Cao Cao

For other uses, see Cao Cao (disambiguation).

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Cao.

At that time, there was a man named Xu Shao who lived

in Runan and was famous for his ability to evaluate a person's potentials and talents. Cao Cao paid him a visit
in hopes of receiving an evaluation that would help him
politically. At rst, Xu Shao refused to make a statement; however, under persistent questioning, he nally
said,You would be a capable minister in peaceful times
and an unscrupulous hero in chaotic times.* [3] Cao Cao
laughed and left. There are two other versions of this
comment in other unocial historical records.

Cao Cao ([tsu tsu ]; Chinese: ; 155 15 March

220),* [2] courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han
dynasty who rose to great power in the nal years of the
dynasty. As one of the central gures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously honoured as Emperor Wu of Wei. Although he is often
portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant in subsequent literature, Cao Cao has also been praised as a brilliant ruler
and military genius who treated his subordinates like his
family. During the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty, Cao
Cao was able to secure the most populated and prosperous cities of the central plains and northern China. Cao
had much success as the Han chancellor, but his handling
of the Han emperor Liu Xie was heavily criticized and
resulted in a continued and then escalated civil war. Opposition directly gathered around warlords Liu Bei and
Sun Quan, whom Cao was unable to quell. Cao was also
skilled in poetry and martial arts and wrote many war
journals.

2 Early career and Yellow Turban

Rebellion

Early life

Further information: History of the Han dynasty

Cao Cao was born in Qiao (present-day Bozhou, Anhui)
in 155. His father Cao Song was a foster son of Cao Teng,
who in turn was one of the favourite eunuchs of Emperor
Huan. Some historical records, including the Biography
of Cao Man, claim that Cao Song's original family name
was Xiahou.
Cao was known for his craftiness as an adolescent. According to the Biography of Cao Man, Cao Cao's uncle complained to Cao Song about Cao Cao's indulgence
in hunting and music with Yuan Shao. In retaliation,
Cao Cao feigned a t before his uncle, who immediately
rushed to inform Cao Song. When Cao Song went to
see his son, Cao Cao behaved normally. When asked,
Cao Cao replied, I have never had a t, but I lost the
love of my uncle, and therefore he deceived you.Afterwards, Cao Song ceased to believe his brother regarding
Cao Cao, and thus Cao Cao became even more blatant
and insistent in his wayward pursuits.

Statue of Cao Cao in Wuhan

At the age of 20, Cao Cao was appointed district captain

of Luoyang. Upon taking up the post, he placed rows
of multicolored stakes outside his oce and ordered his
deputies to og those who violated the law, regardless of
their status. An uncle of Jian Shuo, one of the most powerful and inuential eunuchs under Emperor Ling, was
caught walking in the city after the evening curfew by Cao
Cao's men and was ogged. This prompted Jian Shuo
1

5 UNITING NORTHERN CHINA

and other higher authorities to ostensibly promote Cao

Cao to the post of governor of Dunqiu County while actually moving him out of the imperial capital. Cao Cao
remained in this position for little more than a year, being dismissed from oce in 178 for his distant family
ties with the disgraced Empress Song.* [4] Around 180,
Cao Cao returned to court as a Consultant () and
presented two memoranda against the eunuchs' inuence
in court and government corruption during his tenure, to
limited eect.* [5]
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in 184,
Cao Cao was recalled to Luoyang and appointed Captain
of the Cavalry () and sent to Yingchuan in Yu
Province to suppress the rebels. He was successful and
was sent to Ji'nan () as Chancellor () to prevent the
spread of Yellow Turban inuence there. In Ji'nan, Cao
Cao aggressively enforced the ban on unorthodox cults,
destroyed shrines, and supported state Confucianism. He
oended the local leading families in the process, and
resigned on grounds of poor health around 187, fearing
that he had put his family in danger.* [6] He was oered
the post of Administrator of Dong Commandery (),
but he declined and returned to his home in Pei County.
Around that time, Wang Fen () tried to recruit Cao
Cao to join his coup to replace Emperor Ling with the
Marquis of Hefei, but Cao Cao refused. The plot came
to nothing, and Wang Fen killed himself.* [7]

