Foreword: Continued from above
Recognized and appreciated by Cao Cao's extraordinary vision, he became the ironclad tiger of Cao Jun. These famous generals have experienced a hundred battles, are both wise and brave, and have many extraordinary and outstanding features, and have made great contributions to Cao's hegemony. Let's take a closer look at the legendary lives of these generals and appreciate their heroic and fearless iron and blood.
Xu Chu: A brave and upright hot-blooded iron guard
Xu Chu was originally a fierce local tyrant, and later commanded Cao Cao and became Cao Cao's most powerful confidant and personal guard. He was loyal and brave, took the lead, solved Cao Cao's urgent needs several times, and was Cao Wei's most reliable courtier.
Xu Chu was a martial artist when he was young and had a lot of prestige in his hometown. At that time, the people in Shandong were struggling to make a living, and bandits were rampant. Xu Chu worked hard to restrain himself, and led thousands of relatives and friends to expel the bandits and ensure the peace of the township. After Cao Cao heard about Xu Chu's name, he personally recruited him into his command.
As soon as he entered the Cao camp, Xu Chu showed his extraordinary bravery. When Cao Cao first broke through Xuzhou, Xu Chu gave up his life to charge, cut down many enemy formations, and won the first opportunity. Cao Cao escaped and was impressed by Xu Chu. Since then, Xu Chu has been entrusted with important tasks, often secretly protecting Cao Cao's safety.
Xu Chu's most brilliant feats are none other than the battle of Xiapi. At that time, Cao Cao was besieged by Lu Bu, Zhang Xiu and others, and his situation was extremely critical. Xu Chu stepped forward and personally led his own soldiers to rush out of the encirclement, buying time and space for Cao Cao to counterattack. Lü Bu was defeated and had to withdraw his troops and retreat. Cao Cao thus defeated Lü Bu in the Battle of Julu, and was ashamed.
Xu Chu later made great achievements. When Zhang Xiu mutated and rebelled, it was Xu Chu who protected Cao Cao's camp and made Cao Cao break through and escape overnight. If it weren't for Xu Chu's personal fight, Cao Cao would have been more than lucky. After Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, he reused Xu Chu, named Long Live Pavilion Marquis, and worshiped as General Wuwei.
In addition to taking the lead, Xu Chu is also a very assertive and decisive person. When Ma Chao betrayed Cao Cao and fled to Xiliang Valley after being defeated, Xu Chu suggested that Cao Cao kill Ma Chao and leave no trouble. Later, Ma Chao really made a comeback, creating a lot of troubles for Cao Wei. At that time, if Xu Chu's decision was adopted, Cao Wei would not have suffered such a secret loss.
It can be said that Xu Chu has been loyal and brave all his life, and has solved many urgent needs for Cao Cao. When he was seventy years old, Cao Pi personally paid tribute to him, praising him as a tough guy who "went straight into the tiger's den", which is commendable. There are also poems at the time to praise his heroic courage of "drunk and three vertical iron hooves, riding and shooting like flying".
Dian Wei: A loyal and brave defender after death
As Cao Cao's right-hand man, Dian Wei can be described as a tough guy with infinite individual courage. Although he is not a mastermind general, he is brilliant in the annals of history with his fierce loyalty and unearthly bravery, escorting the Cao family.
Dian Wei was originally the son of a scholarly family, with a family history and outstanding potential since childhood. When he was still young, he enlisted in the army and worked hard all the way, and finally became the captain of Cao Cao's personal guard. He was a man of great strength and strength, and he had done such a difficult job as lifting the Yamen Banner with one hand. Therefore, Cao Cao was extremely important to him.
When Cao Cao first raised his troops, Dian Wei stepped forward to protect it, taking the lead and shouldering heavy responsibilities. For example, in the Battle of Puyang, when Cao Cao was besieged by Lu Bu's army, Dian Wei charged into battle, set aside the encirclement, and opened the way for Cao Cao to breathe his life. Then he personally led the warriors, took the lead and went straight to Lu Bu's camp, fighting hard. Relying on Dian Wei's courage and straightforwardness, Cao Cao was able to break out of the encirclement.
