Text/Lin Yan
At the end of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao had a changeable personality, on the one hand, he knew people well, magnanimously, and was vain, but at the same time he was murderous, lustful, and treacherous and suspicious.
All in all, Lao Cao is a person with a story, and of course, he is also a master with frequent accidents in his life.
For example, Cao Cao, because of his lust for women, took in his own sons Cao Ang and Tiger General Dianwei;
Because of his suspiciousness, he mutilated his friend Lü Bohao and killed the strategist Yang Xiu; because of his error of judgment, he left Sima Yi, who was eagle-eyed and wolf-eyed, to suffer in the future.
01
The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms records: "Taizu was a good flying eagle and a running dog, wandering uncontrollably, and his uncle counted the words of Song. Taizu was troubled, and later when his uncle was on the road, Naiyang was defeated and spat out, and the uncle asked why..."
When Cao Cao was a child, he did not like to study, and played with eagles and dogs all day long, wandering around.
His uncle complained to his father Cao Song many times, saying, "Brother, your bear child doesn't learn well, so it's not a way to fool around all day!" ”
Cao Cao was often scolded and beaten by his father, and he held a grudge against his uncle, knowing that he could not do it, so he chose to play with Eryin.
One day, Xiao Cao met his uncle at the door of his home, he suddenly squeezed his eyebrows and made eyes, his mouth was crooked and his nose was tilted, his mouth was foaming, he pretended to have a stroke, and then he fell to the ground.
His uncle was frightened: "What happened to Emma this child?" ”
Cao Cao let out a muffled voice and said, "I suddenly had a stroke!" ”
His uncle then ran into the courtyard to call his brother Cao Song, and when Cao Song walked out the door, Cao Cao stood up and instantly restored his original appearance.
Cao Song asked, "Your uncle said you had a stroke, so soon?" ”
Cao Cao pretended to be innocent: "Nothing! When the child offended his uncle, he deliberately framed the child and deceived the father! ”
As a result, Cao Song no longer believed his brother's words, and Cao Cao was able to continue to wander around lawlessly.
I can't imagine that decades later, Xiao Cao's classmates at that time became a slur, he actually had a head wind disease related to his head, and the pain was really terrible.
02
The "New Language of the World" records: "When Wei Wu was young, he tried to be a ranger with Yuan Shaohao. Guan Ren was newly married, because he sneaked into the master's garden..." When Cao Cao was a child, he used to play with his little friend Yuan Shao.
One day, a neighbor had a daughter-in-law, and the bride entered the cave and waited for the groom with a hijab. At this moment, the groom is drinking with his friends and relatives in the courtyard tent.
Xiao Cao wanted to tease the bride, so he shook Xiao Yuan and sneaked into the back garden of the master's house, waiting for night to fall.
As the sky gradually darkened, Cao Cao suddenly snorted, "Here comes the thief!" Here comes the thief! The people in the courtyard heard shouts and ran out of their tents and looked around.
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao took the opportunity to sneak into the bride's room, drew their waist knives and threatened the bride and snatched her away. Because of the panic, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao got lost shortly after running out of the door and mistakenly fell into a wolfberry bush.
The wolfberry branches were full of thorns, Xiao Yuan did not dare to move when he went in, and Xiao Cao in the back had a plan, so he shouted: "The thief is here!" The thief is here! ”
Yuan Shao was greatly frightened, and suddenly rushed out of the thorn bush, Cao Cao left the bride, followed by him, and fled the scene in a hurry.
It was a false alarm, and since then, Cao Cao's lustful disease has not been cured for life.
03
In the second year of Jian'an (197 AD), Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao divided Wancheng, Cao Cao led his troops to march south, Zhang Xiu saw that Cao Cao's forces were strong and the people were not good, so he chose to lead his troops to surrender.
It is said that this was a good opportunity to expand his strength, but Cao Cao took the opportunity to forcibly seize the widow of Zhang Xiu's uncle Zhang Ji, Zou Shi.
Cao Cao occupied the city of Wancheng and feasted on the generals. At the banquet, the general Dianwei was holding a sharp axe, looking around angrily, standing next to Cao Cao, and Zhang Xiu and other surrendered generals did not dare to look up.
After Cao Cao was drunk, he put Zou shi to sleep.
A few days later, Zhang Xiu learned the news and was angry: This is equivalent to peeing on the top of our uncle's nephew's head, the aunt can endure, the nephew can't stand it!
Zhang Xiu felt that Cao Cao was humiliating himself and his dead uncle, so he held a grudge. Cao Cao heard the news and planned to kill Zhang Xiu to avoid the consequences, who thought the news was leaked.