Alliance against Dong Zhuo

Main article: Campaign against Dong Zhuo

After 18 months in retirement, Cao Cao returned to the
capital Luoyang in 188. That year, he was appointed
Colonel Who Arranges the Army ( ), fourth
of eight heads of a newly established imperial army, the
Army of the Western Garden. The eectiveness of this
new force never became known, since it was disbanded
the next year.* [8]
In 189, Emperor Ling died and was succeeded by his
eldest son (Emperor Shao), although state power was
mainly in the hands of Empress Dowager He and others.
The empress dowager's brother, General-in-Chief He Jin,
plotted with Yuan Shao to eliminate the Ten Attendants
(a group of inuential eunuchs in the imperial court). He
Jin summoned Dong Zhuo, a seasoned general of Liang
Province, to lead his army into Luoyang to pressure the
empress dowager to surrender power, despite accusations
of Dong'sinfamy. Before Dong Zhuo arrived, He Jin
was assassinated by the eunuchs and Luoyang was thrown
into chaos as Yuan Shao's supporters fought the eunuchs.
Dong Zhuo's army easily rid the palace grounds of opposition. After he deposed Emperor Shao, Dong Zhuo
placed the puppet Emperor Xian on the throne, as he
deemed that Emperor Xian was more capable than the

original puppet Emperor Shao.

After rejecting Dong Zhuo's appointment, Cao Cao left
Luoyang for Chenliu (southeast of present-day Kaifeng,
Henan, Cao's hometown), where he built his army. The
next year, regional warlords formed a military alliance
under Yuan Shao against Dong. Cao Cao joined them,
becoming one of the few actively ghting members of
the coalition. The coalition fell apart after months of inactivity, and China fell into civil war while Dong Zhuo
was killed in 192 by L Bu.

4 Securing the emperor

Through short-term and regional-scale wars, Cao Cao
continued to expand his power. In 193, Cao massacred
thousands of civilians in Xu Province to avenge his father, whom Cao Cao believed to have been murdered by
Xu Province's governor, Tao Qian.
In 196, Cao Cao joined Emperor Xian and convinced him
to move the capital to Xuchang as suggested by Xun Yu
and other advisors, as Luoyang was ruined by war and
Chang'an was not under Cao's military control, and he
was appointed chancellor. Cao Cao became Generalin-Chief () and Marquis of Wuping (),
though both titles had little practical implication. While
some viewed the emperor as a puppet under Cao Cao's
control, Cao adhered to a strict personal rule to his death
that he would not usurp the throne. Later, when he was
approached by his advisors to overthrow the Han dynasty
and start his own dynasty, he replied,If heaven bestows
such a fate upon me, let me be King Wen of Zhou.* [9]
To maintain a good relationship with Yuan Shao, who
had become the most powerful warlord in China when he
united the northern four provinces, Cao Cao lobbied to
have Yuan appointed Minister of Works. However, this
had the opposite eect, as Yuan Shao believed that Cao
Cao was trying to humiliate him, since Minister of Works
technically ranked lower than General-in-Chief, and thus
refused to accept the title. To pacify Yuan Shao, Cao Cao
oered his own position to him, while becoming Minister of Works himself. While this temporarily resolved the
conict, it was the catalyst for the Battle of Guandu later.

5 Uniting northern China

In 200, Yuan Shao amassed more than 100,000 troops
and marched southwards on Xuchang in the name of rescuing the emperor. Cao Cao gathered 20,000 men in
Guandu, a strategic point on the Yellow River. The two
armies came to a standstill as neither side was able to
make much progress. Cao Cao's lack of men did not
allow him to make signicant attacks, and Yuan Shao's
pride forced him to meet Cao's force head-on. Despite
his overwhelming advantage in terms of manpower, Yuan

