Text | Huang Gongzi · Anchor | Cloud Bay
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When Cao Cao was not successful, Xu Shao, the host of the Yuedan Review, asked for a talk.
As long as it is a person who has been evaluated by Yuedan, he will be worth a hundred times and his reputation will rise.
The Yuedan commentary at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty is roughly like the variety show on today's hot search list, which is elegant and interesting, or better than today.
Xu Shao looked down on Cao Cao and refused to judge him.
The Book of Later Han records that Cao Cao found an opportunity to threaten Xu Shao, and Xu Shao had no choice but to comment: "The traitor of Jun Qingping, the hero of the chaotic world."
In the commentary of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xu Shao's words are: "The capable subject who governs the world, the adulterous male who is in turmoil." ”
The influence of this comment on Cao Cao's image has not diminished to this day.
The phrase "chaotic world adulterous male" has become the traditional cognition of Cao Cao by most people, and has also made Cao Cao always appear as a sinister and cunning white face in Peking Opera.
But Mr. Lu Xun said that Cao Cao was a very capable person, at least a hero.
Don't forget, that comment of that year, but Cao Cao threatened others to ask for it.
He laughed and left, and has since become famous.
Loneliness and ignorance will always make the people who are conceited and learned unwilling.
Mediocre people complain about their poor situation, while smarter people know how to create opportunities for themselves.
Identify opportunities with your eyes
Cao Cao was born into a family of eunuchs.
His adoptive grandfather was a eunuch who served four generations of emperors, and his father inherited the marquis and saved some family money by accepting bribes as an official.
This is a good origin.
However, compared with several people who competed with Cao Cao for world domination, Cao Cao's starting point was too backward.
In terms of origin, it is not as good as Yuan Shao, and there is no strong backing of the famous family to provide support;
On the bloodline, it is not as good as Liu Bei, and there is no noble genealogy after the royal family as a support;
On the ancestral inheritance, it is not as good as Sun Quan, and there is no splendid foundation laid by the great father and brother.
Cao Cao only learned what he had.
From the time Cao Cao was 19 years old and a lieutenant in the northern part of Luoyang in the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he showed his political talent.
The emperor's favored eunuch Jian Shuo's uncle Jian Tu violated the prohibition of nocturnal travel, and Cao Cao directly killed him.
Cao Cao reaped the achievements of "Jingshi's traces, no dare offenders", but his official position was secretly demoted by Ming Sheng and transferred away from Luoyang.
No matter where he went, the young Cao Cao could always make "politics and religion flourish, and one county was clear and peaceful", and he cleaned up corrupt officials and corrupt officials, and also violated the bottom line of those with vested interests.
He never seemed to be afraid of the dark political situation at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, nor did he despise complicity with corrupt people, and he valued the law more than his official position.
So he rose and fell, in and out, and became his career path when he was young.
In the year of the Han Ling Emperor's death, the 34-year-old Cao Cao was serving as a lieutenant in the military academy, in charge of the emperor's guards.
However, Dong Zhuo entered the capital, deposed the Young Emperor of Han, and established the Han XianDi instead, claiming to be a taishi and controlling the government.
Cao Cao witnessed the coup close by, and when he fled to Chen Liu, he did not live his life.
Not limited to the present, the ideals of politics and the lofty vision allowed Cao Cao to recognize the initial opportunities.
"Scattering family wealth and joining the righteous soldiers", Cao Cao became the first person to call on the heroes of the world to fight against Dong Zhuo.
Later, Yuan Shao was promoted to the position of ally, and Cao Cao also served as a general in the coalition against Dong Zhuo.
If it were not for him initiating the volunteers, would there be a place for him in the future central plains?
Only those who have great ambitions will continue to run forward;
Only those who have a high vision can read and understand the opportunities that belong to the future.
Seize opportunities with ability
It is often said that opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared.
Cao Cao loved the art of war from a young age.
He was familiar with Sun Wu and Wu Qi, and wrote more than 100,000 words of the Book of Soldiers.
He wrote "Notes on Sun Tzu", which pioneered the compilation of the thirteen articles of "Sun Tzu".
If Cao Cao, who was in his thirties, had the opportunity to attack Dong Zhuo, he had only begun to make up for his military skills all night, presumably he would never have the opportunity to show the majesty of the Central Plains overlord in this life.
From the stories recorded in later generations, you can get a glimpse of the legendary style of his march.
It is recorded in the "New Sayings of the World" that Cao Cao could not find a water source during his march, so he said to the soldiers who were very thirsty:
"Before there was a big Merlin, Raozi, and sweet acid that can quench thirst."
The soldiers drooled after hearing this, and Cao Cao used this method to keep the troops going until they found a water source.
Later generations called it, Hoping Plum quenched thirst.
This is Cao Cao's imagination, but also his military leadership.
It can soothe people's hearts the fastest and most effectively.
After the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao counted Yuan Shao's letters, got the letters of his subordinates colluding with Yuan Shao, burned them all, and said: "When Shao is strong, he can't protect himself, and everyone cares!" ”
He understood that his sergeants were just ordinary people who wanted to live, and he knew how to win people's hearts.
In the "Biography of Cao Cao", it is recorded that Cao Cao led his army through the wheat field and ordered, "The soldiers are undefeated, and the prisoners die."
