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101-530: Cao Cao began his career as an official under the Han government and held various appointments including that of a district security chief in the capital and the chancellor of a principality . He rose to prominence in the 190s during which he recruited his own followers, formed his own army, and set up a base in Yan Province (covering parts of present-day Henan and Shandong ). In 196, he received Emperor Xian ,

202-686: A chancellor ( xiàng ). Parallel to these, some Qin commanderies were continued, placed under a governor appointed directly by the central government. By the Eastern Han dynasty, the commanderies were subordinated to a new division , the province ( zhōu ). — establishing a three-tier system composed of provinces, commanderies, and counties . Based upon legendary accounts of the Yellow Emperor 's Nine Provinces which were geographic rather than formal political areas, there were initially 13 provinces and roughly 100 commanderies. China

303-671: A brilliant political and military leader, Cao Cao is celebrated for his poems which were characteristic of the Jian'an style of Chinese poetry . Opinions of him have remained divided from as early as the Jin dynasty (265–420) that came immediately after the Three Kingdoms period. There were some who praised him for his achievements in poetry and his career, but there were also others who condemned him for his cruelty, cunning, and allegedly traitorous ways. In traditional Chinese culture, Cao Cao

404-462: A campaign to retake Xu Province from Liu Bei, defeated him, and captured his family. Liu Bei's general Guan Yu , who was guarding Xu Province's capital, Xiapi ( 下邳 ; present-day Pizhou , Jiangsu), surrendered and temporarily served Cao Cao. Liu Bei fled north to join Yuan Shao after his defeat. Some of Cao Cao's subordinates initially expressed worries that Yuan Shao might attack them while Cao Cao

505-668: A ceremonial axe and appointed him Manager of the Affairs of the Imperial Secretariat ( 錄尚書事 ) and Colonel-Director of Retainers ( 司隷校尉 ). As Luoyang was in bad shape, Dong Zhao and others advised Cao Cao to move the imperial capital to Xu ( 許 ; present-day Xuchang , Henan). So, in October or early November 196, Cao Cao and his forces escorted Emperor Xian to Xuchang, which became the new imperial capital. Cao Cao had himself appointed General-in-Chief ( 大將軍 ) and promoted from

606-657: A full translation of fascicle 29. Rafe de Crespigny , in addition to his translation of Sun Jian's biography (Fascicle 46), also translated excerpts of the Records of the Three Kingdoms in his translation of the Zizhi Tongjian that deals with the last years of the Han dynasty, as does Achilles Fang , who translated the Zizhi Tongjian fascicles that deal with the Three Kingdoms period proper. The Zizhi Tongjian fascicles in question draw heavily from Records of

707-611: A garrison in Henei Commandery ( 河內郡 ; around present-day Wuzhi County , Henan). Yuan Shao and Han Fu thought of installing Liu Yu , the Governor of You Province , on the throne to replace Emperor Xian. When they sought Cao Cao's opinion, Cao Cao refused to support them and reaffirmed his allegiance to Emperor Xian. Yuan Shao's plan turned out to be unsuccessful because Liu Yu himself did not want to be emperor. Yuan Shao once invited Cao Cao to sit beside him and showed him

808-429: A jade seal, indicating his imperial ambition, and a tacit request for Cao Cao's support. Finding this despicable, Cao Cao laughed at him. Between 191 and 192, Yuan Shao appointed Cao Cao Administrator of Dong Commandery ( 東郡 in Yan Province ; near present-day Puyang , Henan. This position allowed him to exact taxes and conscript soldiers. His first territorial command in that respect marks the beginning of his career as

909-418: A note or even offer a correction. In regard to historical events and figures, as well as Chen Shou's original text, he added his own commentary. Crucially, he cited his sources in almost every case. The Records of the Three Kingdoms was the main source of inspiration for the 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms , one of the four great Classic Chinese Novels . As such the records is considered one of

1010-413: A plot initiated by Dong Cheng and others to get rid of Cao Cao. After leaving Xuchang, Liu Bei headed to Xu Province, killed the provincial inspector Che Zhou ( 車冑 ), and seized control of Xu Province. Cao Cao sent Liu Dai ( 劉岱 ) and Wang Zhong to attack Liu Bei but they were defeated. In February 200, Cao Cao got wind of Dong Cheng's plot and had all the conspirators arrested and executed. He then led

1111-593: A primary antagonist in the story, but also introduced, fictionalised, and exaggerated certain events to enhance Cao Cao's "villainous" image. The authoritative historical source on Cao Cao's life is his official biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms written by Chen Shou in the third century. His sources for his work on the Wei portion of his book ( 魏志 ; Wei Zhi ) included the Dongguan Ji ( 東觀記 ; now lost),

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1212-634: A relative of Empress Song . In 178, when Emperor Ling deposed Empress Song in the aftermath of a political scandal, the empress's family and relatives got into trouble as well. Because of his relationship with Song Qi, Cao Cao was implicated in the scandal and dismissed from office. However, he was pardoned later and recalled to Luoyang to serve as a Consultant ( 議郎 ) under the Minister of the Household because of his expertise in history. The general Dou Wu and senior minister Chen Fan plotted to get rid of

1313-453: A single work. Pei collected other records to add information he felt should be added. He provided detailed explanations to some of the geography and other elements mentioned in the original. He also included multiple accounts of the same events. Sometimes, the accounts he added contradicted each other, but he included them anyway since he could not decide which version was the correct one. If Pei added something that sounded wrong, he would make

