Cao Cao, whose real name is Meng De, is a lucky boy, nicknamed Amu, and was born in Guo Peiqiao County. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he was an outstanding politician, militarist, writer and calligrapher. He was the founder of the Cao Wei regime during the Three Kingdoms period.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos. In the name of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao conquered all directions, annihilated the separatist forces such as Eryuan, Lu Bu, Liu Biao, Ma Chao, and Han Sui internally, and surrendered the Southern Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, etc. externally. Unified northern China and implemented a series of policies to restore economic production and social order, expand farmland, build water conservancy, reward farmers and mulberry trees, attach importance to handicrafts, resettle refugees, and implement ". Under Cao Cao's rule, the politics of the Yellow River Basin improved to a certain extent The situation became clear, the economy gradually recovered, class oppression was slightly alleviated, and the social atmosphere improved. Some of the measures taken by Cao Cao in the name of Han had a positive effect.
Cao Cao served as the prime minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty during his lifetime, and later became the prime minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Wang Wei laid the foundation for the establishment of Cao Wei. After his death, his posthumous title became King Wu. After his son Cao Pi became emperor, he was honored as Emperor Wu.
Cao Cao was a good soldier. He was good at poetry, expressing his political ambitions and reflecting the tragic life of the people in the late Han Dynasty. His prose was also clean and tidy, and he pioneered and prospered Jian'an literature, leaving precious spiritual wealth to future generations. It is called Jian'an style, and Lu Xun rated it as "the founder of the reform of writing". At the same time, Cao Cao was also good at calligraphy. In the "Shu Duan" of Zhang Huai of the Tang Dynasty, Cao Cao's "Cao Zhang" was named "wonderful work". p>Early experience
Cao Cao was born into a family of officials. After being called Cao Shen of the Han Dynasty in AD, Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was the adopted son of the eunuch Cao Teng. Cao served four generations of emperors and had a certain status. During the reign of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, he was named Feitinghou, Cao Song succeeded Cao Tenghou, and during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, he was a Taiwei.
When he was young, Cao Cao was resourceful, alert, and had the ability to make random changes. , Bohemian, did not cultivate his character and study, so people at the time did not think he had any special talents. Only others like Qiao Xuan and Guo Liang thought he was different. Qiao Xuan said to Cao Cao: "The world will be in chaos. , people who are not destined by fate can do nothing. Who can be safe, the king? Nanyang more than said to him: "If the Han Dynasty dies and the world is at peace, it must be this person!" "Xu Shao of Nanyang is famous for his knowledge of people. He once said to Cao Cao: "Jun Qingping is a traitor and a hero in troubled times. "
In his early years, Cao Cao showed his interest and talent in martial arts. He read many books, especially Sun Tzu's Art of War. He copied military strategies from ancient schools, the book "Three Kingdoms", and annotated "Sun Tzu's Art of War" ” passed down. These laid a solid foundation for his later military career.
Notable
In the third year of Xiping, Cao Cao was promoted to Xiaozong and entered Beijing as Alang. , he was appointed as the Northern Lieutenant of Luoyang. Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was a place where the emperor and relatives lived together, and it was difficult to govern. As soon as Cao Cao arrived at his post, he issued a ban and strictly enforced the law. He made more than a dozen five-color sticks and hung them around the yamen. "Anyone who violates the prohibition will be beaten to death with sticks." The emperor's favored eunuch's strong uncle tried to walk illegally at night, but Cao Cao mercilessly beat him to death with colorful sticks. "The emperor stopped, no one dared." "Crime". So Cao Cao offended some powerful people at the time. Because of his father Cao Song's relationship, Cao Cao was transferred to Dunqiu. He was dismissed. After that, he had nothing to do in Luoyang and returned to his hometown of Qiao County.
In the third year of Guanghe, Cao Cao was recruited by the imperial court as a negotiator.
