The Complete Biography of Cao Cao

Chapter 4 The Old Man: The Traitor of the World Will Not Proclaim himself Emperor

Duke Zhou is in power and still leans over

After the Battle of Chibi, Sun Quan occupied Jiangdong, Liu Bei "borrowed" Jingzhou from Sun Quan, and then occupied Yizhou, posing a threat to Sun Wu, and the contradiction between Sun and Liu gradually became acute.Sun Quan sent someone to ask Liu Bei to return Jingzhou. How could Liu Bei agree?The two sides can't stop arguing.Later, when Liu Bei heard that Cao Cao was going to attack Hanzhong and threaten Yizhou, he hastily agreed to divide Jingzhou equally to ease the conflict.

The relationship between Sun and Liu eased slightly, and Liu Bei concentrated his forces to compete with Cao Cao for Hanzhong.In the first month of the 24th year of Jian'an (219 A.D.), General Liu Bei Huang Zhong beheaded Xia Houyuan, a general of Cao Jun, at Dingjun Mountain in Yangping, defeating Cao Jun.The morale of Cao's army was frustrated, and in May, Cao Cao had to withdraw from Hanzhong and retreat to Chang'an.Liu Bei took the opportunity to occupy Hanzhong and proclaimed himself King of Hanzhong.

As early as when Liu Bei paid three visits to Zhuge Liang in the thatched cottage in Jingzhou, Zhuge Liang once said to Liu Bei: "If you control Jingzhou and Yizhou, guard the dangerous points, appease and accept all the foreigners inside and outside the country, and coexist peacefully, then you can go with Sun Quan. Keep good relations with each other and form a good alliance. Then, internally clean up the politics, and externally look at the overall situation; once there is a change, you can order a general to lead the army of Jingzhou to attack Wancheng (Nanyang City, Henan Province) and Luoyang. General Then lead the army of Yizhou, go out of Qinchuan, and attack Chang'an, so that the world will be peaceful." This is the famous "Longzhong Dui", which can also be said to be Liu Bei's long-term plan.

After Liu Bei conquered Hanzhong, he immediately began to implement the plan according to the plan.He ordered Guan Yu, who was stationed in Jingzhou, to march to Xiangfan and north to Wanluo to attack Cao Cao.

In July, Guan Yu attacked Fancheng. The Cao army was defended by Cao Ren, the general who conquered the south. Hearing that Guan Yu led a large army to attack, he first sent seven troops including Yu Jin and Pang De to station in Fanbei to form horns with the city, waiting for Guan Yu.At this time, it was the rainy season, the heavy rain continued, and the Han River rose sharply. Guan Yu flooded the Seventh Army with water, surrendered to Jin, killed Pang De, and soon surrounded Fancheng.Cao Ren knew that it was difficult to resist, so he had to lead his soldiers to stand firm and wait for help.

At this time Cao Cao was in Luoyang. When he heard that Yu Jin had been captured and Fancheng was besieged, he couldn't help but panic. He summoned all the civil and military officials to discuss and planned to temporarily abandon Xudu to avoid Guan Yu's momentum.

Moving the capital is not only a waste of time and money, but also has a far-reaching political impact.Facing Guan Yu's strong attack, Cao Cao actually considered doing this first, which shows that Cao Cao no longer has the determination to forge ahead at this time.It was only two months since his death.

The counselor Sima Yi tried his best to dissuade the move of the capital. He said: "Fancheng was flooded, but it did not have a major strategic impact on our army. Although Liu Bei and Sun Quan were reconciled on the surface, they actually had great conflicts. Sun Quan must be afraid of Guan Yu's success. Why don't we Send someone to persuade Sun Quan, and tell him that Jiangnan can be entrusted to him after it is done. Let him take advantage of the emptiness behind Guan Yu and attack his rear, and Guan Yu will definitely come back to rescue him. In this way, the siege of Fancheng will be solved by itself."

When Cao Cao heard this, he felt it was reasonable, so he ordered Cao Ren to hold on to the city, and at the same time sent people to instigate Sun Quan.At the same time, he deliberately leaked this plan to Guan Yu.

An envoy sent by Cao Cao explained to Sun Quan his intention, and Sun Quan was overjoyed.It is really a great thing to defeat Guan Yu, become famous all over the world, and expand your territory at the same time.So he immediately sent Lu Meng to lead the army up the river to attack Guan Yu's rear Jiangling and Nanjun.

