“The rolling Yangtze River flows eastward, and the waves wash away the heroes.” In "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" written by Luo Guanzhong, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Quan, Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, Sima Yi, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wei, etc. can all be called heroes. Looking at these heroes, Cao Cao is the only one with the most complex personality and the ability to be both a politician and a military strategist.
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" vigorously promoted the loyalty of Liu, Guan, and Zhang, showed a strong tendency to "support Liu and oppose Cao", and portrayed Cao Cao as a cruel, unkind, power-playing, cunning and "troubled" man. The traitor." The author Luo Guanzhong made a general characterization of Cao Cao's life through the mouths of Xu Shao of Runan and He Yong of Nanyang. Despite this, they had to admit that Cao Cao was "a capable minister in governing the world" and "he must be the one who can bring peace to the world." In the words of Mr. Nie Gannu, "Cao Cao is a practical man", "a great military strategist", "an outstanding poet and writer", "who has made great contributions to the so-called 'Yan Liu'"; "Cao Cao has a high status and image. It is large, broad in scope and complex in mind, and cannot be understood by feudal historians, secular speakers and ordinary listeners."
In recent years, with the broadcast of film and television dramas such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Cao Cao and Yang Xiu", "Cao Cao and Cai Wenji", a large "Three Kingdoms fever" has been set off in society . These film and television works and the accompanying film and drama reviews, the shaping and analysis of the character of Cao Cao are mostly influenced by the strong "support Liu and oppose Cao" tendency in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" written by Luo Guanzhong. The emphasis is on highlighting He deceives the emperor, steals the country and plots rebellion, plays power, is cruel, hypocritical, cunning and cunning, and ignores the positive aspects of him as an outstanding politician and military strategist.
For this reason, the author repeatedly read the original work of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and combined it with the "Three Kingdoms" written by Chen Shou in the Jin Dynasty and some scholars' comments on Cao Cao in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". "Cao Cao had the most complex character; he was a hero at first but a traitor later, a wise at first and a fool at later times, a lovable at first and hateful at a later time. His merits outweighed his faults in his life; he was still an outstanding politician and military strategist.
Below, the author will analyze Cao Cao's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" written by Luo Guanzhong from three aspects: the diversity of Cao Cao's character, the comparison of Cao Cao's two periods, the merits and demerits of his life, and the politician and military strategist Cao Cao. The author conducts analysis and research on the character of Cao Cao, and seeks advice from famous experts.
1. The diversity of Cao Cao’s character.
Among the many characters in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Cao Cao's character is the most complex. It is difficult to make a conclusion about him in one or two sentences. "Treachery" can be said to be Cao Cao's most prominent character trait, but just as "sentimentality" cannot explain Lin Daiyu, "treachery" is far from fully encompassing the rich connotations of Cao Cao's image.
The emergence of Cao Cao’s complex character is Luo Guanzhong’s conscious artistic pursuit. French writer Hugo said that a good writer should have "the supreme ability to observe everything from both positive and negative aspects." Luo Guanzhong is exactly such a writer. While maintaining the "qualitativeness" of Cao Cao's image, he wrote about the richness of his emotions and the inherent complexity of his character, showing a diversified situation, thus making the image gain authenticity, aesthetics and permanent artistic charm. .
