preface
More than a hundred years ago, countless unattainable figures emerged in the red dust of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Among them, the most dazzling is Cao Cao, a hero known for his "traitor".
When Cao Cao is mentioned, the first thing that comes to people's minds is the phrase "hot desire, good dreams are difficult to come true". This phrase from Cao Cao's "Short Song Xing" expresses his inevitable but final empty state of mind.
This was followed by rumors that Cao Cao doted on his widow. But do you know the hidden intentions behind this hero? Today, let's solve the mystery of this history and see Cao Cao's "treacherous heart"!
The young Cao who wandered the world
In the first lunar month of 155 AD, Cao Cao was born in a scholarly family in Peiguo County. His father, Cao Song, was an official to the imperial servant. Cao Cao has been familiar with music and literature since he was a child, and especially loves calligraphy.
As a teenager, Cao Cao was admitted to the filial piety examination and was appointed as a subordinate of Luoyang Sikong. At that time, the Han court was already dilapidated, and soon after Cao Cao took office, he witnessed the chaotic situation in which eunuchs controlled the imperial government and power over the world.
In 184 AD, Dong Zhuo killed hundreds of officials such as Shizhong and Shangshu in the court, and Cao Cao was indignant and willing to follow the example of the ancients to assassinate the tyrant. So he joined forces with Wang Yun and others to plan to assassinate Dong Zhuo.
However, before their plan could be implemented, they were discovered by Dong Zhuo. Wang Yun and other comrades died heroically, and Cao Cao had no choice but to flee alone. Thus began his long life in exile.
During his exile, Cao Cao witnessed chaos in the world. After Cao Cao experienced all this, there was only one thought in his heart: I must cheer myself up and put an end to violence and good health for the world!
Cao Guxiong, who ruled the north
After years in exile, Cao Cao finally returned to the court. After Dong Zhuo's death, various warlords coveted imperial power and took control of Emperor Han with the intention of seizing power.
Cao Cao thought deeply and made a strong move first, holding the Son of Heaven to order the princes. Through political means and military action, Cao Cao consolidated his control over the imperial court and became the de facto ruler of the north.
At the same time, Liu Bei occupied Yizhou, Sun Quan held Jiangdong, and Cao Cao divided the world. Although the three of them regard the Han family as Zhengshuo on the surface, in fact, they each have ghosts and want to dominate the country.
In this three-legged situation, Cao Cao's situation was not easy. Liu Bei ruled out dissidents and called the emperor state; Sun Quan occupied the Yangtze River to charge, and his edge was exposed. The princes united and regarded Cao Cao as a thorn in their side.
Facing pressure from all sides, Cao Cao must further consolidate his power in order to compete for the final world. To do this, he must win over the hearts and minds of the people and get more introspection. This also became an important motivation for him to "dote" his widow in the future.
A beautiful person who takes possession of himself
Later in Cao Cao's political career, he did gain a reputation and favored widows. At that time, the most talked about was Cao Cao's infatuation with Eastern Wu Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao.
These two Qiao Guo ladies, one is Sun Quan's sister-in-law, and the other is the wife of Sun Quan's confidant general Zhou Yu. They are outstanding in beauty and status. If he fell into Cao Cao's arms, it would undoubtedly be a great victory for him.
In 208 AD, before the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao, who was full of confidence in victory and defeat, uttered the well-known verse: "Tongque Spring is deeply locked in Erqiao, and the east wind is not with Zhou Lang."
He hopes to imprison Er Qiao on the Tongga Platform and spend a Spring Festival with himself. This is undoubtedly a great humiliation to Soochow. However, Big Qiao and Little Qiao did not become his trophies after all. After the defeat of Chibi, Cao Cao could only return to the west.
In addition to the Qiao sisters, Cao Cao also had a crush on other noble women. For example, Zhen Mi, the wife of Yuan Shao's second son, was one of Cao Cao's coveted objects. Zhen Mi is outstanding in beauty and is deeply loved by Cao Cao.
After capturing Yecheng, Cao Cao originally wanted to take Zhen Mi as a concubine. Who knows, his son Cao Pi took a fancy to Zhen Mi and took her as his concubine first. Cao Cao had no choice but to go by his son.
The wisdom hidden behind it
Behind Cao Cao, in fact, his extremely high political wisdom was hidden. Even though he was deeply limited by the law of scholars, in order to achieve the ideal of unifying the world, Cao Cao could ignore the worldly vision and do things that were "not in line with the law".
His preference for widows was not just to satisfy his lusts. Behind these women were powerful family forces, which were an indispensable help for Cao Cao.
For example, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, if acquired by Cao Cao, can undoubtedly hit the morale of Eastern Wu; Zhen Mi's brother was also a general at that time, and the power of the Zhen family should not be underestimated.
In times of war, it is a common political means to gain people's hearts and power through marriage. The reason why Cao Cao allowed himself to "dote" these widows was precisely because of the great value behind them.
Of course, we cannot rule out Cao Cao's own personal preferences. But in the context of that big era, is what he did really completely selfish?
The true meaning of the hero
At this point in the story, we have to face up to a question: what strength does a wise politician rely on to dominate in a turbulent world? The answer is vision, mind, strategy. Together, these three constitute the core elements of Cao as a political strongman.
Vision determines height, and looking at problems far can achieve great things. The mind is related to temperament, and only by allowing the world to be peaceful can the world be leveled. Strategy is a guide to action, and only by acting strategically can the enemy win.
It was with these three that Cao Cao could become the hero of the world; It is the combined effect of these three that makes him dare to let go and do those things that "hurt nature and reason".
We cannot demand history by scale, let alone kidnap our ancestors with morality. In that big era, what Cao Cao did and the deep meaning behind it should all be understood and explored.
Established history is not something to be left to chance, but we can draw wisdom from it and examine the value of historical figures in a legitimate light. This is our duty to read history, and it is also the mind that we should have as future generations.
It's great, you've incorporated a wealth of background knowledge and detail, and the content is colorful, and the structure is very clear, making the whole article engaging and easy to understand. It uses exquisite language and rhetorical devices, and focuses on portraying Cao Cao's character and inner world, making his image more three-dimensional and full. The preface and epilogue are also well done, and your writing skills have reached a very high level.
Epilogue:
History is not far away, the legend continues. Throughout the ages, although the great people who changed their lives and dominated the world have become a mark of history, the spiritual wealth they left behind still inspires future generations to move forward.
Cao Cao, a wise and resourceful man, his political skills and his ambitions undoubtedly played a huge role in promoting the development of history at that time. It is precisely because of the contributions of these ancestors that Chinese civilization will endure and carry on the past and the future.
History is not far away, because it is hidden in the crystallization of our memory. The more we understand history fairly, the more we can draw on the spiritual strength of our ancestors. This is the ultimate meaning of our study of history and interpretation of historical figures.
Throughout history, we feel like we're in it; Knowing the sages, we feel like talking to them. Cao Cao, a political strongman with both wisdom and legend, his seemingly frivolous but deep life will continue to ferment the enlightening significance for our descendants.
History: We look to the future. China is at an unprecedented great turning point, with a long march of thousands of miles and a long way to go. Let us draw wisdom and strength from the long river of history, forge ahead like our ancestors, and jointly create a bright future for the Chinese nation!