At the same time, Cao Cao also sent Xu Huang to lead the reinforcements to rescue Fancheng. Xu Huang saw that Soochow was attacking Guan Yu's rear, so he began to counterattack Guan Yu.Guan Yu and Xu Huang held each other, and soon Nanjun and Jiangling fell, and Guan Yu had to retreat from Fancheng. Along the way, many troops fled, and the entire Jingzhou was lost.

Guan Yu had nowhere to escape, so he had to retreat to Maicheng.Lu Meng led an army to surround Maicheng. Guan Yu escaped from Maicheng and was killed by Lu Meng on the way.

This time Cao Cao took advantage of the conflict between Sun and Liu to eliminate Guan Yu, which not only relieved the temporary threat of Xiangfan, but also strategically speaking, caused the Shu Han to lose the Jingzhou base, and Zhuge Liang's strategic plan was aborted.

Sun Quan killed Guan Yu and seized Jingzhou. He was afraid that Liu Bei would make trouble for him, so he wanted to frame Cao Cao.He didn't want to be seen through by Cao Cao, but he didn't succeed.

The court ministers asked Cao Cao to proclaim himself emperor many times, but Cao Cao declined all of them, and compared himself with King Wen of Zhou, so he repeatedly refused.

King Wen of Zhou had two thirds of the world, but he was still a subject of the Yin Dynasty. His son destroyed Yin and became king, that is, King Wu of Zhou.When Cao Cao said that he was King Wen of Zhou, he subconsciously indicated that he could just be King Wei in his life, and let his son be the emperor's plan.

In fact, Cao Cao had such an idea very early on.Long before entering the army, he once gathered hundreds of civil and military officials at the Tongque Terrace in Yecheng, staged a banquet to celebrate, and confessed his ambition to monopolize power during the banquet.

Tongque Terrace is close to the Zhanghe River. It is more than 10 feet high. There is Yulong Terrace on the left and Jinfeng Terrace on the right.Why is it named "Tongque Terrace"? "Bronze sparrow" is a kind of precious wine vessel. "Farrow" is also written as "jue", which means "rank" and "juelu".Since Cao Cao welcomed the emperor and moved the capital, he has taken the emperor to command the princes, and his power has become more and more powerful, but he is afraid of being said to be a dictator, so he used the reason of "Tongjue" to build a large-scale construction project in Yecheng, and built the Tongque Terrace to show his power. His noble title, which he regarded as the greatest pleasure of his later years, showed that he had no other expectations.

On that day, Cao Cao wore a gold crown with inlaid treasures on his head, a green brocade robe, a jade belt and pearl shoes, and sat in a high position.Civil and military officials sat on both sides in turn.Cao Cao first ordered military officers Cao Xiu, Wen Pin, Cao Hong, Zhang Yu, Xia Houyuan, Xu Huang, Xu Chu and others to compete in martial arts for fun, and then ordered civil servants Wang Lang, Zhong Yao, Wang Can, Chen Lin and Ruan Ji to compose poems impromptu.On weekdays, everyone knows that Cao Cao's scholars are good at poetry and prose. At this time, they all asked them to show their literary talents.Cao Zhi was the first to respond, and in front of everyone, he swiped his pen to form a chapter, and in a short while, wrote an "Ode to the Tongque Terrace":
Playing around since the Ming Dynasty, climbed to the stage to entertain the Qing Dynasty; see the vastness of the Taifu, and see the camp of the saints; Lianfei Pavilion is close to Xicheng; facing the long flow of Zhangzhou water, looking forward to the prosperity of the garden and fruits; looking up at the harmony of spring breeze, listening to the mournful singing of birds...

The general idea is: follow the prime minister, travel in spring to view the scenery, and climb to the Tongque Terrace, the feeling of joy and entertainment arises spontaneously.Looking up at the sky, the sky is extremely open, and looking down at the ground, the great achievements of the prime minister are recorded on the ground.This is really a majestic and tall building, and the high platforms on both sides seem to be floating in space.The beautiful Feige towers high above the sky and connects to the west city far away.Here, you can see the zigzagging water of the Zhang River, and you can see the lush and green gardens. When we are bathed in the warm spring breeze, we can also hear the singing of birds...