1414-646: A stalemate for months and Cao Cao's supplies were gradually running out and his men were growing weary. During this time, Yuan Shao sent Liu Bei to contact a rebel chief, Liu Pi ( 劉辟 ), in Runan Commandery ( 汝南郡 ; near present-day Xinyang , Henan) and join Liu Pi in making a sneak attack on Cao Cao's base in Xuchang while Cao Cao was away at Guandu. However, Liu Bei and Liu Pi were defeated and driven back by Cao Cao's general Cao Ren . During this time, Sun Ce ,

1515-466: A village marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Wuping" ( 武平侯 ), later characterised as ten thousand households. Since Dong Zhuo moved the capital from Luoyang to Chang'an in 190, the imperial court had been in a state of disorder. However, after Cao Cao received Emperor Xian and established the new imperial capital in Xuchang, order was restored, although Cao Cao did have the emperor's confidante Zhao Yan ( 趙彥 ) killed for secretively keeping

1616-519: A warlord based in the Jiangdong region, also contemplated attacking Xuchang and taking Emperor Xian hostage. However, he was assassinated before he could execute his plan. Jun (country subdivision) A commandery ( Chinese : 郡 ; pinyin : jùn ) was a historical administrative division of China that was in use from the Eastern Zhou (c. 7th century BCE) until

1717-634: A warlord. During this time, he defeated the Heishan bandits , who were causing trouble in the region, and some Southern Xiongnu forces led by Yufuluo in Neihuang County . Around the time, remnants from the Yellow Turban Rebellion swarmed into Yan Province from Qing Province. Liu Dai , the Governor of Yan Province, was killed in a battle against the rebels. Bao Xin , Chen Gong and others invited Cao Cao to replace Liu Dai as

1818-652: A work which Pei Songzhi denigrated in very strident terms. The official standard history of the Eastern Han dynasty , the Book of the Later Han by Fan Ye , was not available to Pei Songzhi. He and Fan Ye were contemporaries, but Fan Ye did not begin work on his history until a few years after Pei Songzhi completed his. The Book of the Later Han does not contain a full biography of Cao Cao, but records of him and his actions can be found scattered in disparate locations in

1919-429: Is historically known as Emperor Shao. As Emperor Shao was still young, his mother Empress Dowager He and maternal uncle He Jin ruled as regents on his behalf. He Jin plotted with Yuan Shao and others to eliminate the eunuch faction , and shared their plan with his sister. When the empress dowager was reluctant to kill the eunuchs, He Jin thought of summoning generals stationed outside Luoyang to lead their troops into

2020-402: Is negative. Cao Man zhuan has been characterised as "hostile propaganda", and certain contents as "slanderous". Such a work cannot be considered a reliable source, but informs an exaggerated perspective contraposed to the glowing portrait painted by his own dynasty's official history. For much of his career, Cao Cao hosted and controlled the final Han emperor, whose doings and correspondence it

2121-561: Is organised in the form of one or more biographies. The author Chen Shou was born in present-day Nanchong , Sichuan , then in the state of Shu Han . After the Conquest of Shu by Wei in 263, he became an official historian under the government of the Jin dynasty , and created a history of the Three Kingdoms period. After the Conquest of Wu by Jin in 280, his work received the acclaim of senior minister Zhang Hua . Prior to

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2222-475: Is stereotypically portrayed as a sly, power-hungry, and treacherous tyrant who serves as a nemesis to Liu Bei, often depicted in contraposition as a hero trying to revive the declining Han dynasty. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), when Luo Guanzhong wrote the epic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms which dramatises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. He not only cast Cao Cao as

2323-648: The Book of Wei , and possibly other records. Chen Shou worked in the history bureau and had access to a variety of sources, but followed the traditional method of incorporating information into a single synthesis without citing his sources, so it is not clear how broad a pool of documentation he drew upon. In the fifth century, Pei Songzhi annotated the Sanguozhi by incorporating information from other sources to Chen Shou's original work and adding his personal commentary, as well as commentary from other historians. One of

2424-466: The Records of the Three Kingdoms . However, since the state of Shu lacked an official history bureau, the Book of Shu in the Records was composed by Chen Shou himself based on his earlier personal notes about events in Shu and other primary sources he collected, such as his previously compiled writings of Zhuge Liang . The Records of the Three Kingdoms used the year 220 CE—when the last emperor of

2525-459: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms , though the Romance also includes a number of characters and stories that are fictional. However, most of the historical facts were drawn from Chen's Records . The Records of the Three Kingdoms has not been fully translated into English. William Gordon Crowell alludes to a project to translate Chen Shou's work with Pei Songzhi's commentary in full, but it

2626-623: The Ten Attendants , a eunuch faction— their plan failed and they lost their lives. Cao Cao wrote a memorial to Emperor Ling to defend Dou Wu and Chen Fan, and point out that the imperial court was full of corrupt officials and that advice from loyal officials had been ignored. Emperor Ling did not listen to him. Emperor Ling later issued a decree, ordering the Three Ducal Ministers to report and dismiss commandery and county officials who performed badly in office. However,

2727-852: The Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, the Han central government commissioned Cao Cao as a Cavalry Commandant ( 騎都尉 ) and ordered him to lead imperial forces to attack the rebels in Yingchuan Commandery ( 潁川郡 ; around present-day Xuchang , Henan). He was later appointed as the Chancellor of Jinan State  [ zh ] ( 濟南郡 ; around present-day Jinan , Shandong), a principality in Qing Province which had over 10 counties under its jurisdiction. Many senior officials in Jinan State had connections with