In the first year of Zhongping, the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out. Cao Cao was worshiped as the Cavalry Commander and was ordered to join forces with Huangfu Song and others to attack the Yingchuan Yellow Turban Army. As a result, they defeated the Yellow Turban Army and beheaded tens of thousands of people. During his tenure in Jinan, Cao Cao moved to Jinan. Management is as usual. Most of the county officials in more than ten counties in Jinan are corrupt and have no scruples. Cao Cao took office and made great efforts to rectify it. Sir, Jinan was shaken, and corrupt officials fled. "The politics and religion were great, and one county was equal." At that time, the politics of the Eastern Han Dynasty were extremely dark, and there was even a system of buying officials. The court appointed him as the chief executive of Dong Jun and worshiped him as a negotiator. He was willing to cater to the powerful, so he returned to the village despite his illness, studied in the spring and summer, hunted in the autumn and winter, and temporarily lived in seclusion.
At that time, the world was in chaos. First, Wang Fen, the governor of Jizhou, joined forces with Nanyang and other powerful people to plot to depose Emperor Ling and establish Feihou. . Wang Fen and others wanted Cao Cao to join them, but Cao Cao refused. Later, Wang Fen committed suicide. Then there was the border of Jincheng County, and Han Sui killed the governor and the prefect and led more than 100,000 soldiers to rebel against the court. p>
In the fifth year of Pingwu, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty established the eighth governor of Xiyuan in order to consolidate his rule. Cao Cao was appointed governor of Dianjun because of his family background.
Chen
In the sixth year of Ping Dynasty, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty died and became king, and Empress Dowager He entered the court. General He Jin wanted to use the death of Emperor Ling and the eunuch's loss of power to destroy Shi Chang, but he did not get the support of Empress Dowager He. Dong Zhuo of Zhoumu called to Beijing and coerced Queen Mother He into agreeing. However, this move alarmed Dong Zhuo, who had not yet entered Beijing. Daofeng was murdered by the eunuch. In September of the same year, Dong Zhuo entered Beijing and took charge of the government. He deposed Emperor Shao of Han as King Hongnong. He appointed his younger brother, King Chenliu, as Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, and sent people to poison King Hongnong's mother and son. He called himself Taishi and specialized in government affairs. Seeing that Cao Cao and Dong Zhuo were rebellious and unwilling to cooperate with them, he changed his name and fled Luoyang.
After Cao Cao arrived in Chenliu, he "scattered his family wealth and joined the rebel army" and launched a volunteer army to call on the heroes of the world to attack Dong Zhuo.
In the first month of the first year of Chuping, Yuan Shu and others jointly elected Yuan Shao, the governor of Bohai, as their leader, and Cao Cao as acting general Fenwu to join the Dong army. In February, Dong Zhuo, who was defeated by the coalition forces, forced Disian to move the capital to Chang'an. He personally burned the palaces, dug tombs, plundered the people, and left 200 miles of Luoyang barren and desolate. However, the Kwantung Allied Forces were afraid of Dong Zhuo's elite Liangzhou Army, and no one dared to advance towards Kansai. They are all stationed in the Jujube area. Cao Cao believed that Dong Zhuo "burned the palace, seized the emperor, and shook the sea" and should take the opportunity to fight with him, so he led his army westward alone. Cao Cao arrived at Bianshui in Xingyang and confronted Dong Zhuo's general Xu Rong. Due to the huge disparity in military strength, Cao Cao was completely defeated and most of his soldiers were killed or injured. He himself was injured by a stray arrow, but fortunately his cousin Cao Hong saved him and survived. Returning to Suanzao, Cao Cao suggested that all armies should take up positions and then send troops to Wuguan to besiege Dong Zhuo, but the generals in Guandong refused to listen. The Kwantung Army was named Dong Zhuo, but it actually had ulterior motives and hoped to develop its own power. Soon there was friction between the armies and they were fighting each other. The alliance was dissolved.
In the second year of Pingping, Cao Cao was conquered
In the autumn of the fourth year of Pingping, Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, came to Cao Cao's residence and was killed by Tao Qian's army. Cao Cao then invaded Xuzhou and expanded his power to the southeast. Tao Qian retreated to Tancheng County. Soon Cao Cao's rations will be used up and he will retreat. The following summer, Cao Cao conquered Xuzhou again, skipping the East China Sea. During Cao Cao's expedition to Xuzhou, he killed many enemies. Along the way, "there were no chickens or dogs, and no pedestrians in the streets." The eastern defender Chen Gong was dissatisfied with Cao Cao, so he conspired with the prefect Zhang Miao and Zhang Miao's younger brothers Zhang Chao and Zhong Miaohe to welcome Lu Bu as the shepherd of Yanzhou. Lu Bu was a famous general at the time. He first served as Dong Zhuo's general, and later made a plan with Wang Yun to kill Dong Zhuo.