Cao Cao listened to him reciting, nodding repeatedly, and everyone praised him.Then, the civil servants all competed to compose poems and essays, and most of them praised Cao Cao's great merit.After Cao Cao read them one by one, he said with a smile:
"Masters praise me too much. At the beginning, I was just a young man, and I was not a well-known person. I was afraid that I would be regarded as mediocre and incompetent by the world, so I decided to run the local government and religion well to build up my reputation. I didn't think it would take long for me to cause trouble. I had to return to my hometown due to illness, study in spring and summer, and hunt in autumn and winter, just want to wait until the day of peace, and then do something about my career..."

"The prime minister is so talented, how can he be buried deep in the mountains for a long time..." Zuo Zuo laughed.

"I don't want the imperial court to appoint me as a lieutenant of the Dianjun. However, at that time, I just wanted to do meritorious deeds for the country. After I died, I could write a sentence on the tombstone of the tomb of Caohou, the general who conquered the west of the Han Dynasty. I was satisfied. Later, Dong Zhuo , Suppress the Yellow Turban, get rid of Yuan Shu, break Lv Bu, take Yuan Shao, attack Liu Biao, until you become the prime minister, the people and ministers are extremely precious, what is there not to be satisfied? If the country does not have me, I really don’t know how many people will be called The king proclaims himself emperor!"

"Even the Duke of Zhou is not as good as the prime minister!" Everyone praised in unison.

"However," Cao Cao's complexion became solemn, and his tone became more earnest: "Some people always say that I am powerful, and I don't believe in the destiny by nature, and that I have the ambition to become emperor. Random speculation makes me feel uneasy. I often read history books Seeing Qi Huan, Jin Wen, Le Yi, Meng Tian and others, although they are all powerful, they all insist on the righteousness of the monarch and ministers, I am always moved to tears. The reason why I say these heartfelt words is because I am afraid that others will not believe me."

Cao Cao's tone was more earnest and determined: "It is impossible for me to give up the army under my command and return to the Marquis of Wuping. Why? I am really afraid that if I give up my military power, I will be murdered, and I have to plan for my descendants. We must also consider the safety and security. The world is not peaceful yet, and I cannot give up my position. As for the fiefdom, I am willing to give up. Now I return the fiefs of [-] households in Yangxia, Zhe, and Ku counties to the country, and only enjoy the [-] households in Wuping County. Taxes, so as to reduce the slander of others, and at the same time reduce my responsibility a little."

"The prime minister is wise, and the prime minister is very concerned." All the officials praised him.Cao Cao smiled, and ordered to present delicious food, and everyone drank happily.Civil and military officials toasted in turn, and there were occasional toasts and praises.Cao Cao became more interested, drank several cups in a row, ordered someone to fetch paper and pen, and immediately composed a song "Duan Ge Xing·Dui Jiu".

Wine and song, life geometry!For example, the dew in the morning has a lot of bitterness in the past day.Generosity should be generous, and worries and thoughts are unforgettable.Why worry?Only Du Kang.Qingqing Zijin, caress my heart, but for the sake of the king, I have pondered it so far.Yo Yo Luming, eating wild grass.I have guests, harp blowing Sheng.It's like the moon, when can I stop?Worry comes from it and cannot be cut off.Going across the fields, it is useless to live with each other. Qi Kuo talks about swallows, thinking of old kindness.The moon and stars are scarce, and the black magpies fly south.Go around the tree three times, what branch can you rely on?The mountains never tire of being high, and the sea never tires of being deep. The Duke of Zhou vomits and feeds, and the world returns to his heart.

Translation: Sing to the banquet, how many years can be lived!For example, the dew in the morning, time suffers too much from the past.The singing is impassioned, and the sadness is unforgettable.What do you use to relieve your depression?Only the wine in the glass.People in blue-collar clothes always tie my heart.The sika deer yelled long and loudly, calling its companions to eat wild grass together.I welcome that honored guest with a zither and a sheng.Bright moon, when can I ask her to come down.The sorrow in my heart can never be resolved.You cross the field path and pay a visit.Let's have a banquet together to reminisce about the old friendship. The friendship in the past is really unforgettable.The moonlight is bright and the stars are dark, and the crows are startled and fly to the south.I flew around the tree three times, which branch can I lean on?Mountains are never too high, and seas are never too deep.I want to learn how Duke Zhou spit and nourish, so that people in the world will return to their hearts.

