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Cao Cao

Eastern Han chancellor who reunified the north from his base at Xu, laid the foundations of Cao Wei, and wrote yuefu poems such as Short Song

Also known as Zi Mengde · Weiwu Di

Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde, came from Qiao in Pei (modern Bozhou, Anhui); his father Cao Song was the adopted son of the eunuch Cao Teng. Recommended as filial and incorrupt at twenty, he fought the Yellow Turbans in 184 and raised troops against Dong Zhuo in 190. In 196 he brought Emperor Xian to Xu, in 200 he defeated Yuan Shao at Guandu and then took the north, and in 208 he became chancellor, only to be beaten at Red Cliff that winter by the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei. He set up military farming colonies, issued edicts seeking talent, became Duke and then King of Wei, annotated the Art of War (Sunzi bingfa), and wrote yuefu poems such as Short Song. He died at Luoyang in 220; when his son Cao Pi ended the Han, he was named Emperor Wu with the temple name Taizu. Zhong Rong's Grading of Poets (Shipin) ranked him in its lowest grade but noted his plain, mournful lines.

Life and times

  1. 155 CEBornHanThree Kingdoms
  2. 195Cai Wenji Returns to HanTook partage 40After twelve years in the northern steppes, Cai Wenji returned to Han, transcribing lost classics from memory.
    1. Cao Cao Ransoming Cai Wenji Home208age 53Ransomed by Cao Cao, Cai Wenji transcribed four hundred lost classical treatises entirely from memory.
  3. 200Battle of GuanduTook partage 45Overwhelming the mighty Yuan Shao at Guandu, laying the foundation for Cao Cao's unification of the North.
    1. Baima Victory and Xu You's DefectionCao Cao eliminated Yuan Shao's vanguard generals at Baima, while strategist Xu You defected overnight with the key to Wuchao's supplies.
    2. Cao Cao's Raid Burns Wuchao GrainCao Cao led 5,000 elite riders disguised as enemy troops to incinerate Wuchao's grain, shattering Yuan Shao's army and unifying northern China.
    3. Cao Cao Defeats Wuhuan at Bailang207age 52Cao Cao marched beyond the frontier, broke Tadun and the Yuan brothers at Bailang Mountain, and ended the last of Yuan Shao's power.
  4. 208Battle of Red CliffsTook partage 53The Sun-Liu alliance used a fire attack to defeat Cao Cao's river fleet, checking his southern advance and reshaping the Yangtze power balance.
    1. Zhuge Liang Forges the Sun-Liu AllianceZhuge Liang traveled to Chaisang to negotiate an alliance with Sun Quan, while Zhou Yu and Lu Su convinced the court to resist Cao Cao's armada.
    2. Red Cliffs Fire Defeats Cao CaoIn 208 the alliance of Sun Quan and Liu Bei used a fire attack at Red Cliffs to defeat Cao Cao's fleet, checking his advance and helping establish the later Three Kingdoms rivalry.
  5. 220 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Sayings19
    1. Facing Wine, One Should SingThree KingdomsIdiom from Cao Cao's A Short Song: life's brevity, later simply enjoying the moment
    2. Driving Straight InThree KingdomsIdiom from a Cao Cao decree: driving straight in, unstoppable
    3. The Old Steed in the StableHanIdiom from Cao Cao's Though the Tortoise Lives Long: old in years, undimmed in ambition
    4. An Old Hero's Heart Still BurnsHanFamous line from Cao Cao's Though the Tortoise Lives Long: a hero's heart burns on in old age
    5. Bright Moon, Sparse StarsThree KingdomsIdiom from Cao Cao's A Short Song: a clear night of bright moon and sparse stars
    6. +14 more
      1. Eastward to Jieshi to Gaze on the SeaThree KingdomsLine from Cao Cao's Viewing the Blue Sea: a victorious general climbs Jieshi to face the ocean
      2. Crows and Magpies Flying South by MoonlightThree KingdomsLine from Cao Cao's A Short Song: moonlit birds circling, searching for a branch to rest on
      3. The Duke of Zhou Pauses His Meal for the WorthyThree KingdomsIdiom from Cao Cao's A Short Song: thirsting for talent like the Duke of Zhou
      4. A Valiant Heart That Never Rests in Old AgeHanIdiom from Cao Cao's Though the Tortoise Lives Long: ambition that never dims with age
      5. All Hearts Under Heaven Turn to HimThree KingdomsIdiom from Cao Cao's Short Song: winning the hearts of all under heaven
      6. An Old Steed's Heart Set on a Thousand LiHanIdiom from Cao Cao's Though the Tortoise Lives Long: great ambition in old age
      7. The Courses of Sun and Moon Rising from the SeaThree KingdomsFamous line from Cao Cao's Viewing the Sea: sun and moon seem to rise from the waves
      8. The Brilliant River of StarsThree KingdomsFamous line from Cao Cao's Viewing the Sea: the Milky Way seems to spring from the waves
      9. Singing to Voice One's AspirationsThree KingdomsFamous line from Cao Cao's Viewing the Sea: a song to voice great ambitions
      10. A Hero's Heart Undimmed in Old AgeHanFamous line from Cao Cao's Though the Tortoise Lives Long: old in years, bold in heart
      11. White Bones Bleaching in the Open FieldsHanIdiom from Cao Cao's Song of the Graveyard: the bones of war dead lying in the fields
      12. Life Is Like the Morning DewThree KingdomsLine from Cao Cao's Short Song likening human life to the morning dew
      13. Blue, Blue Is Your Collar: Cao Cao's Longing for TalentThree KingdomsFamous line from Cao Cao's Short Song, turning an old love song into a call for talent
      14. Chasing an Empty Name to Suffer Real DisasterHanFamous line from Cao Cao's edict on his true intentions: no empty fame at the cost of real ruin
  2. Literature · Poetry4
    1. A Short SongThree KingdomsCao Cao's four-character yuefu, a toast that becomes a call for talent and a vow of unity
    2. Gazing Across the Vast SeaThree KingdomsCao Cao's four-character poem on the sea at Jieshi, often called the first full landscape poem
    3. Though the Tortoise Lives LongHanCao Cao's poem closing his Xiamen song cycle, an ageing warhorse still set on a thousand li
    4. Song of the GraveyardHanCao Cao's yuefu on a funeral tune, recording warlord betrayal and a land strewn with bones
  3. Literature · Prose1
    1. Edict Declining Counties and Setting Out My True AimsHanCao Cao's edict of 210 declining three fiefs, a candid account of his career and his army