At that time, only Juancheng and Fan and Dong'a counties were still under Cao Cao's control, controlled by Sima, Shou Dong and Taishou respectively. The situation is extremely critical. After returning from Xuzhou, Cao Cao heard that Lu Bu was in Puyang, so he marched and besieged Puyang. The two armies were in a stalemate for more than a hundred days, and a locust plague broke out. The two sides ceased fighting and Cao returned to Juancheng. At this time, Cao Cao lost Yanzhou and ran out of military supplies. Yuan Shao sent people to persuade Cao Cao to surrender to him and let Cao Cao's family move to Ye County as hostages. Cao Cao originally planned to agree to Yuan Shao, but due to Cheng Yu's dissuasion, Cao Cao gave up the idea.
In the second year of Ping Dynasty, Cao Cao reorganized his army and fought against Lu Bu again. After three defeats, Dingtao and Lianqiu were defeated, and Yanzhou was pacified. Lu Bu fled to Xuzhou to join Liu Bei. In July, due to the fight between Li Jue and Guo Si, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty returned to the east from Chang'an and issued a decree that all princes should pay attention to him.
In August of the first year of Jian'an, Cao Cao welcomed the Han Emperor. In the Xinhai period, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty appointed Cao Cao as the school captain in charge of official affairs, which recorded history. Gengshen moved the capital to Xuchang. On November 10, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty conferred the title of mediocrity on Cao Cao, riding a chariot and riding a general, and all officials always obeyed him.
In the first month of the second year of Jian'an, Cao Cao marched eastward to Zhangxiu, and his troops were stationed in Qishui. Zhang Xiu surrendered and immediately rebelled. The eldest son Cao Ang, nephew Cao and the heroic general Dian Wei died in the battle. After that, Cao Cao attacked Zhang Xiu twice, but failed to completely defeat him. In September, Cao Cao invaded Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu abandoned his army and fled to the Huaihe River, leaving four generals behind.
In April of the third year of Jian'an, Cao Cao sent envoy Pei Mao and led the lieutenant to cook for Li Jue and the three tribes. In September, Cao Cao invaded Xuzhou and attacked his old enemy Lu Bu. Under the offensive of Cao Jun, Lu Bu's army was divided. In December, Lu Bu surrendered Xu Wei and Song Xian but Chen Palace to Cao Cao. Lu Bu saw that the situation was over and surrendered. Cao Cao's Lu Bu, Chen Gong, Gao Shun and others were executed, and Lu Bu's Taishan heroes Zhang Liao, Zang Ba and Sun Guan initially took control of Xuzhou.
In the fourth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao sent Shi Huan and Cao Ren to break through Zhang Yang's old section and capture Hanoi County, expanding their sphere of influence to the north of the Yellow River.
Battle of Guandu
After the destruction, in order to cope with the war with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao made arrangements in advance and ordered people with potential influence in Qingzhou to invade Qingzhou and occupy Qi, Beihai and other places. , consolidate the right wing; and ordered the general to prohibit the garrison from monitoring Yuan Jun on the south bank of the Yellow River. Soon, Zhang Xiu followed the plan of counselor Jia Xu and surrendered to Cao Cao. Cao Cao was overjoyed and worshiped Zhang Xiu as his general, which relieved his worries. In December of the fourth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao led an army to camp in Guandu, preparing to attack Yuan Shao.
After Tao Qian's death, Liu Bei worked as a shepherd in Xuzhou. Later, Xuzhou was captured by Lu Bu and Liu Bei was defeated
Yuan Shao was the most powerful force in the north at that time and the most powerful enemy of Cao Cao's unification of the north. The Yuan clan is descended from Yuan Shao's great-grandfather Yuan An. It is said that he has "four generations and three places" and "disciples all over the world", which is already very powerful. After Yuan Shao obtained the lands of Hebei, Hehe, Youyou, and Qingsi, his strength increased greatly and he had hundreds of thousands of troops. Yuan Shao and his eldest son Yuan Tan, second son Yuan and nephew, were divided into three states: Qingqing, Youzhen, and. The rear area was stable and the soldiers had sufficient food and grass. He did not pay attention to Cao Cao at all. He selected 100,000 soldiers and 10,000 horses, aiming to eliminate Cao Cao in one fell swoop.