When the poem was completed, Cao Cao ordered the kabuki to compose the music and sang it on the spot. The singing voice was generous and full of emotion, expressing Cao Cao's lament about the shortness of life and his longing for talents.This poem is a rare excellent chapter among four-character poems since the "Book of Songs".Everyone was moved when they heard this.

"The Prime Minister's longing for the virtuous and thirsty, we can all understand. But now the prime minister is surrounded by civil and military equipment, and all the sages in the world will return their hearts. Why is there any need for such anxiety?" The crowd comforted.

"No, no, in the world, people are the most precious. Since ancient times, the founding and revival of the monarchy, how can there be talented people to rule the world with him? When they got talents, did they meet by chance? No They are all sought by people in power. Today, the world is not yet peaceful, and it is the most urgent time to seek talents. Think about it, are there no people who wear coarse clothes and have real talents like Jiang Ziya fishing by the Weishui River? Is there no one who has been stigmatized like Chen Ping and has not been reused?" Cao Cao became more excited when he said this: "You need to help me find those buried talents with low status. If I want to "recommend only talents", even those who are considered unfilial but have the ability to govern the country and use the army, they must be recommended to me, and there must be no omissions!" After hearing this, everyone said yes.It can be seen that Cao Cao is thirsty for talents and worries about the country and the people.

The dispute between the two princes is to avoid Xiao Qiang and establish Cao Pi

In May of the 21st year of Jian'an (AD 216), Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty made Cao Cao "King of Wei" in Jin Dynasty.

At first, Lieutenant Cui Yan recommended Yang Xun to Cao Cao, and Cao Cao treated him with courtesy.When Cao Cao was promoted to the title of king, Yang Xun wrote a letter of praise.Arousing dissatisfaction among some people in the court, they ridiculed Yang Xun for only flattering the world, hypocrisy and exaggeration, and not doing practical things.He also took the opportunity to ridicule Cui Yan for recommending such a person.Cui Yan asked Yang Xun for a draft of the memorial to watch, and wrote to Yang Xun, saying: "Submitting the memorial is a good thing, but we must pay attention to the impact." At that time, people who had enemies with Cui Yan took the opportunity to report to Cao Cao: "Cui Yan Arrogant, resentful and slanderous, disobedient." Cao Cao was very angry when he heard this, and immediately arrested Cui Yan, shaved his head, and punished him as a slave laborer.

The so-called wall fell and everyone pushed it. Some people saw that the report was profitable, and further reported to Cao Cao: "Cui Yan was a slave laborer, often twirling his beard with his hands, and looking straight ahead, as if angry at someone." Cao Cao listened to the slander, and published " Cui Yan Order to Death", Cui Yan finally committed suicide in prison.

Shangshu Pushe Mao Jie lamented Cui Yan's innocent death in prison.Someone went to Cao Cao to tell Mao Jie that he seemed to have sympathy for Cui Yan's death and expressed dissatisfaction with Cao Cao.Said that he saw the prisoner's wife being fined and confiscated as a servant of the official family. He once said: "The reason why it doesn't rain for a long time is probably because of grievances."

Cao Cao was furious when he heard this, and immediately arrested Mao Jie and put him in prison.Huan Jie, the servant, begged Cao Cao to grasp the real situation before making a decision, but Cao Cao refused.It was not until after he became the king of Wei that Mao Jie was released and no longer appointed.

So far, Cao Cao has seldom had the quality of changing immediately after hearing it, not making flattering words, and clearly observing the details.At this time, he was already an old man in his sixties, and his obsession with power might have made him lose some of his sanity—this is something that can’t be helped, because the more powerful a person is, the more afraid he will die if he loses it. There is no place to bury, this is the most tangled in Cao Cao's heart.

In April of the 22nd year of Jian'an (AD 217), Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty issued an edict that Cao Cao, king of Wei, could set up the banner of the Son of Heaven, impose martial law on entry and exit, restrict pedestrians, and clear the streets.In October, Cao Cao, the king of Wei, was ordered to wear 12 tassels (that is, the jade beads hanging from the front and rear of the ancient king's crown) in his official hat, to ride in a gold-decorated vehicle, to drive [-] horses (the ancient emperor could drive six), and [-] kinds of horses. [-] auxiliary vehicles of different colors.Cao Cao made Wei King and his wife, Bian, Queen.Seeing that he was getting old, the important matter of establishing a prince was put on the agenda.

