I am an uprising soldier, eliminating riots for the world. The old-fashioned people died a little, and I walked all day in middle school, not knowing what I knew, which made me very sad.
Sadness. Its soldiers have come, and there is no latter. In the future, ask their relatives for help, give them land, officials give them cows, and teachers give them money.
Teach it. Build a temple for survivors to worship their ancestors. Soul and spirit, I hate it after a hundred years!
Cao Cao's language is unpretentious, but thrilling. Cao Cao's words read with dignity but honesty. I think Cao Cao is great, really. Jian 'an period is at least a distinctive period in the history of China literature, and Cao Cao occupies a place in the literary world of this period. His articles are famous for being free and easy. Free and easy means to say whatever you want. Regarding this feature, Lu Xun once said in "Wei and Jin demeanor and the relationship between articles and medicinal liquor": "Cao Cao himself is also the founder of reforming articles. Unfortunately, his articles are rarely circulated. He is very courageous, and he has no scruples when making a fuss. He wants to write. "
In the first year of Jian 'an, Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty, Cao Cao welcomed Xian Di to Xuchang, served as general, and sealed Wu Pinghou. After several years of battles, the area north of Huaihe River was gradually unified. Because of his high status and power, he was criticized by the ruling and opposition parties. Politically, Liu Bei and Sun Quan criticized him for "pretending to be a Chinese thief". In this case, he wrote an article to show his mind, which was later "Let the Princess Know His Will", and he responded positively to the attacks of his political enemies one by one. From today's perspective, as a senior cadre, there are some things that are inconvenient to say, but he has made no secret. For example, the starting point of his early resignation and retirement is not very noble, just to avoid disasters or wait for opportunities. But in the article, what I feel more is his sincerity. On the one hand, it is sincere, on the other hand, it also shows Cao Cao's extraordinary skill in controlling words. When he said his contribution, some words sounded excessive, but the analysis was really reasonable and he didn't brag. He said: "If the country is not alone, I don't know how many people will be emperors and how many people will be kings." It's true. Didn't he destroy Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao and Liu Biao?
In the article, he also quoted the deeds of Qi Huan, Jin Wen, Le Yi, Meng Tian and other ancestors, indicating that he had no intention of abolishing Han. In fact, he did. It was not until his death that he proclaimed himself emperor, and it was his son Cao Pigan who proclaimed himself emperor. In view of the fact that some people claimed that he had surrendered military power, he was only given the vacant position of Wu Pinghou. He said: If I hand over the military power, it will be a disaster for others, and I will think of my children and grandchildren. Besides, if I lose myself, the country will fall apart again, and I will get a false name and suffer a real disaster. I wouldn't do such a thing. This shows that Cao Cao, as a politician, has a clear mind and foresight in dealing with complex forms. Ha ha.
Cao Cao (A.D. 155-220) was born in Peiguoqiao (now Bo County, Anhui Province), and Chen Shou called him "a strange man, a peerless hero" in The History of the Three Kingdoms.
Mao Zedong wrote a eulogy: More than a thousand years ago, Wei Wu whipped his whip and left it at the Eastern Boundary Stone.
Lu Xun said: Cao Cao is at least a hero.
Tang Xuanzong often compared himself to "A God".
Tang Taizong said that Cao Cao was: controlling changes in times of crisis, expecting enemies to set strange things, more wisdom than one, and insufficient talents.
For thousands of years, Cao Cao has been praised a lot, and there are not a few detractors. In fact, many problems have been solved. I am neither an emperor nor a historian, but as an ordinary historian, I want to talk about some knowledge of Cao Cao.
I think Cao Cao himself has many contradictions, but when these contradictions are combined, they become "talents".
In fact, everyone is more or less a complex of contradictions, so Cao Cao is just one of ordinary people. Just because of his rare temperament and talent, coupled with rare opportunities, he has become a unique complex of contradictions.
One. The contradictory combination of idealist and realist.
Cao Cao is first and foremost an idealist.
People say that a person's poems can reflect this person. Cao Cao was a writer and poet all his life. Poets are often idealists, and Cao Cao is no exception.
His "Short Song" wrote: When drinking is a song, life is geometric! For example, morning dew is much more difficult to go to Japan.
