Cao Cao was one of the most famous military commanders in Chinese history. However, in addition to his military talents, his actions in the harem also caused many controversies. Cao Cao was criticized for liking other people's wives and concubines, and had many wives and concubines in the harem.

Why Cao Cao liked other people's wives and concubines is a controversial topic. Some believe that this is because of his character. He is a man with strong desires and desires, and he has a strong attraction to women.

Others believe it was because of his war life. During the war, he was in a highly stressful environment for a long time, so he sought relaxation and comfort.

How many wives does Cao Cao have? Cao Cao's sons ranked from largest to smallest

In fact, Cao Cao's harem ** is actually not much. According to historical records, Cao Cao's wives and concubines totaled 17, Lady Liu, and the eldest son Cao Ang; Mrs. Ding, original wife, childless; Mrs. Bian (from a Leren family), gave birth to four sons: Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong; Mrs. Liu, concubine, gave birth to two sons of Cao Ang and Cao Xuan; Lady Huan, concubine, gave birth to three sons of Cao Chong, Cao Zheng and Cao Yu.

Lady Du (originally the wife of Lü Bu's general Qin Yilu), concubine, gave birth to two sons of Cao Lin and Cao Gon; Lady Qin, concubine, gave birth to two sons of Cao Ying and Cao Jun; Lady Yin (daughter-in-law of the former Han general He Jin), concubine, born Cao Ji; Wang Zhaoyi, concubine, Cao Gan's adoptive mother; Chen Ji, concubine, born Cao Gan; Sun Ji, concubine, gave birth to three sons of Cao Shang, Cao Biao, and Cao Qin.

Li Ji, concubine, gave birth to three sons of Cao Cheng, Cao Jun, and Cao Jing; Zhou Ji, concubine, born Cao Jun; Liu Ji, concubine, born Cao Thorn; Song Ji, concubine, born Cao Hui; Zhao Ji, concubine, born Cao Mao; A certain clan (widow of Zhang Ji, Mrs. Zou in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms").

In this way, there are actually not many wives in Cao Cao's harem, of course, compared to the requirements of later generations, his wives and concubines are complex, and there are all kinds of origins and sources, but we can't use later standards to claim Cao Cao of that year. You know, the atmosphere was like this at that time, such as where did Sun Quan's Mrs. Xu come from? She is Lu Shang's widow, and Sun Dahu, the wife of the Eastern Wu general Quan Jun, was married to Zhou Yin, including Liu Bei's Lady Wu, isn't she also Liu Yao's widow? Later, she was made a queen!

The most interesting thing is this, when Guan Yu followed Liu Bei and Cao Cao to fight Lü Bu in Xiaping, he asked that after the city was broken in the future, he would reward Qin Yilu's wife Du Shi to her, and later when the city was really about to be breached, he asked again, and as a result, Cao Cao thought, I have to look first, this look will become Mrs. Du, not to Guan Yu, haha!

Not only Cao Cao, but in ancient times, many historical figures had multiple wives and concubines, and although the moral concepts of the time may have been different, this was a product of the historical background and social environment in which they lived.

For example, Guan Yu mentioned Qin Yilu's wife Du Shi, at that time, the general's wives and concubines were sometimes used in exchange for the loyalty and subordination of the army, so it was common for wives and concubines to be rewarded to the general.

However, whether in ancient times or in modern times, polygamy and concubines are condemned by society because it violates the morality of ordinary people and can easily lead to internal and external disputes. Therefore, for historical figures like Cao Cao, his choice of wife and concubine can be seen as his political strategy and the means he adopted to maintain his power and position.

In general, Cao Cao liked other people's wives and concubines because he needed to consolidate his political position in this way, but this was also a common practice in society at that time. We should not judge historical figures by modern moral concepts, but should understand and evaluate them from a historical perspective.