In the fifth year of Jian'an, Yuan Shao ordered General Yan Liang and others to invade Baima and lead his army into Tunliyang to attack Cao Cao. Cao Cao is much weaker than Yuan Shao. The area south of the river occupied by Cao Cao was very small and was the location of the Four Wars. It has not fully recovered from the damage, and the supplies are not as rich as Yuan Shao's. Cao Cao's military strength was far inferior to that of Yuan Shao, and his total strength was only a few tens of thousands. According to "Wei Wu Zhu Sun Tzu", "there are less than ten thousand soldiers and twelve or three wounded." Pei Songzhi believes that this number is inaccurate and Cao Cao's strength will not be so small, but there is no doubt that Cao Cao's strength is far inferior to Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao’s army came to attack, and many people were shocked. Cao comforted the generals and said: "I know that Shao is a man with great ambitions but no great wisdom. I am also timid and afraid of things. I am afraid of being restrained but not arrogant, but I don't know how to differentiate. I am arrogant but I am very cautious." Confused. Although the land is vast and rich, it is suitable for me." In February, Yuan Shao's general Yan Liang and others besieged Baima, which kicked off the war. In April, Cao Cao personally led his troops northward to resolve the siege of Baima. He adopted counselor Xun You's plan, advanced his army to Yanjin, made a gesture of crossing the river to attack Yuan Jun, attracted Yuan Jun to the west and divided his troops, then suddenly turned and rushed towards Baima. Cao Cao's army was killed suddenly, Yuan Jun was caught off guard, Yan Liang was beheaded by Guan Yu, Yuan Jun was defeated, and the siege of the White Horse was broken. Cao Cao rescued the White Horse soldiers and civilians and retreated westward along the Yellow River. Yuan Shaozhi immediately ordered Wen Chou and Liu Bei to cross the river to catch up with Cao Cao. Seeing the pursuers approaching, Cao Cao ordered his sergeants to unsaddle their horses and place the baggage on the road. Yuan Jun's army was too big, they fought for the trenches, and their formation was chaotic. Cao Cao rushed out with his only cavalry, dispersed the army, and beheaded Wen Chou. Yuan Jun was shocked. Cao Cao won the first battle and took the initiative to withdraw his troops and continue to guard Guandu.
In August, Yuan Shao's army entered the camp, tens of miles from east to west, and used sand as chariots to advance towards Guandu. Cao Cao threw himself into a trap and waited for the opportunity. Yuan Jun raided Cao Cao's camp. He first made a high oar, erected a mound, and shot arrows at Cao Cao's camp from above. Then he dug a tunnel and attacked Cao Cao's camp from underground. However, Cao Cao dug a ravine by setting up a trebuchet, It cracked. The two armies were engaged in offensive and defensive stalemate for nearly two months. After a long battle, Cao Cao fell into an extremely difficult situation.
In October, Yuan Shao brought more than 10,000 wagons of food and grass from Hebei, and sent General Chun Yuqiong and others to take over 10,000 imperial guards and stationed them in Wu Chao, forty miles away from Yuan Shao's camp. At this time, Yuan Shao's counselor Xu You failed to attack Xudu in Yuan Shang, and his family members in Hebei were arrested for violating the law. He felt regretful and came to Cao Cao, proposing a plan for Cao Cao to attack the Wu Dynasty. Cao Cao was overjoyed and rushed out on tiptoe. Afterwards, he led 5,000 elite riders, soldiers holding medals. They put on Yuan Jun's uniform and attacked Wu Chao from the alley at night. Cao Cao's army arrived at Wu Chao's lair and ordered fires to be set on all sides. Yuan Jun was in chaos, and Chunyu Qiong refused to defend the camp. When Yuan Shao heard this, he quickly sent troops to rescue him. Cao Cao saw the two men and said, "The thieves are approaching. Please divide your troops to resist them." Cao Cao was furious and said, "The thieves are behind us, but they came for nothing!" The soldiers fought to the death, defeated Yuan Jun, and beheaded Chunyu Qiong and others. Burn theirs
Objectively, Cao Cao was at a disadvantage, but because he was able to correctly analyze objective conditions and listen to the correct opinions of others, he was able to maximize his strengths and avoid weaknesses, adopt correct strategies and tactics, and turn the war in his favor. . Through his subjective efforts, he finally won. In the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao defeated his greatest enemy Yuan Shao, and it was inevitable that he would unify the north. The Battle of Guandu is also a famous example in the history of Chinese wars where a small number defeated a large number and the weak defeated the strong.