"Shang Mo Sang" wrote: Ride the rainbow, ride the red clouds, and climb Yumen Pass.
"Looking at the Sea" also wrote: The trip to the sun and the moon is unexpected. Han is a talented star, if you take him by surprise.
"Going West" said: When the fox dies, he will return to the first hill, and his hometown will be forgotten!
These sketches outline a set of wild and passionate outlines, revealing a style of "Jian 'an writer" between the lines.
Specifically, his deeds are bohemian and attached to old friends. For example, he cried in front of Yuan Shao's grave, for example, he mourned Guo Jia's untimely death (note 1), for example, he took care of Cai Yong's daughter Cai Wenji.
Cao Cao said in "The Order of the Sea in December" ("Let the magistrate make it clear"): "I want to study in autumn and summer, shoot in winter and spring, seek underground land, and want to cover my body with mud."
You can't see that such a person can command thousands of troops and manage chaotic and broken times. He is more like an "empty talker", but in fact Cao Cao is a realist and an out-and-out doer.
When Cao Cao was in his twenties, he was able to make a famous "five-color stick" incident in the ruling and opposition. When he was in Jinan, his rule was politically clear and the people lived in peace. At this time, he was full of blood and devoted himself to making a name for himself as a minister of the Han Dynasty. As he said in Let the magistrate make it clear, "I want to be a county magistrate, do a good job in politics and education, so as to establish a reputation and let the world know."
However, the Han dynasty has reached its twilight, and a broken ship is leaking everywhere. Cao Cao's ideal of being an official of the Han Dynasty and seeking fame was broken by the cruel reality. It was not until Dong Zhuo played politics that Cao Cao's life goals changed subtly. Although he still supported and supported the Han dynasty in attitude, he began to understand that the Han dynasty was difficult to save. Yu Xun suggested that Cao Cao establish Han as the emperor, that is, "holding the emperor to make the princes." This proposal is actually compatible with Cao Cao's goals at that time and the national situation. Although Cao Cao was disappointed with the Han Dynasty, he did not dare to have the idea of replacing it, so "using" and realizing "assisting" through "using" became a win-win move.
When Cao Cao was young, he prefaced The Art of War, which showed a certain military talent, but I'm afraid it was just his "hobby after school" at that time. What he likes and is keen on is "contingency" and the way to be an official. Fortunately for Cao Cao, the times he lived in gave him a "hobby" and room to display his talents, which made him make great achievements.
To sum up, the ambition of teenagers, the change of objective environment and a little luck have made Cao Cao's "realism".
Because his ideal and ambition is "politics", he must combine ideal with reality; Because the objective environment broke his dream, he learned to face reality and barely distinguish between ideal and reality, which is more like helplessness. Therefore, it is also Cao Cao's promotion of ideals and Cao Cao's compromise of reality. Cao Cao advocated that "the war situation is constant and the water is impermanent." He knows that there is no way to predict the outcome of the war in advance, so he should guide the situation according to the situation. This level of understanding can only be said to be "talent", but in practical application, Cao Cao's thirty years of fighting, winning more than losing, unifying the north, "three points in the world are the best in the world" is the best interpretation of "doer"
As a realist, Cao Cao was created by the times, but as an idealist, he was born with temperament. The nature of these two contradictions is reflected in one person, and it is so vividly reflected. There are not many such people throughout the ages. Because there are not many people who have both "poet temperament" and "doer talent", there are even fewer such people in troubled times. Perhaps this is why we can't understand the "Cao Cao phenomenon".
Two. The contradiction between wildness and observing the Han law.
The Biography of Cao Zang records that when Cao Cao was young, he was "good at flying eagles, good at running dogs and wandering endlessly".
Shiyu recorded Yuan Shao and Cao Cao flirting with their new wives when they were young.
Legend of Heroes at the End of Han Dynasty records that after Yuan Tan was defeated in Nanpi, Cao Cao "preached, called Long Live, and danced at once".
The Biography of Cao Zang also records that Cao Cao "is easy to be human and has no authority ... every time he talks to others, he has nothing to hide", and when he is in a good mood, he strikes the table and even plunges into the table.
