As we all know, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the world was in chaos, Cao Cao blackmailed Tianzi to order the princes to move the capital from Luoyang to Xu County (present-day Xuchang, Henan). Why did Cao Cao abandon Luoyang and choose Xuchang as the new capital?
Xuchang, located in the middle of Henan Province, is the transition zone between the Yu vein of Funiu Mountain and the Eastern Henan Plain, west of the Funiu Mountains and Zhongyue Song Mountains, and east and south of the Huang-Huai-Hai Great Plain. To the north of Xuchang is the three famous ancient capitals of Henan Province, Luoyang, Zhengzhou and Kaifeng, from west to east, and to the southwest is the Nanyang Basin, which can be reached by the Huai River along the Yinghe River. Xuchang is located at the crossroads of land and water, and its geographical location is very important.
Although Xuchang is not as famous as Luoyang and Kaifeng, its history is also long-standing. Xu Changgu's ancient name "Xu" originated from the Yao Shun era, Xu You, the ancestor of the Xu surname and the ancient sage Xu You, who lived and cultivated here, and Emperor Yao knew his virtuousness and wanted to zen in him. Xu Yu fled to Mount Mi, and Emperor Yao wanted to make him the governor of Kyushu, so he washed his ears on the shore of the Yingshui River and lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, which became a beautiful talk for eternity. During the Xia Dynasty, Yang Zhai (present-day Xuchang Yu Prefecture) was the capital of Xia, and during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, Xudi was successively occupied by Zheng and Chu, and eventually returned to Qin.
Qin Shi Huang placed Yingchuan County, Zhiyang Zhai, Xu County belonged to it, and the Western Han Dynasty followed it. Wang Mang usurped the throne and established himself, the emperor was very willful, changing the place name to a random one, and Yingchuan County was changed to "Left Team", which made people laugh. In 196 AD, Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xu from Luoyang, and Xuchang became the last capital of the Han Dynasty. Cao Pi, who claimed the title of empress dowager, changed his name to Xuchang because "Han died in Xu, and Wei Jichang died in Xu", becoming one of the five capitals of Wei.
Xuchang has an immeasurable role in the rise of the Cao Wei Group, and Cao Wei is not wrong at all because of "Xu". Cao Cao's original base was not actually here, but in Yanzhou, about the central and western regions of present-day Shandong Province. At that time, Cao Cao, who was the pastor of Yanzhou, was not strong, and when Emperor Xian of Han was in exile, he did not have the energy to take care of it, and it was very good to stabilize Yanzhou. Cao Cao then gradually moved west to control the eastern Henan region, including Xu County. At this time, Cao Cao already had the strength to make long-term plans, welcoming Emperor Nahan into xu, and "holding the son of heaven to order the princes" became his established strategy for achieving hegemony.
Picture - Xuchang Ancient City
At that time, Xu County was a small place with no name, so why did Cao Cao abandon Luoyang and move the capital to Xu County? There are many reasons, let's look at Luoyang first. Luoyang is a place of victory, known as "Xiao Guanzhong" of the four plugs of the land, with mountains and rivers as a barrier, easy to defend and difficult to attack, is indeed the preferred choice of Dingdu. However, at that time, Luoyang was burned to white by Dong Zhuo, and the royal family, nobles, and large families all ran to Chang'an, and Luoyang basically became an empty city. If Luoyang is still the capital, if nothing else, the food supply will become a problem.
In addition, Luoyang was not a territory controlled by Cao Cao, and Guanzhong Li Dai, Guo Feng, Zhang Yang of Hanoi, and others also hoped that Emperor Xian of Han would return to Luoyang. Since it had been decided to blackmail the Heavenly Son to order the princes, going to Luoyang would be subject to people, and Cao Cao was even less likely to let Emperor Xian of Han return to Luoyang. However, we cannot choose a place that is completely free from the threat of other forces, otherwise the "blackmail of the Son of Heaven" will be greatly reduced. Xu County (Xuchang) was under Cao Cao's control, and there was a certain buffer space between other separatist forces, and even if there was an emergency, there was enough time to react. Xuchang was also relatively close to Yuan Shu in Huainan, and there was a threat from Yuan Shu, and Emperor Xian of Han had to rely on Cao Cao and obey him obediently, so that it would be easier to achieve the purpose of "holding the Son of Heaven hostage".
Another very important reason why Cao Cao chose Xuchang is because it is strategically located and is a place where land and water are important. Yuan Shu claimed the title of emperor in Shouchun (Huainan Shou County, Anhui), Shouchun was close to the Huai River, and Xuchang was on the bank of the Yinghe River, and the Huai River could be directly reached by descending the Huai River from the east. Controlling Xuchang well, the threat to Yuan Shu and even the entire Jianghuai region was obvious. Someone once said: "Henan is in the world, Xudu is in Henan, the Yellow River in the north, the Tiger Prison Pass in the west, the Jianghuai in the south, and the victory in the world." ”
In addition, the flat terrain near Xuchang, fertile land, easy to cultivate, is very good for the food supply of Xudu. After Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xu, he sent Yulin overseers to collect people and fields near XuDu and harvest a large amount of grain.