Expedition to the Five Rings
In the seventh year of Jian'an, Yuan Shao died of illness, and Yuan Shao's two sons, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, were at odds with each other. Yuan Tan was defeated by Yuan Shang and begged Cao Cao to surrender.
In February of the ninth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao took advantage of Yuan Shang's invasion of Yuan Tan and marched to besiege Yecheng. Yuan Shang led his army to rescue and used Fushui as a camp. Cao Cao marched straight in and surrounded the camp. Yuan Shang was frightened and asked to surrender, but Cao Cao refused. Yuan Shang fled overnight, and Yuan Jun was defeated. Yuan Shang fled to Zhongshan. Cao Cao ordered people to use Yuan Shang's seal to surrender the Yecheng defenders, and the morale in the city collapsed. Yecheng was subsequently captured by Cao Cao. Starting from this year, Cao Cao moved his stronghold north to Yecheng in Jizhou. After that, the army was ordered to leave, leaving only a few officials in Xu County, the capital of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty.
In the first month of the tenth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao attacked Yuan Tan and pacified Ji and Qing in the name of breaking the treaty. So Cao Cao requested that Yanzhou Mu be returned to Jizhou Mu. After Yuan Shang was defeated, he fled to Youzhou to assassinate Yuan Shang. Soon, Yuan Shang and Yuan Yuan fled to Wuhuan, the third county. In the same year, Zhang Yan, leader of the Black Mountain Army, led more than 100,000 troops to surrender to Cao Cao.
In the eleventh year of Jian'an, Cao Cao attacked and defeated Bingzhou.
In the twelfth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao decided to expedition to Wuhuan in order to eliminate the remaining forces of the Yuan family and completely solve the problem of Wuhuan's invasion of the three counties. At the end of the Han Dynasty, the three counties of Liaoxi, Liaodong, Youbeiping and Wuhuan were combined into three counties, and their leader was Liaoxi Tadun. Sanhuhuan County has always had a good relationship with Yuan, and has repeatedly invaded the border and plundered people's property.
In May of this year, Cao Cao led his army to Wuding. During the rainy season, roads are flooded, and "there are no cars and horses in shallow water, and no boats in deep water." Cao Cao changed from the idea that "the land is endless" to a route that has long been cut off, but "there are still traces to be found." Under the leadership of Tian Chou, Cao Cao's army climbed up Xuwu Mountain, left Lulongsai, and "walked more than five hundred miles in the ditch and valley", heading straight towards Wuhuan's hometown of Liucheng.
In August, when Jin Jun was less than 200 miles away from Liucheng, Wuhuan found Ta Dun and Yuan Shang, Yuan and others led tens of thousands of cavalry to meet the enemy. When the two armies met, Cao Jun's baggage was behind him and "there were few people attacked by armor", while Wu Huan's army was very powerful. Cao Cao looked up and saw that Wuhuan's army was numerous but not well-positioned, so he ordered General Zhang Liao to take advantage of the slightest movement of Wuhuan's army and launch a fierce attack on Wuhuan's army. Wu's army was in chaos. Cao's army beheaded Ta Dun and won a complete victory. More than 200,000 Hu Han surrendered, and Yuan Shang and others fled to Pingzhou Gongsun Kang. At this time, someone advised Cao Cao to take advantage of the situation to attack Gongsun Kang. Cao Cao said, "We will send Kang Zhan to Shanghe to defend, lest the troops come to stop him." Then the army returned to the division.
Soon, Gongsun Kang killed Yuan Shang and Yuan Yuan and presented their heads to Cao Cao. The general didn't know why, and said to Cao Cao, "He is always afraid of waiting. If I am anxious, I will work together. If I am slow, I will find it myself, and my potential will be greater." So Cao Cao attacked the third county of Wu. Huan completely eliminated the power of Wang and Yuan.
From November to the Book of Changes, Dai's army numbered 50,000.