Such behavior is out of line even today, and it was simply "debauchery" at that time. But it is such a person, but he is very simple and clever.
He stipulated that expensive and luxurious items should not be used in his mansion, especially his family members. They should keep it simple and never dress up. Admittedly, he also likes to bully foreign things, but compared with his position and personality, Cao Cao is a simple man.
Legally, Cao Cao inherited the Chinese law to a great extent in "forbidding", "punishing the people" and even "governing the army", which can be described as "following the rules" and seems to be incompatible with Cao Cao's wild and unruly personality.
But in fact, this is Cao Cao's compromise to reality. "Tongdian" said that Cao Cao "is difficult to level the world and change the system of the Han Dynasty". On the basis of compromise, Cao Cao tried his best to change what could be changed. For example, Cao Cao began to think that "corporal punishment" should be resumed, but Kong Rong and Wang Xiu opposed it and gave up; "The definition of Jia Zige in China law is too heavy ... so that law-abiding people listen to it and obey it." .
This shows that in fact, Cao Cao is not "following the rules." As a politician, he wants to consider the problem comprehensively. Subjectively, he demanded bold innovation, but he had to compromise in the face of things whose strength was not enough to change for the time being. (Note 2)
Therefore, Cao Cao is a "wild and uninhibited" but simple person, eager for reform but compromising with reality. These two contradictions are reflected in Cao Cao.
Three. The contradiction between cherishing life and killing innocent people several times.
Howe Li Xing wrote: Armor gives birth to lice, and ten thousand people die. The bones were bare in the field, and there was no one among them, and there was no crowing.
"Short Song" also said: Life comes to wine, geometry? For example, morning dew is much more difficult to go to Japan.
Between the lines, we feel that Cao Cao is merciful and cherishes life.
But it was the same person who slaughtered innocent people in Xuzhou and Guandu successively, surrendered his troops and became the demon king who killed people without blinking an eye, which was quite contradictory to his previous poems. Is Cao Cao hypocritical?
After Cao Cao cut off his power, he heard that 300,000 families were happy and attacked Nanpi, showing leniency to the people. These events also show that Cao Cao loves the people.
Since the pre-Qin period, there have been many precedents of massacres, such as the killing of 400,000 soldiers of Zhao in Tian Lei, the massacre recorded in the Liu Xiang War, and the national war between Han and Xiongnu. Therefore, the massacre has actually become a "convention". Once you encounter a city with tenacious resistance, the day when the city is broken is the time when the people suffer. At the same time, the massacre did have a certain effect, otherwise the armies of past dynasties would not be tired. First of all, it can blow the confidence of those who later resist; Secondly, it can destroy local productivity to the greatest extent.
Specific to Cao Cao, we will find that he is only the inheritor of the "massacre" for thousands of years, a conscious and unconscious follower, and has little to do with his cruelty.
Four. The contradiction between helping Han and abolishing Han.
It may not be accurate to say "waste Han" here. After all, Cao Cao didn't do this before his death, but anyone who knows a little about this history knows that Cao Cao paved the way for his descendants to "abolish Han", so it is not an exaggeration to say that "Cao Cao abolished Han".
Cao Cao still had some feelings for the Han Dynasty in his early years, but with the mention of strength and status, his feelings for the Han Dynasty gradually became indifferent.
There are similarities between Cao Cao and Huo Guang in the Western Han Dynasty. The sufferings of Huo Guang's heirs set an example for Cao Cao. However, Cao Cao did this not only for future generations. Cao Cao and Huo Guang are very different. Cao Cao's process of stabilizing the Han Dynasty was much more difficult than Huo Guang's, and Cao Cao's affection for the Han Dynasty was a kind of "charity", Huo Guang was just a "backer", and Cao Cao did not owe the Han Emperor emotionally. Cao Pi, the eldest son of Cao Cao, took power as early as the twelfth year of Jian 'an, and Cao Zhang also led troops in the north, so Cao Cao had long intended to foster successors.
In fact, Cao Cao, who is in a high position, can easily "waste Han". The reason why he didn't do this simply comes down to his identity and his early ideals, and Sun Liu's influence is secondary.