Family tree

  1. Direct kin
    Cao Cao
    Son
    Cao Pi
    Son
    Cao Zhi
    Son
    Cao Biao
    Son
    Cao Zhang
    Children
    Cao Huan
  2. Other kin1
    1. He YanStepson · c. 203 CE–249 CE

Connections

  1. Shared events7
    1. Zhuge Liang181 CE–234 CE
    2. Sun Quan182 CE–252 CE
    3. Guan Yuc. 160 CE–220 CE
    4. Zhou Yu175 CE–210 CE
    5. Lu Su172 CE–217 CE
    6. Zhang HeBirth unknown–231…
    7. Zhang Liaoc. 169 CE–222 CE
  2. Interactions1
    1. Cai WenjiSocial: Wenji's ransom and return · Dates unknown; la…Cao Cao Ransoming Cai Wenji Home
  3. Rulers and officials9
    1. Wang CanSubordinate official · 177 CE–217 CE
    2. Emperor Xian of HanNominal sovereign · 181 CE–234 CE
    3. Yang XiuChief secretary · 175–219 CE
    4. Fan QinChief secretary · Birth year unknow…
    5. Yu JinGeneral · Birth unknown–221…
    6. Xiahou YuanGeneral · Birth unknown–219…
    7. Le JinGeneral · Birth unknown–218…
    8. Dian WeiGuard commander · Birth unknown–197…
    9. Xu ChuGeneral · Dates unknown; bo…
  4. Others3
    1. Liu BeiRival for supremacy · 161 CE–223 CE
    2. Sima YiChancellor who recruited him · 179 CE–251 CE
    3. Yuan ShaoRival for control of the north · c. 153 CE–202 CE