Text: Chasing the Wind (Author's Original Authorization)
It is well known that Cao Shuang died under Sima Yi's butcher's knife during the "Gaopingling Rebellion", which eventually led to a change of ownership of the Cao Wei regime. The author found that cao shuang who went to fight back against Sima Yi, the possibility of winning the game was very large. However, Cao Shuang actually did not fight back, he thought that he could still be a rich man by surrendering to Sima Yi, but he eventually died. The author feels that Cao Shuang can die of death, showing the five shortcomings of his personality that he has always had. And these five shortcomings were undoubtedly exposed in his battle to conquer Shu.
Well, let's talk about the battle of the boom.
In 244 AD, Cao Shuang suffered a crushing defeat and could not keep up with the grain. Moreover, the Shu army of Jiang Wei, Jiang Wan, and Fei Yi came to Hanzhong to support Wang Ping. The situation was very unfavorable to the Wei army, but Cao Shuang was still reluctant to withdraw
The "Biography of Cao Shuang in the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms" records that ——
The Wei general Cao Shuang led more than 100,000 troops to Hanchuan, and the forward was already in Luo Valley. However, another 60,000 or 70,000 people entered from luogu. At that time, Guanzhong and The Qiang and Qiang could not be supplied, the cattle, horses, mules, and donkeys died, and the Minyi wept on the road. Hundreds of miles into the valley, the Shu army was not allowed to enter because the mountains were solid.
Shuang joined the army Yang Wei in order to cool the situation, it is advisable to return urgently, otherwise he will be defeated. Shuang's favorite minister Deng Biao and Wei fought in front of Shuang, and Wei Yue said: "Biao, victorious will lose the country's affairs, but it can be cut." "It was unpleasant.
Why did Cao Shuang refuse to withdraw his troops? I think.
The first reason, Cao Shuang's cutting of Shu this time, was well known to everyone in the Wei state. At this time, ash slipped back, and he couldn't put his face down.
The second reason, this time the cutting of Shu, the cost of manpower, material resources, financial resources, animal power, national strength is innumerable, so retreat, the previous consumption will inevitably be adrift. Maybe you can turn the tables if you continue to fight?
The third reason was that the Wei army had reached the boundary of shu and Han, And Hanzhong was right in front of it, and the army of Great Wei was so gray and slippery that it withdrew, and many generals were not willing to be unwilling.
The fourth reason, Cao Shuang's army had previously taken the Luogu Road, the valley north of the Luogu Road was a section of waterless area, and many people and livestock were dying of thirst before they barely passed, and it was inevitable to go through the waterless area again when they returned. This waterless zone is a nightmare. Cao Shuang's army is now located in the southern part of qinling, and there is no shortage of food and water. When I go back, there will be a shortage of food and water for a few days.
However, the arrival of Cao Shuang's cousin Xiahou Xuan made Cao Shuang finally decide to withdraw his troops. It turned out that Cao Shuang's political enemy, Sima Yi, who was also the father-in-law of Cao Shuang's cousin Xiahou Hui, wrote a letter to Xiahou Xuan, lamenting that Cao Cao had become a chicken rib in Hanzhong.
The "Spring and Autumn of the Han Dynasty" records that Sima Xuanwang said of Xiahou Xuanyue: "In the Spring and Autumn Period, Emperor Xiwu re-entered Hanzhong, and was defeated several times, and the king knew it." Now that the road to Xingping is dangerous, Shu has already taken the lead; if the advance is not won, it will retreat to despair, and the army will be overthrown. Why leave it at your disposal! "Fearful, words are cool.
Cao Shuang finally decided to withdraw his troops, why did he withdraw his troops?
First, Cao Shuang fought in the Xingshi territory of Hanzhong, just like Cao Cao fought in Hanzhong. It has become a chicken rib trend. Chicken ribs chicken ribs, no meat, discarded flavor. Withdrawing will be uncomfortable, and not withdrawing will be even more uncomfortable. Therefore, long pain is not as good as short pain.
Second, Cao Shuang's subordinates were a bunch of favored subjects, and Xiahou Xuan was also one of them, and he was also his own cousin. Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuan played very well since childhood, and his cousin's words still had to be listened to.
Third, Sima Yi's confidant Guo Huai had already led the main cavalry force to retreat without Cao Shuang's permission, and the Wei army, which had lost the cover of cavalry, was no longer able to attack Hanzhong.
Fourth, Cao Shuang brought a lot of cattle and sheep to learn the lessons of the Shu army's previous sneak attacks on grain and grass. The Shu army was full of reinforcements, and it was good at fighting mountain warfare behind the enemy's back, and if it was really as Sima Yi said, when the time came to cut off Cao Shuang's retreat, then Cao Shuang would not even have a responsible life. Cao Shuang felt that what Sima Yi said was also reasonable, and it must be withdrawn.
Speaking of Shu Han's side, Fei Yi refused to withdraw so easily from Cao Shuang.
The "Spring and Autumn of the Han Dynasty" records that Fei Yi's troops entered the Three Ridges to intercept Shuang, and Shuang fought bitterly, but he only got through it.
