The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

The officials who were enshrined in Cao Cao's ancestral temple were recorded for their positions after their death, including posthumous honors, rather than for their highest official positions during their lifetime.

Man Chong was promoted from former general to Zhengdong general, which shows that the four generals in Wei system were higher than the other four. The fact that Zhang Liao was promoted from Zhengdong general to former general was not recorded as "promotion" or "transfer", which further proves this point. Zhang Liao was recorded as former general when he was worshipped.

Zhu Ling was worshipped as a later general, so the Zhu Ling who rescued Cao Xiu in the Battle of Shiting and the later general Zhu Ling are most likely not the same person.

"Zhu Ling was a famous general during the Three Kingdoms period and one of the founding heroes of Cao Wei. His courtesy name was Wenbo and he was from Qinghe, Jizhou."

"He initially followed Yuan Shao, and later joined Cao Cao, making great contributions in various campaigns."

"He was promoted to the rank of General, and was granted the title of Marquis of Gaotang and posthumously named Marquis Wei. After his death, he was worshipped in the Cao Cao Temple."

"In the third year of Chuping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (192 AD), Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao engaged in a tug-of-war over territory in the Qinghe County area."

"Zhu Ling was ordered to lead his troops to capture a city guarded by Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan tied up Zhu Ling's entire family and took them to the city tower to lure Zhu Ling into surrender."

"However, Zhu Ling chose to fight hard and conquer the city, but as a result, all of his family members were killed by Gongsun Zan."

"In 193 AD, Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou. Zhu Ling was ordered by Yuan Shao to lead three battalions to help Cao Cao and made great contributions in the war."

"In 199 AD, Zhu Ling, on Cao Cao's orders, joined Liu Bei in intercepting Yuan Shu near Xuzhou and defeating him."

"In 211 AD, when Cao Cao was on a western expedition against Ma Chao, he secretly sent Zhu Ling and others to cross Pubanjin (now Puzhou, Shanxi) at night and set up camp in Hexi, "and defeated Ma Chao."

"After Cao Cao returned to Yecheng (now Linzhang County, Hebei), Zhu Ling and others stayed in Chang'an (now Xi'an, Shaanxi) and defeated the Nanshan bandit Liu Xiong."

"In the 215th year of Jian'an ( AD), when Cao Cao was on a western expedition against Zhang Lu, the local Di people blocked the road from Wudu (now Wudu District, Longnan City, Gansu Province) to Hanzhong. Zhu Ling and his colleagues defeated the Di people who were blocking the road."

"In 220 AD, after Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor, Zhu Ling was promoted to the rank of Rear General."

"In recognition of Zhu Ling's contributions over the years, the emperor conferred him the title of Marquis of Du and increased his household registration. Later, he was renamed Marquis of Gaotang."

"In the second year of Taihe (228 AD), the Wei army attacked the Eastern Wu, and Zhu Ling was the vanguard in the middle route."

"The Eastern Army's Cao Xiu was lured into an ambush by the Eastern Wu Army. Zhu Ling led his troops to assist and rescued the Eastern Army."

"After Zhu Ling's death, he was posthumously named "Wei Hou". He was the only famous general in Qinghe County during the Three Kingdoms period. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Luo Zhao, the magistrate of Qinghe County, was ordered to build a shrine for local celebrities. Zhu Ling was listed among them and was worshipped and sacrificed by the villagers."

"He was originally a general under Yuan Shao. Ji Yong, a native of Qinghe, betrayed Yuan Shao and surrendered to Gongsun Zan in the city of Du. Gongsun Zan sent soldiers to Du to help Ji Yong defend the city."

"Yuan Shao ordered Zhu Ling to attack, but Zhu Ling's family was in the city, so Gongsun Zan tied Zhu Ling's mother and brother to the city wall to lure Zhu Ling to surrender."

"They fought hard to capture the city of Du and captured Ji Yong alive, but Zhu Ling's family was killed."

"When Cao Cao was conquering Tao Qian, Yuan Shao sent Zhu Ling to lead three battalions to assist Cao Cao, and he was very successful in the battle. Most of the generals sent by Yuan Shao will be sent back."

"I have seen many people, but none of them can do things as well as Cao Gong. He is truly a wise leader! Now that I have met a truly wise leader, who else should I turn to?"

"So he stayed and never left. The soldiers he brought with him all admired Cao Cao, so they all followed Zhu Ling and stayed."

