The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the country was divided into three kingdoms, and wars never stopped.

Whenever the Three Kingdoms is mentioned, the character Cao Cao cannot be avoided.

During the Three Kingdoms period, many heroes emerged, but only a few of them were the most dazzling.

Cao Cao, with his complex character and the evaluation of his merits and demerits, has remained enduring on the historical stage with twists and turns.

When it comes to Cao Cao, everyone has their own comments.

He has multiple identities: he is a politician and military strategist, as well as a literary figure and thinker.

On the battlefield, use the few to defeat the many, do not be arrogant when you win and do not be discouraged when you lose.

When hiring people, don't hold grudges and only recruit people based on their talents.

In literature, he started the Jian'an style and promoted the heroic spirit.

He conquered the past and present with his outstanding personal charm and left a strong mark in the vast galaxy of history.

"Cao Cao was born in the first year of Yongshou in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His courtesy name was Mengde and his nickname was Aman."

"Cao Cao was very smart since he was young, but he did not cultivate his character or study hard, so people at that time did not think he had any special talents."

"In the third year of Emperor Ling's Xiping reign, Cao Cao became a palace official through the selection of filial and honest officials."

"In the first year of Emperor Ling's Guanghe reign, Cao Cao was dismissed from his post because of his cousin's husband's involvement, but he was recalled by the court the following year and continued to serve as a counselor."

"In the seventh year of Emperor Ling's Guanghe reign, the Yellow Turbans revolted, and Cao Cao was appointed Cavalry Commandant."

"Because of his meritorious service in suppressing the bandits in Yingchuan, he was promoted to the position of Jinan governor."

"During his tenure as the chancellor of Jinan, Cao Cao dismissed officials who were dependent on the emperor's relatives and banned the indiscriminate use of sacrificial offerings, which gradually brought stability to Jinan."

"But the system of selling official positions was popular at the time, and Cao Cao was unwilling to cater to the powerful, so he resigned on the pretext of illness."

"In the sixth year of Emperor Ling's reign, Dong Zhuo launched a rebellion, deposed Emperor Shao of Han, Liu Bian, and established Liu Xie, who became Emperor Xian of Han."

"Afterwards, Dong Zhuo submitted a petition to recommend Cao Cao as the commander of the cavalry."

"But Cao Cao was unwilling to accept Dong Zhuo's recommendation, so he changed his name and fled back to his hometown."

"When Cao Cao fled to Zhongmou County, he was arrested by the local headman and sent to the county. Later, someone interceded for him and Cao Cao was released."

"After returning to Chenliu County, Cao Cao spent all his wealth to gather soldiers and prepare to attack Dong Zhuo."

"In the first year of Emperor Xian's reign, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others called on all the princes to unite and form an alliance army, with Yuan Shao as the leader, to fight against Dong Zhuo."

"Cao Cao joined the allied forces as the acting General Fenwu and proposed that the Yuan Shao coalition forces immediately send troops to attack Dong Zhuo, but was rejected by the coalition leader Yuan Shao."

"So Cao Cao led his army to attack Dong Zhuo alone, but was defeated at the Bian River, and Cao Cao's army suffered heavy losses."

"Later, Cao Cao was able to escape because his cousin Cao Hong gave him his horse."

"In the second year of Emperor Xian's Chuping reign, Cao Cao assisted the governor of Dongjun in suppressing the Black Mountain bandits entrenched in the vicinity."

"He was appointed governor of Dongjun for his meritorious service, and the county seat was established in Dongwuyang."

"After that, Cao Cao successively attacked the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Because of his meritorious service in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Cao Cao was welcomed as the governor of Yanzhou."

"During his tenure as governor of Yanzhou, Cao Cao continued to fight against the Yellow Turbans, chasing them to Jibei, and captured more than 300,000 surrendered soldiers, reorganizing the elite troops into Qingzhou soldiers."

"In the same year, a conflict arose between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. Cao Cao joined forces with Yuan Shao to attack Yuan Shu several times, forcing him to flee to Huaibei."

"Cao Cao's father sought refuge in Langye during Dong Zhuo's rebellion, but was killed by Tao Qian."