In the 13th year of Jian'an, the Xuanwu Pool was opened to train the navy. In June, Cao Cao abolished the Three Dukes, restored the prime minister system, and appointed him as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. After basically pacifying the north, the battle line turned to the south.
In July, Liu Biao marched into Jingzhou in southern China. In August, Liu Biao died of illness, and his son Liu Cong took over as pastor of Jingzhou. In September, Cao Cao's army entered Xinye. Liu Cong thought that he could not resist, so he summoned all the people in Jingzhou to surrender to Cao Cao.
At this time, Liu Beitun, who had defected to Liu Biao after the Battle of Guandu, was stationed in Fancheng. When he heard that Liu Cong had surrendered, he led his army to retreat to Jiangling. Jiangling, an important town in Jingzhou, has a lot of military supplies. I heard that Cao Cao was afraid that Jiangling would fall into Liu Bei's hands, so he led five thousand cavalry from Xiangyang and galloped 300 miles. He caught up with Liu Bei at Changban in Dangyang, crushed his army, and then drove straight into Jiangling.
After Cao Cao defeated Liu Bei, he took advantage of the situation and annexed Jiangdong in one fell swoop. With the efforts of Lu Su and Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed an alliance. Sun Quan ordered the governor Zhou Yu to lead 30,000 troops to form an alliance with Liu Bei's 20,000 troops to resist Cao Cao. From the east of Jiangling to Chibi, Cao Cao fought against the coalition forces of Sun and Liu, temporarily stationed in Wulin, and faced off across the river.
Zhou deceived himself into surrendering. He ordered General Huang Gai to lead ten small warships, put firewood on them, apply ointment, nail the bows with big nails, pretend to surrender, and set off to the north bank. When they were less than two miles away, all the ships were lit together, and then with the help of the wind, they rushed towards you. You were defeated and the ships were burned. Cao Cao led his army back to Jiangling by land from Huarong Road. Withdraw troops from the north.
Pinging down Liangzhou
After the failure of the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao took some measures to stabilize internal affairs. In the spring of the fifteenth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao wrote in the "Records of Emperor Wu": "This has not yet been decided, so we urgently need to use talents." Cao Cao proposed the employment policy of "ruling by doing nothing and appointing people on their merits". The purpose was
In the sixteenth year of Jian'an, , Cao Cao began to attack Guanzhong. In March, Cao Cao's captain Zhong Yao led General Xia in Hanzhong to invade Guanzhong in the name of Zhang Lu. Guanzhong, Han Sui, Yang Qiu and other ten tribes were suspicious and turned against each other for a time. Cao Cao immediately sent general Cao Ren to attack Guanzhong, and Ma Chao and others settled in Tongguan.
In July, Cao Cao led his army to personally conquer Guanzhong and defeated the allied forces in Guanzhong. Ma Chao wanted to cede territory and seek peace, but Cao Cao refused. In September, Ma, Han et al. He once again asked for the cession of territory and sent Renzi to seek peace. Cao Cao adopted Jia Xu's suggestion, made false claims, and defeated Han and Ma's army again. Han Sui and Ma Chao defeated Liangzhou, Yang fled back to Anding, and the formation was reduced to waiting for suitable rebels, and Guanzhong was pacified from then on. In October, Cao Cao marched to Anding, and Yang Qiu surrendered. Cao Cao led his army to withdraw and ordered Xia to continue his western expedition. Within two years, Ma Chao, Han Sui, Song Jian, Qiang, and Di were defeated, and the Liangzhou area was basically pacified.
The monarch refers to the highest rank among ministers.
In the seventeenth year of Jian'an, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty allowed Cao Cao to "worship Wuming and go to the palace with a sword", just like the story of Xiao He, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty.
In the 18th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao raised an army claiming to be 400,000, and personally conquered Sun Quan. The next year, Jin Jun went to Ruxukou, broke through Sun Quan's camp in Jiangbei, and captured Sun Quan's general Gongsun Yang alive. Sun Quan led an army of 70,000 to Ruxu to fight against the king. The two armies fought for more than a month and each gained something. Cao Cao saw that Sun Quan's army was in good order and was unable to win, so he withdrew his troops and returned north.
