The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Cao Zhen's father Cao Shao died early, so Cao Cao adopted him and treated him as his own son.

After Cao Zhen came of age, he commanded the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and followed Cao Cao in battles for his meritorious service. He was awarded the title of Marquis of Lingshou Ting and was successively promoted to Lieutenant General, Core General, and Central Commander.

In the 24th year of Jian'an reign of Emperor Xian of Han, Xiahou Yuan died in battle in Hanzhong. Cao Cao appointed Cao Zhen as the protector of the expedition to Shu and led Xu Huang and others to defeat Gao Xiang, a general under Liu Bei, at Yangping Pass.

After Cao Pi ascended the throne, Cao Zhen was promoted to General Zhenxi, given temporary authority, and commanded the armies of Yongzhou and Liangzhou, and was given a further title, Marquis of Dongxiang.

Zhang Jin and others rebelled in Jiuquan County. Cao Zhen sent his general Fei Yao to suppress them, kill Zhang Jin and put down the rebellion.

"In the third year of Huangchu, Cao Zhen returned to the capital and was promoted to the rank of General of the Upper Army. He was given the authority to command the troops inside and outside the capital."

"Cao Zhen became one of the supreme commanders of the Cao Wei army, defeated the Qiang-Hu coalition, and pacified the Hexi region."

"The following year, Cao Zhen and Xiahou Shang led an army to attack Sun Quan. Because of his merits, he was promoted to General of the Central Army and given the title of Secretary."

"In the seventh year of Huangchu, Cao Pi was seriously ill and left Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, Sima Yi and others to assist in government affairs;"

"Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, succeeded to the throne, and Cao Zhen was promoted to general and given the title of Marquis of Shaoling."

"In the second year of Taihe, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu, led his army to invade. The three counties of Nangan, Tianshui and Anding rebelled and surrendered. Cao Rui sent Cao Zhen to lead a large army to garrison Mei County and pacify the three counties together with Zhang He;"

"The following year, Zhuge Liang led his army to attack Chencang, but was repelled by Cao Zhen. In the fourth year of Taihe, Cao Zhen came to the court and was promoted to Grand Marshal;"

"In July of the same year, Cao Zhen petitioned to attack Shu, and Cao Rui approved it. He ordered Cao Zhen and Sima Yi to attack Shu by land and sea. Later, they were forced to retreat due to continuous heavy rains."

"Cao Zhen returned to Luoyang due to illness and died in the fifth year of Taihe. He was posthumously named Yuan Hou and his son Cao Shuang inherited the title."

"Cao Zhen served three dynasties, and Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, praised him for his loyalty, modesty and virtue;"

"Cao Zhi, the Prince of Chensi, praised him in his "On Assisting Ministers" for his far-sightedness in planning and defeating the enemy to maintain peace in the country."

"Chen Shou, a historian of the Jin Dynasty, commented that Cao Zhen, like other ministers of the Cao Wei clan, became prominent for a time because of his kinship, assisted Cao Wei, and made great contributions."

"Cao Zhen was the son of Cao Cao's brother. When Cao Cao led his army to attack Dong Zhuo, Cao Zhen's father Cao Shao was killed while recruiting troops for him."

"Cao Cao took pity on Cao Zhen, who had lost his father at a young age, so he adopted him as his own son and let him live with Cao Pi."

"When Cao Zhen grew up, he was once chased by a tiger while hunting. Cao Zhen turned around and shot an arrow at the tiger, which fell to the ground immediately."

"Cao Cao admired Cao Zhen's bravery and made him the commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry."

"Later, Cao Zhen led his troops to Lingqiu County to fight against the rebels, defeated the enemy, and put down the rebellion. He was granted the title of Lingshou Tinghou for his merits."

"In October of the 22nd year of the Jian'an reign of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei sent General Wu Lan to station at Xiabian. Cao Cao sent Cao Hong to lead troops to fight against him. Cao Zhen followed Cao Hong as a lieutenant general and defeated Wu Lan's army. Cao Zhen was promoted to a core general for his merits."

"In September of the 23rd year of the Jian'an reign of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao led a large army to Chang'an. Cao Zhen followed him and served as the commander of the army."