"Cao Cao, in the first year of Emperor Xian's Xingping reign, attacked Tao Qian in the name of revenge for his father, and slaughtered the people of Xuzhou during the campaign."

"When Cao Cao was conquering Xuzhou, Chen Gong, the garrison commander of Dongjun, and Zhang Miao, the governor of Chenliu, rebelled and welcomed Lü Bu as governor of Yanzhou."

"The only areas left under Cao Cao's control are Zhencheng and Dongjun. The situation is extremely critical."

"Cao Cao hurriedly returned to attack Lu Bu. The two sides were in a stalemate for more than a hundred days, and finally they withdrew their troops due to a locust plague."

"Afterwards, Lü Bu led his troops to attack again, but Cao Cao defeated them with a surprise attack. After defeating Lü Bu, Cao Cao gradually recovered various counties."

"In the first year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Emperor Xian of Han returned eastward from Chang'an. Cao Cao sent his subordinate Cao Hong to lead troops westward to welcome Emperor Xian of Han."

"Yuan Shu's general Chang Nu and the general Dong Cheng tried to intercept Cao Hong but failed."

"Cao Cao was appointed as the general, but Yuan Shao refused to accept the position of the Grand Commandant because he did not want to be under Cao Cao."

"Cao Cao then gave up the position of general to Yuan Shao and appointed him as Sikong and General of Chariots and Cavalry instead."

"Cao Cao held great power at this time and often ordered various princes to act in the name of Emperor Xian of Han."

"In the third year of Jian'an, Cao Cao marched eastward to Xuzhou and attacked Lu Bu."

"Under the attack of Cao's army, Lu Bu's army became divided."

"In December, Lü Bu's generals Wei Xu, Song Xian and others captured Chen Gong alive and surrendered to Cao Cao."

"Lü Bu saw that the situation was hopeless and surrendered."

"Cao Cao executed Lü Bu, Chen Gong, Gao Shun and others, and surrendered Zhang Liao, a general under Lü Bu, and Zang Ba, a hero from Mount Tai, and others, and occupied Xuzhou."

"Soon after, Zhang Xiu followed the advice of his adviser Jia Xu and surrendered to Cao Cao."

"Cao Cao appointed Zhang Xiu as General Yangwu, thus relieving his worries."

"After several years of operation, Cao Cao's strength has greatly increased."

Meng Haoran: Cao Cao has many brave generals under his command, many of whom are capable of fighting. So who is the number one general of Cao Wei?

The candidates who have the ability to compete for the position of Cao Wei's top general are Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, and Zhang Liao.

These four generals had all made great contributions to Cao Wei.

No one person can undisputedly dominate others.

But if we have to make an evaluation, the first one to be eliminated is most likely Zhang Liao.

Although among these four people, Zhang Liao's record is the most exaggerated.

In the Battle of Bailang Mountain, Zhang Liao killed the Wuhuan Chanyu in battle.

In the Battle of Hefei, Zhang Liao defeated Sun Quan's army of 100,000 with only 800 men.

Moreover, among all the generals of the Cao Wei Group, Zhang Liao was the only one who entered the Temple of Martial Arts!

But if Zhang Liao is compared with others, he has three shortcomings.

First, his surname is neither Cao nor Xiahou, and he is not a relative of Cao Cao.

Second, Zhang Liao joined Cao Cao's camp too late.

Third, and most importantly, from beginning to end, Zhang Liao’s role in the Cao Wei group was that of a general.

Therefore, although Zhang Liao was a good fighter and had a good record, he was destined not to be the number one general of Cao Wei.

Of course, if we talk about the best general of the Cao Wei group who is not from the same family, he would definitely be the one.

After Zhang Liao, the next person to be eliminated is most likely Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Yuan's battle record is actually not as exaggerated as Zhang Liao's.

But unfortunately, he was a member of the Xiahou family, and he had taken the blame for Cao Cao before the rebellion began.

Later, after Cao Cao started his army, he continued to stay by Cao Cao's side and made many contributions.

The most crucial thing is that Xiahou Yuan was once solely responsible for the wars in Liangzhou and Guanzhong.

Especially in the direction of Liangzhou, Xiahou Yuan conquered Liangzhou in ten months.