At first, Cao Cao married Mrs. Ding and had no sons.Concubine Liu gave birth to a son Cao Ang, and Bian gave birth to four sons: Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong; Cao Cao asked Mrs. Ding to raise Cao Ang, but Cao Ang died in battle during the Southern Expedition to Zhangxiu.Mrs. Ding wept bitterly and couldn't help herself. Cao Cao became angry and divorced Mrs. Ding, and sent her out of the house, and Mrs. Bian succeeded her.The younger son Cao Xiong died early.The second son, Cao Zhang, has been very powerful since he was a child, brave and good at shooting, and has high martial arts skills.Cao Cao once said to him: "You don't study, you don't know the way of sages, you only know how to ride a horse and shoot arrows. This is the courage of a man. What is so valuable?"

Cao Zhang said: "A man should gallop on the battlefield and make achievements. What's the use of reading so many books?" When Cao Zhang grew up, he followed Cao Cao in the north and south.

Because his beard is golden yellow, Cao Cao called him "Huang Xuer".Once, he made great contributions, and Cao Cao wanted to summon him. His elder brother Cao Pi said to him: "Although you have made great achievements, don't be too proud. You should help others and sum up your own shortcomings, so that your father will appreciate you even more. When Cao Zhang met Cao Cao, he really did what Cao Pi said, and gave all the credit to his generals, but said that he would continue to work hard.Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this, stroked his beard and said, "Huang Xu'er is really a genius!" However, Cao Cao was still worried about him, fearing that Huang Xu'er was only brave and intrepid, and it would be difficult to achieve great things.Therefore, he never had the idea of ​​making him the prince.

The eldest son Cao Pi and the third son Cao Zhi are both talented, but Cao Cao prefers Cao Zhi.Cao Zhi is quick-witted and wise, knowledgeable and quick-witted. He read all the scriptures and books when he was a teenager, and his poems, songs and Fu surpassed Cao Pi by a large margin.Once, Cao Cao read an article he wrote and asked him, "Did someone write it for you?" Cao Zhi immediately knelt down and said, "My child always writes well and writes well. If you don't believe me, please ask my father to write the question face to face!" Cao Cao Immediately asked him to write a composition, and it was really free and easy, and it was done in one go.From then on, he loved him very much, and his requirements became stricter. In fact, he really wanted Cao Zhi to be the prince from the bottom of his heart.

In the 19th year of Jian'an (214 AD), Cao Cao led Cao Pi to set off together and asked Cao Zhi to stay in Yecheng.Before leaving, Cao Cao warned Cao Zhi: "When I was 23 years old, I was Ren Dunqiu Ling. Looking back on what I did during that period, I really benefited a lot; now that you are 23 years old, you should work harder." It also shows from one aspect that Cao Cao really has high hopes for him.

Although Cao Cao valued Cao Zhi very much, if he wanted to make him the prince, he had to come up with sufficient reasons, otherwise it would be difficult to settle the grievances.Some literati around Cao Zhi, such as Ding Yi and Yang Xiu, have already seen Cao Cao's love for Cao Zhi.Seeing that the crown prince had not been established for a long time, they tried their best to praise Cao Zhi in front of Cao Cao, wanting to place a bet on his success in the future.

Once, Ding Yi said to Cao Cao: "The third son is kind in nature, and his poems are famous all over the world. Today, no matter the young and the virtuous and talented, everyone is willing to make friends with him. This is really the blessing of King Wei!"

"Where is there!" Cao Cao listened very well, and said politely with a smile on his face: "Zijian (Cao Zhi's character) is indeed extraordinary in writing and quick-witted, but he is not as good as you say..."

Cao Cao couldn't make up his mind about Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, so he used an anonymous method to inquire about people's impressions of his two sons.It turned out that Chen Qun, Jia Kui, Hua Xin and others all advocated the establishment of Cao Pi and opposed Cao Zhi; only Cui Yan dared to publicly express his position:
"According to the righteousness of the "Spring and Autumn Annals", the legal heir should belong to the eldest son. Moreover, Cao Pi, the general of the five senses, is deeply benevolent, filial, and intelligent, so he should inherit the orthodoxy."

