Preface
When it comes to strategic geniuses in Chinese history, Cao Cao's name is undoubtedly one of them. In the troubled times, with his unique wisdom and determination, he defeated three powerful opponents, Yuan Shu, Lü Bu and Liu Bei, laying a solid foundation for his great cause of unification.
How did Cao Cao quickly conquer these fierce enemies under the great threat of Yuan Shao? Today, let's walk into this history and see how Cao Cao rose in the face of adversity and became an immortal legend in Chinese history.
1. Divide the enemy and strengthen the foundation
In the second year of Jian'an (197), Yuan Shu brazenly arrogated, and Cao Cao was furious and decided to deal with this threat first. But Cao Cao wisely realized that in order to completely deal with Yuan Shu, he also needed to deal with another powerful opponent first, Lü Bu.
Lu Bu had already occupied Xuzhou at that time, and he also had a certain foundation in Yanzhou, if he could not be solved in time, I am afraid that the situation in the east would be difficult to manage. As a result, Cao Cao began to set out to drive a wedge between Lu Bu and Yuan Shu.
First of all, Cao Cao sent Han Yin to Lü Bu, wanting to form a family with Lü Bu. However, Lu Bu was influenced by the local forces in Xuzhou, Chen Qi, Chen Deng, and his son, and finally rejected this proposal, and sent Han Yin to Xudu, giving Cao Cao a favor.
Cao Cao was overjoyed, and immediately stripped Yuan Shu of the title of General Zuo, and transferred it to Lü Bu, and at the same time personally wrote a letter to make friends with Lü Bu. Lu Bu was promoted, and he was also very happy in his heart. In this way, Cao Cao easily separated the relationship between Lu Bu and Yuan Shu.
At the same time, Cao Cao also sent Yilang Wang Xiao to worship Sun Ce as the commander of the cavalry, comprehend the Ji Taishou, and attack Sun Jian's title of Marquis of Wucheng. Sun Ce bargained with Wang Yao, and finally reached an agreement, publicly broke off relations with Yuan Shu, replaced Taishou in Jiangdong, and sent his cousin Xu Kun to defeat Yuan Shu's Danyang Taishou Yuan Yin, officially declaring independence.
Yuan Shu was sad, thinking that he was very kind to the Sun family, but a group of white-eyed wolves betrayed them collectively and let this half of Jiangdong make a wedding dress for the Sun family.
It can be said that Cao Cao's performance during this period can be described as extremely clever. He skillfully separated Lu Bu and Yuan Shu, and successfully won over Sun Ce, which greatly weakened Yuan Shu's strength. At the same time, he has also laid a solid foundation for himself in the Southeast region.
2. Stabilize the northwest and deal with Yuan Shao
Although Cao Cao temporarily resolved the threat from the southeast, he soon faced another formidable opponent, Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao was known as "overwhelming the world" at that time, and his strength far exceeded that of Cao Cao. If Yuan Shao decided to attack Xudu, Cao Cao would probably be difficult to resist. As a result, Cao Cao set about stabilizing the situation in the northwest in response to a possible attack by Yuan Shao.
Cao Cao sent Zhong Xuan to Guanzhong, where he established contact with local warlords such as Ma Teng and Han Sui, and successfully persuaded them to pledge allegiance to the Xu imperial court. At the same time, Zhong Xuan also united Duan Xuan, Zhang Heng, Liang Xing and other pro-Han small warlords in Liangzhou, crusaded against the biggest rebellious minister and thief Li Dao, and established his prestige.
At the same time, Cao Cao also sent his advisers Xun Yu and Guo Jia to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of himself and Yuan Shao for him. The two pointed out that Cao Cao had advantages in many aspects, such as diplomatic skills, employment methods, and moral integrity, while Yuan Shao had many drawbacks, such as internal contradictions, slander, confusion, etc.
Under the analysis and persuasion of the strategists, Cao Cao finally made up his mind to let Yuan Shao go for the time being and focus on solving the threat in the southeast.
3. Conquer Xuzhou and capture Lu Bu
Although Cao Cao spared Yuan Shao for the time being, he soon set out to deal with another formidable opponent, Lü Bu. Lu Bu had already occupied Xuzhou at that time, and he also had a certain foundation in Yanzhou, if he could not be solved in time, I am afraid that the situation in the east would be difficult to manage. Thus, Cao Cao began his attack on Xuzhou.
In the process of attacking Xuzhou, Cao Cao encountered many difficulties. Liu Bei, Zhang Xiu and others are all eyeing the rear, and they may take advantage of the situation at any time. But Cao Cao's advisor Xun You came up with a clever plan: taking advantage of Lu Bu's betrayal of Yuan Shu and the betrayal of his relatives, it was a good time to start.
