Cao Cao, the commander of the Three Kingdoms period, made great achievements in his life, and his general's strategy was unmatched. However, such a brave hero, after an extremely ordinary rest, did a shocking thing - he actually killed his favorite concubine! Why is that? Is it just a moment of anger enough to make a generation of famous generals put reason behind them? Or is there some dark face hidden in Cao Cao's heart that will lead to such a tragedy? Let's cut through the fog and get a glimpse into the secrets of this famous general's heart.
Vigilance in life: Cao Cao's suspicious nature
Cao Cao's family was poor since he was a child, and his father Cao Song was gentle, but because of this gentle temperament, he was often bullied. As a child, Cao Cao had seen his father humiliated in disputes more than once, so he was filled with resentment and secretly determined that one day he would give those people a taste of humiliation.
As he grew older, Cao Cao's mind matured, and he began to think about how to get ahead in these troubled times. Later, he joined the command of Yuan Shao, a famous minister of the dynasty, and served as a housekeeper in Yuan Shao's house. However, Yuan Shao's son Yuan Shu had a dislike for Cao Cao and often harbored a murderous heart. Once, Yuan Shu took advantage of Cao Cao's unpreparedness and secretly put a poisonous snake into his bedroom, intending to kill him. Fortunately, Cao Cao found out in time and escaped. From then on, Cao Cao was more wary of outsiders, for fear of being plotted by others.
The crisis experience doesn't stop there. Later, Cao Cao resigned from Yuan Shao's position as housekeeper and instead worked for Dong Zhuo, a powerful minister at the time. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao had a serious illness against Dong Zhuosheng and was determined to get rid of this faint monarch who brought disaster to the country and the people. So, he devoted himself to serving Dong Zhuo and gained the trust of the other party. At an opportune time, Cao Cao went to the Prime Minister's Mansion with the treasure knife given by Wang Yun, intending to kill Dong Zhuo with one sword. However, this assassination failed due to Dong Zhuo's temporary return to his senses. Cao Cao was forced to flee and lived a life of outlaw where everyone shouted and beat him.
In this way, Cao Cao became more and more cautious and suspicious in the tests of life and death. He is wary of everyone and everything around him, for fear that a single negligence will end up ruining his family. This deep-rooted suspicion ran through all aspects of Cao Cao's life in the second half of his life, and it was also the fuse that created the concubine tragedy.
Thrilling: The inside story of the murder of the concubine
Cao Cao came from a humble background and stepped step by step to the pinnacle of power. When he was in power, countless beauties often came with him. One of the concubines was particularly favored and was loved by Cao Cao.
Once, Cao Cao was about to go on an expedition and could not always accompany him. Before leaving, he went to the place where the concubine was, hoping to spend a moment with his beloved beauty and replenish his spirits. Cao Cao has always been a confrontational person, and he has always been very cautious about military affairs, so he clearly instructed his concubine to wake himself up at the third watch, so that he could go to the appointment in time and hold a meeting with the soldiers to discuss military affairs.
After hearing this, the concubine responded respectfully, and after serving Cao Cao to bed that night, she also waited on the side step by step. However, as the night progressed, the thought that Cao Cao would leave tomorrow morning, the concubine couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion in her heart. She understands that even if she is favored by her lord now, it will be difficult for her to stay forever in the future, and she will inevitably be left out in the cold at that time.
So, the concubine suddenly had a plan, she did not wake up Cao Cao at the third watch as promised, but let him continue to sleep soundly. It wasn't until dawn that Cao Cao woke up. He was shocked to find that he had missed the military meeting, and immediately became furious and questioned the reason for the concubine.
The concubine was shocked when she saw this, and immediately spoke incoherently, and she hastily defended that she was negligent because she was too tired. But Cao Cao ignored her explanation, and in a fit of rage, he drew his sword and assassinated the concubine, leaving the body on the spot. Subsequently, Cao Cao left angrily and did not pay much attention.
In this way, a concubine was afraid of being abandoned and became suspicious, and finally caused a catastrophe and suffered an undeserved tragedy. And Cao Cao's decisive move did not hesitate at all, which really convinces his thunderous wrist.
Wisdom and bravery: Cao Cao's military style
Although Cao Cao experienced ups and downs in his life, he was one of the most outstanding military strategists of the time. Under the leadership of his commander, the Han army was strictly disciplined, the army was cleaned, and its combat strength became stronger and stronger.
Cao Cao read military books since he was a child, and especially understood Sun Wu's art of war. He understood that in order to get ahead militarily, a set of rational ways of employing people was a prerequisite. Therefore, he was extremely cautious in the selection of soldiers. Even if he is a small soldier, as long as he has excellent moral character and outstanding martial bravery, Cao Cao will pay special attention to it and devote himself to training. On the contrary, if it is a noble relative, once there is a slight violation, he will be ruthless and resolutely remove his power.
Due to Cao Cao's wise strategy of employing people, there are many military generals and talents in the Han camp. Xu Chu, Xu Huang, Dian Wei, Zhang He and others are all famous generals in the world, all of whom are brave. Especially Dian Wei, the youngest, but he is a real master of military books, and he has made great contributions. In that year, he was sent to the martial arts field and became the "martial arts general" who later went down in history, which was even more unique and famous.