It’s a pity that Xiahou Yuan later died in Dingjun Mountain, and his death was particularly miserable, so it is slightly inferior.

Otherwise, Xiahou Yuan would actually have a chance to compete for the top spot.

So in the end, the decisive game was between Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun.

Among these two people, Xiahou Dun's record may be slightly inferior.

Xiahou Dun was actually a ruthless man who fought throughout the entire battle. He basically participated in all the major battles for the Cao Wei group to establish the country.

Especially in the early days of his business, if Xiahou Dun had not followed Cao Cao to Yangzhou to borrow troops, and later to protect the three counties during the chaos in Yanzhou, I'm afraid Cao Cao would not have been able to hold on to the end.

But the problem is that in these wars, Xiahou Dun rarely had the opportunity to fight alone.

The only time in Xiahou Dun's life that he was solely responsible for a war in a major direction was when Cao Cao attacked Sun Quan and then retreated.

After that, Cao Cao left Xiahou Dun on the eastern front to resist Sun Quan together with Cao Ren and Zhang Liao, and supervise the 26th Army.

However, there is actually controversy about how much power Xiahou Dun had at the time, whether he was fully responsible for the war on the Eastern Front, and how long Xiahou Dun was in charge of the Eastern Front.

The last one left was Cao Ren.

When Cao Cao first started his army, Cao Ren followed Cao Cao and recruited thousands of people on his own.

You have to know that at the beginning, Cao Cao didn't have many people under his command.

Later, Cao Ren was almost present in all major wars of the Cao Wei group.

When fighting Xuzhou, he led an army alone; when fighting Zhang Xiu, he rescued Cao Cao from behind; when fighting Yuan Shao, Cao Ren was responsible for dealing with Liu Bei on the flank.

After the Battle of Chibi, Cao Ren stayed in Jiangling. In the Battle of Tongguan, Cao Ren fought Ma Chao head-on. In the Battle of Xiangfan, Cao Ren defended Fancheng to the death.

After these wars, Cao Ren's reputation and status in the Cao Wei group became almost unshakable.

Even after Cao Pi ascended the throne, Cao Ren's fiefdom was 3,500 households, which was more than that of several of his peers.

Things like fiefdoms can sometimes basically represent a person's status at the time.

The only pity is that Cao Ren later suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Ruxukou.

Therefore, none of the four generals under Cao Cao could undisputedly overwhelm the others.

But if we have to be serious, Cao Ren might be better.

"In the fifth year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Yuan Shao led an army of more than 100,000 soldiers and prepared to attack Cao Cao."

"At this time, Liu Bei occupied Xuzhou and formed a pincer attack on Cao Cao together with Yuan Shao."

"Under such circumstances, Cao Cao felt that Yuan Shao was not something to be feared, and that dealing with Liu Bei was the most urgent matter."

"So Cao Cao led his troops to attack Liu Bei, occupied Xuzhou, captured Liu Bei's general Xiahou Bo alive, and captured Liu Bei's wife and children."

"As for Yuan Shao, he hesitated and did not send troops until Cao Cao defeated Liu Bei and returned to Guandu."

"In August, Yuan Shao's army advanced step by step, camping in front and behind, and setting up camp on the sand pile, stretching for dozens of miles from east to west."

"At that time, Cao Cao's total force was less than 10,000, and two to three tenths of them were wounded."

"Yuan Shao's army approached Guandu, and Cao Cao built earthen hills and dug tunnels in his camp to prepare for the battle."

"Yuan Shao's army launched a fierce attack, and Cao's army was unable to resist."

"As the battle at Guandu lasted for a long time, Cao Cao's army gradually ran out of food."

"Cao Cao then wrote a letter to Xun Yu, planning to withdraw to Xu Du."

"Xun Yu did not agree with Cao Cao's move and strongly advised Cao Cao not to withdraw his troops, so as not to miss the opportunity to fight for the world."

"After listening to Xun Yu's analysis, Cao Cao followed his advice."

"Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had been fighting for several months. They were out of soldiers and food, and their soldiers were exhausted."

"At this time, Yuan Shao's counselor Xu You defected to Cao Cao and persuaded Cao Cao to attack Chunyu Qiong and others."