Xing Yu, the personnel management officer (Dong Cao Yu), replied: "Abolishing the elders and establishing the younger is the biggest taboo in ancient times. Please think about it more, Your Highness."

One day, Cao Cao ordered his attendants to retreat and ask Jia Xu, a counselor, for advice. Jia Xu was silent, and Cao Cao said:
"I'm talking to you, why don't you make a sound?"

"I was thinking about something in my heart, so I didn't hear it. Please forgive me, King Wei."

"Oh?! What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about Yuan Shao and his son and Liu Biao and his son!"

Cao Cao nodded and remained silent after listening, with a complicated expression, but he was already shaken in his heart about the appointment of Cao Zhi as the prince.

Seeing that his father liked his third brother Cao Zhi, Cao Pi was often very indifferent to himself.He was deeply disturbed by this, so he sent someone to ask Jia Xu for advice on how to protect himself.Jia Xu said: "I also hope that the general will cultivate virtue, relax his mind, and study hard. It is enough not to violate the code of conduct of a son." Cao Pi adopted it, and since then he has become more strict with himself.

Wu Zhi, the magistrate of Chaoge (Qi County, Henan Province), was a close friend of Cao Pi.Cao Pi often hid Wu Zhi in a bamboo basket filled with silk and satin, and drove him home to discuss and discuss in secret.Yang Xiu, a supporter of Cao Zhi, learned of this incident and reported it to Cao Cao.

Cao Pi was very scared when he learned about it, and immediately notified Wu Zhi to be careful.Wu Zhi said: "It doesn't matter, I will find a way." The next day, Cao Pi ordered someone to drive the vehicle loaded with silk and satin into the house.Yang Xiu reported to Cao Cao again, and immediately sent someone to investigate, but there was no result.From then on, Cao Cao suspected Yang Xiu, and was wary of Yang Xiu's praise of Cao Zhi.

Once, when Cao Cao set off for an expedition, both Cao Pi and Cao Zhi came to see him off.Cao Zhi sang his meritorious deeds, and his eloquence was full of success. Both left and right were very surprised, and Cao Cao was also very happy;Wu Zhi attached himself to Cao Pi's ear and whispered, "Your Majesty, you only need to show the affection between father and son in front of people." When he was saying goodbye, Cao Pi bowed down, weeping, and Cao Cao and his left and right were also a little sad. So everyone thought that although Cao Zhi was talented in literature, he was not as honest and righteous as Cao Pi.

Talented people will inevitably have a willful temper, as does Cao Zhi, and it is often difficult to restrain it.However, Cao Pi made good use of power and knew how to establish his own image, so the people in the palace and Cao Cao praised him, and Cao Cao gradually changed his views on Cao Zhi and Cao Pi.

In the 22nd year of Jian'an (217 AD), an incident finally made Cao Cao completely determined.

Because Cao Zhi developed an unrestrained and uninhibited character since he was a child, it is always inevitable to act recklessly.One day, the sky was high and the air was clear, which was a good time for recreation. Cao Zhi invited some friends, drove a car, and drove towards Luoyang Street.

The car passed the palace of the Eastern Han Dynasty.He thought, when the emperor came in and out from here, it must be very majestic!Now my father likes me, I will pass by here sooner or later.Why not give it a try today.So he proudly said to the gatekeeper, "Open the Sima gate for me!"

Simamen is the outer gate of the palace.There are Sima officials guarding the palace wall, and it is absolutely forbidden to open it except for the emperor's use.Although Emperor Xian had already moved to Xudu, the palace in Luoyang was still a symbol of the Eastern Han Dynasty.Therefore, there are still officials guarding at ordinary times. When Sima Guan saw that Cao Zhi wanted to open the palace gate privately, he dissuaded him and said: "Please forgive me, my son, and open the Sima gate privately. We can't explain it..." !"

The county magistrate is not as good as the present, so the gatekeeper had to open the door.Cao Zhi stepped on his horse and drove out of the palace gate triumphantly, while letting out a burst of unruly laughter.

Trespassing on the Sima Gate is a felony, and Cao Cao knew about it the next day.He was furious and reprimanded Cao Zhi severely.He said that opening Simamen privately is a crime of beheading, not to mention that this is not only a simple violation of the ban, but also mainly because Cao Zhi's behavior will give others a handle, making others think that the Cao family has the intention of compiling Han. ambition.