2828-656: The circuit had been introduced, bringing back a three-tier system). In the Warring States period , the chief administrative officers of the areas were known as commandery administrators ( Chinese : 郡守 ; pinyin : jùnshǒu ; lit. 'defender of the jun'). In the Han dynasty , the position of junshou was renamed grand administrator ( 太守 ; tàishǒu ; 'grand defender'). Both terms are also translated as "governor". A grand administrator drew an annual salary of 2,000 dan ( 石 ) of grain according to

2929-437: The major realms . Despite having smaller populations and ranking lower on the official hierarchies, the commanderies were larger and boasted greater military strength than the counties. As each state's territory gradually took shape in the 5th- to 3rd-century BCE Warring States period, the commanderies at the borders flourished. This gave rise to a two-tier administrative system, with counties subordinate to commanderies. Each of

3030-532: The pinzhi ( 品秩 ; pǐnzhì ) system of administrative rank. Many former grand administrators were promoted to the posts of the Three Ducal Ministers or Nine Ministers later in their careers. Records of the Three Kingdoms The Records of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty ( c.  184  – 220 CE) and

3131-792: The Governor of Yan Province. Cao Cao defeated the rebels in battle and received the surrender of over 300,000 rebels and hundreds of thousands of civilians (the rebels' family members). From among them, he recruited the more battle-hardened ones to form a new military unit known as the Qingzhou Corps ( 青州兵 ). Yuan Shu had disagreements with Yuan Shao so he contacted Gongsun Zan , Yuan Shao's rival in northern China, for help in dealing with Yuan Shao. Gongsun Zan instructed Liu Bei , Shan Jing ( 單經 ) and Tao Qian to garrison at Gaotang , Pingyuan and Fagan ( 發干 ; east of present-day Guan County, Shandong ) counties respectively to put pressure on Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao allied with Cao Cao and defeated all

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3232-554: The Grand Commandant during the reign of Emperor Ling ( r.  168–189 ), buying his way into high government office for an exorbitant sum, and serving less than half a year. Cao Song was a foster son of Cao Teng , a eunuch who served as a Central Regular Attendant and the Empress's Chamberlain under Emperor Huan ( r.  146–168 ), and held the peerage of Marquis of Fei Village ( 費亭侯 ). In his youth, Cao Cao

3333-495: The Han dynasty was forced to abdicate to Cao Pi—as the year in which the Wei dynasty was established. The Records refer to the rulers of Wei as 'Emperors' and those of Shu and Wu as 'Lords' or by their personal names. Due to the biographical rather than primarily annalistic arrangement of the work, assigning dates to the historical content is both imprecise and non-trivial. Certain fascicles contain background information about their subjects' forebears which date back centuries before

3434-592: The Imperial Guards. His request was rejected and he was appointed as a Consultant ( 議郎 ) instead. He then claimed that he was ill and resigned and went home. He built a house outside the city and lived there, spending his time reading in spring and summer, and going on hunting excursions in autumn and winter. Wang Fen ( 王芬 ), the Inspector of Ji Province , along with Xu You , Zhou Jing ( 周旌 ) and others, plotted to overthrow Emperor Ling and replace him with

3535-603: The Inspector of Yang Province, and Zhou Xin , the Administrator of Danyang Commandery ( 丹楊郡 ), gave him over 4,000 troops. On the way back, when they passed by Longkang County ( 龍亢縣 ; in present-day Huaiyuan County , Anhui), many soldiers started a mutiny and set fire to Cao Cao's tent at night, but he was able to escape. When Cao Cao reached Zhi ( 銍 ; west of present-day Suzhou, Anhui ) and Jianping ( 建平 ; southwest of present-day Xiayi County , Henan) counties later, he managed to regroup over 1,000 soldiers and lead them to

3636-505: The Jin dynasty, both the states of Cao Wei and Wu has already composed their own official histories: the Book of Wei by Wang Chen , Xun Yi , and Ruan Ji ; and the Book of Wu by Wei Zhao , Hua He , Xue Ying , Zhou Zhao ( 周昭 ), and Liang Guang ( 梁廣 ). Additionally, Yu Huan had completed his privately compiled history of Wei, the Weilüe . Chen Shou used these texts as the foundation of

3737-716: The Marquis of Hefei ( 合肥侯 ). They contacted Cao Cao and asked him to join them but he refused. Wang Fen's plan ultimately failed. Cao Cao was appointed as Colonel Who Arranges the Army ( 典軍校尉 ) and summoned back to Luoyang to serve in the Army of the Western Garden when Bian Zhang , Han Sui and others started a rebellion in Liang Province . Emperor Ling died in 189 and was succeeded by his son, Liu Bian , who

3838-466: The Ministers protected the under-performing officials and accepted bribes, resulting in a situation where evildoers were not punished while the poor and weak were oppressed. Cao Cao felt frustrated when he saw this. When natural disasters occurred, Cao Cao was summoned to the imperial court to discuss the problems in the administration. During this time, he wrote another memorial to Emperor Ling, accusing

3939-519: The Nine Provinces ( 九州春秋 ), also from the 3rd century. Later sources included works by the moralistic historian Sun Sheng , most saliently his Chronicles of the Clans of Wei ( 魏氏春秋 ), but also his more critical Yitong Ping ( 異同評 ; Commentary on Similarities and Differences ) and Yitong Zayu ( 異同雜語 ; Miscellaneous Words on Similarities and Differences ), which may have been parts of