"Cao Cao adopted Xu You's strategy, leaving Cao Hong to guard the main camp, and personally led 5,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Chunyu Qiong, eventually defeating him."

"When Yuan Shao got the news that Cao Cao was attacking Chunyu Qiong, he sent Zhang He, Gao Lan and others to attack Cao Cao's base camp. As a result, the two surrendered to Cao Cao."

"The Yuan army was defeated, and Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan abandoned their troops and fled."

"After Yuan Shao's defeat, he became ill and vomited blood, and died soon after."

"In the seventh year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, after Yuan Shao passed away, the governor Shen Pei and others pretended to be Yuan Shao's last will and supported Yuan Shang as Yuan Shao's successor."

"In the eighth year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan were defeated by Cao Cao and retreated to Yecheng."

"Cao Cao listened to the advice of his adviser Guo Jia and retreated first to use the strategy of calmness to prevent the enemy from moving."

"Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan ignored Cao Cao's threats and were busy fighting among themselves. Yuan Tan was defeated by Yuan Shang and asked Cao Cao for help. Cao Cao took the opportunity to occupy Hebei."

"In the ninth year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao attacked and defeated the Yuan brothers one by one."

"He first formed an alliance with Yuan Tan and sent more troops to help Yuan Tan attack Yuan Shang."

"After defeating Yuan Shang, we will attack Yuan Tan and defeat him severely."

"At that time, the Wuhuan in the three counties were powerful, and some remnants of the Yuan family mixed in with them and invaded the Great Wall many times to cause trouble."

"In order to eliminate the remaining forces of the Yuan family, in the 12th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao followed Guo Jia's advice and launched a northern expedition against the Wuhuan."

"In order to solve the problem of long distance and difficulty in transporting food, Cao Cao arranged for Dong Zhao to dig two canals to solve the problem of military food supply."

"In the 12th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao sent troops from Yecheng and arrived at his destination, Jinzhou, in May."

"At that time, heavy rain blocked the march, and Cao Cao was extremely anxious."

"It so happened that a local man named Tian Chou came to Cao Cao's army and gave him advice."

"Tell Cao Cao that there is a new route and that he is willing to act as a guide and lead the army."

"So, with the help of Tian Chou, Cao's army successfully reached its destination."

"Cao Cao adopted a strategy to confuse the Wuhuan, pretending to retreat, and then launched a fierce attack when the Wuhuan relaxed their defenses." "In the end, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shang, Yuan Xi, Tadun, Liaoxi Chanyu Lou Ban and others."

"Brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi fled in the chaos and took refuge with Gongsun Kang, who ruled Liaodong."

"Gongsun Kang has always been reluctant to surrender to Cao Cao, as he thought Liaodong was far away from the Central Plains."

"Cao Cao's generals proposed to attack Gongsun Kang and eliminate the Yuan brothers in one fell swoop, but Cao Cao did not accept their suggestions."

"In September, Cao Cao led his army back to Yecheng from Liucheng."

"Later, Gongsun Kang killed Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi and presented their heads to Cao Cao."

"In the 13th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao abolished the three dukes, restored the prime minister system, and appointed himself as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty."

"After Cao Cao had basically pacified the north, he prepared to march south."

"In July, Cao Cao marched southwards under the pretext of the emperor and attacked Liu Biao in Jingzhou."

"In August, Liu Biao died of illness, and his son Liu Cong took over as governor of Jingzhou."

"In September, Cao Cao's army advanced to Xinye. Liu Cong led the people of Jingzhou to surrender to Cao Cao without resistance."

"In order to fight against Cao Cao's army, Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed the Sun-Liu coalition."

Tao Yuanming: After Guan Yu's death, Cao Cao said 10 words and Sima Yi said 9 words, and the difference in their abilities was immediately apparent.

Guan Yu was defeated in Maicheng and eventually killed by Lu Meng of Eastern Wu.

As soon as this news reached the Cao Wei camp, it immediately caused a shock, especially the reactions of Cao Cao and Sima Yi.

The two people's brief conversations revealed completely different depths of thinking and insights into the situation.

Cao Cao was entertaining his ministers that day. As soon as he raised his wine glass, an envoy from Eastern Wu brought Guan Yu's head.

Cao Cao, who was sitting in the hall, was stunned at first, and then burst into laughter.