1. Distinctive, unique and contrasting personalities.
Among the many characters in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Cao Cao's character is the most typical. It is not only distinctive and unique, but also has huge contrasts. At the beginning of the work, the author borrowed the words of Xu Shao from Runan to define the "leading emotion" of this character: "the traitor in troubled times." What is valuable is that the author does not stop at the abstract description of the concept, but uses a large number of vivid and specific descriptions to give this concept full and tangible flesh and blood. When Cao Cao avenged his father and attacked Xuzhou, he ordered the three armies to "kill all the people in the city as soon as they get the city" and "kill the people and dig up graves wherever the army goes." Cao Cao, who had lost his mind, was almost crazy and killed innocent people indiscriminately. He seemed particularly cruel and cruel, but when he saw the desolate countryside and the displacement of the people during the march, he was moved by his true feelings; "Green plums boil wine to discuss heroes", Cao Cao expressed his feelings towards Yuan Shu in Huainan, Yuan Shao in Hebei, Liu Biao in Jingzhou, Sun Ce in Jiangdong, and Yizhou Liu Zhang and other heroes' evaluations were profound, showing keen eyesight and extraordinary courage, but they were completely unaware of Liu Bei's strategy of hiding one's strength and biding time when he heard the thunder and lost his chopsticks. On the one hand, Cao Cao tried his best to collect people. Talent, thirsty for talents, on the other hand, he is jealous of talents and kills the extremely smart Yang Xiu; in the process of the growth and expansion of Cao Group, Cao Cao has suffered repeated defeats and perseverance, fully demonstrating his optimism. However, "killing close servants in a dream" also revealed the doubts and emptiness in his heart; sometimes Cao Cao opened up his mind, followed his advice freely, and even won a battle and rewarded those who dissuaded him in advance, but sometimes he was headstrong and extremely arrogant, so there is Puyang Cao Cao's embarrassment and defeat in Chibi; "burning books without questioning", "pardoning Zhang Liao", "explaining Guan Yu", Cao Cao's magnanimity is breathtaking, and Xun Yu, Xun You and other wise and resourceful people who made great contributions to him are a little bit If someone offends someone, he turns his back and refuses to recognize the person. His narrow-mindedness is simply unbelievable... This is how the characters show their rich sides in the changes of time and space. These seemingly incomprehensible sides merge into Cao Cao's colorful character world.
While writing about the many distinct and huge contrasts in Cao Cao's personality, the author also provides real and credible internal basis for these contrasts. Cao Cao was born in troubled times and was placed in a life-and-death political arena, so his social relationships were more special than ordinary people; Cao Cao had a strong ambition and desire for power, and was determined to "flatten the world", and his will to survive was stronger than ordinary people; Cao Cao's literary Tao's military strategy was not only unmatched by all living beings, but also the heroes at that time, even Liu Bei and Sun Quan, could not be compared to him, so he had to be ranked lower than him. All these determine that Cao Cao can both achieve great virtues and create great crimes. The conflicts within his character are more acute and diverse, and the dialectical content between his many characters is richer and more prominent. Luo Guanzhong's expression of the opposite and complementary elements of Cao Cao's character conforms to the logic of life and character, and embodies the dialectics of art.
2. Complex and changeable, cross-fertilizing character.
Among the many characters in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Cao Cao's character is the most complex and changeable. Take the plot of "Pardoning Zhang Liao" as an example. Cao Cao first wanted to kill Zhang Liao, but he was exposed to be impulsive and narrow-minded. But after listening to Liu Bei and Guan Yu's advice, he immediately changed his attitude, threw his sword and laughed, and "personally released his bonds, undressed him, and sat on him", showing his amazing reaction control ability and extraordinary ability. measure. He is sincere in cherishing Zhang Liozhi, but it seems very hypocritical to say "I also know Wen Yuan's loyalty and loyalty, and I have an ear for old dramas". On the one hand, this was to cover up his ungraceful appearance, and on the other hand, it was to offset the influence of Liu Bei and Guan Yu's rescue of Zhang Liao. Cao Cao went from drawing his sword to throwing it, from getting angry to greeting him with a smile, and Zhang Liao went from a prisoner to a guest, all in the blink of an eye, which reflects that even in a small matter, Cao Cao's character elements are extremely active and rich. of.
In Cao Cao's character, there is a positive in the negative, and a negative in the positive. It is a cross between positive and negative. When Cao Cao conquered Xiapi, the first thing he thought of was to send people into the city to calm the people and stabilize their hearts. After defeating Yuan Shao, he deeply felt the suffering of the people in Hebei and exempted them from taxes. These measures cannot all be regarded as "hypocrisy". As a politician with great talents and broad plans, he is different from Dong Zhuo who blindly kills people. He understands the principle of putting the people first. However, when attacking Jizhou, he ordered the three armies not to harass the people. Anyone who killed chickens or dogs would be guilty of murder. "The army and the people were shocked, and Cao Cao was secretly happy." This also shows his hypocrisy of loving the people. The "open-minded optimism" in Cao Cao's character is mostly expressed as being broad-minded, aggressive, and regardless of past grievances. However, in the Battle of Chibi, hundreds of thousands of troops were "wiped into ashes" in an instant, and he had to lead the remaining soldiers to flee. At this moment, he had three major battles. Laugh, the optimism at this time is just a kind of self-deprecating, ridiculous and pitiful self-deprecation.