In addition to strict employment, Cao Cao was also not soft on military discipline training. Whenever the battle was approaching, he would personally patrol the formations and check the points, and once he found that the soldiers had the slightest negligence, he would never be soft on punishment. On the contrary, if there are soldiers who have made meritorious contributions, they will also be rewarded accordingly. In this way, under the strict constraints of military discipline, the Han army was well-trained and reorganized, becoming the most important combat force at that time.
On the other hand, Cao Cao's military talents were equally outstanding. Countless times, he has won victories with his subtle military strategies, which has made the enemy admire and fall. Especially in the battle of Chibi, he almost had no last resort, but unfortunately it fell short due to the will of heaven. However, even if he lost, Cao Cao was not discouraged, and immediately cheered up and regrouped, so that the Han was still extremely strong. It can be seen from this that his comprehension and control of military affairs can be said to have reached the peak level.
In the face of such a wise and brave general, anyone can only be convinced. It is precisely because of this that Cao's brilliant achievements in the troubled times have been created.
Proficient in power: Cao Cao's political skills
Cao Cao is not only a generation of military strategists, but also a generation of politicians. Under his careful layout, the Han state gradually stabilized, and the government was on the right track.
As early as the beginning of Cao Cao's entry into the Central Plains, he was secretly determined to revive the foundation of the Han Dynasty. To this end, he first adopted the practice of "coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes". At that time, the young Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was controlled by him in Quyang, and Cao Cao intervened in any affairs of the court, big or small, and the real power was completely in his own hands. And Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was even more hollowed out and could only be at the mercy of others.
With this tough measure as a foreshadowing, Cao Cao then began to comprehensively rectify the rule of officials from the central to the local level. He is extremely cautious in the selection of talents, as long as he is a person of merit, regardless of the background of the gatekeeper, he will definitely treat everyone equally, and he will not be broad. On the contrary, if the son of a powerful man has no talent or knowledge, he will not remember the old feelings and resolutely resign from his power.
In this way, under Cao Cao's distinction between right and wrong, the official ranks of the Han Dynasty were gradually streamlined, and the number of posts was appropriately reduced. Government affairs are gradually on the right track, and the atmosphere of corruption has also been dispelled. In order to prevent future troubles, Cao Cao severely punished corrupt and powerful people, and often carried out home visits to sweep bribes, and never relented. One year, he even personally visited the people, and the harvest was really not small, and many powerful people were severely punished at this time.
In addition, in terms of militaristic strategy, Cao Cao is also outstanding. He expanded the country to an unprecedented scale. At the same time, he also made every effort to rectify the people's livelihood and adopted policies beneficial to the people in many aspects. Whether it is helping the poor, repairing water conservancy, or promoting talents, he has made great efforts. In addition, he governed the army well and was invincible, and the people's hearts naturally belonged to him.
It was this series of elaborate arrangements that reunited the divided country under the banner of Cao's domination. It can be said that if it were not for Cao Cao's wise political skills, it would be difficult to consolidate the foundation of the Han Dynasty.
Life and Death: Cao Cao's last years
Time flies, and Cao Cao's life is gradually entering twilight. This former hero became more and more suspicious in his later years, almost step by step.
The baptism of years left Cao Cao with indelible scars. When he was young, he had to assassinate Dong Zhuo, and since then he has lived a life of outlaw. Later, although he gradually reached the peak of power, he also suffered numerous assassinations along the way. Xun Yu, Liu Biao and others often coveted his status, and plotted many times, but fortunately, he was always discovered and resolved in time.
These ordeals made Cao Cao more and more uneasy. He began to suspect that everyone around him, whether it was a cronie or a relative, he was worried that someone would secretly stab him. Even Mrs. Gan, Cao Cao frequently investigated her every move. It can be seen that General Cao, who was decisive and fearless back then, has become walking on thin ice and struggling.
However, is this kind of thinking of fear of being plotted by others for no reason? Back then, Yuan Shu once let a snake into the house with the intention of murdering Cao Cao, which had left a very deep psychological shadow on him. Later, he even killed his own general, Xun You, with a sword. There is no other reason, but when Xun You wrote a letter to his son, his words were too subtle, and Cao Cao was suspicious.
It is this kind of suspicious psychology that caused Cao Cao to always be worried in his later years, for fear that someone would take advantage of the situation. He often woke up in the middle of the night, thinking that there was a killer hiding around him, and immediately searched every corner of the room in four fields. Sometimes, he would even give urgent orders for his soldiers to stay on guard all night for fear of being attacked from the shadows.
In this uneasiness, Cao Cao's physical and mental state deteriorated. He was terminally ill, and at one point he was dying. On his deathbed, he was afraid that his country would change hands, so he told Cao Pi: "After I die, you must obey my will to protect the country, and there must be no dramatic changes in the country...... ＂
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This sentence is obviously a true portrayal of Cao Cao's life experience. He feared that all achievements would fall short, which would lead to the recurrence of the tragedy of the Han Dynasty. It's a pity that because of his suspicious life, this hero's twilight years are not peaceful.