As we all know, in the chaotic world of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao was undoubtedly the biggest hero at that time. In the early days, he "took the order of the Son of Heaven to order not to be subordinate" to conquer the four sides, successively eliminated the separatist forces such as Eryuan, Lü Bu, and Ma Chao internally, and surrendered to strong enemies such as the Southern Xiongnu, Wuhuan, and Xianbei externally, and made great contributions to the unification of the northern part of the mainland throughout his life. It can be said that in the turbulent environment of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao started from scratch, relied on his outstanding political and military talents to fight steadily, stood out among the major forces, and finally created the "Cao Wei regime".
As the founder of the Cao Wei regime, Cao Cao implemented a series of policies to restore economic production and social order during his reign, thus gradually stabilizing the society of the Central Plains and taking a turn for the economy. But it is a great pity that Cao Cao, a generation of tyrants, died of illness before he became emperor, leaving a great family inheritance for his son, which was eventually inherited by his eldest son Cao Pi. Cao Pi also did not disappoint Cao Cao, and after succeeding to the throne, he overthrew the Eastern Han regime and declared himself emperor of Han, and was known as Emperor Wen of Wei. However, such an aspiring king did something that was intolerable after the death of his father Cao Cao, and even his own biological mother, Lady Bian, scolded him for being a pig or a dog!
According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, The Book of Wei and Emperor Wen, "When the emperor was born, there were clouds of blue and round like a car cover on it, and all day long, those who hoped for qi thought that it was the most precious proof, not the qi of a human subject." That is to say, when Emperor Cao Pi of Wei was born, the auspicious omen of heaven was a sign of the future fate of non-human subjects. As the founding emperor of the Wei Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Pi was also a scholar and a martial artist, and he was able to write a pen at the age of eight, and then under the strict supervision of his father Cao Cao, Cao Pi in his youth read the ancient and modern scriptures, and when he grew up, he was familiar with the five classics and four parts, Shi Han, and the words of the Hundred Sons, laying a solid foundation for future literary creation. (Cao Pi was highly accomplished in literature, especially good at five-character poetry, and together with his father Cao Cao and brother Cao Zhi, he was called "Jian'an Sancao".) ）
In addition to literary achievements, The Wei Emperor Cao Pi was also proficient in martial arts, and at the age of six, Cao Pi learned to shoot archery, and two years later he learned to ride a horse. Since then, Cao Pi has accompanied his father in the southern expedition to the north, and in the second year of Jian'an (197), Cao Pi followed Cao Cao to conquer the warlord Zhang Xiu of Wancheng, Zhang Xiu first surrendered and then rebelled, Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang and the fierce general Dianwei were killed in battle, and Cao Cao was also nearly killed, but Cao Pi, who was only ten years old, escaped on horseback. Later, the long-term military life tempered Cao Pi's strong physique, but also enriched his insights, and accumulated a large amount of material for his poetry creation. In the sixteenth year of Jian'an (211), due to the existence of real talents, Cao Pi, who was only 24 years old, held an important position in the middle of the dynasty and was appointed as the general and deputy chancellor of the five senses.
However, although Emperor Cao Pi of Wei was young and talented, he had both moral integrity and ability, but friends who had read the "Three Kingdoms" probably knew that it was not easy for Cao Pi to inherit the position of the son of the world! Originally, Cao Cao's favorite successor was the eldest son Cao Ang, and after Cao Ang was killed, he began to belong to his youngest son Cao Chong, Cao Chong was a child prodigy, benevolent and loving by nature, and his intelligence was already "like an adult" at the age of five or six. For this reason, Cao Chong was deeply favored by Cao Cao, but unfortunately Cao Chong died of illness at the age of thirteen. After his death, Cao Cao once said to Cao Pi: "Cao Chong's death is my misfortune, but it is your great fortune. Cao Pi later also often said to people: "If Cao Chong is still alive, there will be no position of my crown prince." ”
After Cao Chong's death, the only objects that Cao Cao could choose were Cao Pi and Cao Zhi's brothers. At this time, according to the patriarchal system, Cao Pi was the "best candidate" for succession, but Cao Cao was slow to let him succeed, but he liked Cao Zhi very much, which led to the brothers also causing a big dispute over the two brothers. During this period, Cao Zhiyin was helped by the strategist Yang Xiu to gain an advantage in this battle, and had several opportunities to become the crown prince. However, because of Cao Zhi's willful behavior, he usually did not pay attention to self-control, and was eventually displeased by Cao Cao. In the end, Cao Pi, with the help of Sima Yi, Wu Zhi and other ministers, defeated Cao Zhi in the struggle for succession and was made the son of the Prince of Wei.