Dian Wei's loyalty and courage were fully demonstrated in the Guandu War. At that time, Yuan Shao gathered the coalition army to besiege Xiapi, and Dian Wei took the lead in personally rushing and killing the elite vanguard of the Yuan army. Just when Dian Wei's morale was red, Cao Cao laid out the plan of Shule River, pursued the victory, and won a thrilling victory. Dian Wei can be described as a great feat.
However, Dian Wei's fate was also killed in the flames of war. It was in the Battle of Wancheng, the rebel general Zhang Xiu defected, and Cao Cao was forced to flee from the city, and the scene was chaotic for a while. After Dian Wei gave up his body, he single-handedly protected Cao Cao and bought him time to retreat. It's a pity that he died on the battlefield and was trampled to death by military horses. When Cao Cao saw this scene, he burst into tears and wept bitterly, and he was as close as a half-brother. Cao Cao personally carried Dian Wei's body back and posthumously presented him as a Zhonglang general, setting an example among Cao Wei's soldiers.
Dian Wei's loyalty and courage are widely spread, and he is also a hero by word of mouth in the local area. Some villagers recalled that there was a time when Liuji often looted houses nearby. One day, Dian Wei was passing by and happened to encounter a gang of robbers who were setting fire to and robbing them. Dian Wei was alone, picked up a large log, and rushed forward with great courage, and beat all the robbers away. Since then, there has been no raiding of Liuji in this area.
Another episode is that once Dian Wei's mother was seriously ill and was diagnosed by doctors as incurable. When Dian Wei heard this, he wept bitterly, and was willing to die for his mother. He walked hundreds of miles alone to a famous doctor to seek medical treatment and pray for blessings. Fortunately, the famous doctor rejuvenated, and the mother and son reunited, which made the grief-stricken Dian Wei cry with joy. It can be seen that he is generous and enthusiastic, and attaches great importance to love and righteousness.
Even on the battlefield of life and death, Dian Wei has always maintained a noble character. A soldier of Cao Ying recalled that once after defeating the enemy, Dian Wei saw the corpse of the enemy's fallen soldier being trampled and insulted, and immediately became furious, immediately killed the man, and ordered the dead to be buried in dignity. At that moment, although Dian Wei was covered in blood, he was as solemn as a well-mannered scholar.
Although Dian Wei was born at the wrong time and died on the battlefield in his prime, he also left an immortal iron-blooded legend. His loyalty, bravery, righteousness, and hot-blooded personality have long been deeply imprinted in the hearts of Cao Wei's soldiers and people. Among the soldiers of Cao Ying, it is also widely spread that the eulogy of "loyal iron bone canon, royal array Lu Li is like a fool", which has been passed down from generation to generation.
Pound: Martyred hero
Pang De is loyal, brave and upright, and is Cao Cao's right-hand man. Didn't he rely on his outstanding martial arts and steadfast integrity, he made great achievements, and died heroically on the front line, becoming an immortal hero with a loyal soul.
Pound was originally born as a reckless general, and he was a good person. At first, he was self-respecting because of his strong guards, and later joined Cao Cao's command, and soon showed his strong force and loyal personality. Whether in the conquest of the Lirong barbarians or in the conquest of the heroes, Pound was the first soldier, brave and outstanding, and made remarkable achievements.
The most memorable thing is the arrow that Pang De shot Guan Yu. In the battle of Wancheng that year, Cao Cao was betrayed by Zhang Miao and was forced to evacuate Wancheng. When leaving the city, Pang De personally garrisoned the city to cover Cao Cao's enemy. Suddenly, he saw Guan Yu holding the Qinglong Knife, heading straight to the city, murderous. Pang De was in a hurry, so he hurriedly pulled his bow and arrow, aimed at Guan Yu's forehead, and shot an arrow fiercely. That arrow really hit Guan Yu's forward, and the arrow fell on his sideburns, and his face was bleeding. Pang De's heroic and fearless arrow greatly damaged Guan Yu's vitality and he could only retreat temporarily, and Pang De thus won precious time to cover Cao Cao. This arrow can be described as thrilling and praised by future generations.