Zhang Xiu was furious when he heard the news, so he led his subordinates to rebel in anger, cao jun was unprepared, and in a panic, the general Dianwei who protected Cao Cao was assassinated by Zhang Xiu, and the eldest son Cao Ang also died in the rebellion.
04
Cao Cao was lustful and lost a major general, causing the death of his eldest son, but he did not accept the lesson and still could not control his next three roads.
In the early years of Jian'an, Liu Bei was ostracized by Lü Bu, so he had to follow Cao Cao upside down.
In the third year of Jian'an (198 AD), Cao Cao led his troops to attack Xia PiCheng, and Liu Bei led his younger brother Guan Yu and other subordinates to accompany him.
Before the siege of the city, Guan Yu made a small request to Cao Cao - "My wife has not yet given birth to a son, and when she captures the city and divides the spoils of war, please ask the chancellor to reward Qin Yilu's wife to me!" ”
Guan Yu's original words in the Huayang Guozhi are: "Wife is childless, go down to the city, and beg Fora Yilu's wife." ”
Cao Cao replied with a full mouth: "Good drops, good drops! Aren't you just a little girl? ”
Qin Yilu's wife Du Shi was born with an unusual posture, and Guan Yu was afraid that Cao Cao would repent, so he mentioned this matter again when Xia Pi was about to be breached.
Guan Yu had a reason for his broken thoughts, he knew very well that Cao Cao was a hungry ghost in color, and he couldn't move when he saw a beautiful woman.
Cao Cao therefore suspected that Du Shi must have a lot of posture, and after the city was destroyed, Qin Yilu surrendered to Cao Cao, and was later beheaded by Zhang Fei, leaving aside for the time being.
Cao Cao sent people to find Du Shi and found that it was really "colored", so he claimed it to be already there.
Guan Yu was angry: Promise to be good, who is this?
Soon, Liu Bei accompanied Cao Cao on a hunting expedition, and Guan Yu planned to take the opportunity to kill Cao Cao.
Liu Bei thought that Cao Cao was a brilliant talent, and for the sake of the overall situation, he did not agree.
Guan Yu had to give up, but after that, he was grumpy.
In the fifth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei and Guan Yu were separated, Guan Yu temporarily stayed in Cao Ying, and Cao Cao tried every means to keep Guan Yu, but Guan Yu repeatedly declined.
Guan Yu was quite affectionate and more particular about faith, and he had long been cold to Cao Cao's untrustworthiness and had always refused to submit.
Cao Cao lost the opportunity to get a tiger general for Mei Se.
05
Cao Cao has always been known for his cunning and insidiousness.
The "Biography of Cao Cai" records: "Often go out of the army, march through the wheat, make the soldiers undefeated wheat, and the offender die." The knights dismounted, and paid the wheat to hold each other..."
One year, Cao Cao led a large army through a wheat field, because of the urgency of the military situation, did not choose to take a detour, but chose to pass directly.
In order not to destroy the wheat field, Cao Cao ordered: Soldiers must not trample and destroy the wheat in the wheat field, and those who violate the order must be beheaded!
The soldiers dismounted one after another and carefully supported the wheat straw through with their hands. At this time, Cao Cao's mount was frightened, and he jumped into the wheat field with four hooves, destroying many wheat.
Cao Cao felt that he had been punched in the face, so he ordered the master to condemn himself.
The Lord's heart understood the Spirit, so he took out the Spring and Autumn Principles and said: Since ancient times, punishment has not been imposed on those who are honorable.
Cao Cao covered his mouth and smiled, and then he raised his face: "I made the decree myself, and I took the lead in destroying it myself, so why should I serve the public?" Although you can't commit suicide to apologize, you have to accept punishment! ”
Cao Cao then took out his sword, cut off a strand of his own hair, and angrily threw it on the ground, replacing his head with hair.
I don't know what his subordinates thought, but anyway, I felt that he had tricked the generals! Since then, there has been an idiom "cutting hair for the head".
Of course, there are also people who defend Lao Cao, the body hair skin is affected by the parents, Cao Cao can cut off the hair, it is not easy!
06
Cao Cao has always lacked confidence in his appearance.
The "New Sayings of the World" records: "Wei Wu saw the Xiongnu envoys, thought that he was ugly, not enough to be a distant country, so that Cui Ji Guidai, the emperor himself grabbed the sword and stood at the head of the bed..."
One year, Xiongnu emissaries went to Cao Cao's camp to ask for a meeting.
