? Later, the wrong views of the Southern Song Dynasty were followed, but after modern times, people's evaluation of Cao Cao changed. For example, Lu Xun, Chairman Mao and others have made many positive comments on Cao Cao and overturned his conviction, which also greatly changed people's views on Cao Cao at that time.
? Today, due to various reasons, Cao Cao's evaluation among people is getting higher and higher, among which Mr. Yi Zhongtian can be said to have contributed. Of course, it is also because in modern society, people are more open-minded and pay more attention to factors such as people rather than nominal names.
To tell the truth, it is difficult to write Cao Cao. Although Cao Cao is a very complicated person, his life experience is also very rich. However, due to its high popularity and influence, whether it is proverbs or allusions, all China and even the whole East Asian cultural circle know such a person named Cao Mengde. Novels and works about him are naturally endless, and it is very difficult to be unique among them.
And Cao Cao is also the first person in the Three Kingdoms. The first chapter of the History of the Three Kingdoms is the Ji of Emperor Wudi, and Cao Cao's influence on later generations was also the greatest in the Three Kingdoms period, whether in politics, economy or literature. Most of Romance of the Three Kingdoms can also be said to be stories about Cao Cao, although he did not appear as a positive role.
Although there are many difficulties, I still choose to write about Cao Cao, on the one hand, out of my personal admiration for him. On the other hand, since we want to write about the Three Kingdoms, we can't avoid Cao Cao. So I'm here to give priority to with historical facts, mixed with related unofficial history and anecdotes, with some personal opinions, hoping to be innovative and give you some help.
? In addition, it is worth mentioning that you can see from the name alone that your position is on Cao Cao's side. Since it is not a history book, it is normal to take a stand; But at the same time, I admire Liu Bei. After all, one step at a time is the behavior of primary school students. Both of them have their own precious bright spots and speak highly of each other. If it weren't for the troubled times at the end of the Han Dynasty, they might become colleagues who appreciate each other. Therefore, although my speech may be partial, I will remain objective on the whole.
Speaking of Cao Cao, I have to say his famous work "Let the county magistrate know himself". This article was written on 2 10, the second year after Chibi, and it was Cao Cao's response and counterattack to many rumors at that time. The language of the article is frank, magnificent and heroic, which shows the tolerance and insight of politicians. Lu Xun commented: "In Cao Cao himself, he was also the founder of the reform article. Unfortunately, his articles are rarely circulated. He has great courage and his articles are quite effective. He has no scruples when he makes a fuss. He can write whatever he wants. "
? This article was also selected as an outstanding representative of prose in the late Han Dynasty and entered the university textbook. Here, we learn about Cao Cao's self through this article.
? In his article, Cao Cao first described his initial intention of being a county magistrate to educate the people so that everyone in the world could know himself. However, when he was the Minister of National Affairs in Jinan, he resigned to avoid disaster and protect himself because of attacking dignitaries, abolishing graft and violating dignitaries.
? After resigning, I originally planned to set up a community in my hometown and live a leisurely life of hunting and sightseeing, but this wish was not realized because of the Yellow Scarf Uprising.
? After being called up as a captain of the imperial army by the court again. I think I can be a thief for my country. I was awarded a title for my work. After my death, I wrote a sentence on the tombstone: "The tomb of Cao Hou, the general of the West, was requisitioned by the Han Dynasty." Later, because Dong Zhuo went to Beijing, the world was in chaos, and this ambition was not realized.
? After that, he defeated Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and others one after another. The world was at peace and Cao Cao became prime minister. Cao Cao also said a particularly famous sentence here: "If there were no orphans in the country, I wonder how many people would be kings!"
? After describing his life experience, Cao Cao refuted the remarks against him one by one. He also made it clear that he would not give up military power, and simply for the sake of fame would bring real disaster to himself. At the same time, once he gives up military power, the originally unified north will surely fall into the situation of warlord scuffle again. At the same time, Cao Cao compared himself with Zhou Wenwang, saying that he would not replace the Han Dynasty. Of course, Zhou Wenwang's son Zhou Wuwang eventually replaced the Shang Dynasty. This remark may also pave the way for Cao Pi's generation of Han Dynasty.
? At the end of the article, Cao Cao also directly stated that the reason why his three sons accepted the seal was so that they could be taken care of as foreign aid.
? Cao Cao's article did not evade. We can say all the good things and bad things, which also left the opponents at that time speechless, and at the same time let us know his early feelings and mental journey. No wonder Lu Xun gave him such a high evaluation. At the same time, his account of his ambition and experience in the first half of his life is also worth discussing. Although all his words are not necessarily true, they do have considerable reference value.
Speaking of Cao Cao, many people know his real name is Xiahou, because his father Cao Song became the adopted son of eunuch Cao Teng. Cao Cao has also been attacked by many political enemies because of this identity, but objectively speaking, these attacks are unfair. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, this eunuch was really confused. This group of eunuchs, represented by Shi Changshi, did all the bad things and committed unforgivable crimes. But Cao Teng is indeed one of the many bad eunuchs, and I will briefly introduce him here.
