In the third year of Yongxi (986), Emperor Taizong of Song divided his troops into three routes and sent troops to cut down the Liao. Initially, the three major armies won successive battles and recovered many of Yanyun's lost lands, but at the most critical time, the Eastern Route Army led by Cao Bin was in turmoil, and almost the entire army was destroyed, resulting in the final collapse of the Northern Expedition army. As a result, Cao Bin was considered guilty of causing the Northern Song Dynasty to lose one last chance to regain Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures.
Objectively speaking, Cao Bin had an unshirkable responsibility in the Yongxi Northern Expedition, but it should not be considered that Cao Bin was a mediocre general, and his contribution to the Northern Song Dynasty should not be buried by a failure.
Cao Bin was born to shogun, when he was one year old, his parents put various toys on the table to see what he took, Cao Bin finally took a gango in his left hand, a trick bean in his right hand, and after a while he took the square seal. The child's unintentional actions foreshadow an extraordinary future.
Cao Bin's aunt married Guo Wei, who claimed that the empress dowager was made a noble concubine, and Cao Bin became a relative of the emperor and was transferred to Chai Rong's army. The generals in the army treated Cao Bin with special courtesy because of his special status, but Cao Bin not only did not become arrogant and arrogant, but instead became more and more low-key and respectful and polite. Later, Cao Bin was ordered to send an envoy, and the emperor of other countries rewarded Cao Bin, but Cao Bin did not accept any of them, and even the rewards given to him by Chai Rong were all distributed by him to the children of the clan and the poor.
After Zhao Kuangyin gained power, everyone flattered him, and Cao Bin still did things impartially, impartially, and did not deliberately approach Zhao Kuangyin. Cao Bin's indifference compared to others attracted the attention of Zhao Kuangyin, who knew Cao Bin's good name, so he personally summoned him and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility. After joining Zhao Kuangyin, Cao Bin devoted himself to the northern Song Dynasty.
Cao Bin has experienced hundreds of battles and has basically participated in all large battles. In the second year of Qiande (964), the Song army attacked Hou shu in two ways, and Cao Bin and Liu Tingrang together led troops to Lianke County, and made many military achievements. During the crusade, Cao Bin restrained his subordinates and prevented the army from killing innocents indiscriminately, which was praised by the people of Later Shu, who were happy to submit to the Northern Song Dynasty.
During the battle of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Cao Bin became the commander-in-chief, and he personally led a total of 100,000 troops on a southern expedition, conquering Jinling City in less than a year and incorporating the Southern Tang into the territory of the Song Dynasty.
The Central Plains regime that posed the greatest threat to the Song Dynasty was the Northern Han Dynasty, because it had the support of the Liao. The Song Dynasty and the Northern Han Dynasty launched a brutal tug-of-war, in which Cao Bin created brilliant achievements. In the second year of Qiande, the Northern Han attracted 60,000 Liao troops to invade the south, and the generals did not dare to stop it, Cao Bin stepped forward, and Li Jixun led 60,000 troops, successfully won the cavalry with infantry, and broke the combined army of the Northern Han and Liao.
Most of the generals with outstanding military achievements in ancient times had distinct shortcomings, but Cao Bin could be called the best among the generals. As a general of the soldiers, Cao Bin was able to sympathize with his subordinates, never coveted the warriors' battle achievements, and severely punished corrupt officials who withheld military salaries. The military discipline of the army brought out by Cao Bin was the most stringent among the Song army. Due to the chaotic era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, many generals had committed brutal acts of killing innocents indiscriminately, but Cao Bin did not allow soldiers to plunder the people no matter where he was conquest. For example, during the fall of Hou Shu, the enemy resistance was fierce, and many generals hoped to shock the enemy by slaughtering the city and satisfy their desire to kill.
Cao Bin ordered the army not to slaughter the people. It was precisely because Cao Bin was kind to the people that the Song army's conquest of Houshu was so smooth.
As a general who led the army to fight under the emperor, Cao Bin was undoubtedly the most reassuring. When he was young, Cao Bin was regarded as a relative of the emperor and the state, but he never showed publicity and did things in a low-key manner, and later became a leading figure among the generals of the Song Army, and Cao Bin also paid attention to his words and deeds. Cao Bin resolutely carried out the orders given by the emperor to Cao Bin without discounting, in addition, Cao Bin never did anything that exceeded the rules, he never participated in the gatherings and banquets of the noble governments, and Cao Bin would not make any evaluation unless the emperor personally asked Cao Bin.
Cao Bin repeatedly made military achievements, became the pillar of the Song army, and his status was noble, and the Cao family produced several generals, either leading soldiers to fight in the outside world, or in charge of the forbidden army in the dprk, which can be described as extremely prominent. However, Cao Bin strictly restrained his clan, he never used the power in his hands to seek personal interests for himself and his family, all the booty captured in the war was handed over to the national treasury, and the emperor's rewards were distributed to relatives, friends and old friends, and he did not keep a single point.
A general who can manage the army well, be able to fight well, be sympathetic to soldiers, treat the people well, and scrupulously fulfill his duties, then he must be worthy of the reputation of "Confucian general". And Cao Bin is the best portrayal of Confucianism. It is precisely because of the excellent qualities that Cao Bin has, so he is deeply trusted by the founding emperors of the Song Dynasty, and Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, praised him as "the one who does not deceive his master, and cao Bin'er alone." "I'm left to do it." Emperor Zhenzong said with emotion: "The General Xiang family of the State Dynasty can stand on its own in name only (Li) Fang and Cao Binjiaer." ”
For Cao Bin, the defeat of Qigou Pass was his Waterloo. Emperor Taizong put Cao Bin in charge of the Eastern Route Army, and what he valued was his heavy combat style and rich combat experience. However, in this battle, Cao Bin was cut off by the enemy's grain route, and then went deep alone, but failed and implicated the other two roads.
This defeat was a huge blow to Cao Bin, who was demoted to the rank of General of the Right Guard, and the good name accumulated in the first half of his life was also lost. Cao Bin could not restrain his generals in this battle, and no matter how he defended, he was responsible. But this failure cannot negate Cao Bin's life.
After the Shu Dynasty, the destruction of the Southern Tang, the conquest of the Northern Han Dynasty, and the war against the Liao Army, Cao Bin made great contributions to the basic unification of the Song Dynasty, and his excellent qualities were also regarded as a model of generals by successive dynasties, and his merits should not be buried because of a failure.
Resources:
History of the Song Dynasty
"Shushui Chronicles Volume 1"
Lecture Notes on The Memorabilia of the Song Dynasty