4040-675: The Prince of Chengyang State ( 城陽國 ; around present-day Ju County , Shandong), felt that he had made great contributions to the Han Empire so he built temples in his principality for the people to worship him. Many other commanderies in Qing Province also followed this practice. In Jinan State alone, there were over 600 such temples. Wealthy merchants could even borrow the servants and personal carriages of officials for their own leisure activities. This resulted in greater inequality between

4141-579: The Three Ducal Ministers of siding with the nobles and elites, and helping them to cover up their misdeeds. Emperor Ling was stunned after reading the memorial. He admonished the Ministers for their conduct, reinstated the officials who had been wrongly dismissed, and appointed them as Consultants. However, corruption worsened over time and became rampant throughout all levels of the government. Cao Cao stopped speaking up when he realised that his efforts to restore order were futile. In 184, when

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4242-554: The abdication of Emperor Xian in November 220 and established the state of Cao Wei to replace the Eastern Han dynasty— an event commonly seen as a usurpation. This marked the transition from the Eastern Han dynasty to the Six Dynasties period. After taking the throne, Cao Pi granted his father the posthumous title " Emperor Wu " ("Martial Emperor") and the temple name " Taizu " ("Grand Ancestor"). Apart from being lauded as

4343-574: The administration were merged into one level, typically rendered in English as prefecture, marking the end of the commandery. Some Emperors to referred to this level of administration as a jun ("commandery"), but most used zhou ("province") and the political function was the same, regardless. By the end of the Tang dynasty the term jun saw no more use in China (and a new higher tier of administrative unit,

4444-610: The age of 19. He was later appointed as the Commandant of the North District ( 北部尉 ) of the imperial capital Luoyang and put in charge of maintaining security in that area. Later that year, he was transferred to the position of Prefect of Dunqiu County ( 頓丘縣 ; near present-day Qingfeng County , Henan). This represented a horizontal career move to a position of greater authority in a smaller jurisdiction with less political importance. Cao Cao's cousin married Song Qi ( 宋奇 ),

4545-585: The amount of defensive assets tasked to defend farms and granaries, and increase the area and productivity of lands held directly by the state. In early 197, Cao Cao led his forces to Wancheng ( 宛城 ; present-day Wancheng District in Nanyang, Henan) to attack a rival warlord, Zhang Xiu . Zhang Xiu initially surrendered without a fight, but due to ill treatment changed his mind and attacked Cao Cao and caught him off guard. Cao Cao lost his eldest son Cao Ang , nephew Cao Anmin ( 曹安民 ) and close bodyguard Dian Wei in

4646-424: The appointment on the grounds of poor health, and resigned and went home. The Book of Wei recorded that around the time, corruption had deteriorated to the point where influential officials dominated the imperial court and blatantly abused their powers. Cao Cao was unable to stop them and feared that he might bring trouble to his family because he had been interfering with their activities, so he requested to serve in

4747-660: The autumn of 197, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shu in battle, captured several of his officers, and had them executed. By 199, some months after Lü Bu's defeat at the Battle of Xiapi , Yuan Shu, who was already in dire straits, wanted to abandon his lands in the Huainan region and head north to join Yuan Shao. Cao Cao sent Liu Bei and Zhu Ling to lead forces to intercept and block Yuan Shu in Xu Province . Yuan Shu died of illness while under siege by Liu Bei and Zhu Ling. While Cao Cao

4848-1005: The battle. He returned to Xuchang after his defeat, but attacked Zhang Xiu again later that year and pacified Huyang ( 湖陽 ; southwest of present-day Tanghe County , Henan) and Wuyin ( 舞陰 ; southeast of present-day Sheqi County , Henan) counties. In early 198, he led another campaign against Zhang Xiu and besieged him in Rangcheng ( 穰城 ; present-day Dengzhou , Henan) but withdrew his forces about two months later. Before retreating back to Xuchang, he set up an ambush and defeated Zhang Xiu's pursuing forces. In late 199, acting on Jia Xu 's advice, Zhang Xiu voluntarily surrendered to Cao Cao, who accepted his surrender. In early 197, Yuan Shu declared himself emperor in Shouchun ( 壽春 ; present-day Shou County , Anhui) – an act regarded as treason against Emperor Xian . He soon came under attack by Cao Cao and various forces, including his former ally Lü Bu . In

4949-565: The book. Some of Cao Cao's own writing – both literary and in the form of government edicts – has been preserved in later collectanea. His commentary on The Art of War is extant, but offers little insight into his life. Cao Cao's ancestral home was in Qiao County ( 譙縣 ), Pei State , which is present-day Bozhou, Anhui . He was purportedly a descendant of Cao Shen , a statesman of the early Western Han dynasty (206 BCE – 9 CE). His father, Cao Song , served as

5050-633: The capital to Chang'an. In Luoyang, Emperor Xian came under the protection of Dong Cheng , former bandit Yang Feng , and other petty strongmen who have been characterised as "ragtag gangsters". The emperor sought refuge under Yuan Shao, but was rebuffed. In February or March 196, acting on the advice of Xun Yu and Cheng Yu , Cao Cao sent Cao Hong west to fetch Emperor Xian but was blocked by Dong Cheng and Yuan Shu's subordinate Chang Nu ( 萇奴 ). Between March and April 196, Cao Cao defeated Yellow Turban remnants in Runan ( 汝南 ) and Yingchuan ( 潁川 ) commanderies and