"In the first month of the following year, General Xiahou Yuan, the General of the Western Expedition, died in battle at Yangping Pass. Cao Cao was very worried about the situation in Hanzhong, so he appointed Cao Zhen as the Protector of the Expedition to Shu. Cao Zhen commanded Xu Huang and other generals to defeat the army of Gao Xiang, a general under Liu Bei, at Yangping Pass."

"Cao Cao personally led a large army to Hanzhong, where he was in a stalemate with Liu Bei. Soon Cao Cao withdrew his troops from Hanzhong and sent Cao Zhen to Wudu County to welcome Cao Hong and other generals back to Chencang to garrison."

"In the 25th year of Jian'an reign of Emperor Xian of Han, Cao Cao died. Cao Pi succeeded him as King of Wei and appointed Cao Zhen as General Zhenxi, granting him a staff of authority and commanding the armies of Yongzhou and Liangzhou.

"Based on Cao Zhen's merits, he was promoted to Marquis of Dongxiang."

"In May of the same year, Zhang Jin and his men rebelled in Jiuquan County. Cao Zhen sent his general Fei Yao to lead troops to suppress the rebellion. Zhang Jin and other rebel leaders were killed, and the rebellion was put down."

"In the third year of Huangchu, Cao Zhen returned to the capital Luoyang to meet the emperor. Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, appointed Cao Zhen as the general of the upper army, commanding all the troops inside and outside the capital, and granted him the staff of military power and the axe."

Li Bai: Although Emperor Xian of Han was in the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si, the heroes of the Three Kingdoms were busy fighting for territory. Yuan Shu fought a great battle with Cao Cao in order to seize Xuzhou. After hearing that Cao Cao went out with a small number of people, he sent a group of elite troops to intercept and kill him halfway.

When Cao Cao was about to be killed, his fellow villager Qin Shao resolutely pretended to be Cao Cao to attract pursuers, which enabled Cao Cao to escape this disaster.

But Qin Shao died, and Cao Cao was very sad, so he adopted his orphan and made him his own son. He was Cao Zhen!
Everyone knows that Cao Cao had many adopted sons, but the one who was truly highly regarded was Cao Zhen. And Cao Zhen lived up to expectations and soon joined Cao Cao's elite "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" and became a general.

Cao Zhen took off from then on - in the Battle of Bailang Mountain, he followed Zhang Liao to kill Tadun. In the Battle of Changbanpo, he attacked and killed Liu Bei, and witnessed Zhang Fei's bravery. In the Battle of Tongguan, he fought hard against Ma Chao's Xiliang Iron Cavalry...

How did famous generals emerge? They always grew up in life-and-death trials and were tempered by swords and sabers. Cao Zhen finally became one of the two rising stars among the generals of Cao Wei, just like Cao Xiu, the "thousand-mile horse".

The Battle of Hanzhong began, and Zhang Fei and Ma Chao appeared together. The commander Cao Hong was a little panicked, but Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen, the two younger brothers beside him, remained calm.

Cao Xiu saw through Zhang Fei and Ma Chao's plot at a glance, and together with Cao Zhen, they did the opposite, launching a surprise attack on Xiabian, defeating Shu Han general Wu Lan and beheading Shu generals Lei Tong and Ren Kui - this was the Battle of Xiabian. Zhang Fei and Ma Chao had no choice but to retreat.

Cao Hong was so happy about this that he went crazy, and Cao Cao was even more delighted: The descendants of our Cao family can be summed up in six words: each one is more awesome than the other! However, to be fair, the "Battle of Xiabian" was Cao Xiu's famous battle, so what about Cao Zhen?
Talented people are everywhere, no matter sooner or later. Cao Zhen’s era will soon come, but he uses Zhao Yun to practice first!
Zhao Yun has always been like a god, and has become a legend for being undefeated. But no matter how much Luo Guanzhong favors Zhao Yun, he cannot avoid the fact that Zhao Yun was defeated by Cao Zhen in the Battle of Xiegu.

At that time, Zhuge Liang went to Qishan, and he led the main force himself, letting Zhao Yun act as a decoy. As a result, both of Zhuge Liang's armies were defeated. The army led by Zhuge Liang was defeated by Zhang He at Jieting because of the use of Ma Su. Zhao Yun's army ran into Cao Zhen head-on.

Liang led his army and announced that he would take the Xiegu Pass. Cao Zhen sent a large force to meet him. Liang ordered Yun and Deng Zhi to resist, while he personally attacked Qishan. Yun and Zhi's troops were weak and the enemy was strong, so they were defeated in Jigu Pass. However, they gathered their forces and held on, so they did not suffer a major defeat...