Soon, Guan Yu fought alone and besieged Fancheng again. Pang De and Yu Ban were stationed at the head of the city, and they encountered a stalemate with Guan Yu. At this time, it was raining heavily, and Guan Yu took the opportunity to release water to flood the city. Yu Banzhi's army suffered heavy casualties and faced a rout. At this moment, Pang De turned the tide and fought alone, and even killed many enemy formations, so that Yu Ban's troops could be preserved. It's a pity that he was captured in the end due to his injuries, and Guan Yu wanted to recruit him. Pang Deyi was stern, flatly refused, and scolded Guan Yu: "Anti-thief scoundrel, how can I be brave and evil!" The anger of his words made Guan Yu helpless, so he had to behead him in front of the army.
When Cao Cao learned of Pang De's death in battle, he mourned and called him "the hero of the direct minister". Afterwards, many sergeants on the battlefield recalled Pound's generous and tragic scene. Someone described it like this: "At that time, Pang Gong was held by the enemy, and he looked at himself fiercely. Neither willing to surrender, nor avoiding the blade, the true generation of loyal bones is awe-inspiring at present!" It is truly awe-inspiring. Later generations also had poems praising "bows and arrows rain through Guan Yu, and heroes who died in blood in the rout". Pang De is loyal and brave, and will forever stand in the annals of history.
Pang Yu: An unswerving loyal minister
Pang Yu, who has the same surname as Pang De, is also a loyal minister who has always been unswerving and courageous. He repeatedly sacrificed his life and forgot to die, went to the soup and fire, risked his life to serve the Cao family, and interpreted the highest state of "dedication to loyalty" with his actions.
Pang Yu was originally from a low-level people, but he had a strong sentiment of being a man with lofty ideals since he was a child. There was a lonely and brave experience, which made him a representative of loyal and brave people early. At that time, there was a brutal thief Zhang Meng who stirred up a rebellion in the Hexi area, captured the Wuwei Taishou Mansion, killed the assassin Shi Handan Shang and burned his body. Such atrocities are committed in every evil. The wife of a Handan merchant hid in the village and wanted to arrange a funeral for her deceased husband. However, Zhang Meng had ill intentions and ordered that no one should mourn Handan Commercial Bank, otherwise he would be killed.
At the moment of crisis, only Pang Hao stepped forward and went alone to pay tribute to the Handan merchants. He came to Zhang Meng's jurisdiction, waved his flag and shouted, and even howled and cried, wrestling and splashing, in order to show his great sorrow. Zhang Meng's cronies were shocked when they saw this, thinking that Pang Yu must be hiding a sharp blade and wanted to assassinate him. I saw Pang Yu immediately take out a dagger from his arms and said that he would apologize for his crime with death. Zhang Meng was grateful for his loyalty and bravery, and was afraid of arousing public condemnation, so he let Pang Yu go. Pang Shu's righteous anger made the local military and civilians echo and admire.
What is even more impressive is that Pang Yu later saved Liang and Dun from destruction. At that time, the Cao Wei government and opposition were terrified by Huang Ang's rebellion, and many states were lost. As the Taishou of Hexi, Xu Yi called on the king of the state and county to be Qin, but was surrounded by Huang Ang, and he was about to be in a desperate situation. Pang Yu was ordered to rescue Xu Yi, and he resolutely abandoned his family and went to ask for help. Who knew that the two counties of Liangzhou and Dunhuang turned a blind eye to Huang Ang's threat and were unwilling to recruit troops to rescue at all.
Since Pang Yu had made up his mind, he went straight to the gate of the state and county, pulled out his waist knife, cut himself on the street, and shouted: "Xu Taishou died at the hands of the yellow thief, and if the state and county don't save him, I should die on the spot to thank my confidant!" When the local people saw this, they were shocked and begged one after another. The second county Taishou was moved by Pang Yu's loyalty and bravery, and hurriedly dispatched troops to rescue Xu Yi. It's a pity that Xu Yi has died first, Pang Yu cried bitterly, and fainted for a few days. Cao Wei finally recaptured Hexi, thanks to the loyalty of Pang Wei's dogs and horses, who spared no effort.
Pang Shu was loyal and won supreme respect for the Cao family. Later, Cao Wei summoned him to the court, and Cao Rong personally encouraged him to "live and die, the important weapon of the country". Until the end of his life, Pang Shu was a man of great fortune, and there was a poem at the time that "the sword and courage are long in the sky, and when the spirit and bones have been carved zero". He spent his life interpreting what it means to be the supreme example of loyalty to the royal family.