5151-557: The central government. Later that year, Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao and replaced him with Liu Xie, who is historically known as Emperor Xian. The deposed Emperor Shao became the Prince of Hongnong. Dong Zhuo wanted to appoint Cao Cao as a Colonel of Valiant Cavalry ( 驍騎校尉 ) and recruit him as an adviser. However, Cao Cao adopted a fake identity, escaped from Luoyang, and returned to his home in Chenliu Commandery ( 陳留郡 ; near present-day Kaifeng ). He had two encounters along

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5252-448: The county when his supplies ran out due to natural disasters such as locust plagues and droughts. Grain supplies were so limited that Cao Cao strongly considered an offer to serve under Yuan Shao, but was persuaded against it and ceased recruitment instead. He sent his army to collect food, but his numerically inferior forces were able to turn back an attack by Lü Bu that summer using deceptive tactics. From 194 to late 195, Cao Cao attacked

5353-750: The death of Sun Hao in 284. One abstract regarding the chronology is translated as follows: In the 24th year (of Jian'an), the Former Lord became the King of Hanzhong, and he appointed (Guan) Yu as the General of the Vanguard. In the same year, (Guan) Yu led his men to attack Cao Ren at Fan. Lord Cao sent Yu Jin to aid (Cao) Ren. In autumn, great rains caused the Han River to flood. (Yu) Jin and all seven armies he oversaw were inundated. During

5454-514: The difficulties Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had faced in supplying their armies, as well as his own struggles with food supply in recent years, Cao Cao followed Zao Zhi and Han Hao 's suggestion to implement the tuntian system of agriculture to produce a sustainable supply of grain for his growing army. The tuntian agricultural colonies gave Cao Cao an advantage over his adversaries, allowing him to resettle internally displaced refugees, redevelop abandoned arable lands, shorten his supply lines, reduce

5555-480: The earliest extant native record being the Kojiki of 712. The text forms the foundation on which the 14th-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong is based. In addition, Chen Shou's literary style and vivid portrayal of characters have been a source of influence for the novel. The Records include biographies of historical figures such as Cao Cao and Guan Yu who feature prominently in

5656-626: The early Tang dynasty (c. 7th century CE). Several neighboring countries adopted Chinese commanderies as the basis for their own administrative divisions. During the Eastern Zhou 's Spring and Autumn period from the 8th to 5th centuries BCE, the larger and more powerful of the Zhou 's vassal states —including Qin , Jin and Wei —began annexing their smaller rivals. These new lands were not part of their original fiefs and were instead organized into counties ( xiàn ). Eventually, commanderies were developed as marchlands between

5757-585: The emperor updated on the great affairs of state. Cao Cao sent an imperial decree to Yuan Shao in Emperor Xian's name to appoint him as Grand Commandant ( 太尉 ). Yuan Shao was unhappy because Grand Commandant ranked below Cao Cao's position, General-in-Chief, so he rejected the appointment. When Cao Cao heard about it, he gave up his position as General-in-Chief and offered it to Yuan Shao. Emperor Xian reappointed Cao Cao as Minister of Works ( 司空 ) and acting General of Chariots and Cavalry ( 車騎將軍 ). Struck by

5858-434: The eunuchs got wind of He Jin's plot and assassinated him before the generals and their troops arrived. Yuan Shao and He Jin's followers led their forces to storm the imperial palace and slaughter the eunuchs in revenge. Emperor Shao and his younger half-brother, Liu Xie , escaped during the chaos. They were eventually found and brought back to the palace by Dong Zhuo , who took advantage of the power vacuum to seize control of

5959-402: The famous commentator and character evaluator Xu Shao , Cao Cao was assessed as being "a treacherous villain in times of peace, and a hero in times of chaos". Another source recorded that Xu Shao told Cao Cao, "You will be a capable minister in times of peace, and a jianxiong in times of chaos." Cao Cao started his career as a civil service cadet after he was nominated as a xiaolian around

6060-589: The fifth century, the Liu Song dynasty historian Pei Songzhi (372–451) extensively annotated Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms using a variety of other sources, augmenting the text to twice the length of the original. This work, completed in 429, became one of the official histories of the Three Kingdoms period, under the title Sanguozhi zhu (三国志注 zhu meaning "notes"). Bibliographical records indicate that up until Pei's own Liu Song dynasty, Chen Shou's three books had circulated individually rather than as

6161-548: The figurehead Han sovereign who was previously held hostage by other warlords such as Dong Zhuo , Li Jue , and Guo Si . After he established the new imperial capital in Xuchang , Emperor Xian and the central government came under his direct control, but he still paid nominal allegiance to the emperor. Throughout the 190s, Cao Cao actively waged wars in central China against rival warlords such as Lü Bu , Yuan Shu , and Zhang Xiu , eliminating all of them. Following his triumph over

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6262-509: The founding figure of the dynasty under which the initial compilation was performed. As a counterpoint, another significant source for Cao Cao's life as cited by Pei Songzhi was the Cao Man zhuan ( 曹瞞傳 ), an anonymous collection of anecdotes said to have been compiled by a person from Eastern Wu , a rival kingdom to Cao Cao's own. This work is overall very hostile to Cao Cao, depicting him as cruel and untrustworthy, although not every anecdote

6363-422: The imperial capital to put pressure on the empress dowager. Cao Cao strongly objected to He Jin's idea as he believed that the best way to deal with the eunuchs was to eliminate their leaders. He also argued that summoning external forces into Luoyang would only increase the risk of their plan being leaked out. He Jin – the highest-ranking officer in the government – understandably ignored him. As Cao Cao predicted,