Another example is Cao Cao's "treacherousness". It is not the kind of cleverness and tricks like cocks and dogs, but contains very high wisdom, so sometimes it does not feel hateful and despicable, but appears to be very witty and clever. It's clever and makes people convinced even though it doesn't please them. Even Lu Xun said that Luo Guanzhong "wanted to write about Cao Cao's treachery, but the result seemed to be that he was bold and wise." Take "looking at the plum blossoms to quench thirst" as an example. You can say that he is treacherous and fools the soldiers, because Merlin is a fictitious phantom after all; you can also say that he is witty and caring for the soldiers, because when the soldiers were short of water and thirsty during the march, he cleverly By using the principle of conditioned reflex, the purpose of "not being thirsty" is achieved. There is wisdom in cunning, and love in fooling. The same is true for other examples, such as "pretending to be ill and slandering the uncle", "stabbing Zhuo and offering a knife", "borrowing the enemy's head to stabilize the morale of the army", "cutting off the right to be the leader", "going barefoot to welcome Xu You", etc. He has a cunning, hypocritical side, but he also has a wise, courageous, exemplary, and eager side.
2. The comparison of Cao Cao's two periods before and after and his life's merits and demerits.
Out of the need for orthodoxy, in Luo Guanzhong's writings, in the writings of many later scholars, in literature and art, and in stage art, Cao Cao never received any "benefits". People He is always criticized more than praised, making him a "treacherous minister" with a colorful face. Only a few scholars, such as the great modern writer Guo Moruo, dared to stand up and "cry out" for him and "rehabilitate" him.
Looking at Cao Cao's activities in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", taking the Battle of Chibi as a boundary, it can be roughly divided into two periods. Comparing the Cao Cao in the early period with the Cao Cao in the later period, he was a hero at first and a traitor at a later time, a wise at first and a fool at the other time, a cute at first and hateful at the later time. Cao Cao's life was an extraordinary one. Generally speaking, his merits outweighed his faults.
1. A hero at first but a traitor at a later time, a wise at first and a fool at a later time, a cute person at first and a hateful person at the end.
Although Cao Cao in the early stage had begun to "hijack the emperor", his purpose was to "order the princes". What he faced at this time was mainly conflicts with various warlords in the Central Plains, and he was committed to strengthening his strength, defeating the heroes, and unifying the north. In showing the entrepreneurial process of the Cao Group from small to large, from weak to strong, the author focuses on showing Cao Cao's "hero", "wisdom" and "cuteness". In the later period, Cao Cao mainly dealt with conflicts with Shu and Wu, especially the conflicts with Liu Bei's group who called for the restoration of the Han Dynasty. His ultimate goal was to "clear the world", unify the world, and replace Liu Han . At this time, the author focuses on expressing Cao Cao's "treachery", "foolishness" and "hatefulness". Cao Cao's image is fluid and changing. Generally speaking, he is a hero at first and a traitor at a later time, a wise at first and a fool at a later time, a cute at first and hateful at the second.
When the author Luo Guanzhong expresses Cao Cao's treachery and heroism, wisdom and stupidity, cuteness and hatefulness, they are not completely distinct and purely parallel, but intertwined, mixed and inclusive.
Adultery is the adultery of the male, male is the male of the adulterer; foolishness is the foolishness of the wise, wisdom is the wisdom of the fool; hate is the hate of the lover, and love is the love of the hater. For example, when Cao Cao had a banquet at the Tongque Terrace, his ministers wanted to persuade him to join. He immediately declared: "As a prime minister, people and ministers are extremely noble, so what hope can there be? If there is no one in the country, I don't know how many people will become emperors. It is a big mistake to think of Gu's power and think that Gu has different intentions. I always remember Confucius saying that King Wen is the most virtuous, and this statement is of course not without self-exculpation and self-whitewashing. However, it is an indisputable fact that he did not claim to be emperor after all. Song Xian's comment on Cao Cao's poem said: "Although he bullies his young master with balance, he still retains etiquette and justice to imitate Zhou Wen." His evaluation of Cao Cao is more appropriate. This is also the place where Cao Cao "hide his traitors".