The meaning of this passage is that the Shu army led by Fei Yi went around behind Cao Shuang's army and intercepted Cao Shuang's army on the way back. Cao Shuang was helpless, leading his soldiers to brave the dense arrow rain of the Shu army, enduring the lack of water, food, hunger and thirst, and forcibly retreating, so easy to retreat into Luogu Pass, and only to catch their breath when they reached Zhou Zhicheng.
According to the "Spring and Autumn of the Han Dynasty", this battle of prosperity, the cattle and horses that were sent out, died and lost, Qiang and Hu complained, and Guanzhong Longyou was wasted.
This means that the war of Shu launched by Cao Shuang wasted a lot of national strength, especially the people's strength in the Longyou region of Guanzhong. In the end, it ended in failure, and not only the Han people were very dissatisfied, but even the nearby nomads were very dissatisfied.
At this point in the Battle of Xingshi, let's list a few of Cao Shuang's major shortcomings.
The first disadvantage is that it is a good day. For the sake of their own utilitarian interests, they forcibly recruited the people's husbands, forcibly requisitioned grain, and forcibly recruited the nomadic people to produce cattle and sheep. Only by laying down Hanzhong can we win and cover up the ugliness. If Hanzhong cannot be defeated, it can only lose the hearts and minds of the people and the military. Let the warriors who support Cao Shuang feel cold, and let Sima Yi sit and reap the benefits of the fisherman.
The second shortcoming is to die and suffer from face. Obviously, it was impossible to fight in Hanzhong, and the wisest choice was to withdraw the army, and the gap between the strength of the Wei state and the Shu Han state was there. However, he was unwilling to withdraw his troops, so that the losses of this cutting were far greater than expected, and he could not stop the loss.
The third shortcoming, the suspicious personality.
In the "Biography of Cao Shuang in the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms", it is said that the Ming Emperor collapsed, the King of Qi took the throne, Jia Shuang shizhong, changed the title of Marquis of Wu'an, YiWan 2,000 households, gave the sword to the temple, entered the dynasty without tendency, and worshiped without a name. He issued an edict to declare the king a taifu, honored by his name on the outside, and wanted to make Shang Shu play a role in the inner world, and to control his weight first.
This means that Cao Shuang made Sima Yiming ascend and secretly made Taifu. The "Biography of Cao Shuang in the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms" also records that Biao and others wanted to make Shuang Liwei famous in the world, and persuaded Shu to cut down Shu, and Shuang obeyed his words, and Xuan Wang could not forbid it.
It turned out that Sima Yi did not approve of Cao Shuang's cutting of Shu at the beginning, and Cao Shuang regarded Sima Yi as a political enemy, and Cao Shuang would definitely not listen to the words of political enemies.
In addition, Cao Shuang's fourth and fifth shortcomings are the most fatal.
The fourth major shortcoming, which actually runs through the entire battle of prosperity, is indecisiveness. Indecisiveness, when the break is constantly bound to be chaotic. After the defeat of Shu, Cao Shuang could no longer capture Hanzhong and refused to surrender.
In the change of Gao Pingling, Cao Shuang's best way was to take the Wei Shao Emperor Cao Fang hostage to Chang'an to join his cousin Xiahou Xuan, and take the Guanzhong army back to Luoyang. But he was indecisive and uttered such childish words that I would not lose as a rich man. This sentence is not childish, but it is childish to put it in the political struggle.
The fifth big drawback is that it is too "benevolent".
In the Battle of Xingshi, Yang Wei, who joined the army, was not Cao Shuang's favorite, he confronted Cao Shuang's favorite, and bluntly said to Cao Shuang that Cao Shuang's favorite subject wanted to kill him, but Cao Shuang did not kill him. why? The author feels that Cao Shuang is "benevolent" and more regretful.
"The New Language of the World" describes Yang Wei as follows:
Yang Weizi Shiying, Feng Yiren. After Zhuge Liang's death, the Ming Emperor Cao Rui ruled the palace room, and Wei Zhi said: "Now as a palace room, cut down the pines and cypresses on the tombs of the living people, destroy the stele beasts and stone pillars, and kill the dead, and hurt the hearts of filial piety, it cannot be the law of future generations." "
Why is Cao Shuang more "benevolent"? Because he accompanied Cao Rui in his early years, he was very sympathetic to Cao Rui's mother's fall out of favor when he was young, and he was snubbed by his father Cao Pi. Whether it was Yang Wei's advice to Cao Rui or Cao Shuang's withdrawal now, Cao Shuang knew that Yang Wei's heart was good, how could he kill him?
Based on this, the author believes that Cao Shuang's later surrender to Sima Yi in the "Gaopingling Change" also had family considerations. Sima Yi's son Sima Shi was his cousin-in-law. Moreover, in the previous political struggles, Cao Shuang always spared Sima Yi and did not put Sima Yi to death, also because of family affection.
In the end, cao Shuang's five shortcomings killed himself, and also completely buried the Great Wei Jiangshan that Cao Cao had worked so hard to lay down.