6464-480: The latter declared himself emperor in early 197. Throughout 197, Lü Bu joined Cao Cao and others in a campaign against Yuan Shu , who had become a public enemy because of his treasonous actions. However, in 198, Lü Bu sided with Yuan Shu again and attacked Liu Bei, who lost and fled to join Cao Cao. In the winter of 198, Cao Cao and Liu Bei combined forces to attack Lü Bu and defeated him at the Battle of Xiapi . Lü Bu

6565-424: The main record. For example, the biography of Liu Yan begins with discussing his ancestor Liu Yu 's enfeoffment at Jingling (present-day Tianmen , Hubei ) in around 85 CE. The first event to receive detailed description throughout the work is the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184. Many biographies make passing mention of the event, but more concrete information such as correspondence and troop movements during

6666-418: The major sources for information on Cao Cao's life employed by Pei Songzhi was the official history of the Wei dynasty, the Book of Wei , largely composed during the Wei dynasty itself by Wang Chen , Xun Yi , and Ruan Ji . It was completed by Wang Chen and presented to the court during the opening years of the succeeding Western Jin dynasty. This work is understandably typically very favourable to Cao Cao as

6767-550: The meantime, he also received many honours from Emperor Xian. In 213, he was created Duke of Wei and granted a fief covering parts of present-day Hebei and Henan. In 216, he was elevated to the status of a vassal king under the title "King of Wei" and awarded numerous ceremonial privileges, of which some used to be reserved exclusively for emperors. Cao Cao died in Luoyang in March 220 and was succeeded by his son Cao Pi who accepted

6868-524: The most influential historical and cultural texts in Chinese history. In addition, the records provide one of the earliest accounts of Korea and Japan. Chen's Records set the standard for how Korea and Japan would write their official histories as well. Chen's Records is the chronologically final text of the "Four Histories" ( 四史 ), which together influenced and served as a model for Korean and Japanese official histories. The Records are important to

6969-450: The murder of Cao Cao's father, Cao Song , in Xu Province, which occurred when Cao Song was en route to Qiao County ( 譙縣 ; present-day Bozhou , Anhui) after his retirement. Although Tao Qian's culpability in the murder was questionable, Cao Cao nonetheless held him responsible for his father's death. During the invasions, Cao Cao conquered several territories in Xu Province and massacred thousands of civilians. Cao Cao's assault on Xu Province

7070-468: The nobles and engaged in corrupt practices, so Cao Cao proposed to the imperial court to dismiss about 80 percent of them. As Cao Cao had a reputation for being a strict law enforcer, when news of his arrival reached these corrupt officials, they were so fearful that they fled to nearby commanderies. Cao Cao governed Jinan State well and maintained peace in the area. In the early days of the Western Han, nearly four hundred years previously, Liu Zhang ( 劉章 ),

7171-505: The opposing forces. In the spring of 193, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shu at the Battle of Fengqiu and returned to Dingtao County by summer. Between 193 and 194, Cao Cao came into conflict with Tao Qian , the Governor of Xu Province , and attacked Xu Province three times. The first attack took place in the autumn of 193, when Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian after the latter supported Que Xuan ( 闕宣 ), who had committed treason by declaring himself emperor. The second and third invasions were triggered by

7272-701: The original Han-era universal history Records of the Grand Historian to constitute the first three entries in the Twenty-Four Histories canon, with each work cementing the new genre's literary and historiographical qualities as established by Sima Qian . The Records of the Three Kingdoms consist of 65 fascicles divided into three books—one per eponymous kingdom—totaling around 360,000 Chinese characters in length. The Book of Wei , Book of Shu , and Book of Wu receive 30 fascicles, 15 fascicles, and 20 fascicles respectively. Each fascicle

7373-456: The other coalition members were making merry instead of thinking how to make progress. He presented his plan on how to continue the war against Dong Zhuo and chided them for their lacklustre attitudes towards their initial goals. They ignored him. As Cao Cao had few troops left with him after the Battle of Xingyang, he travelled to Yang Province with Xiahou Dun to recruit soldiers. Chen Wen ,

7474-421: The primary source of information for the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms , considered to be one of the four classic novels emblematic of written vernacular Chinese . While large subsections of the work have been selected and translated into English, the entire corpus has yet to receive an unabridged English translation. The Book of Han and Records of the Three Kingdoms join

7575-750: The research of early Korean ( 삼국지 Samguk ji ) and Japanese history (三国志 Sangokushi). It provides, among other things, the first detailed account of Korean and Japanese societies such as Goguryeo , Yemaek and Wa . The passages in Fascicle 30 about the Wa, where the Yamatai-koku and its ruler Queen Himiko are recorded, are referred to as the Wajinden in Japanese studies . The Japanese did not have their own records until more than three centuries later, with

7676-445: The rich and poor. The senior officials did not dare to interfere. When Cao Cao assumed office in Jinan State, he destroyed all the temples and banned such idolatrous practices. He upheld the laws sternly and eliminated unorthodox customs and cult-like activities. After serving as chancellor for a brief time, Cao Cao was reassigned to be the Administrator of Dong Commandery ( 東郡 ; around present-day Puyang County , Henan), but he declined

7777-492: The rival warlord Lü Bu . Many commanderies and counties in Yan Province responded to Lü Bu's call and defected to his side except for a few. Cao Cao aborted his campaign in Xu Province and returned to attack Lü Bu. In one battle at Puyang County , he fell into an ambush and suffered some burns but managed to survive and escape. Cao Cao and Lü Bu were locked in a stalemate at Puyang County for over 100 days until Lü Bu left