Yunchang is dead, I can only sleep on the bed at night!
These ten words, short and direct, reveal Cao Cao's long-suppressed fear and relief.

Guan Yu, as Liu Bei's right-hand man, has always been a thorn in Cao Cao's heart.

In his early years, Cao Cao had been kind to Guan Yu and even made him Marquis of Han Shou Ting in order to win him over.

Although Guan Yu was grateful to Cao Cao, he remained loyal to Liu Bei.

Cao Cao naturally couldn't help but be wary of such a brave and loyal general.

Whenever it was late at night, Cao Cao would worry about Guan Yu's every move and worried that he would become a huge threat to his hegemony.

Now that Guan Yu has been killed, Cao Cao can finally sleep peacefully.

Sima Yi's reaction was completely different. This strategist, who had always been deep and introverted, did not show much emotional fluctuation after seeing Guan Yu's head.

This was Dongwu's plan to shift the blame.

Just nine words made the entire hall quiet in an instant.

Cao Cao was stunned, and then he suddenly realized.

On the surface, Guan Yu's death was a gift from the Eastern Wu to please Cao Wei, but Sima Yi saw through the mystery.

The purpose of Dongwu's move was to sow discord between Cao Wei and Liu Bei.

They hoped that Cao Cao and Liu Bei would become enemies, and preferably both would suffer losses, while the Eastern Wu could reap the benefits.

Sima Yi saw through this and reminded Cao Cao not to be blinded by the victory in front of him.

An ordinary person might be misled by the appearance of Guan Yu's death, thinking it was a gesture of goodwill from the Eastern Wu, and might even relax his vigilance against Sun Quan.

But Sima Yi was different. He had a far-sighted vision and careful thinking.

He not only saw through the Eastern Wu's plan, but also proposed a countermeasure.

It would be better to bury Guan Yu's head with great honor and inform Liu Bei, so that he will vent his anger on the Eastern Wu.

This sentence not only cleverly avoided direct conflict between Cao Wei and Shu Han, but also made Liu Bei turn his hatred towards Eastern Wu.

After hearing this, Cao Cao suddenly understood.

He repeatedly praised Sima Yi's wisdom, immediately ordered a grand funeral for Guan Yu, and sent an envoy to inform Liu Bei of the matter.

Sure enough, when Liu Bei learned about this, he was furious. He vowed to avenge Guan Yu and personally led his army to attack Wu.

In this game, Sima Yi not only successfully resolved the crisis of Cao Wei, but also thoroughly intensified the contradiction between Eastern Wu and Shu Han, buying precious time for the subsequent development of Cao Wei.

From these two conversations, it is not difficult to see the difference in thinking between Cao Cao and Sima Yi.

Although Cao Cao was a great hero, he showed personal emotional release under the stimulation of Guan Yu's death.

His cross-exclamation was more out of fear of Guan Yu and gratitude for his own future safety.

Sima Yi, on the other hand, took a higher strategic perspective, calmly analyzed the situation, and proposed a long-term response plan.

These nine words highlight his profound strategic skills and cool head.

This dialogue of ten words against nine words became a sharp contrast between the wisdom of Cao Cao and Sima Yi.

Although Cao Cao had great talent and strategy, he was ultimately a mortal full of emotions.

Sima Yi, on the other hand, was a wise man who was calm, rational and far-sighted.

It was this calmness that allowed Sima Yi to remain undefeated in the disputes among the Three Kingdoms, and ultimately helped the Sima family seize power from Cao Wei.

"In December, Liu Bei and Sun Quan's army went up the river to confront Cao Cao's army at Chibi."

"At this time, Cao Cao's army was plagued by an epidemic, and the newly recruited navy had not yet been integrated. The morale of the soldiers was low, and they were defeated in the initial battle with Zhou Yu's army."

"After the defeat, Cao Cao combined the navy and the army and took the opportunity to train the navy."

"And he ordered the ships to be connected bow to stern, so that the ships would be more stable and the soldiers would not be easily seasick."

"In response to this, Zhou Yu's subordinate Huang Gai came up with a plan of self-torture. He pretended to surrender to Cao Cao, and then burned Cao's camp when Cao Cao came to meet him."