2. Cao Cao’s achievements.
(1) Defeat the heroes and unify the north.
Cao Cao’s achievements began with the suppression of the Yellow Turban Uprising. In the process of suppressing the Yellow Turban Uprising, many talents were recruited and military strength was expanded through methods such as recruiting troops, luring rebels to surrender, recruiting enemy generals, and recruiting enemy soldiers to surrender. First, he held high the banner of "loyalty" and issued an imperial edict to gather eighteen princes to attack Dong Zhuo. Then, he welcomed Emperor Xian and moved the capital to Xuchang, "holding the emperor's power to command the princes", and gradually flattened the separatist forces such as Yuan Shu, Lu Bu, Zhang Xiu, Yuan Shao, and Liu Biao, and unified them. conquered the north and ended the chaotic situation of northern warlord separatism.
(2) It laid the foundation for the establishment of the Three Kingdoms and the return of the Three Kingdoms to Jin.
After Cao Cao unified the north, in order to solve the problem of lack of military rations, he divided his troops to farm in the north and built water conservancy projects, which played a certain role in the recovery of agricultural production in the north. He employed people on their merits, valued talents, dared to break the concept of family status, and attracted many people from the middle and lower classes of the landlord class. He also restrained those local tyrants who dominated one area so that they would not lose their power, and took strong measures to strengthen centralization and weaken the power of local governments and warlords. These measures not only consolidated the shaky central power in the late Han Dynasty, but also enabled the rapid recovery and further development of the social economy in the north. For a relatively long period of time, the north was in a peaceful environment, the people were able to recuperate, and the national strength was continuously strengthened, which laid the foundation for the formation of the Three Kingdoms after Cao Cao's death and the eventual return of the Three Kingdoms to Jin to unify the world.
(3) Made a great contribution to the development of Jian'an literature.
Cao Cao was an outstanding poet and writer in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He made great contributions to the formation of Jian'an style and the development of Jian'an literature. Surrounding Cao Cao were not only a group of literati such as Wang Lang, Zhong Yao, Wang Can, and Chen Lin, but also two sons, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, who had unique literary talents. With his active advocacy and strong support, the literary atmosphere in the imperial court in the late Han Dynasty was very strong, and the famous "Three Cao and Seven Sons" in the history of Chinese literature emerged. His poetry is majestic, generous and sad; his prose is clear and neat. In the 48th chapter "Cao Cao's Poems at a Banquet on the Yangtze River", he was inspired by the scene and recited "Singing over wine, how many things are there in life; like the morning dew, there are many bitter days in the past", "The moon and stars are sparse, and the black magpie flies south; There are beautiful poems such as "The tree has three branches and no branches to rely on", "The mountains never get too high and the water never gets too deep. The Duke of Zhou spits out food and the world returns to its heart". Cao Cao's ability in poetry and writing is difficult to compare with other heroes of the Three Kingdoms.
3. Cao Cao’s fault.
(1) Suppress the uprising and act as a butcher.
Many famous founding emperors and heroes in history have suppressed peasant uprisings, and their hands are covered with the blood of the people. Whether it is Cao Cao in history or Cao Cao in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", there is no exception. In the "Battle of Yingchuan", Cao Cao treated the rebels indiscriminately, "killing a lot and beheading more than 10,000 people", acting as the executioner of the imperial court. After that, he followed Huangfu Song to attack Zhang Liang, "beheaded Zhang Liang in Quyang", "distributed Zhangjiao's coffin and killed the corpse of the owl's head", which was so cruel that he would not even spare the dead. After the deaths of Dong Zhuo and Wang Yun, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army uprising again. Cao Cao and Jibei Prime Minister Bao Xin were responsible for suppressing the rebels. Bao Xin died in the battle, but Cao Cao "recruited more than 300,000 troops and more than a million men and women" and " Select the best ones and call them 'Qingzhou Soldiers'." Cao Cao not only dyed his title red with the blood of the rebels, he first removed the "Prime Minister of Jinan" and was appointed "Dian Jun Lieutenant", and then he was named "General Zhendong". He also gradually expanded his military power and had the ability to conquer the Central Plains. The capital of heroes.
(2) Bully the emperor and ignore the superiors, steal the country and commit rebellion.
After Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xian and moved the capital to Xuchang, "taking advantage of the emperor to order the princes", his personal ambition and desire for power continued to expand, and he finally completely took control of the court and the central government in the late Han Dynasty. All major court affairs, from military expeditions to personnel appointments and removals, from domestic affairs to diplomatic relations, Cao Cao did not listen to the opinions of Emperor Xian and the courtiers at all, and all were decided by himself. In Cao Cao's eyes, Emperor Xian was just a puppet and a "son emperor"; in Cao Cao's eyes, the courtiers were just a tool for his own use to decorate the "facade".
After Cao Cao captured Lu Bu, his "fame grew stronger", and deep in his mind he had the idea of ??stealing the country and treason. If he hadn't been worried about "the imperial court has too many people", he would have become the king. It’s a matter of tyranny.” In order to observe the movement, Cao Cao specially invited the emperor to "hunt in Xu Tian". The ministers and generals shouted long live to Emperor Xian, but he actually "horsed his horse straight out and covered himself in front of the emperor to welcome him". He borrowed the emperor's bow and arrows and refused to return them. bring.
When Emperor Xian felt deeply that Cao Cao had deceived the emperor and had the intention of stealing the country and treason, he immediately issued a secret edict and ordered Dong Cheng, Liu Bei, Ma Teng and others to work together to defeat the thieves. Afterwards, the imperial edict on clothes and belts was leaked. Cao Cao killed Dong Cheng, Ji Ping, Wang Zifu and others but still could not forgive his hatred. Even Concubine Dong Guifei, who was five months pregnant, was not spared. Despite the repeated pleas of Emperor Xian and Empress Fu, Cao Cao still had Concubine Dong killed. Killed outside the palace gate. If Cheng Yu hadn't immediately advised him, even Emperor Xian himself would have been deposed. After that, Cao Cao became more powerful, domineering and arrogant. Anyone who had ever opposed him was regarded by him as a thorn in his flesh, and he was determined to pull it out quickly. Ma Teng and his son were trapped and killed, Fu Hou and Fu Wan "donated their lives for the country", Geng Ji, Wei Huang and others " "Five Ministers' Death Festival". Cao Cao "is called the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, but is actually a traitor to the Han Dynasty."
(3) Playing with power and being cruel and unkind.
Conspirators and careerists in history all like to play with power, and Cao Cao was even more adept at playing with power. When Shouchun attacked Yuan Shu, Cao Cao's army and Yuan's army were at a stalemate for more than a month, and the grain was "not enough to disperse", so Cao Cao asked the grain officer Wang He to "scatter small dendrobiums to save the emergency." Wang Jie, the grain officer, obeyed the order, which aroused the anger of the officers and soldiers in various villages, and there were rumors that the prime minister was bullying everyone. He secretly sent people to find out the news, and he did not hesitate to use the head of Wang Gong, who was blameless, to stabilize the morale of the army and calm the public anger. Over the years, Cao Cao killed without blinking an eye and made many enemies. He was often afraid of being murdered and died. In order to cover up his ugly fear of death, he made up lies, saying that he "likes to kill people in his dreams" and asked his close friends to "keep away from him" when he fell asleep. When a loyal servant covered him in broad daylight, he "jumped up, drew his sword and beheaded him, went back to bed, and got up after a while." He pretended to be surprised and asked, "Who dares to kill my servant?" Weeping bitterly, he ordered people to be buried later. Cao Cao's actions were firstly to prove that he "likes killing people in his dreams", and secondly to win people's hearts to work for him. When Yang Xiu saw through the power play, in order to cover up his crime, Cao Cao used an excuse to kill Yang Xiu, so that the secret would never be known.
Cao Cao’s cruelty and inhumanity are even more shocking. In the "Battle of Yingchuan", Cao Cao treated the rebels indiscriminately, "killing them in a big way and beheading more than ten thousand people." "To avenge his father and attack Xuzhou", Cao Cao ordered the three armies to "kill the people in the city as soon as they get the city" and "kill the people and dig up their graves wherever the army goes." "Tricking Zhuo to escape", Cao Cao knew clearly that he killed Lu Boxe's family by mistake, but he made the same mistake again and again, and used conspiracy tactics to hack Lu Boxhe to death with his sword after returning from selling wine. "Killing Jiping", Cao Cao was even more cruel. He first beat Jiping to pieces, then amputated nine of Jiping's fingers and cut off Jiping's tongue. After Jiping hit the stairs and died, Cao Cao still couldn't understand his hatred and wanted to "divide him among them." Body commands”. "Those who follow me will be promoted, and those who go against me will perish" has become Cao Cao's biggest life creed.