3
Shao was unable to make full use of his resources because However, Cao Cao's attempt to extend his domination
of his indecisive leadership and Cao Cao's position.
south of the Yangtze River was unsuccessful. He reBesides the middle battleground of Guandu, two lines of ceived an initial success when Liu Biao, the Governor of
battle were present. The eastern line with Yuan Tan of Jing Province, died, and his successor, Liu Cong surrenYuan Shao's army against Zang Ba of Cao Cao's army dered to Cao Cao without resistance. Delighted by this,
was a one-sided battle in favour of Cao, as Yuan Tan's he pressed on despite objections from his military advipoor leadership was no match for Zang's local knowledge sors and hoped the same would happen again. His forces
of the landscape and his hit-and-run tactics. On the west- were defeated by a coalition of his arch-rivals Liu Bei and
Sun Quan (who later founded the states of Shu Han and
ern front, Yuan Shao's nephew, Gao Gan, performed better against Cao Cao's army and forced several reinforce- Eastern Wu respectively) at the Battle of Red Clis in
208.
ments from Cao's main camp to maintain the western
battle. Liu Bei, then a guest in Yuan Shao's army, sug- In 213, Cao Cao received the title Duke of Wei(
gested that he instigate rebellion in Cao Cao's territories ) and was given the nine bestowments and a ef of ten
as many followers of Yuan were in Cao's lands. The tac- cities under his domain, known as Wei. In 216, Cao Cao
tic was initially successful but Man Chong's diplomatic was promoted to the status of a vassal king - King of
skills helped to resolve the conict almost immediately. Wei(). Over the years, Cao Cao, as well as Liu
Man Chong had been placed as an ocial there for this Bei and Sun Quan, continued to consolidate their power
specic reason, as Cao Cao had foreseen the possibility in their respective regions. Through many wars, China
of insurrection prior to the battle.
became divided into three powers Wei, Shu and Wu,
Finally, a defector from Yuan Shao's army, Xu You, in- which fought sporadic battles without the balance tipping
formed Cao Cao of the location of Yuan's supply depot. signicantly in anyone's favour.
Cao Cao broke the stalemate by sending a special group
of soldiers to burn all the supplies of Yuan Shao's army,
thus winning a decisive and seemingly impossible victory.
Yuan Shao fell ill and died shortly after the defeat, leaving two sons the eldest son, Yuan Tan and the youngest
son, Yuan Shang. As he had designated the youngest son,
Yuan Shang, as his successor, rather than the eldest as
tradition dictated, the two brothers fought each other, as
they fought Cao Cao. Cao Cao used the internal conict
within the Yuan clan to his advantage and defeated the
Yuans easily. Cao Cao assumed eective rule over all of
northern China. He sent armies further out and expanded
his control across the Great Wall into present-day Korea,
and southward to the Han River.

7 Death
In 220, Cao Cao died in Luoyang at the age of 65, having
failed to unify China under his rule. His will instructed
that he be buried near Ximen Bao's tomb in Ye without
gold and jade treasures, and that his subjects on duty at
the frontier were to stay in their posts and not attend the
funeral as, in his own words,the country is still unstable
.
Cao Cao's eldest surviving son Cao Pi succeeded him.
Within a year, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate
and proclaimed himself the rst emperor of the state of
Cao Wei. Cao Cao was then posthumously titledGrand
Ancestor Emperor Wu of Wei()

Red Clis Campaign

8 Family
Main article: Cao Wei family trees

8.1 Research on Cao Cao's ancestry

Traditional site of the Red Clis, north of Wulin, Hubei.

Cao Cao was a purported descendant of the Western Han

dynasty chancellor Cao Shen. In the early 2010s, researchers from Fudan University compared the Y chromosomes collected from a tooth from Cao Cao's granduncle, Cao Ding (), with those of Cao Shen and found
them to be signicantly dierent. Therefore, the claim
about Cao Cao descending from Cao Shen was not supported by genetic evidence.* [10] The researchers also
found that the Y chromosomes of Cao Ding match those
of self-proclaimed living descendants of Cao Cao who

CULTURAL LEGACY

hold lineage records dating back to more than 100 gener- As a result, depictions of Cao Cao as unscrupulous have
ations ago.* [11]
become much more popular among the common people
There have been attempts to revise
Zhu Ziyan, a history professor from Shanghai University, than his real image.
*
*
[13]
[14]
this
depiction.
felt that Cao Ding's tooth alone cannot be used as evidence to determine Cao Cao's ancestry. He was sceptical
about whether those who claim to be Cao Cao's descendants are really so, because genealogical records dating
from the Song dynasty (9601279) are already so rare in
the present-day, much less those dating from the Three
Kingdoms era (220280). Besides, according to historical records, Cao Ding was a younger brother of the eunuch Cao Teng, who adopted Cao Cao's biological father,
Cao Song. Therefore, Cao Cao had no known blood relations with Cao Ding. In other words, Cao Ding was
not Cao Cao's real granduncle (this assuming that there
was no intra-family adoption, which was actually common in China). Zhu Ziyan mentioned that Fudan University's research only proves that those self-proclaimed
descendants of Cao Cao are related to Cao Ding; it does
not directly relate them to Cao Cao.* [12]