What does "not so badly defeated" mean? It's a comparative form. Ma Su was defeated miserably at Jieting, and his elder brother escaped alone, resulting in almost the entire army being annihilated. Zhao Yun's "not so badly defeated" corresponds to Ma Su's disastrous defeat at Jieting. So, it's not much better.

It was handled in the same way. Zhuge Liang executed Ma Su with tears in his eyes and demoted himself three levels. He gave Zhao Yun "fifty kilograms of gold as a gift" instead of writing a memorial to Liu Chan to beg him to reward or confer a title, which was equivalent to private praise.

But no matter what, Zhao Yun's undefeated myth was ended by Cao Zhen.

In order to make Sima Yi shine as soon as possible, he stepped on Cao Zhen and made a bet between the two of them. In fact, in the official history, Sima Yi never came, and the real commander of Cao Wei was Cao Zhen.

In other words, Cao Zhen was the protagonist and hero of Zhuge Liang's defeat. When Sima Yi faced Cao Zhen, no matter from the perspective of identity, status, and influence at the time, he had to bow his head and admit defeat, and he could not compete with Cao Zhen! Therefore, there has always been a saying: If Cao Zhen is not dead, Sima Yi will not be able to succeed!

"In September of the same year, Cao Pi sent Cao Zhen, together with General Cao Xiu, General Zhang He, General Xiahou Shang and others, to attack Sun Quan in the south. Cao Zhen led his troops to attack the Wu army camp stationed in Niuzhu and won a victory;"

"Soon after, he was transferred to be the General of the Central Army and given the title of Secretary."

"In May of the seventh year of Huangchu, Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, was seriously ill, and ordered Cao Zhen to assist in governing the country together with Cao Xiu, Chen Qun, and Sima Yi."

"Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, succeeded to the throne and promoted Cao Zhen to the rank of general and the title of Marquis of Shaoling."

"In the second year of Taihe, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu, led his army to besiege Qishan. The three counties of Nan'an, Tianshui and Anding in Wei all rebelled and responded to Zhuge Liang."

"Cao Rui urgently dispatched Cao Zhen to lead the army westward to guard Mei County; he also sent Zhang He to lead the army to the front line and defeated Zhuge Liang's vanguard Ma Su at Jieting, forcing Zhuge Liang to retreat to Hanzhong."

"County people like Yang Tiao held officials and civilians hostage in rebellion and occupied Yuezhi City. Cao Zhen led his army to surround it;"

"When Yang Tiao heard that Cao Zhen was personally leading his army to attack, he surrendered and tied himself up to apologize to Cao Zhen. The three counties that had rebelled and surrendered to Zhuge Liang were all pacified."

"Cao Zhen believed that Zhuge Liang had suffered a setback at Qishan and would definitely choose Chencang as his next attack. Cao Zhen therefore sent generals Hao Zhao and Wang Sheng to garrison Chencang and step up efforts to consolidate the city."

"In the spring of the following year, Zhuge Liang indeed sent out a large army to besiege Chencang. However, because the Wei army was well prepared, Zhuge Liang was unable to capture it."

"The court commended Cao Zhen for his contributions and increased his fiefdom to 2,900 households."

"In the fourth year of Taihe, Cao Zhen returned to the capital Luoyang to meet the emperor and was promoted to Grand Marshal. Cao Rui gave him a sword and allowed him to wear shoes to the court. He did not have to walk quickly when meeting the emperor."

"In July of the same year, Cao Zhen advised Cao Rui that Shu had repeatedly sent troops to harass Wei's border and that a large army should be sent to attack them. If the troops were divided into several groups and advanced simultaneously, they would surely win a great victory."

"Cao Rui followed his advice, and Cao Zhen led his army to attack Shu. Cao Rui personally went to see him off."

"In August of the same year, Cao Zhen led his army from Chang'an and entered the territory of Shu State from the south along the Ziwu Road;"

"General Sima Yi led his army up the Han River, and the two armies agreed to meet in Nanzheng County;"

"Some of the other armies advanced southwards from Xiegu Road, and some entered Shu from Wuwei County."

"It rained heavily for more than 30 days, and the plank road leading to Shu was washed away by floods. In September of the same year, Cao Rui issued an edict to order Cao Zhen and others to lead the army back to Chang'an."