Yan Wen: Unyielding masculinity
Yan Wen was a masculine and indomitable man. He went forward one after another, fought bravely to kill the enemy, and stuck to the unification. Even if the jade is burned, he is not afraid of threats, and he would rather die with unyielding iron and blood, which is unforgettable.
Yan Wen was born in Wuwei, his family was poor, and he was lonely since he was a child. But he has a hearty and upright personality, a pure temperament, and a clear position. When Cao Cao conquered Xiliang, he heard of Yan Wen's name, so he summoned him to his command. Yan Wen was as loyal and brave as rumored, and he had established countless military exploits when he was in the west. Cao Cao valued him very much and regarded him as a confidant.
Yan Wen's most famous deeds are his heroic confrontation with Ma Chao. At that time, Ma Chao betrayed Cao Cao and fled to Xiliang after being defeated. Ren Xiangwang took refuge in Ma Chao to create an opportunity for a comeback. Yan Wen was ordered to monitor Ma Chao and bluntly dissuaded Ren Xiangwang: "Ma Chao has been in turmoil, it is advisable to obey the orders of the court, and do not harbor rebellion and fall into sin!" Ren Xiangwang listened and did not obey, and actually connived at Ma Chao to sneak in the army.
Seeing that he couldn't get rid of Yan Wen's watch, Ma Chao actually led the remnants of the army to attack Yan Wen. Yan Wen was not afraid of danger and did his best to resist Ma Chao's attack. In order to ask for reinforcements, he traveled thousands of miles and went alone to ask for help from Xiahou Yuan. As soon as he got out of the city gate, he was surrounded by Ma Chao's men and horses. Ma Chao had no way to take him, trying to use family affection to lure him down. Ma Chao said that Yan Wen was old and frail, so why bother to work so hard, and repeatedly persuaded him to surrender, so that he could enjoy his old age in peace.
But Yan Wen glared at Ma Chao angrily, and said in a heartfelt manner: "How can I be willing to rely on a traitor! Even if there is a three-foot Qingfeng body, I will be this stump and die!" Ma Chao saw that Yan Wen was determined and unwavering, so he had no choice but to kill him. In this way, Yan Wen died heroically and became a model for a generation of loyal ministers.
Yan Wen's loyal and courageous deeds shocked the soldiers at that time. An eyewitness recalled: "Ma Chao's disciples held on to Yan Wen and wanted him to make a new declaration. Yan Wen looked directly at the disciples and said, "I serve the life of Sheji, and I would rather die than die." The words were awe-inspiring, the sound was like a surge, Ma Chao saw this, and had to kill him. It can be seen that even if Yan Wen is in prison, he will not waver in his position.
Another interesting little story is that Yan Wenping is extremely fond of his wife. Whenever he went to a foreign country to fight, he had to ask someone to leave part of his hair to his wife as a token of his heart. Once when he returned home, he found his wife wrapping his hair in a cloth bag and carrying it with her. Yan Wen was very moved, and said to his wife: "You care so much for the concubine's family, even if I am righteous, I will not regret the world!" It can be seen that although Yan Wen is a hero, he is also a man who values love and righteousness and is worthy of admiration in private.
Yan Wen's generosity and righteousness made Cao Wei feel sad and posthumously presented him as the Taishou of Xiliang. At the time, people had a word of praise: "Loyalty to the three outlines and trees, guilty of eight faces." There is nothing to do with death, and the owner forgets people!" Yan Wen's loyalty and courage festival is really rare and commendable.
Epilogue:
In general, these famous generals of Cao Wei with extraordinary courage used their sincere hearts, brave martial arts, and immortal strength to expand the territory of the Cao Dynasty and made brilliant achievements. Most of them come from humble backgrounds, but they are by no means the only ones who are brave and valuable. Many people also have extraordinary resourcefulness, noble personality and ethics, and are loyal and unswerving to the Cao family. It is their indomitable spirit of loyalty and courage that has created the foundation of hegemony and achieved the legend of a generation of heroes.
Every time people in the world read the scene of their generosity and righteousness, they will still be amazed with respect and shock, because it is the spiritual belief and value pursuit of the Chinese nation rooted in the blood and bones. We cherish the memory of these immortal heroes, but also in order to inherit the past and enlighten the future, carry forward the heroic nature, and immortalize it.