And friends who know Cao Cao should know that he has a very peculiar quirk, that is, he likes the widows of famous generals after death, and often robs a beautiful wife when he captures a city. According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu's biography: "Cao Gong and Liu Bei besieged Lü Bu in Xia Pi, Guan Yu Qi Gong, and Bu made Qin Yilu ask for help, begged to marry his wife, and publicly promised it." Before breaking, it has been repeatedly revealed to the public. Suspect that it has a different color, send it to look at it first, because it is left behind. It can be said that Cao Cao's habit of a good wife has a long history, and the "New Language of the World" once recorded that Cao Cao was discovered for stealing a bride when he was a teenager, and later because of this quirk, he also lost two of his own generals.
In the process of accompanying the unification of the north, Cao Cao received many wives of opponents, such as He Jin's daughter-in-law Yin Shi, Zhang Xiu's aunt Zou Shi, Qin Yilu's wife Du Shi, and so on. However, as the saying goes, if there is a father, there must be a son, worthy of father and son, and many of Cao Cao's sons have adhered to his quirk, and The Wei Emperor Cao Pi is one of them. According to the "Later Han Shu Kong Rong Biography", it is recorded: "Cao Cao attacked Tu YeCheng, Yuan's wives and sons, often saw invasion (invasion), and Cao Zi Pi privately took Yuan Xi's wife Zhen. "The Zhen family here is Yuan Shao's daughter-in-law, a well-known versatile beauty.
And it was precisely because of the strange habit of Emperor Cao Pi of Wei to inherit his father's good wife that he was scolded by his own mother for being inferior to pigs and dogs! So what's going on here? It turned out that after the death of Emperor Cao Cao of Weiwu, Emperor Cao Pi of Wen actually left all of Emperor Wu's concubines and concubines to serve himself because of the strange habits of a good wife, you know, the concubines that Cao Pi accepted this time were the concubines of his father Cao Cao, according to the ethics of family affection, these people are Cao Pi's little mothers, and this is not tolerated! Cao Pi himself knew that such a thing could not be leaked, especially his mother, but in the end he could not hide it.
Once, when Emperor Wen of Wei was seriously ill, his mother Empress Bian went to visit him, and as soon as Empress Bian entered the inner chamber, she discovered that the women on duty and serving her sons were all favored by Cao Cao in the past. Empress Bian asked them, "When did you all come here?" They said, "We were recruited just after Emperor Wu died." Empress Bian was very angry after hearing this, and scolded with hatred: "Dogs and rats do not eat Ruyu, and they should die!" "It means that when you do such a thing, the dogs and rats don't eat what you eat, you are simply a beast that is inferior to a pig or a dog." In the end, Emperor Wen of Wei died of desolation all day, and after Emperor Wen died of illness, Empress Bian did not even go to the funeral.
Finally, we would like to say that the evaluation of The Wei Emperor Cao Pi has always been mixed, with Sun Quan and Zhuge Liang as the leader: "Cao Pi usurped and established himself as emperor, and is the famous dog of the Dragon of Judah." And the historian Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty praised: "Emperor Wen was talented and talented, wrote into chapters, and had strong knowledge... Mai Zhi Cun Dao, Ke Guang De Heart, then the Ancient Sage Lord, How Far Away! ”
Indeed, in terms of ethics and morality aside, the Wei Emperor Cao Pi still had something remarkable to point out, and he quelled the rebellions of the three Hu, Jiuquan, and Zhangye in Wuwei externally; internally actively mediated the contradictions between the Cao clan and the Shi clan, and established the Nine Pins Zhongzheng system. His literary achievements are also quite high, and his "Yan Ge Xing" is the earliest surviving seven-word poem of the literati in China. Cao Pi also advocated frugality and thin burial, and issued an edict prohibiting thick burial, and after death, there was no tree or grave, and it was buried in the Shouyang Mausoleum. And his various policies of recuperation with the people eventually brought the northern region back to a stable and prosperous situation, and it can be said that compared with those faint emperors, Emperor Wen of Wei was a good emperor!