(4) Hypocrisy, cunning and cunning.
Cao Cao’s hypocrisy and treachery are not the kind of cleverness and tricks like chickens and dogs, but contain a lot of wisdom, so sometimes they don’t feel hateful and despicable. Although people are not happy, they can Sincerely convinced. As a teenager, Cao Cao "loved hunting, singing and dancing, being resourceful and resourceful." In order to achieve the goal of going his own way, wandering around, and evading censure, he once "pretended to be ill and slandered his uncle" and deliberately sow discord between his father and his uncle. . After Dong Zhuo entered the capital, he dominated the court, deposed the young emperor and established the emperor Xian, and was good at killing court officials, which aroused the righteous indignation of Wang Yun and others. Cao Cao volunteered to assassinate Dong Zhuo. Unexpectedly, Dong Zhuo saw the action of drawing the sword in the mirror of his clothes. He immediately knelt down and offered the sword to cover up the failure of the assassination. "Cao Cao has a precious sword and offers it as a favor." Although Dong Zhuo was suspicious, he still concealed it and allowed him to escape. Other typical examples, such as "looking at plum blossoms to quench thirst", "cutting off the right to be the head", "going barefoot to welcome Xu You", etc., can also prove Cao Cao's hypocrisy and cunning. Here, I won’t go into details one by one.
(5) Arrogant and extravagant, jealous of talents and talents.
Many emperors and heroes throughout the dynasties, once their foundations were gradually solidified and their careers flourished to a period of prosperous rise, they began to be proud and complacent, pursuing sensuality and personal pleasure, even if they were Cao Cao, who has a strong ambition and desire for power, is no exception. When Cao Cao entered Wancheng, he saw the beauty of Zhang Ji's wife, and he did not hesitate to use sweet words to impress her, "As your wife, I will accept the surrender of Zhang Xiu, otherwise the clan will be exterminated." He also promised that after returning to the capital, he would support her as his main wife and entertain her every day. , not thinking about the return date. In fact, Zhang Xiuzhi had nothing to do with Zhang Ji's wife before this incident. Cao Cao regarded her as a "prostitute", so how could he support her as his main wife? Considering Cao Cao's status at the time, he still treated a weak woman under his rank like this, which shows his greed for beauty and cunning nature. When Cao Cao defeated the heroes, unified the north, and was satisfied with his ambition, his arrogance and self-will were revealed. When he "feasted on the Yangtze River and composed poems at Red Cliff," Liu Fu simply pointed out "Why did the prime minister say such unlucky words?" and he was killed. Cao Cao was furious and said, "How dare you defeat me?" and "pick up a spear and stab Liu Fu to death." Cao Cao also built the magnificent Bronze Bird Tower on the Zhang River and "selected the beauties from all over the world to be among them" for his enjoyment in his later years.
A typical example of Cao Cao's jealousy of talents is "Beheading Yang Xiu". Yang Xiu has extraordinary intelligence and intelligence, "he relies on his talents and is open-minded, and has violated Cao Cao's taboos several times."
Cao Cao built a garden and wrote the word "live" on the door, sent cakes to the north of Saibei and wrote the word "yihesu" on the lid of the box, killed the servant in his dream, and Cao Pi and Cao Zhi's brothers competed for favor and wits, etc., were all discovered by Yang Xiu one by one, and Yang Xiu made Yang Xiu see through them. The side helped by Xiu had the upper hand. Although Cao Cao "praises" and "laughs" to Yang Xiu on the surface, deep down he is "very jealous", "hateful" and "hateful". Finally, in the battle with Liu Bei for Hanzhong In the middle, he found an excuse to "destroy the morale of our army" and killed Yang Xiu. It is a pity that Yang Xiu was "clever but his cleverness led him astray", and he became the victim of Cao Cao's jealousy and envy.