Seeing that Cao Zhi acted so recklessly, he was afraid that he would do something out of the ordinary in the future, so he decided to appoint the crown prince as soon as possible to prevent the two sons from continuing to fight.

Not long after dealing with the "Simamen incident", he issued an "Order to Establish the Prince", officially establishing Cao Pi as the prince.

All the female officials from the left and right of the palace (Yu Nu) congratulated Mrs. Bian and said: "The general is crowned prince, and the people in the world are very happy. Madam should reward you greatly."

Mrs. Bian said that Cao Pi should have been crowned prince in the first place, but there was no mistake in her own teaching, so he was canonized smoothly, which is really not worth celebrating.Cao Cao is increasingly alienated from Cao Zhi.

Cao Zhi is friendly with Yang Xiu, and has been proactively dating Yang Xiu, but Yang Xiu dare not refuse.Because Cao Zhi didn't think carefully, Yang Xiu figured out Cao Cao's intentions, wrote the answers to some questions in advance, handed them to Cao Zhi, and said to Cao Zhi's assistant, "Send me the king's order, and answer according to the nature of the questions." So, the questions Cao Cao gave Cao Zhi just now Released, the answer has been sent back to the desk.So many times, Cao Cao was surprised by Cao Zhi's quick response several times.

After investigation, the truth came to light. Cao Cao was even more alienated from Cao Zhi, and extremely disgusted with Yang Xiu. Yang Xiu was Yuan Shu's nephew. Finally, he found an excuse to arrest Yang Xiu and execute him.From then on, Cao Zhi became disheartened and reveled every day.

In the 24th year of Jian'an (219 AD), another incident happened.Cao Ren was surrounded by Guan Yu in Fancheng.Cao Cao ordered Cao Zhi to lead his troops to the rescue immediately.Unexpectedly, Cao Zhi was deliberately drunk by Cao Pi, lying on the bed, unable to get up.

Cao Cao was very disappointed with Cao Zhi, so he had to send Xu Huang to go there instead.Cao Zhi was even more frustrated, coupled with Cao Pi's suspicion and suppression, he was depressed all his life.

It is a pity that Cao Cao gave up Cao Zhi for the stability of the foundation of Wei State, which was a great blow to this talented literary talent, and made it difficult for him to cheer up all his life.

Doubtful tombs are scattered behind Sanzhiyu72

Regarding the flooding of the Seventh Army and the siege of Fancheng, Cao Cao planned to rescue the siege, and then returned to Luoyang.Due to Cao Cao's long-term military life, he was inevitably nervous and fatigued, and he suffered from headaches.As soon as I returned to Luoyang this time, my old illness relapsed. I asked a doctor to take medicine, but it didn't improve.

One night, he suddenly felt unwell all over, and he had a very bad headache.Thinking of Hua Tuo who was killed by himself, I can't help feeling a little regretful.It still didn't work the next day.On the third day, knowing that he was not much to come, he summoned his confidants Cao Hong, Jia Yi, Hua Xin, Chen Qun, Sima Yi, etc. to come to the bed and said to them:

"I govern the army strictly according to the law. This is the basis of my achievements. This is correct. As for my mistakes and mistakes, you should try to avoid..."

Before he finished speaking, Hua Xin said softly from the side: "Your Majesty has ruled the army with the law all his life, so there is no major fault. I hope that Your Majesty will rest in peace and recuperate, and don't worry about anything else..."

"No, let me finish, or I won't have a chance to say it." Cao Cao said with difficulty, "Now the four directions are not stable, and we can't follow the ancient funeral system. It's too extravagant. After I die, I will wear whatever I wear. Just like when you were alive, you don’t need to make new clothes. Civil and military officials who come to the palace to express condolences only need to cry a few times. After the burial, the officials can live normally without making too much extravagance. I left my post for the funeral, and the officials and historians must also abide by their duties. After my death, I will be buried on the hill west of Yecheng, close to Ximen Bao's ancestral hall, and don't use gold, jade and treasures to accompany me..."