? The origin of Cao Teng is not simple. He is a descendant of Cao Can, a famous minister in the Western Han Dynasty. Some people may wonder how such an outstanding man as Cao Can became a eunuch. In fact, it is like this: in the view of Cao Teng's father Cao Jie, although eunuchs have a bad reputation, they have great power. They can accompany the emperor every day and their families can be taken care of in the palace, so they specially sent their youngest son Cao Teng to the palace to be an eunuch.
? It is precisely because of this relationship that Cao Teng was directly appointed as the official of the Yellow Gate after he entered the palace. Cao Teng himself is certainly quite competitive. In a.d. 120, Emperor Shun of Han Dynasty was the Crown Prince at that time. Because Cao Teng was young and scheming, Empress Dowager Deng asked him to wait on the Crown Prince to study, which was especially favored by Emperor Shun of Han Dynasty? Later, Han acceded to the throne, and Cao Teng was promoted to Zhong Changshi. ?
In August of the first year of Jiankang (144), Han died, and Han Chongdi, the son of Han who just turned two, succeeded to the throne. In the first month of the first year of Yongjia (145), Emperor Chong of Han died less than half a year after he succeeded to the throne. At that time, ministers thought that an old and virtuous imperial clan should be made emperor, and they all liked Liu, king of Qinghe. In order to stay in power, Liang Ji, a consort, made Liu Zuan, the son of Liu Hong, the king of Bohai Sea, who was only eight years old, emperor.
So the court officials were divided into two factions. One faction was led by Guli, who made Qinghe Emperor. The other faction, headed by Liang Ji, elected Herry Liu as emperor. While the two factions were arguing, Cao Teng saw that the time was ripe and went to see Liang Ji in person, expressing his support for Herry Liu as emperor. He also pointed out that Qinghe Wang Weiren is strict. If he is really the emperor, I'm afraid he is not safe, but if he stands upright, he will last forever. So Liang Ji poisoned Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty and made Herry Liu Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty.
? After Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, seven people, including Cao Teng and Zhou Fu, a teacher of Changle, were named Hou Ting and Cao Teng was named Fei Tinghou, promoted to Da Changqiu, and a special post was added. Cao Teng served in the imperial court for more than 30 years, experienced four emperors, but never made any mistakes. In addition, he also recommended many world celebrities, such as Bian Shao, Yan Gu, Zhang Wen, Zhang Huan, Tang, and others.
? Cao Teng has a broad mind. At that time, the prefect of Shu County gave him a gift to bribe him. Yizhou secretariat found a letter nearby, and wrote to Shu county magistrate, impeaching Cao Teng and giving it to Tingwei for criticism. Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty knew that letters came from the outside, so he didn't blame Cao Teng. Arguably, Cao Teng, as a veteran of the four dynasties, still has the power to establish cronies, which is easy for him to kill. However, Cao Teng didn't care about impeaching Zaiyu, and always praised Zaiyu as a competent official, showing his loyalty.
? Due to China's unique political system, many famous eunuchs appeared in history, including Zheng He, Wang Zhi and Wei Zhongxian. But to say the best is actually Cao Teng, for the simple reason.
On June 26th, the third year of Taihe (229), Cao Teng, the great-grandfather, was honored as the high emperor and his wife Wu Weigao as the queen. Until the Western Jin and Wei Dynasties, this title remained. Cao Teng also became one of the six people who held the title of emperor in Cao Wei period.
? In the history of China, only one eunuch was officially awarded the title of Emperor of the Orthodox Dynasty, which is unprecedented.
? Of course, although Cao Teng is honest, she is also a noble queen. However, in the eyes of people at that time, Cao Cao's birth was not very glorious. Later, this became the main argument for his political opponents to attack him. But at the same time, Cao Cao was able to eat and wear well, which can be said to have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, Cao Cao belongs to a typical family with a bad background but a good family.
? Although Cao Cao in the romance always gives people a feeling of being chased, if we look at the history of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao's martial arts are still very strong, which may be related to his ranger behavior when he was young. When he was young, Cao Cao was quick-witted, resourceful, self-willed, chivalrous and bohemian, which led to many anecdotes.
? When Cao Cao was ten years old, he was swimming in Longtan when he suddenly met a fierce crocodile. Crocodiles bared their teeth and attacked Cao Cao, but Cao Cao was fearless and calmly responded to crocodiles. The crocodile couldn't eat anything and ran away. After Cao Cao came home, he didn't mention the crocodile to his family. Later, an adult flinched when he saw the snake. Cao Cao laughed and said innocently, "I am not afraid of crocodiles in Longtan, but you are afraid of a snake." That's ridiculous! " When people asked, Cao Cao told them the truth, and they all marveled at the courage of the young Cao Cao.
? This story comes from Liu Zhao's Biography of Children. The truth cannot be verified, but it reflects Cao Cao's extraordinary youth from the side. This story is already legendary, but it seems to prove Cao Cao's martial arts. There is a more legendary story in Similarities and Differences of Sun Sheng.