He did too little for the Han Dynasty, although he killed the queen and bullied Emperor Xiandi. However, in the case that "all the land is not owned by the Han family", as Cao Cao said, "If the country is not alone, I wonder how many people will be emperors and how many will be kings."
Therefore, Cao Cao's "Abolishing Han" is actually the general trend. "Helping Han" in the early years was a win-win situation for Cao Cao and the Han Dynasty. As early as when Dong Zhuo was in power, the Han Dynasty had existed in name only. When the crumbling remnant Han has no meaning, it is inevitable that future generations will take its place.
Five. The contradiction between loving talents and harming talents.
Cao Cao promulgated "three orders to seek talents" and mentioned the desire for talents many times in his letters.
Wang Shen's "Shu Wei" commented on Cao Cao: "Knowing people is good at observing, pulling out of the ban, being willing to make progress between the lines, and taking Zhang Liao and Huang Xu from subjugation." The prosperity of Cao Wei's talents has a lot to do with Cao Cao's mode of employing people.
But it is such a person who loves talents and cherishes talents, but repeatedly persecutes celebrities and scholars at that time.
If it is a political need to kill Cui Yan, persecute Yang Biao and force Yu Xun to die, then his killing of Bian Jean and Yang Xiu is more or less influenced by society.
The "speaking clearly" in Wei and Jin Dynasties had a lot to do with political darkness, which originated from the great turmoil at the end of Han Dynasty. People's lives are not guaranteed, and there is no room for political ambitions. A little carelessness will lead to decapitation, so gentry often choose to retire without talking about the country.
Although Cao Cao is the ruler, it is not he who caused this situation. On the contrary, he was once a victim of this fashion. It was only after he came to power that he became addicted to killing people. It should be said that this, like "slaughter", is a continuation of the habit of political means.
Cao Cao's love is true, but at the same time it is brutally killed by the environment because of its high status. As for politically motivated killings, he did not hesitate to carry them out.
As a result of this contradiction, Cao Wei surpassed Sun Liu in talent. However, because Cao Cao persecuted some talents, a considerable number of people opposed Cao Cao or used it as an excuse. It seems that Cao Cao is completely jealous of talents and hurts talents.
Six. Tactics are better than strategy.
This is actually not a simple contradiction, but an extension of Cao Cao's contradiction itself.
Cao Cao's tactical attainments are unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms of the Later Han Dynasty. From Yanzhou to the battle of Guandu, attacking Wuhuan, and then to Pingxi, Cao Cao's tactical performance is obvious to all.
However, Cao Cao has many criticisms in strategy. For example, in the battle of Guandu, he tried to give up Guandu, but Yu Xun stopped him. In Battle of Red Cliffs, he denied Jia Xu's correct suggestion and lost the chance of reunification. After pacifying Hanzhong, there was no invasion of Bashu; Guan Zhen Huaxia, he wanted to move the capital to avoid its sharpness, but fortunately someone reminded him.
Cao Cao's mistakes in these strategic decisions are enough to change the historical process. In order to avoid complete failure, he only took the advice of his consultant twice.
Cao Cao's "shorter than strategy" is only relative to his "longer than tactics". In fact, he has achieved a lot in strategy.
There are many reasons why Cao Cao is "longer than tactics and shorter than strategy", which is basically caused by Cao Cao's personality contradiction.
Cao Cao is bohemian, uninhibited and at the same time very sensitive to compassion. The former determines that he dares to carry out tactics unimaginable to ordinary people, and the latter determines that he is very sensitive to changes in things, so he can capture fighters in time, which makes him tactically adept. But it is these two contradictory personalities that make it difficult for him to analyze problems calmly and objectively in strategic conception, because the former determines that he will always be "casual" and the latter determines that he is "fickle", so Cao Cao shows his shortcomings relative to tactics on the serious issue of strategy.
Perhaps Cao Cao also knows something about his personality, so he is very close to his deployment, perhaps hoping to make up for his shortcomings through "wisdom."
Seven. An overview of cao cao's personality and its causes.
Cao Cao is both an idealist and a realist. He is wild and unruly. He cherishes life and kills innocent people. He supported the Han people, but eventually abolished them. He loves talents, but hurts them. He is good at tactics but lacks strategy. ......
This man is too contradictory and confusing. What makes him have so many contradictions?