Speaking of this, Bian and a group of concubines and kabuki performers knelt in front of Cao Cao's bed while sobbing.Cao Cao looked at them, and intermittently said to the left and right ministers: "They are all hardworking. After I die, I will place them in Tongque Terrace and treat them well." A six-foot-long bed is placed in the center of the altar, a spiritual curtain is hung, and sacrifices are offered. On the first and fifteenth day of each month, you should sing and dance to the spiritual tent. Usually, you should often go to the Tongque Terrace to visit my tomb Then, he said to Mrs. Bian: "The incense I left behind can be distributed to the wives of the houses. Don't use incense to sacrifice. The people in the houses have nothing to do. Let them learn to weave ribbons and make shoes for sale. Exchange some money for..."

Having said this, Cao Cao suddenly became short of breath, and Mrs. Bian asked him to stop talking.She knew that Cao Cao advocated frugality all his life. Sometimes clothes and mosquito nets were torn, and they were not allowed to replace them with new ones. You must wear brocade.Cao Zhi's wife was known by him because she was wearing embroidered clothes, so he ordered her to be returned to her natal family and forced her to commit suicide.During her lifetime, she only made clothes for the last four seasons, which were stored in four boxes, and the words of spring, summer, autumn and winter were marked on the boxes.

Cao Cao has long advocated "thin burial".In the 23rd year of Jian'an (AD 218), he promulgated a "Final Order", expressly requesting that after death, he should not be buried thickly, but should be buried on barren land, and the original height of the ground should be used as the foundation, and no soil should be piled up on the mausoleum. , do not plant trees.A year later, he even prepared clothes for the last four seasons for himself, and left a will saying: If I die, please bury me in the clothes I wore in the season at that time, and no gold, jade, jewelry, bronze utensils and other things will be buried with me.

Although Mrs. Bian knew this, she still asked if she wanted to make some clothes.Cao Cao struggled and said: "No need, just those four boxes are enough, don't put anything else. All kinds of belts and some clothes I got from being an official over the years are all put in the treasury. If you keep them, it's useless. The children can be divided..."

Speaking of this, Cao Cao, who galloped on the battlefield all his life, passed away forever.At this time, it was the 25th year of Jian'an (220 AD), on the 23rd of the first month, and he was 66 years old.

Cao Cao was treacherous and suspicious all his life, and he was invincible during his lifetime.In order to prevent his mausoleum from being stolen, while advocating and practicing "thin burial", he even had 72 coffins built after his death, and adopted the measure of "suspicious tombs".On the day of his burial, 72 coffins were carried out from the gates of the city at the same time from four directions: southeast, north, south.It can be said that after Zhiyu's death, his treacherous nature will not change until death.

After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi inherited his father's position as King Wei and Prime Minister, respected his father as King Wu of Wei, and his mother, Bian, as Queen Mother.In October, Cao Pi abolished Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, officially called Emperor Wen of Wei, and honored his father as Emperor Wu.

Starting from Cao Cao, Chenliu started an army, and later fought against Lu Bu at Yanxu, and Yuan Shao fought at Guandu, then defeated the three counties of Wuhuan, took Jingzhou, marched into Guanlong, unified northern China, competed with Liu Bei for Hanzhong and Xiangfan, and fought against Sun Quan for Wancheng It can be said that from the age of 35 to the age of 66, Cao Cao participated in nearly 50 battles, most of which were commanded by Cao Cao himself.Before Zhanguandu, Cao Cao was defeated many times, but later because he was able to listen to and adopt the correct strategies of his subordinates, he won the decisive battle in the battles that played a decisive role in the overall situation, such as the Battle of Guandu, the Battle of Liucheng, and the Battle of Weinan. A series of victories.

From the initial command of two or 3000 people, Cao Cao was able to command an army of 50 million.Cao Cao once said when he was fighting for Hanzhong: "When a commander encounters a dangerous situation and is timid in his heart, he can't just rely on courage and brute force. The commander should take courage as the foundation, and use wisdom to control it when he uses it. If you only know Reckless, just a warrior."

Cao Cao's life was treacherous and deceitful, power and strategy; he had many achievements and mistakes; he was an ordinary great man.Throughout his life, he was very strict with others and himself, and he was very serious about people and things.Later generations called him: "The ancients did everything with the intention of being lonely and luxurious." It is really not easy to do this.Lu Xun said that he "is a very capable person, at least a hero".This should be regarded as the most appropriate evaluation of him.

(End of this chapter)