The mistakes Cao Cao committed were the mistakes made by a politician and military strategist in the process of ending warlord separatism and pursuing national unification. In Cao Cao's life, his merits outweighed his faults.
3. Cao Cao is still an outstanding politician and military strategist.
In the social turmoil of the disputes between heroes in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao was originally "little famous but few in number". With his strong ambition and desire for power, and with his majestic talents and strategies, he rose to the top He became the leader of that era and established his status as a "treacherous hero in troubled times". Although Cao Cao had many mistakes of one kind or another, he was still an outstanding politician and military strategist.
1. Politician Cao Cao
(1) Far-sighted and courageous;
As a politician, he must seek success in a turbulent society full of heroes. To survive and occupy a place, it is impossible without far-sighted vision and extraordinary courage. The reason why Cao Cao was able to defeat the heroes and unify the north was because he had such vision and courage. When the central government was in turmoil at the end of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao boldly adopted the advice of counselor Xun Yu and moved the capital to Xuchang in order to welcome Emperor Xian and "hold the emperor's hand to command the princes." From then on, he could not only act legitimately in the name of the imperial court, but also gradually expand his territory and strengthen his military strength. "Green plums boil wine to talk about heroes." After analyzing the heroes at that time one by one, Cao Cao believed that Yuan Shu from Huainan was "a withered bone in the grave" and Yuan Shao from Hebei was "tough and timid, and he was fond of making decisions. "Forgetting the fate for profit", Jingzhou Liu Biao "in vain", Jiangdong Sun Ce "borrowing his father's name", Yizhou Liu Zhang "just the dog's ears guarding the house", they are not real heroes; only Cao Cao himself and Liu Huangshu have "big ambitions" Only with the temperament of having a good plan, harboring the opportunity of the universe, and swallowing the aspirations of the world can we be called a true hero. These evaluations are very pertinent and profound.
(2) He is thirsty for talents and values ??talents;
Cao Cao attaches great importance to talents, is thirsty for talents, and tries his best to collect and reuse them. Under his command, "Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, and Cheng Yu are witty and far-reaching, although they are not as good as Xiao He and Chen Ping. Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, Li Dian, and Le Jin are unmatched in bravery, although they are not as good as Cen Peng and Ma Wu." "Lu Qian and Man Chong were engaged, Yu Jin and Xu Huang were pioneers; Xiahou Dun was a genius in the world, and Cao Zixiao was a blessed general in the world." It was the planning and desperate fighting of these civil servants and generals that gradually expanded Cao Cao's power and finally reduced it. The heroes unified the north. When Cao Cao was conquering Zhang Xiu in Wancheng, he saw that Zhang Xiu's envoy Jia Xu was quick-witted and "quickly responded. He loved him very much and wanted to use him as a counselor." Jia Xu politely refused because he would not abandon Zhang Xiu. It's very thick. During the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao's counselor Xu You came to surrender. Cao Cao "just took off his clothes to rest. When he heard that Xu You had eloped to the stronghold, he was so happy that he didn't even have time to put on his shoes, so he went out barefoot to greet him." *Enter", "bow to the ground first". Considering Cao Cao's status as prime minister at that time, he still treated civilian counselors who surrendered to him like this. This kind of heart to recognize, love and value talents can be seen.
(3) Be open-minded and optimistic.
Among the many characters in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Cao Cao is second to none in terms of broad-mindedness, open-mindedness and optimism. In the episode "The Death of Lu Bu at Baimen Tower", Cao Cao captured Zhang Liao and planned to kill him personally, but after listening to Liu and Guan's advice, he immediately changed his attitude, threw his sword and laughed, and "personally released his bonds, Take off your clothes and sit on them." Zhang Xiu surrendered but then rebelled. Fortunately, Cao Cao was able to save his life only because Dian Wei died and refused to enter the village. His eldest son Cao Ang and his beloved nephew Cao Anmin also died in the rebellion. After escaping from danger, Cao Cao set up a memorial ceremony for Dian Wei, "weeping and paying homage to him", and said to the soldiers, "I have lost my eldest son and my beloved nephew, but there is no deep pain. I only cry for Dian Wei." As a result, "everyone sighed. The lord loves his wife more than his own children." After Guan Yu surrendered to the Han Dynasty but not Cao Cao, Cao Cao treated him very well. He not only gave Guan Yu and Liu Bei a mansion to live in, but also presented Guan Yu with various brocade war robes, red rabbits and horses, and beauties with gold and silk. Guan Yu learned the exact news about Liu Bei, and sealed him with a gold seal to protect his sister-in-law in search of his brother. Cao Cao "scouted Cai Yang to retreat and refused to pursue him," and personally saw Guan Yu off and presented Lu Zi with a brocade robe. Guan Yu "traveled thousands of miles alone" and "passed five passes and killed six generals", but Cao Cao did not go into details. After the Battle of Guandu, a large number of "books on secret communication between Xu Du and people in the army and Shao" were discovered. Cao Cao "burned them with all his life, and never asked again", which shows his open mind and open-minded tolerance.