First of all, we should understand that a person's personality is composed of two aspects, one is "talent" and the other is "environment". At the beginning, both of them often focus on "talent", but with the growth of age and the deepening of experience, the environment has become the main factor to change a person. Therefore, people are full of lofty sentiments when they are young, but over time, they will always say that "nine times out of ten people are unhappy", which is the impact of the environment on people. After all, Cao Cao is just a person, and he can't get rid of this rule. On the contrary, I think this rule has a deeper influence on him than the average person.
Judging from "talent", Cao Cao was born a "cunning" person. He used to pretend to be sick to gain his father's sympathy and be able to have fun everywhere; There is also an impromptu performance of "cutting hair instead of head"; The clever plan of grain-killing officials to stabilize the army. These are not learned after training, and can only be said to be Cao Cao's "talent."
This "fickle and cunning" character has been with Cao Cao all his life, perhaps it can be called "a leopard cannot change his spots", but the influence of every environment of Cao Cao on him is the decisive factor that finally forms his unique character. There is a view that "the eunuch's life experience caused Cao Cao's inferiority complex", which is biased. After all, Cao Cao doesn't have any "inferiority complex" in words and deeds, but he is sensitive at most, because Cao Cao's grandfather is a eunuch and his father is an adopted son. This kind of influence exists in Cao Cao's generation, but it is not enough to change Cao Cao's character. In fact, what really changed Cao Cao's character was the turbulent society.
As mentioned earlier, Cao Cao devoted himself to serving the country in his early years, but he had to "serve the country". What he saw was that "white bones are exposed in the wild, and there are no crows in a thousand miles", which stimulated him and was also the main reason for his sensitive personality. Later turbulent troubled times shaped him, such as Chen Gong's betrayal. At that time, Cao Cao had a "feud", and Cao Song and Cao Cao had a good relationship. The tragic death of his family has made Cao Cao miserable, but Chen Gong and others stabbed him in the back, which is tantamount to adding salt to the wound. Cao Cao had to show his cruel side as a politician in the face of cruel reality. The intrigue between the governors also proved that no "iron fist" could not stand on its feet in the turbulent period of "all classics were abolished". Cao Cao must know this truth, but the real implementation was forced by the environment.
In those days, the winner could punish the loser at will, without any constraints, just like Cao Shi did to Yuan, and so did Lu Bu. Perhaps Cao Cao's "cruel" image is related to his being a winner. Sometimes cruelty is a political necessity, such as killing Marten. And this necessary "cruelty" has also affected Cao Cao many times, and it certainly has an impact on his character.
In addition, Cao Cao is a simple and casual person, and the formation of this character is also closely related to the society at that time. The court struggle in the Han Dynasty and the turmoil in the later Han Dynasty led many scholars to be unwilling to be officials because they thought their lives could not be guaranteed. Cao Cao was also influenced by this trend of thought in his early years, so after suffering from the frustration of "unable to serve the country", he repeatedly said that he didn't want to wait on officials and just wanted to live an idyllic life. This is not his hypocritical words. It was normal for him to have such an idea. The formation of this simple and casual character also influenced Cao Cao's later life.
Cao Cao was lucky to come to the end in countless storms and struggles. In many things, he actually controlled his "natural character" and compromised the environment, but he did not "go with the flow". People say: some people adapt themselves to the environment, while others adapt themselves to the environment. In fact, neither of these people exists. People actually live in a big society. No matter whether it is a great man or an ordinary person, it is impossible to change this big environment on one's own. Everyone is a member of this environment, so everyone is actually adapting to the environment. However, some people will follow the trend and transform the environment. Cao Cao should be such a person.
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(Note 1) "Mourning Guo Jiashu with Yu Xun": Guo Fengxiao was under forty years old, and he had been in trouble for eleven years. And with his understanding, he sees the world without doubt and wants the future to belong to him. What do you mean I'm sad! Today, there are thousands of children at this table, but what good is it for the dead! A deep sense of nostalgia. Filial piety is also a lonely person. I know very few people in the world and regret it. What a pity! What a pity!
(Note 2) Shu Han and Sun Wu also established their own "branches" to inherit and replace the Chinese law.