So the soldiers dismounted and helped the wheat, for fear of violating military law by stepping on the wheat.
As a result, Cao Cao's horses sneaked into the wheat fields.
The main book said, "Punishment is not imposed on respect", but Cao Cao said, "If you make the law and commit crimes yourself, why should you be handsome?" However, if you are a military commander, you must not commit suicide, please punish yourself. So he cut his hair and took the lead.
For the ripe wheat, Cao Cao had the heart to protect each other and was responsible for the people.
His own horse trampled on the wheat and cut his hair to replace the head, which showed the severity of Cao Cao's rule of the army.
From the second year of Emperor Chuping of The Han Dynasty to the thirteenth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao relied on his outstanding military ability and wisdom to chase Yuan Shu, defeat Zhang Xiu, destroy Lü Bu, break Yuan Shao, attack Liu Bei, conquer Wuhuan in the north, and gradually eliminate the separatist forces north of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and finally unify the north.
In these 17 years, Cao Cao's "Qingzhou Soldiers" grew into "famous horses under the heavens" that deterred the Central Plains.
These 17 years are known as the founding battles of Cao Wei.
The Book of Wei says, "Taizu ruled over the sea, and his marching divisions were more likely to follow the laws of Sun and Wu, and because of the strangeness of things, the enemy won the victory, and the changes were like gods." ”
When the opportunity is in front of you, you need absolute strength and seize the opportunity in order to step onto the stage you yearn for.
Choose opportunities with wisdom
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms commented on Cao Cao, "Or can it be said that he is an extraordinary person, a master of the world." ”
Cao Cao indeed relied on his own talent and scheming, arrogantly respected his peers, and won the position of overlord of the Central Plains.
But he was by no means perfect, and even morally flawed.
He would lead an army to conquer Tao Qian because Xuzhou assassinated Shi Taoqian and kill his father Cao Song, conquering more than ten cities in Xuzhou, and massacring on a large scale, all the way "chickens and dogs were exhausted, and there were no more pedestrians in The Ruins." ”
Yang Xiu, who was arrogant and proud, was rated by Cao Cao as a chicken rib with "tasteless food and pity for abandoning it", and died at the hands of Cao Cao.
The Biography of Cao Cao records that Cao Cao once had a favored concubine wake him up for a while before taking a nap.
When Concubine Ji saw that Cao Cao was sleeping soundly, she took matters into her own hands and did not wake him up.
When Cao Cao woke up, he killed the concubine.
In the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", the most frightening sentence that portrays Cao Cao's ruthlessness is: I kill people in my dreams.
The more Cao Cao was in a high position, the more he seemed to be caught in the quagmire of political cunning.
The strategist Mao Jiu proposed to him: "Obey the son of heaven to order not to be subordinate, cultivate and plant with livestock and military funds", and he finally came to this step.
Emperor Xian of Han was Cao Cao, who added Jiu Xi and established the State of Wei, and made him the Duke of Wei and the King of Wei.
He is on the throne of the princes, and he is not a subject, nor is he commanded to worship.
Nominal Han chen, de facto emperor.
And he stopped there.
The "Spring and Autumn of the Wei Dynasty" records that
Xiahou Huan advised Cao Cao: The whole world knows that the Han Dynasty Jiangshan has died, "the different generations have risen", Your Highness has been fighting in the Ma Jiangshan for more than thirty years, and your merits have been manifested in the people, "for the world to rely on, to respond to the heavens and the people", what doubts are there? And Cao Cao said, "If the Mandate of Heaven is in me, I am King Wen of Zhou." ”
King Wen of Zhou laid the political foundation for Jianzhou throughout his life, but it was not until King Wu of Zhou destroyed Shang Jianzhou that he posthumously honored him as King Wen.
It turned out that this was Cao Cao's lifelong pursuit.
In the eyes of the world, his virtue may not be on par with King Wen, but he who "gets on the horse and gives poetry" has his own wonderful talent and open and confident style.
Later, his dream was indeed realized, and his son Cao Pi jianwei posthumously honored him as Emperor Wu of Wei.
Cao Cao was not without the ability to claim the title of emperor, and if he had chosen to usurp the throne that year, the evaluation of him by later texts would have been a different situation.
But Cao Cao had his own path in his heart.
When they encounter obstacles, they cut through thorns; when they encounter no way, they walk out of the way themselves.
When he was young, he had a broad vision and could seize opportunities with strength, and in his twilight years, he also supported his freedom with absolute strength and chose the life he wanted.
As Huang Renyu said, Cao Cao has the romantic color of daring to say and do, heroic and bold, and uninhibited, and also has an informal, far-sighted outstanding.
However, although he saw clearly that traditional morality could not solve the problems of the day, he did not know that abandoning traditional morality would not necessarily save the problems of the day.
People see his strengths, they see his shortcomings, they see his great achievements, and they see his murderous sins.
I think that the heroes or adulterers of the generation who are deeply involved in the sinister political arena, the truest and most magnificent color of life, in his "song to yongzhi".
Sing to wine, life is geometric! For example, the morning dew, going to the day is more bitter.
The years are like shuttles, enjoy in time, and make achievements in time for the cause to which you belong.
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Background music | "Bouquet"
Image credit | Stills from "Cao Cao"
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