Cao Cao, the hero of the Three Kingdoms generation.
He had many wives and concubines, and according to historical records, Cao Cao had a total of fifteen wives, and these fifteen wives bore him twenty-five sons.
Among them, there are many excellent people, Wen has Cao Zhi, Wu has Cao Zhang, Zhi has Cao Chong...
Why did Cao Cao choose Cao Pi to be the son of the world?
First of all, the ancient principle of li chu was the hereditary system of monarchs, paying attention to the establishment of concubines, the establishment of longevity, the establishment of sages, and the establishment of love.
Logically, Cao Ang and Cao Chong bore the brunt of becoming candidates for the crown prince.
When Cao Ang rebelled against Cao Xiu, he was killed in battle with Cao Cao's nephew Cao Anmin.
As soon as Cao Ang died, Cao Cao was very sad, personally erected a monument to his son, and did not make a prince for many years.
Cao Chong also fell seriously ill at the age of thirteen and died soon after.
Cao Cao was even more grief-stricken.
The eldest son and his beloved son are dead, who should the heir choose?
Although there were many heirs left, only Cao Zhi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Pi could enter Cao Cao's eyes.
So, by what did Cao Pi rely on to be selected by Cao Cao?
The reason for this is in Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang.
Let's take a look at Cao Zhang.
Cao Zhang's martial arts skills were excellent, and when Cao Cao asked the sons about their ambitions, he said to himself that he was "a good general", so he was praised by Cao Cao.
Because the beard is yellow, he is called "yellow beard" by Cao Cao.
First he led an army to conquer Wuhuan, and then surrendered to the Liaodong Xianbei Lord Kebineng.
Twenty years after Jian'an, Cao Cao sent Cao Zhang out to fight, and Cao Zhang fought bravely, taking the lead as a soldier and returning triumphantly.
When he returned to Yecheng, Cao Zhang did not play his cards according to the convention, but instead did two things beyond the norm:
The first is a great reward for the meritorious soldiers under his command;
Second, after meeting Cao Cao, when reporting on the work, he gave all the credit to his subordinates.
Cao Cao was satisfied.
Why is such an excellent Cao Zhang not among the candidates?
The main reason is that Cao Zhang has a fatal flaw - he is brave and does not like to read.
Cao Cao himself was extremely literate, so he could not accept that his heir was a warrior.
As a result, Cao Zhang was disqualified from the candidate.
Look at Cao Zhi again.
Cao Zhi has been full of tone since childhood, and his poetry and songs are full of subtlety, "talk is poetry, and the next pen is a chapter".
Deeply loved by Cao Cao, many people believe that Cao Zhi is most likely to become the crown prince.
However, in the nineteenth year of Jian'an, when Cao Zhi was stationed at the time of Cao Cao's eastern conquest of Sun Quan, when he was stationed at Yecheng, he "did not succeed in his own will, did not carve himself", and also drunkenly broke into Sima Men, which was finally displeased by Cao Cao.
Cao Zhi's personality will naturally not be favored by Cao Cao.
Because Cao Cao did not establish an heir for a long time, two groups represented by Cao Zhi Cao Pi were gradually formed.
For example, the strategists that Cao Pi co-opted, such as Jia Xu, were known as hundreds of plots and thousands of plots, and never made a mistake.
Cao Pi was also surrounded by well-known people, such as Cui Yan, Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Huan Jie, Xing Yi, Wu Qian, and others, so he gradually gained the upper hand in the dispute over Li Chu.
After successfully defeating his rival Cao Zhi, he was made a son in 217 AD, and in 220 AD succeeded him as Chancellor of Wei and King of Wei.
In the same year, Liu Xie, the Emperor of Han Xian, was forced to ascend the throne by Zen, and to replace Han with Wei, ending more than four hundred years of Han Dynasty rule, for Emperor Wen of Wei.