"At the beginning, Cao Zhen followed Cao Cao together with his cousin Cao Zun and fellow villager Zhu Zan."

"Cao Zun and Zhu Zan both died early, and Cao Zhen felt pity for them and asked the court to allocate part of his fiefdom to the descendants of Cao Zun and Zhu Zan."

"Cao Rui issued an edict to commend them and enfeoffed the sons of Cao Zun and Zhu Zan as Marquis of Guannei, with fiefs of 100 households each."

"In the fifth year of Taihe, Cao Zhen fell ill and returned to Luoyang from Chang'an. Cao Rui personally went to his residence to visit him."

"In March of the same year, Cao Zhen died of illness and was posthumously named Yuan Hou. Cao Zhen's son Cao Shuang inherited his title, and Cao Rui issued an edict to confer the title of Marquis to Cao Zhen's five sons, Cao Xi, Cao Xun, Cao Ze, Cao Yan, and Cao Ai."

"In the fourth year of Zhengshi, Emperor Cao Fang of Wei issued an edict that Cao Zhen and other deceased generals from Cao Cao's time could be offered sacrifices in the temple of Emperor Cao Cao of Wei."

Su Shi: Because it was not until Cao Zhen's death that Sima Yi became the candidate to fight against Zhuge Liang.

It's a pity that the battle was fought so cowardly, with people wearing women's clothes, fearing Shu like a tiger, and the dead Zhuge Liang scaring away Sheng Zhongda... Compared with the fight between Cao Zhen and Zhuge Liang, there was obviously a level lower.

Why did Zhuge Liang lead tens of thousands of troops during his second northern expedition, but was defeated by Hao Zhao of Chencang with only a few thousand men? The main reason was Cao Zhen.

After ending Zhao Yun's undefeated myth and repelling Zhuge Liang, Cao Zhen keenly realized that Zhuge Liang would inevitably attack again, and Chencang would be the focus of attack.

So he ordered Chencang's garrison commander Hao Zhao to reinforce the city in advance. This made it so that when Zhuge Liang faced Chencang, tens of thousands of troops even tried to dig tunnels, but they still couldn't succeed.

What do you call this? At least it's called anticipating the enemy. Comparing Sima Yi's terrible beating against Zhuge Liang, it's clear who is the real Three Kingdoms general and how big the gap is between the two.

A truly talented person does not wait until a problem occurs before wasting resources and showing off. Instead, he is able to predict the problem in advance and achieve the greatest benefit at the lowest cost.

When Sima Yi faced Zhuge Liang, he adopted the strategy of lying down and pretending to be dead, which made his subordinates mad and almost turned the tables. Sima Yi then resorted to the trick of seeking imperial decree from afar, holding high the imperial decree of his elder brother, the emperor, to shut up his subordinates.

When Cao Zhen was the commander-in-chief, he "shared the hardships with the generals and soldiers. When the military rewards were insufficient, he would use his family wealth to reward them, and all the soldiers were willing to serve him."

In other words, Cao Zhen possessed absolute authority and was generally supported and loved by his subordinates - was the gap widening again?
At the same time, Cao Zhen was the first general of Cao Wei to realize that they could not allow Shu Han to make such a fuss and that the initiative should be in their own hands.

So, after Zhuge Liang's second Northern Expedition failed, Cao Zhen wrote to Cao Rui: we should attack Shu Han and bring the war to the territory of Shu Han.

We can't always let Zhuge Liang run to our Cao Wei home and smash pots and bowls. Shu Han is a small country and can't stand our ravages.

Cao Rui was delighted and did just that, and personally demonstrated it to Cao Zhen.

Unfortunately, it was fate and the time that led Cao Zhen to take the initiative to attack, but due to heavy rain, "the Yi, Luo, He and Han rivers overflowed", and he was ultimately forced to return empty-handed.

It was probably because Cao Zhen caught a cold during this expedition that he died of illness not long after returning.

Whether Cao Zhen was pacifying Hexi, opening up the road to the Western Regions for Cao Pi, or fighting against Zhuge Liang for Cao Rui, he achieved complete victory.

The reason may be that Zhuge Liang is too dazzling and Sima Yi is too dark.

Cao Zhen died young, caught between these two extreme figures, and gave birth to a fool son, Cao Shuang, so he could only sigh helplessly... (End of this chapter)