2. Military strategist Cao Cao
(1) Military discipline is strict and he loves the people.
Cao Cao is known for his "strict military laws" in running the army, and he also cares about the people. When Wancheng was conquering Zhangxiu, it was the time when the wheat was ripe. Cao Cao ordered "any generals, big and small, who trample on the wheat fields will be beheaded." Therefore, "when the officers and soldiers passed the wheat fields, they all dismounted and held the wheat with their hands, passing it to each other. I have passed it, but I dare not trample on it."
Xiahou Dun led troops from Qingzhou to "rob people's houses", and led troops from Yujin to "kill people on the road and appease the people." Qingzhou soldiers falsely accused Yujin of treason. Cao Cao found out the truth and not only punished Xiahou Dun for his lax military management, but also praised Jin highly, "giving him a pair of gold vessels and making him the Marquis of Yishou Ting". When attacking Jizhou, Cao Cao ordered the three armies not to harass the people. "Anyone who kills chickens or dogs will be guilty of murder." After Jizhou was pacified, he also ordered that the people of Hebei should be exempted from rent and taxes. Although there is hypocrisy in this, it is more of an act of loving the people. After all, the people have benefited.
(2) Bold and wise, commanding with determination.
Cao Cao's wit can be compared with Zhuge Liang in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Even Lu Xun said that Luo Guanzhong "wanted to write about Cao Cao's treachery, but the result seemed to be that he was bold and wise." Cao Cao's "Puyang deceived death to defeat Lu Bu", "An ambush to defeat Zhang Liu", "Wiping the book between Han Sui", "Looking at plum blossoms to quench thirst", "Cut off beard and abandon robe", etc. all reflect his extraordinary wisdom.
Cao Cao's commanding ability is also one of the few in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". In large and small battles that defeated the heroes, Cao Cao always commanded with determination. He was not arrogant in victory and not discouraged in defeat. He often came up with strange strategies to turn defeat into victory or turn danger into safety.
(3) Take the lead and lead by example.
Cao Cao has been fighting for many years. He does not avoid arrows or axes. He often leads his troops into battle in person and fights with the heroes. He was once captured by soldiers, shot in the shoulder by Xu Rong, and chased by Ma Chao. Cut off the beard and throw away the robe.” His example of leading by example inspired all the soldiers in the army to fight to the death, and finally defeated the heroes and unified the north.
Cao Cao's example of leading by example is the most typical example of "cutting off the right to be the leader". When Wancheng was conquering Zhangxiu, Cao Cao was frightened and his horses trampled down a large piece of wheat field. He "followed the call of the chief of the marching army and suggested that he should commit the crime of trampling wheat", and "he immediately took the sword he was wearing and wanted to kill himself". In the end, Guo Jia used the meaning of "Spring and Autumn" to dissuade him, so as to avoid death and "cut off the power of hair to replace the leader" and "use hair as a message to the three armies."
(4) Good at summarizing and writing extensively.
During his long military career, Cao Cao accumulated rich military experience and formed a series of military theories. Cao Cao in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" wrote "The New Book of Meng De", and Cao Cao in history wrote "Sun Tzu's Brief Interpretation" and "The Art of War".
To sum up, Cao Cao, the "treacherous hero in troubled times", has the most complex character. A hero at first but a traitor later, a wise at first and a fool at a later time, a lovable at first and a hateful later. The merits of a life outweigh the faults. He is still an outstanding politician and military strategist.