7878-589: The same work. Although Pei Songzhi sometimes pointed out flaws in Sun Sheng's methods, he often cites him as an authority. Other Jin dynasty historians he gave less credence to, while still including parallel passages from their work, such as Jiangbiao zhuan ( 江表傳 ), by Yu Pu  [ zh ] ( 虞溥 ), and Wei Jin Shiyu ( 魏晉世語 ; Tales of the Worlds of Wei and Jin ) by Guo Ban  [ zh ] ( 郭頒 ),

7979-646: The siege was lifted after about two months when Cao Cao personally led an army to relief Liu Yan. Guan Yu slew Yan Liang in the midst of battle. While Cao Cao and his troops were evacuating Boma's residents, Yuan Shao's forces led by Wen Chou and Liu Bei caught up with them at Yan Ford, but were defeated and Wen Chou was killed in battle. Cao Cao returned to his main camp at Guandu while Yuan Shao moved to Yangwu County ( 陽武縣 ; southwest of present-day Yuanyang County, Henan ). Around this time, Guan Yu left Cao Cao and returned to Liu Bei. In late 200, Yuan Shao led his forces to attack Cao Cao at Guandu. Both sides were locked in

8080-662: The six former states who were unwilling to submit to Qin rule. As a result, Qin Shi Huangdi set up 36 commanderies in the Qin Empire, each subdivided into counties. This established the first two-tier administrative system known to exist in China. When the Han dynasty triumphed over Chu in 206 BCE, the Zhou feudal system was initially reinstated, with Emperor Gaozu recognizing nearly independent kings and granting large territories to his relatives. These two sets of kingdoms were placed under hereditary rulers assisted by

8181-489: The southern bank of the Yellow River . In winter, he mobilised his forces and deployed them at Guandu ( 官渡 ; present-day Guandu Town, Zhongmu County , Henan). Around this time, Cheng Yu and Guo Jia had warned Cao Cao against allowing Liu Bei to leave Xuchang but it was too late because Cao Cao had already sent Liu Bei to intercept and block Yuan Shu. Earlier, when he was still in Xuchang, Liu Bei had secretly joined

8282-557: The states' territories was by now comparatively larger, hence there was no need for the military might of a commandery in the inner regions where counties were established. The border commanderies' military and strategic significance became more important than those of counties. Following the unification of China in 221 BCE under the Qin Empire , the Qin government still had to engage in military activity because there were rebels from among

8383-408: The subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regarded as to be the authoritative source text for these periods. Compiled following the reunification of China under the Jin dynasty (266–420) , the work chronicles the political, social, and military events within rival states Cao Wei , Shu Han and Eastern Wu into a single text organized by individual biography. The Records are

8484-668: The territories in Yan Province and managed to retake them from Lü Bu. Lü Bu fled east to Xu Province and took refuge under Liu Bei , who had succeeded Tao Qian as the Governor of Xu Province earlier in 194. In the winter of 195, the central government officially designated Cao Cao as the Governor of Yan Province. In 196, Lü Bu turned against his host and seized control of Xu Province from Liu Bei, but still allowed Liu Bei to remain in Xiaopei ( 小沛 ; present-day Pei County , Jiangsu). Although he agreed to an alliance with Yuan Shu earlier, he broke his promise and severed ties with Yuan Shu when

8585-413: The uprising can be found in fragmentary form in at least four fascicles: the biographies of Cheng Yu , Yu Jin , Liu Bei , and Sun Jian . The three books in the Records of the Three Kingdoms end at different dates, with the main section of the Book of Wei ending with the abdication of Cao Huan in 265, the Book of Shu ending with the death of Liu Shan in 271, and the Book of Wu ending with

8686-416: The warlord Yuan Shao at the Battle of Guandu in 200, Cao Cao launched a series of campaigns against Yuan Shao's sons and allies over the following seven years, defeated them, and unified much of northern China under his control. In 208, shortly after Emperor Xian appointed him as Imperial Chancellor , he embarked on an expedition to gain a foothold in southern China, but was defeated by the allied forces of

8787-496: The warlords Sun Quan , Liu Bei , and Liu Qi at the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs . His subsequent attempts over the following years to annex the lands south of the Yangtze River never proved successful. In 211, he defeated a coalition of northwestern warlords led by Ma Chao and Han Sui at the Battle of Tong Pass . Five years later, he seized Hanzhong from the warlord Zhang Lu , but lost it to Liu Bei by 219. In

8888-525: The way. The first was with the family of Lü Boshe , an old acquaintance. The second incident occurred when he passed by Zhongmu County , where a village chief suspected that he was a fugitive and arrested him. However, another official recognised Cao Cao and believed he could act as a positive influence, so he released Cao Cao. Dong Zhuo murdered the Prince of Hongnong and Empress Dowager He later. When Cao Cao returned to Chenliu Commandery, he spent his family fortune on raising an army to eliminate Dong Zhuo. In

8989-500: The winter of 189, Cao Cao assembled his forces in Jiwu County ( 己吾縣 ; southwest of present-day Ningling County , Henan) and declared war on Dong Zhuo. In early 190, several regional officials and warlords formed a coalition army numbering some tens of thousands, and launched a punitive campaign against Dong Zhuo. They declared that their mission was to free Emperor Xian and the central government from Dong Zhuo's control. Yuan Shao

