Cao Cao's army · Cao (Wei)
Cao Cao
“Villainous Hero of a Chaotic Age”
Rising amid the turmoil of the late Han, he beat Yuan Shao at Guandu and unified northern China. A ruler of both arms and letters, he built up his state with military farms and wrote poetry himself. But he lost to the Sun–Liu alliance at Red Cliffs and never unified the empire. As Chancellor of Han and King of Wei he laid the foundation for the Wei dynasty founded by his son Cao Pi.
- Epithet
- “Villainous Hero of a Chaotic Age”
- Rank / office
- Chancellor / King of Wei
- Domain / base
- The Central Plains (Wei)
- Side
- Cao Cao's army
- Lived
- 155–220 (aged 66)
I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Life
- Jian'an 5 Battle of Guandu Beat Yuan Shao's great army with a small force and opened the road to unifying the north.
- Jian'an 13 Defeat at Red Cliffs His great southern fleet was burned by a fire attack, ending his dream of unifying the empire.
- Jian'an 21 King of Wei Enfeoffed as King of Wei, he laid the foundations of the later Wei dynasty.
Battles in this archive2 battles
- Battle of Guandu 5th year of Jian'an (Later Han) Guandu, Yan Province The hero of a chaotic age who led picked troops himself in the night raid on Wuchao and burned Yuan Shao's grain. He seized mastery of northern China with a small army. Watch ▸
- Battle of Red Cliffs Winter, 13th year of Jian'an (Later Han) Red Cliffs on the Yangtze, Jing Province Villainous hero of a chaotic age, able minister of a peaceful one. With the unification of the empire within reach, one night of fire on the Yangtze cut his dream short. Watch ▸
Related sites
- Xuchang (China)
- Ye city ruins (China)