Li Bai: Zhu Ling was born in Jizhou, Hebei. There is no detailed record of his early life in history. It is speculated that he was probably from a poor family. Therefore, he was not particularly valued by the officials in power in Jizhou and did not hold a prominent official position.

In the second year of the Chuping reign of the Han Dynasty (191 AD), after Yuan Shao took over Jizhou, Zhu Ling became his general. At that time, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao were competing with each other.

Ji Yong, a native of Qinghe, betrayed Yuan Shao and surrendered to Gongsun Zan in Dicheng. Gongsun Zan then sent troops to Dicheng to help Ji Yong defend the city.

Yuan Shao ordered Zhu Ling to lead his army to attack, but Zhu Ling's family members were all in the city. Gongsun Zan then tied Zhu Ling's mother and brother to the city wall in order to lure Zhu Ling to surrender.

Zhu Ling looked up at the city wall and cried, saying: So they fought hard to capture Ducheng and captured Ji Yong alive, but Zhu Ling's family was also killed.

In 192 AD, the Yuan brothers fought for supremacy in the Central Plains. Yuan Shao made Liu Biao and Cao Cao his allies, while Yuan Shu made Gongsun Zan and Tao Qian his friends.

In the autumn of the fourth year of Chuping (193 AD), Cao Cao went to attack Tao Qian, but his forces were small, so Yuan Shao sent Zhu Ling to lead three battalions of troops to assist Cao Cao.

Zhu Ling made many contributions in helping Cao Cao in the battles, while most of the generals sent by Yuan Shao were sent back.

Zhu Ling did not leave. He stayed and never left. The soldiers he led admired Cao Cao and followed him to stay, becoming Cao Cao's generals from then on.

In the fourth year of Jian'an (199 AD), Yuan Shu, who had usurped the throne, was desperate and wanted to return the title of emperor to Yuan Shao. He wanted to seek refuge with Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan, who was then the governor of Qingzhou.

Yuan Shu wanted to pass north from Xia Pi, but Cao Cao sent Liu Bei, Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao to block his way. Yuan Shu was unable to pass and died of illness on the way.

In the ninth year of Jian'an (204 AD), after Cao Cao pacified Jizhou, he appointed Zhu Ling to lead new soldiers and war horses to guard the south of Xudu.

The new soldiers in Jizhou had been subjected to many gentle and lenient trainings, and their military discipline was lax. Now that they had temporarily seen order, they were still unhappy.

You have a reputation for being dignified, and you are good at forgiving them morally, otherwise something unexpected would have happened.

Zhu Ling then went to Yangdi to garrison. His subordinate, General Cheng Ang, and others indeed rebelled. Zhu Ling immediately killed Cheng Ang to quell the rebellion, and wrote a letter to report the matter to Cao Cao.

The reason why the army is dangerous is that when the country is fighting against foreign enemies, there are traitors within the country.

When Deng Yu divided Emperor Guangwu's army and marched westward, an internal conflict broke out between Zong Xin and Feng Yin, and only 24 people returned to Luoyang afterwards. Did Deng Yu suffer losses because of the war?

Although your letter is sincere and points out his mistakes many times, the facts may not be as you say (meaning that you have great trust in him).

In the winter of the 208th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao conquered Jingzhou and sent Zhao Yan to serve as the prefect of Zhangling concurrently.

He was promoted to the rank of commander-in-chief of the imperial army, in charge of seven armies including Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Li Dian, Lu Zhao and Feng Kai.

In March of the 211th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao and Xiahou Yuan to lead troops out of Hedong, attempting to attack Zhang Lu in Hanzhong via Liangzhou.

The Guanxi warlords led by Ma Chao and Han Sui suspected that Cao Cao was going to attack and annex Liangzhou, and believed that this was Cao Cao's plan to destroy Guo under the pretext of attacking Liangzhou.

Therefore, Ma Han and Zhang Heng of Guanzhong, Liang Xing of Anding, Yang Qiu of Anding, Hou Xuan, Cheng Yin, Li Kan of Hedong, Ma Wan, Cheng Yi and ten other tribes, a total of 100,000 troops rose up against Cao.

In July of the 211th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao personally led the Western Expedition to Tongguan, but was blocked by Ma Chao in Guanzhong and could not move forward. Cao Cao asked for advice from the general Xu Huang.

Xu Huang said that he had brought a large army here, and the enemy did not send troops to guard Puban (now Yongji City, Shanxi Province), which showed that they lacked strategy. Please give me a group of elite soldiers to cross Pubanjin (now the Yellow River crossing between Yongji, Shanxi Province and Dali, Shaanxi Province) as the vanguard of the army, cut off the enemy's retreat, and then I can capture them.