Cao Cao thought that he was ugly and did not have the majesty of the boss, so he let Cui Yan, who was majestic, loud, and full of hair, pretend to be himself.
Cui Yanduan sat on the seat, and Cao Cao held the handle of the sword in his hand, standing aside, pretending to be a guard.
After the Xiongnu emissary was received, he resigned and left, and Cao Cao sent someone to catch up with the emissary and ask him, "What do you think of the King of Wei?" ”
The Xiongnu emissary replied, "The King of Wei is indeed very majestic and personable, but the man next to him who holds the handle of the sword is the real hero!" ”
Cao Cao felt that the Xiongnu emissary might have seen through the truth, so he ordered someone to catch up with the emissary and kill him.
The poor emissary saw Cao Cao's appearance clearly, but did not have insight into Cao Cao's inner coldness, and as a result, he took a life for it.
07
Cao Cao sometimes looked ahead and was not firm enough.
The Book of Burning records: "Cao Gong wanted to marry Ding Yi with his beloved daughter, and the five facial features of Zhonglang would know: 'The woman looks at the appearance, and Ding Yi looks at it, and fears that the beloved daughter will not be pleased.'" 'The queen and the ceremony will talk dramatically because they sit..."
Cao Cao felt that his subordinate Ding Yi was very talented, so he planned to marry his daughter (Princess Qinghe, Liu Shisheng) to him.
Cao Pi, who was then the general of the Five Senses, dissuaded: "Women are very concerned about their husbands' appearance, and Ding Yi is blind in one eye, I am afraid that my sister will be unhappy, right?" ”
Cao Cao lost his temper and suddenly stood up and said, "Ding Yi is a rare talent, even if he is blind in both eyes, I will marry your sister to him, not to mention that he still has one eye?" Isn't that what you boy is trying to mislead me about? ”
Cao Cao thought about it, but eventually broke the marriage contract and remarried his daughter to Xiahou Shu,[ máo), the son of the general Xiahou Huan.
Ding Yi was tricked, harbored a grudge, and turned to Cao Cao's other son, Cao Zhi.
After Cao Cao's death, Cao Zhi did not run to the funeral, but drank with Ding Yi, and the emissary came to report the funeral, and Ding Yi also scolded the emissary.
Cao Pi inherited the title of Prince of Wei and sent Xu Chu and others to arrest Ding Yi's brothers for questioning, and soon after, Cao Pi ordered that Ding Yi and his family men be beheaded.
08
Cao Cao is good at using people, and his ability to recognize people is also super strong. The Book of Jin records that "Emperor Wucha of Wei had a chest and ambition, and he smelled of wolves..." Soon after Cao Cao appointed Sima Yi, he realized that this man had ambitions.
Cao Cao heard that Sima Yi had a wolf look, so he wanted to test it. One day, Cao Cao found Sima Yi, ordered him to take care of some official business, and then left.
When Sima Yi resigned, Cao Cao suddenly greeted him: "Zhongda, there are still some things!" ”
Sima Yi's body did not move, turned his head to look back, and Cao Cao looked: Emma! Isn't this the image of a wolf looking back behind him!
After Cao Cao was crowned King of Wei, he had a dream one day, dreaming of three horses eating grass in a trough, and when he woke up, he thought of Sima Yi's father and son.
Cao Cao was so disgusted that he said to his successor, Cao Pi, "Sima Yi is not a human subject! He will interfere in your family affairs in the future, be careful of this goods! ”
Cao Pi and Sima Yi were closely related, and he took his father's words as a side note, which led to the Sima family interfering in the government and eventually replacing the Cao family.
Although Cao Cao saw that the Sima family was unfavorable to the Cao clan, he hesitated and lost the opportunity to eliminate the harm.
09
When Cao Cao was dying, he left a suicide note saying: Lonely concubines and maids, kabuki, etc. are very hard!
Place them in the TongqueTai, provide them with food every morning and evening, and invite them to play music on the first and fifteenth days of the first month of each month...
You will ascend to the Tongque Terrace and look at the lonely cemetery, and distribute the remaining spices in the palace to the ladies.
They don't need to participate in the sacrifice, and when each room has nothing to do, they can make belts and shoes and sell them to others for some living expenses...
Before Cao Cao died, his mother-in-law said a lot, and he couldn't forget his wives and concubines who had fought side by side.
For future generations, he left an idiom of "selling incense and selling shoes", which is a metaphor for people thinking about their wives and concubines when they are dying.
The Tang Dynasty poet Luo Yin has a poem: "Heroes also go to the place of incense, how many ordinary people can there be?" ”