As a result, Cao Cao's army marched eastward, all the way to the territory of Pengcheng State in Xuzhou. The Marquis of Pengcheng led his troops to resist to the death, but was eventually captured. Cao's army then captured Pengcheng and carried out a massacre.
This move is incomprehensible. As the head of the imperial court, Cao Cao would commit such a brutal act, which is really puzzling. But perhaps this is just one of Cao Cao's means, he wants to show his strength to the whole world, so that everyone knows that offending him is a dead end.
Eventually, Cao Cao's army reached Xiapi, the capital of Xuzhou, and fought a decisive battle with Lü Bu. After a fierce siege that lasted for two months, Lü Bu was finally captured. On the issue of dealing with Lü Bu, Cao Cao once again showed his wisdom.
Although Lü Bu was a formidable opponent, Cao Cao did not simply kill him, but tried to co-opt him. When Lu Bu showed his worth, Cao Cao was even a little tempted to keep him.
But in the end, under Liu Bei's persuasion, Cao Cao still made up his mind and put Lü Bu to death. Although this decision is regrettable, it also reflects Cao Cao's foresight. He understands that no matter how strong Lu Bu is, it will be difficult to become his right-hand man after all, and he may become a problem in the future.
Fourth, the local forces were co-opted and the foundation was consolidated
After defeating Lü Bu, Cao Cao began to incorporate the local forces in Xuzhou in order to consolidate his roots in the southeast. First of all, Cao Cao divided the three counties of Taishan, Beihai, and Langya in the north of Qingxu into six counties, which were respectively guarded by Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Sun Kang, Wu Dun, Yin Li, Chang Feng and others. These people were originally powerful troops rampant in Xuzhou, and Cao Cao successfully incorporated them under his command in this way.
At the same time, Cao Cao also divided the two counties on the western boundary of Runan County into Yang'an County and handed them over to Li Tong, the local leader of the powerful armed forces. This move not only strengthened Cao Cao's roots in the Central Plains, but also provided an important barrier against the invasion of Zhang Xiu, Liu Biao and others.
Another important local force was Chen Deng. Chen Deng was brilliant and meritorious, and Cao Cao was the general of Fubo, presiding over the sweeping of the coastal affairs in Guangling County. After that, Chen Deng also took the famous general Ma Fubo Ma Yuan as an example, resisted Sun Wu outside, leveled Haikou inside, and dredged the water in the middle to improve the local agriculture and water transportation, which won the favor of the Jiang and Huai provinces.
It can be said that Cao Cao demonstrated his outstanding political wisdom in dealing with the issue of local forces in Xuzhou. He was able to use these forces to strengthen his foundations, and he was able to use them for his own use through appropriate feudalization and conferral of official positions. This not only strengthened Cao Cao's strength in the southeastern region, but also laid a solid foundation for his future unification cause.
Fifth, in the face of setbacks, show character
After Cao Cao's successes, he seems to have become the most brilliant military strategist and statesman of his time. But even such a brilliant figure will inevitably encounter setbacks and frustrations.
For example, on the issue of dealing with Lu Bu, although Cao Cao was shaken in his heart, he finally made the right decision. This is not only a reflection of his foresight, but also of the decisiveness and determination that he should have as a ruler.
Another example is after the Battle of Guandu, although Cao Cao felt regret and remorse, he did not give up because of this, but continued to work hard to find opportunities and try to turn the situation around. This tenacity and perseverance are the key to Cao Cao's success.
But it is these setbacks and frustrations that highlight Cao Cao's character and wisdom even more. In the face of these challenges, he did not choose to escape or give up on himself, but always kept a clear head and tried to find solutions.
In general, Cao Cao always maintained a clear head and a tenacious will in the face of setbacks and frustrations. Not only is he able to analyze problems correctly and make the right decisions, but he is also able to learn from them and constantly improve himself. This is one of the important reasons why he became a great military strategist and statesman.
epilogue
To sum up, the reason why Cao Cao was able to rise in the troubled times and become the most outstanding military strategist and politician at that time was mainly due to the following aspects:
1. Be good at brainstorming, weighing the pros and cons, and adopting flexible strategies to deal with various forces.
2. Be good at using local forces to consolidate their own foundations in various places through separation, co-optation, etc.
3. In the face of setbacks and frustrations, always maintain a clear mind and tenacious will, and constantly improve yourself.
These are the keys to Cao Cao's success, and they are still worth learning and learning from today.