Cao Cao particularly agreed with this move, and sent Zhu Ling and Xu Huang to lead 4,000 elite troops to cross the Yellow River from Pubanjin and occupy Hexi as camp.

"In the fourth year of Jian'an (199 AD), Yuan Shu, who had usurped the throne, was desperate and gave the title of emperor to Yuan Shao, intending to seek refuge with Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan, who was then the governor of Qingzhou."

"Yuan Shu wanted to pass through Xiapi to the north, but Cao Cao sent Liu Bei, Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao to block his way. Yuan Shu was unable to pass and died of illness on the way."

"In the ninth year of Jian'an (204 AD), after Cao Cao pacified Jizhou, he sent Zhu Ling to lead new soldiers and war horses to guard Xunan."

"Zhu Ling then arrived at Yangdi, and saw that General Cheng Ang and his men were indeed plotting a rebellion. Zhu Ling immediately killed Cheng Ang and wrote a letter to report the incident to Cao Cao."

"In the 208th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao conquered Jingzhou and sent Zhao Yan to concurrently serve as the governor of Zhangling. He was also promoted to the commander-in-chief of the army, supervising the seven armies of Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Li Dian, Lu Zhao, and Feng Kai."

"In the 211th year of Jian'an ( AD), the generals in Guanzhong, including Ma Chao, Han Sui, Yang Qiu, Li Kan, and Cheng Yi, rebelled;"

"In July, Cao Cao personally led his army westward. After reaching Tongguan, Cao's army was blocked by Ma Chao in Guanzhong and could not move forward."

"Send Xu Huang and Zhu Ling to lead 4,000 elite troops to cross the Yellow River from Pubanjin to take advantage of the situation and set up camp west of the river."

"After the Battle of Weinan, the Guanzhong coalition was defeated, and Zhu Ling followed Xiahou Yuan to pacify Yu Mi and Wei Di."

In the 212th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao returned to Yecheng and appointed Xiahou Yuan as the general of the guard army. He stationed Zhu Ling, Lu Zhao and others in Chang'an and defeated the Nanshan bandit Liu Xiong (also known as Liu Xiongming) who had gathered thousands of people and was in chaos at the five passes. He surrendered his troops and Liu Xiong fled to Hanzhong.

"In March of the 215th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao went west to attack Zhang Lu and arrived at Chencang, preparing to enter the Di tribe from Wudu County;"

"The Di people blocked the road, so Cao Cao sent Zhu Ling, Zhang He and others to attack and defeat them."

"Cao Cao was always angry with Zhu Ling and wanted to take away his military power. Because Yu Jin was very powerful, Cao Cao sent Yu Jin with dozens of cavalrymen, carrying a letter of order, to Zhu Ling's camp to seize his army. No one dared to move Zhu Ling and his men."

"Cao Cao appointed Zhu Ling as Yu Jin's subordinate, and all the soldiers were impressed. After that, there is no record of Cao Cao using Zhu Ling to lead troops."

"In the first year of Huangchu (220 AD), Cao Pi ascended the throne and made Zhu Ling the Marquis of Du, increasing his household registration and fiefdom."

"In the autumn of the second year of Taihe (228 AD), the Wei army attacked Wu. Cao Xiu entered Hefei from the south of Lujiang River, and Man Chong's army headed towards Xiakou."

"Cao Xiu penetrated deep into the enemy's camp. The Wu army cut off the Jiashi at Wuqiangkou to block Cao Xiu's retreat. Cao Xiu was not able to fight well, so he retreated."

"Fortunately, Zhu Ling and his men cut off the road from behind and encountered the Wu army. The enemy was frightened and fled, and Cao Xiu's army was able to return."

"After his death, Zhu Ling was posthumously named Marquis Wei. In the fourth year of Zhengshi (243 AD), Zhu Ling was enshrined in Cao Cao's temple."

Su Shi: In August of the 211th year of Jian'an ( AD), the Guanzhong coalition forces were defeated in the Battle of Weinan.

In October, Cao Cao sent Zhu Ling to follow Xiahou Yuan on the western expedition, to pacify the Wei Di (a branch of the northwestern Di tribe) at Yumi (now east of Qianyang County, Shaanxi Province), and joined Cao Cao in Anding (now around Guyuan City, Ningxia).

