that were different from other warlords, he still couldn't get rid of the influence of Confucian culture. In the process of his struggle for power and foreign campaigns, he always did it in the name of the imperial court, and in the name of the emperor, he launched troops to investigate crimes, so that he stood on the side of justice. , obtain moral support. Cao Cao used the imperial court's trump card to quell the rebellion of Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu. If Cao Cao deposed Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and ascended the throne of emperor, what difference would he have between Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu? Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu were recognized as cruel people by the world at that time. , is the target that everyone wants to kill. Cao Cao's wisdom and strategy are far superior to these two people, and of course he does not want to become a sinner who is criticized by thousands of people.
Although Cao Cao tried his best to claim that he was following the emperor's edict, it was common knowledge that the emperor's power was eclipsed.
Sun Quan and Liu Bei had already scolded him for calling him the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, but he was actually a traitor to the Han Dynasty. However, Cao Cao was not afraid of such scolding, because at that time, the world was divided and heroes were rising together. It was normal for them to scold and criticize each other. Cao Cao also used the traitorous ministers to rebel against him. Accusing them in the name of thieves, what he fears is leaving a historical infamy, which is difficult to explain and has far-reaching influence. Therefore, Cao Cao always maintained his status as prime minister and did not dare to arbitrarily proclaim himself emperor. According to "Wei's Spring and Autumn Annals", Xiahou Dun once said to Cao Cao: The world knows that Han Zuo has been exhausted, and a different generation will arise. Since ancient times, those who can eliminate harm to the people and bring them home is democracy. Your Highness has been in the army for more than thirty years. His merits have been outstanding among the people of Li, and he has been relied upon by the world. He has obeyed the heaven and obeyed the people. There is no doubt about it! The king said: Applying to the government is also a government. If destiny were mine, I would be King Wen of Zhou. It can be seen that Cao Cao set very high standards for himself. He wanted to be a saint like King Wen of Zhou and become an object of legend through the ages. In the long course of history, this eternal title of a saint is much more beautiful than the title of an infamous emperor!
Cao Cao further stated in the "Shu Zhi Ling": Qi Huan, Jin Wen Therefore, those who are still called today can still serve the Zhou Dynasty because of their vast military strength. This means that Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, as the overlords of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, remained famous for generations after becoming hegemons, because they still respected the Zhou Dynasty. The implication is that if one of the two replaced the Zhou Dynasty, this result would not be the result. Cao Cao also wanted to take the opportunity to clarify that although he was very powerful, he had no second intention and did not want to usurp the Han Dynasty. He is a traitor, but a capable minister who is dedicated to assisting his young master. All this shows that Cao Cao was deeply influenced by the orthodox Confucian culture. He did not want to bear the historical infamy of a sinner through the ages, but wanted to be a saint that would be passed down through the ages.
Secondly, judging from the situation at the time, Cao Cao did not have the conditions to proclaim himself emperor during his lifetime. Although Cao Cao had gained absolute control of the Han royal family at that time, his power was still limited to northern China. Sun Quan and Liu Bei were still eyeing the southeast and southwest. The country had not yet been unified, and the world was not at peace. If Cao Cao dares to risk the disapproval of the world and rashly proclaims himself emperor, he will definitely become the target of public criticism. Liu Bei and Sun Quan will be able to seize the opportunity and lead the heroes of the world to attack him. In this way, he will no longer be able to hold the emperor's political advantage over the princes, and he will be trapped in a trap. Political and moral passivity even caused a new round of warlord melee. Although Cao Cao has a large number of elite troops at this time, as a rebellious minister and traitor against the heroes of the world, he is not sure of victory. On the contrary, he may lose his good situation. This is obviously not good for Cao Cao, so He was very cautious about proclaiming himself emperor.
However, many of Cao Cao's subordinates had persuaded him to proclaim himself emperor, and Sun Quan had also advised Cao Cao to abolish the Han Dynasty and establish the Wei Dynasty, but Cao Cao's attitude was completely opposite. According to "Three Kingdoms" records, in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (AD 219), Sun Quan wrote to Cao Cao, expressing his willingness to bow down and respect Cao Cao as emperor. Cao Cao immediately saw through Sun Quan's trick and said with a smile: "You want to make me live in the furnace." On fire! In other words, once he proclaims himself emperor, he will inevitably fall into dire straits. Cao Cao's knowledge is really extraordinary. Cao Cao knew clearly: As long as he clings to the big tree of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, no one can do anything to him, no one can move him, otherwise he will destroy himself. After Cao Cao was granted the title of Duke of Wei and King of Wei, the internal opposition and external hostile factions who took action did not end well, which proves this point.
Thirdly, Cao Cao insisted on pragmatism and did not value false fame. Cao Cao was a man with lofty ambitions and ambitions. When he was young, he planned to make achievements and make a difference. However, he was born in troubled times and the government was weakened, so his talents could not be used, so he embarked on the path of warlord warfare. His goal is very clear, which is to unify the world and stabilize the country. Everything else is a means. As long as it helps him achieve this goal, any method can be used. He chose to hold the emperor hostage to control the princes. This choice gave him a great advantage in the warlord melee. His pragmatism is also reflected in the employment of people. His principle of employment is to recruit people based on their talents regardless of their origins. It is precisely because of this that Xun You and others were recruited under his command and helped him establish his dominance.
In fact, whether Cao Cao calls himself emperor at this time is just a matter of title. He dictates the emperor's edicts, appoints officials, and decides the court's policies. He is the prime minister. Cao Cao has become the de facto emperor in name only, so why bother with the title of emperor? Han Xiandi Liu Xie has the title of emperor, but what's the use? Cao Cao said in "Shu Zhi Ling": As a prime minister, you are extremely noble as a minister, and you have exceeded your expectations! It means that you are already very noble and satisfied by being the prime minister. Of course, Cao Cao was satisfied with becoming the de facto emperor. He had already enjoyed all the benefits of an emperor, so there was no need to openly ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. This would only make Liu Bei and Sun Quan seize the opportunity and become passive. It is really unnecessary! If you must have the title of emperor, let your son do it. So Cao Cao said: If fate is mine, I will be King Wen of Zhou! Later history also proved that Cao Cao did do everything for his son to become emperor. Ready.
In short, Cao Cao handled the matter of whether to proclaim himself emperor very wisely. He did what the emperor should do in the name of the prime minister, maintaining the Confucian ethical principles in form, and in practice. He realized his ambitions and desires, which not only made it difficult for Liu Bei and Sun Quan to grasp the situation, but also prepared the conditions for his son to become emperor in the future.