"Zhou Yu adopted Huang Gai's strategy and eventually took advantage of the southeast wind to burn Cao Cao's warships and camp, thus defeating Cao Cao and forcing him to flee in disgrace."

"After this battle, more than half of Cao Cao's troops were killed or wounded. Cao Cao was worried that the failure of the Battle of Chibi would affect the stability of the regime in the rear, so he immediately led his troops back to the north."

"In the 14th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao returned to Qiao County and ordered the construction of ships and the training of the navy."

"In July, Cao's army arrived in Hefei and continued to move south."

"At this time, Chen Lan and Mei Cheng from Lujiang rebelled against Cao Cao."

"Cao Cao sent Zhang Liao, who was stationed in Hefei, to lead the troops to suppress the rebellion and eliminate Chen Lan, Mei Cheng and others."

"In the 16th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao sent his general Xiahou Yuan to lead an army to attack Zhang Lu in Hanzhong."

"Because the army must pass through Guanzhong, Ma Chao and Han Sui suspected that this was a conspiracy by Cao Cao, whose purpose was to destroy them."

"So Ma Chao and Han Sui joined forces with other generals in Guanzhong to rise up against Cao."

"Finally, Cao Cao defeated the Guanzhong coalition forces, and Han Sui, Ma Chao and others fled to Liangzhou."

"Afterwards, after many campaigns, the remaining forces of Han Sui, Ma Chao and others were eliminated, and Guanzhong was finally pacified."

"In the 18th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao led his army from Hefei to attack Sun Quan."

"In the end, the armies of Cao and Sun fought for more than a month, and Cao Cao returned without success."

"In May, Emperor Xian of Han conferred upon Cao Cao the title of Duke of Wei."

"In the 20th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Emperor Xian of Han was forced to depose his empress and made Cao Cao's daughter Cao Jie his empress."

"Afterwards, Zhang Lu led his people to surrender, and Cao Cao took over all of Hanzhong."

"In the 21st year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao was canonized as the King of Wei."

"In the 24th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao personally led his army to Hanzhong. Liu Bei concentrated his forces to guard the strategic strongholds and never engaged in a large-scale direct confrontation with Cao's army."

"Hanzhong has a rugged terrain, and it is difficult to transport grain."

"Compared to Liu Bei's army, Cao Cao's army has a more serious problem of lack of food and grass."

"While Liu Bei's army was holding on, they were also looking for an opportunity to attack Cao's army's food supply route."

"In this battle, Cao Cao lost a large amount of food and soldiers, and his morale dropped greatly."

"In the fifth month of summer, Cao Cao led his army back to Chang'an."

"In the 24th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Liu Bei's general Guan Yu led his troops from Jingzhou to attack Cao Cao's Xiangcheng and Fancheng. Cao Cao sent his general Yu Jin to lead his troops to Fancheng to meet the enemy."

"In August of that year, Liu Bei's general Guan Yu took advantage of the flood to defeat Yu Jin, captured him, and then laid siege to Fancheng."

"At this time, there were only a few thousand Cao troops in Fancheng, and the city was flooded. Cao Ren, a subordinate of Cao Cao, led his troops to defend the city to the death."

"In October, Cao Cao led his army to Luoyang to command the battle and rescue Fancheng."

"At this time, Sun Quan wanted to seize Jingzhou, so he agreed with Cao Cao to attack Guan Yu together."

"Sun Quan sent Lü Meng to attack Jiangling, while Cao's general Xu Huang led a large number of reinforcements to attack Guan Yu from the front. Guan Yu was attacked from both sides and was defeated and killed."

"Sun Quan sent someone to deliver Guan Yu's head to Cao Cao. Cao Cao, grateful for Guan Yu's loyalty, buried him with the rites of a noble prince."

"Sun Quan joined forces with Cao Cao in the Battle of Fancheng and took the opportunity to seize Jingzhou. Cao Cao submitted a memorial to Emperor Xian of Han to appoint Sun Quan as governor of Jingzhou."

"After Sun Quan was appointed governor of Jingzhou, he sent envoys to pay tribute to Cao Cao and pledged his loyalty to him, urging him to depose Emperor Xian of Han and establish himself as the emperor of Wei."