9090-604: Was apparently discontinued. Parts of that project are published by Robert Joe Cutter and William Gordon Crowell under the title Empresses and Consorts: Selections from Chen Shou's Records of the Three States With Pei Songzhi's Commentary ( University of Hawaii Press , 1999), which includes the translations for fascicles 5, 34, and 50. Other translations include Kenneth J. Dewoskin's Doctors Diviners and Magicians of Ancient China: Biographies of Fang-Shih ( Columbia University Press , 1983), which includes

9191-464: Was appointed General Who Establishes Virtue ( 建德將軍 ). In July or August 196, Cao Cao was promoted to General Who Garrisons the East ( 鎮東將軍 ) and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Fei Village ( 費亭侯 ) – the peerage previously held by his adoptive grandfather Cao Teng . Sometime between August and September 196, Cao Cao led his forces to the ruins of Luoyang and received Emperor Xian. The emperor granted Cao Cao

9292-659: Was away in Xu Province, but, as Cao Cao accurately predicted, Yuan Shao did not make any advances throughout this period of time, possibly due to Cao Cao's general Yu Jin 's raiding in the south of Yuan Shao's territory. From early to mid 200, the forces of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao clashed in two separate engagements at Boma ( 白馬 ; present-day Hua County , Henan) and Yan Ford ( 延津 ; near present-day Yanjin County , Henan). At Boma, Yuan Shao sent Guo Tu , Chunyu Qiong and Yan Liang to besiege Cao Cao's general Liu Yan ( 劉延 ), but

9393-536: Was captured and executed after his defeat. Cao Cao also pacified the eastern parts of Xu and Qing provinces along the coast. Emperor Xian had been held hostage in Chang'an by Li Jue , Guo Si and other former followers of Dong Zhuo. Around 195, when internal conflict broke out between Li Jue and Guo Si, Emperor Xian escaped from Chang'an and after a harrowing journey returned to the ruins of Luoyang, which Dong Zhuo had ordered to be destroyed by fire in 190 when moving

9494-423: Was elected as the coalition chief while Cao Cao served as acting General of Uplifting Martial Might ( 奮武將軍 ). The coalition scored some initial victories against Dong Zhuo's forces and reached Luoyang within months. Dong Zhuo, alarmed by his losses, ordered his troops to forcefully relocate Luoyang's residents to Chang'an and burn down the imperial capital, leaving behind nothing for the coalition. While Dong Zhuo

9595-480: Was greatly divided during the following five centuries, during the Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties period. The number of administrative units drastically increased due to intense warfare, fluid political boundaries, forced migrations, widespread population loss, and the loss of central government control in many areas particularly during the Sixteen Kingdoms . Although the legacy three-tier system

9696-502: Was known to be perceptive and manipulative. He liked to hunt, idle, roam about freely, and play vigilante so he was not as highly regarded compared to his more studious peers. From the time Cao Cao was fifteen until he turned thirty, widespread epidemic diseases ravaged China on average one out of every three years. Despite Cao Cao's loafing ways and unimpressive behaviour, there were two persons – Qiao Xuan and He Yong – who recognised his potential and extraordinary talents. Upon visiting

9797-540: Was retreating to Chang'an, Cao Cao led his own army to pursue the enemy, but was defeated by Xu Rong , a general under Dong Zhuo, at the Battle of Xingyang . This was the first military action Cao Cao commanded, and he barely escaped alive, with help from his cousin Cao Hong . He returned to the coalition base in Suanzao County ( 酸棗縣 ; southwest of present-day Yanjin County, Henan ) and was disgusted to see that

9898-441: Was so brutal that after one massacre the corpses of his victims stoppered up the nearby Si river ( 泗水 ). His army tore down villages in its wake, ensuring refugees could not return, and ate all the chickens and dogs. Cao Cao only turned back when he received news that his base in Yan Province had fallen to Lü Bu . In 194, Cao Cao's subordinates Zhang Miao , Chen Gong and others rebelled against him in Yan Province and defected to

9999-720: Was standard to record. Especially useful for noting things like official appointments, three titles of this type were used by Pei Songzhi to add detail to Chen Shou's account: Xiandi Ji ( 獻帝記 ; Records of Emperor Xian ) compiled by Liu Ai ( 劉艾 ), Xiandi Qiju zhu ( 獻帝起居注 ; Notes on Emperor Xian's Daily Life ), and Shanyang Gong zaiji ( 山陽公載記 ; Records of the Duke of Shanyang [Emperor Xian's post-usurpation title]) by Yue Zi ( 樂資 ). Other early sources for Pei Songzhi included Yu Huan 's privately composed histories Dianlüe ( 典略 ; Authoritative Account ) and Weilüe , written prior to Chen Shou's own work; and Sima Biao 's Annals of

10100-448: Was still in formal effect, rulers of various kingdoms had defined and re-defined provinces until they became increasingly sub-divided, blurring the distinction between provinces and commanderies and reflecting the chaos of China at the time. China was finally re-united by Emperor Wen of the Sui (581–618) in 589. As there were already over 100 provinces, the province and commandery levels of

10201-558: Was waging wars throughout central China in the 190s, Yuan Shao defeated his rival Gongsun Zan at the Battle of Yijing in 199, after which he controlled four provinces in northern China ( Ji , Bing , Qing and You ) and gained command of thousands of troops. A power struggle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao became inevitable by early 199. In the autumn of 199, Cao Cao dispatched troops to Liyang County ( 黎陽縣 ; present-day Xun County , Henan) and sent Zang Ba and others to capture some territories in Qing Province while leaving Yu Jin to guard

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