? Zhang Rang is the first of the ten regular attendants and the most powerful among many eunuchs. He persecuted many literati and officialdom in the disaster of partisan struggle. Cao Cao, who was a general in Cheung Nam when he was young, naturally looked down on this man. Therefore, Cao Cao entered Zhang Rang's official residence and tried to assassinate him. Zhang rang found out that he sent someone to kill him. Cao Cao came out of the hall waving ju. Zhang rang's guards couldn't get close to him. Cao Cao fought and retreated. When he retreated to the wall, he jumped out and jumped over it.
? Later, when Luo Guanzhong wrote The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he made a slight modification to this story. The target of Cao Cao's assassination was changed from Zhang Rang to Dong Zhuo, and Cao Cao was also changed from unparalleled to outwit. This is a very interesting modification.
? When Cao Cao was young, Yuan Shao and he often liked to be rangers. The two of them once went to see someone else get married, took the opportunity to sneak into the master's garden and shouted in the middle of the night, "There is a thief!" " Everyone came out to watch, and Yuan and Cao drew their swords and robbed the bride. "。 After they ran out, they got lost halfway and were entangled in thorns, and Yuan Shao couldn't move. Cao Cao shouted again, "Here comes the thief!" Yuan Shao was surprised and anxious, and quickly jumped out, and the two finally escaped.
? Although many legendary stories happened in Cao Cao's childhood, and he fully demonstrated his courage and alertness, people at that time didn't care. They still think he is just a dude and don't think he has any special talents. Only Qiao Xuan of Liang and He Qing of Nanyang thought he was extraordinary. Qiao Xuan said to Cao Cao, "The world will be in chaos. Those who are not destined can't help, but those who can live in peace. What is it?" ? He Qing of Nanyang said to him: "The Han Dynasty will die, and the person who lives in the world must be this person!" Xu Shao of Nanyang is famous for his knowledge of people. He once said to Cao Cao, "A traitor of peace makes a hero in troubled times.".
? In AD 174, Cao Cao was promoted to Xiaozong at the age of 20. The supervision system is a popular talent selection system since the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but it was basically mastered by the clan in the later period. Therefore, although Cao Cao is really talented, Cao Cao was chosen as filial piety this time because of his position rather than his ability. In the eyes of the powerful people at that time, Cao Cao was just another second-generation dude, but they soon paid the price for their contempt. Shortly after Cao Cao was promoted to Xiaolian, he was appointed as Luoyang North Commandant. Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was a place where the royal family lived in compact communities, and it was difficult to govern. As soon as Cao Cao arrived at his post, he announced that it was forbidden to strictly observe the law and discipline, and made more than ten colored sticks to hang around the yamen. "Anyone who violates the ban will be beaten to death with a stick." The sturdy uncle, the emperor's favorite eunuch, was forbidden to go at night. Without mercy, Cao Cao killed Jane's uncle with a five-color stick. As a result, "the capital is gone, and no one dares to commit crimes." So Cao Cao offended some powerful people. Because of his father Cao Song, Cao Cao was transferred to Dunqiu (now qingfeng county).
? In the first year of Guanghe (178), Cao Cao was punished by eunuchs because his cousin and brother-in-law urged Hou, and was implicated and dismissed. After having nothing to do in Luoyang, I went back to my hometown Qiao County.
? In the third year of Guanghe (180), Cao Cao was recruited by the court and appointed as Yi Lang. Previously, General Dou Wu and Chen Fan, a teacher, plotted to kill eunuchs, only to be harmed by eunuchs. Cao Cao wrote a letter, saying that Dou Wu and others were framed for their official virtue, which led to the situation that treacherous court officials were full, but loyal officials were not reused. His words were sincere, but they were not adopted by Emperor Han Ling. Later, Cao Cao wrote to remonstrate many times, although occasionally effective, but the politics of the Eastern Han Dynasty became increasingly corrupt, and Cao Cao knew that he could not correct it. As Cao Cao later said in "Let the county magistrate know his own story", Cao Cao did have the ambition to be a county magistrate and educate the people at first, and so did Cao Cao. Unfortunately, in the social background of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, such people could not be tolerated by the world. If it is to govern the world, officials like Cao Cao are likely to be reused and become a generation of capable ministers. It's a pity that this is in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and even more troubled times are coming.
? In the first year of Zhong Ping (184), the Yellow Scarf Uprising broke out, and Cao Cao was worshipped as the riding captain, and was ordered to join forces with Huang Fusong and others to attack the Yellow Scarf Army in Yingchuan. As a result, the Yellow Scarf Army was defeated and tens of thousands of people were beheaded. Then moved to Jinan. During his tenure in Jinan, Cao Cao managed things as always. In more than ten counties in Jinan (now Jinan City, Shandong Province), county officials are attached to your power, taking bribes and perverting the law, and have no scruples. Before Cao Cao, all countries ignored it. After Cao Cao took office, he made great efforts to rectify, and eight out of ten officers were exempted. Jinan shakes, corrupt officials flee. "The politics and religion are big, and one county is bright."