"In response to Sun Quan's letter, Cao Cao showed it to his ministers and said that Sun Quan wanted to roast him on the fire."

"At this time, Cao Cao's subordinates saw Sun Quan's letter and urged Cao Cao to become emperor, but Cao Cao refused."

"In the 25th year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign, Cao Cao led his army back to Luoyang. He died of illness soon after, at the age of 66."

"After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi, who succeeded him, proclaimed himself emperor and named the country Wei."

"Cao Cao was posthumously named Emperor Wu and given the temple name Taizu."

Fan Zhongyan: After Yuan Shao's death, it took Cao Cao eight years to unify the north.

During the eight years that Cao Cao took over the north, it can only be said that he chose the perfect timing, as all parties were tightly involved.

Liu Biao controlled Jingzhou, a strategic location in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, but he was suspicious and lacked the spirit of enterprising.

He only launched a symbolic attack, and Liu Biao was so frightened that he retreated and dared not to make any more moves.

Although his old rival Liu Bei was ambitious, he suffered repeated setbacks from him. With no soldiers under his command, he had no choice but to surrender to Liu Biao.

But he didn't expect that this indecisive person would not give him trust and support.

Even though Liu Bei had control over the situation and wanted to launch a northern expedition against Cao Cao, he was powerless against Liu Biao.

In Jiangdong, Sun Quan had just come of age and took power. The area was already in a turbulent period, with many rebels attempting to seize and defend Jiangdong.

Fortunately, he was still very capable when he was young, and he quickly fought off the civil strife and reunified the forces.

After resolving the issue, he did not stop there, but turned his attention to the Shanyue region, which had not been effectively controlled by the central government for a long time.

The Shanyue barbarians had been in rebellion for a long time, and he was determined to completely quell the root causes of the unrest and ensure long-term stability in Jiangdong.

In the following years, he personally led the army and made many expeditions to the Shanyue, finally incorporating these long-conquered places into his territory.

After unifying Jiangdong, he began to rectify the administration of officials and consolidate his ruling position.

His father Sun Jian was once killed by Huang Zu, the governor of Jingzhou, and it was only right and proper for him to avenge him first.

In order to avenge this blood feud, he personally led his troops into battle, and after two difficult battles he finally killed Huang Zu.

This battle not only enhanced the prestige of Jiangdong, but also demonstrated Sun Quan's determination and strength to become a great hero.

After several years of hard work, the internal and external troubles in Jiangdong were finally settled, and we were fully prepared to meet greater challenges in the future.

Despite this, he was still preparing for future resistance against Cao, consolidating his own territory to accumulate strength.

During these eight years, the three men were unable to play an important role in Cao Cao's unification of the north, either due to their personality limitations, lack of strength, or internal and external troubles.

They could only watch Cao Cao's territory continue to expand, but no one dared to step forward to stop it.

The reason why he was able to recover the north with such confidence was due to a key turning point, the Battle of Guandu.

Although he defeated Yuan Shao in this battle, he did not completely defeat him because he was the largest at that time.

Having operated in Hebei for many years and having a solid foundation, he was difficult to shake for a while, but was defeated again in Cangting.

It can only be said that although he was defeated, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. He quickly stabilized the situation and still held an advantageous position in Hebei.

It was not until Yuan Shao's death, his sons fighting over the family business and his brothers fighting among themselves that he saw the opportunity to completely occupy Hebei.

In the following seven years, he led his troops north five times and launched large-scale expeditions.

This period was also the most dangerous time in his life. Not only did he have to deal with the forces in Hebei, but he also had to be careful about rebellions within the country.

However, despite this situation, all parties did not take any action. We can only say that they seized the opportunity too well.

In this difficult and long journey, he relied on his own abilities to nibble away at it bit by bit.

Finally, Hebei was gradually occupied, laying a solid foundation for the unification of the north.

All I can say is that during these eight years, everyone was busy with their own things, sorting out their own stalls first, and tacitly did not take any action.

But this made Cao Cao very happy. Even under such circumstances, it took him another eight years to conquer the north.

It can only be said that even if Yuan Shao had chosen a suitable successor at that time, the situation would not have ended up like that later. (End of this chapter)