In the first month of the 212th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao returned to Yecheng (now Linzhang County, Hebei Province) and appointed Xiahou Yuan as the acting general of the guard. Zhu Ling, Lu Zhao and other generals were stationed in Chang'an to guard Guanzhong.

Soon, they defeated the Nanshan bandit Liu Xiong who had gathered thousands of people and was causing chaos at the Wuguan Pass. They captured his subordinates and Liu Xiong fled to Hanzhong alone.

In March of the 215th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao went on a western expedition against Zhang Lu. Xiahou Yuan led generals such as Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao as well as the kings of Qiang and Hu to meet Cao Cao at Xiuting.

After Cao's army arrived at Chencang, they prepared to enter the Di tribe from Wudu County. The Di people blocked the road, so Cao Cao sent Zhu Ling, Zhang He and other generals to lead their troops to attack and defeat them.

In October of the first year of the Yankang reign (220 AD), Zhu Ling and the ministers of Cao Wei (still a kingdom at that time) persuaded King Cao Pi of Wei to establish himself as emperor in place of the Han Dynasty.

On October 220, the first year of the Huangchu reign of the Wei Dynasty ( AD), Cao Pi officially ascended the throne and decided to promote Zhu Ling to the rank of Marquis of Yu (county marquis) and increase the number of households and towns.

Around the third year of Huangchu (222 AD), Zhu Ling died and was posthumously named Wei Hou. His son Zhu Shu inherited the title.

In September of that year, Cao Pi launched a large-scale southern expedition against Eastern Wu. Wen Pin was promoted to the rank of Rear General after the war because of his meritorious service in resisting the bandits.

Therefore, the author boldly speculates that Zhu Ling should have died earlier that year. This is just my personal opinion.

In July of the fourth year of the Zhengshi reign (243 AD), Zhu Ling was enshrined in the temple of Cao Cao, the founder of Wei.

However, due to the exaggeration in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhu Ling was set as a very useless general.

When Yuan Shu intended to go north to join Yuan Shao, Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao were appointed as Liu Bei's deputy generals. They served as a complete foil and only brought back the imperial seal to Xu Du, but lost their army and Xuzhou, and were almost killed by Cao Cao.

However, the Zhu Ling in the official history is completely different. On the contrary, he is a rare general and deserves the high praise of "second only to Xu Huang".

It is said that Cao Cao was often annoyed with Zhu Ling and always wanted to find an opportunity to seize his military power.

Taking into account Yu Jin's prestige, he sent Yu Jin with dozens of cavalrymen, carrying an order, to attack Zhu Ling's camp and seize his army. No one dared to move Zhu Ling and his troops.

From then on, Cao Cao made Zhu Ling Yu Jin's subordinate, and everyone was impressed. This story was originally used to illustrate that Yu Jin was powerful.

But it can also be said the other way around, that Zhu Ling was able to make meritorious contributions and be awarded the title of Rear General despite being so suspected and suppressed. This shows that Zhu Ling was indeed capable and meritorious, which was why Cao Cao not only did not kill him but also gave him a high position and generous salary.

Personally, I speculate that this is closely related to Cao Cao’s secret deeds in his early years, because Cao Cao was subordinate to Yuan Shao for a long period of time in his early years.

First of all, Zhu Ling’s family was killed by Gongsun Zan in the Battle of Diancheng, but he did not betray Yuan Shao. This shows that Zhu Ling should be very loyal to the Yuan family.

Secondly, Cao Cao's first conflict with Tao Qian was because they belonged to two different camps in the fight for hegemony between the two Yuans, and Zhu Ling was not only a helper sent by Yuan Shao but also a military commander.

Third, Zhu Ling did not return to Yuan Shao after the war, most likely because he was a thorn placed by Yuan Shao next to Cao Cao, not because he was very optimistic about Cao Cao.

Finally, as an old minister of the Yuan family and a thorn in Cao Cao's side, he naturally became a thorn in Cao Cao's side. This can be seen from the fact that he has not participated in any war since he defected in 192 (especially the later battle between Yuan and Cao).

Why did Cao Pi look at Zhu Ling differently during the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei?
Zhu Ling certainly had merits, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to reach the high position of Rear General. But I'm afraid Cao Cao also wanted to put him on the shelf, otherwise Zhu Ling wouldn't have been able to reach this position given his record of never having led troops alone.

Zhu Ling may have secretly helped Cao Pi when he was plotting to succeed him, and he also petitioned Cao Pi to enjoy a high position when he replaced the Han Dynasty, so it is reasonable to restore his title. (End of this chapter)