Zaili
In March of the 20th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao saw that Liu Bei had left Yizhou, and Hanzhong was the gateway to Yizhou. "Without Hanzhong, there would be no Yishu." Liu Bei must capture Hanzhong. So Cao Cao took the lead and led an army of 100,000 to Zhanglu, Hanzhong. In May, Hechi was captured and Dou Mao was beheaded[34]; in July, Cao Cao's army entered Yangping Pass. I heard that Zhang Lu lost Yangping Pass and fled to Bazhong. Cao Cao marched into Nanzheng and captured the treasures of Zhang Lu'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, Cao Cao went south again and led his army to attack Ruxukou and defeated Sun Quan. Sun Quan sent one of his men named Xu to surrender. Cao Cao agreed and agreed to marry again.
After Cao Cao withdrew from Hanzhong, Liu Bei attacked Hanzhong.
In the twenty-third year of Jian'an, Liu Bei personally led his army to Yangping Pass. Xia and others confronted Liu Bei. Cao's army repeatedly repelled Liu Bei's fierce offensive. In July, Cao Cao led his army to Guanzhong and took up residence in Chang'an so that he could direct the battle in Hanzhong at any time. At the same time, gunfire broke out on the border again, and Cao Cao ordered Cao Zhang and Tian Yu to expedition to the north, resulting in the defeat of the Wuhuan-Xianbei coalition.
In the first month of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei crossed Mianshui from the south of Yangping Pass and marched up the mountain. Once stationed in Junshan. Xia Pai competed with Liu Bei for terrain and was killed by Huang Zhong. You are defeated. Later, Cao Cao led his army to capture Hanzhong, but Liu Bei failed to get out of the wall. Cao Jun and Liu Bei's army were several months apart, so they abandoned Hanzhong.
Battle of Xiangfan
In July of the 24th year of Jian'an, as soon as Cao Cao withdrew his troops from Hanzhong, Liu Bei's general Guan Yu launched an attack from Jingzhou to his southeastern defense line Xiang and Fan. After hearing this, Cao Cao immediately sent General Jin to rescue Fancheng. In August, Guan Yu seized the opportunity of the flood, captured Pang De, took advantage of the situation, and surrounded Fancheng. When there were only a few thousand Cao Cao's troops in Fancheng, the city was flooded, and the water surface was only a few feet away from the tower. Cao Ren led the troops to defend. Cao Cao sent Huang Xu to rescue Fancheng. In October, Cao Cao rushed to Luoyang from Guanzhong and personally directed the rescue of Fancheng.
Because Sun Quan was upstream of Guan Yu, he was unwilling to let Guan Yu's power develop, and he also wanted to capture Jingzhou, so he joined forces with Cao Cao and prepared to attack Jiangling, the important town of Jingzhou, with General Monroe. After receiving the letter, Cao Cao informed Cao Ren of the news and ordered him to continue to hold on. He went to grind the skin himself, approached the headquarters, sent the 12th Battalion to reinforce Huang Xu, and ordered him to counterattack Guan Yu. After a fierce battle, Guan Yu was defeated and fled. Soon, Lü Meng successfully captured Jiangling. 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 Xuchang, and Cao Cao was buried as a prince. The Battle of Xiangfan is over.
The later years of a strong man
Cao Cao captured Guan Yu. After Sun Quan captured Jingzhou, he made him a hussar general and a herdsman in Jingzhou. Sun Quan sent an envoy to pay tribute to Cao Cao and persuaded Cao Cao to replace the Han Dynasty's self-proclaimed emperor of Wei. Cao Cao sent a letter from Sun Quan to all the ministers at home and abroad, saying: "It is my son who wants to sit in my hands!" Cao Cao's ministers took the opportunity to persuade Cao Cao. Cao Cao himself did not want to abolish Di Xian and become independent. He said, "If my destiny were in my hands, I would be King Wen of Zhou."
In the first month of the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao returned to Luoyang. That month, he died of illness in Luoyang at the age of sixty-six. He was called King Wu. Before his death, he left behind "The Biography of Cao Man". According to Cao Cao's will, he was buried in Gaoling in the western suburbs of Yecheng on February 21.
In October of this year, Wang Wei Cao Pi succeeded the Han Dynasty and proclaimed himself emperor. His country was named Wei. He respected Cao Cao as Emperor Wu and his country was named Taizu.