Cultural legacy

As the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms has been

adapted to modern forms of entertainment, so has its portrayal of Cao Cao. Given the source material upon which
these adaptations are founded, Cao Cao continues to be
characterised as a prominent villain.
Through to modern times, the Chinese equivalent of the
English idiom "speak of the Devil" isspeak of Cao Cao
and Cao Cao arrives(simplied Chinese:
; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: shu
Co Co, Co Co do).
After the Communists won the Chinese Civil War in
1949, many people in China began to believe that there
were many similarities between Cao Cao and Mao Zedong. Because of this perceived similarity, propagandists
began a long-term, sustained eort to improve the image
of Cao Cao in Chinese popular culture. In 1959, Peng
Dehuai wrote a letter to Mao, in which he compared himself to Zhang Fei: because of Mao's popular association
with Cao, Peng's comparison implied that he had an intuitively confrontational relationship with Mao. Mao had
the letter widely circulated in order to make Peng's attitude clear to other Party members, and proceeded to
purge Peng, eventually ending Peng's career.* [15]

9.1 Agriculture and education

While waging military campaigns against his enemies,
Cao Cao did not forget the bases of society agriculture
and education.

A mask of Cao Cao in Chinese opera.

While historical records indicate Cao Cao as a brilliant

ruler, he was represented as a cunning and deceitful man
in Chinese opera, where his character is given a white facial makeup to reect his treacherous personality. When
Luo Guanzhong wrote the historical novel Romance of
the Three Kingdoms, he took much of his inspiration from
Chinese opera.

In 194, a locust plague caused a major famine across

China. The people resorted to cannibalism out of desperation. Without food, many armies were defeated without
ghting. From this experience, Cao Cao saw the importance of an ample food supply in building a strong military. He began a series of agricultural programs in cities
such as Xuchang and Chenliu. Refugees were recruited
and given wasteland to cultivate. Later, encampments not
faced with imminent danger of war were also made to
farm. This system was continued and spread to all regions
under Cao Cao as his realm expanded. Although Cao
Cao's primary intention was to build a powerful army, the
agricultural program also improved the living standards
of the people, especially war refugees.
By 203, Cao Cao had eliminated most of Yuan Shao's
forces. This aorded him more attention on construction
within his realm. In autumn of that year, Cao Cao passed
an order decreeing the promotion of education throughout the counties and cities within his jurisdiction. An ofcial in charge of education was assigned to each county
with more than 500 households. Youngsters with potential and talent were selected for schooling. This prevented

5
a lapse in the training of intellectuals in those years of ered more than 250 relics from the tomb. The remains of
war, and, in Cao Cao's words, would benet the people. three persons a man in his 60s, a woman in her 50s and
another woman in her 20s were also unearthed and are
believed to be those of Cao Cao, one of his wives, and a
9.2 Poetry
servant.* [19]

Cao Cao cites a poem before the Battle of Red Clis, portrait at
the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace, Beijing

Main article: Poetry of Cao Cao

Cao Cao was an accomplished poet, as were his sons Cao
Pi and Cao Zhi. He was also a patron of poets such as Xu
Gan.* [16] Of Cao Cao's works, only a remnant remain
today. His verses, unpretentious yet profound, helped to
reshape the poetic style of his time and beyond, eventually contributing to the poetry styles associated with Tang
dynasty poetry. Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi are known
collectively as the Three Caos. The Three Caos' poetry, together with additional poets, became known as the
Jian'an style, which contributed eventually to Tang and
later poetry. Cao Cao also wrote verse in the older fourcharacter per line style characteristic of the Classic of Poetry. Burton Watson describes Cao Cao as: the only
writer of the period who succeeded in infusing the old
four-character metre with any vitality, mainly because he
discarded the archaic diction associated with it and employed the ordinary poetic language of his time.* [17]
Cao Cao is also known for his early contributions to the
Shanshui poetry genre, with his 4-character-per-line, 14line poem View of the Blue Sea().* [18]

10

Mausoleum

Main article: Cao Cao Mausoleum

On 27 December 2009, the Henan Provincial Cultural
Heritage Bureau reported the discovery of Cao Cao's
tomb in Xigaoxue Village, Anyang County, Henan. The
tomb, covering an area of 740 square metres, was discovered in December 2008 when workers at a nearby
kiln were digging for mud to make bricks. Its discovery was not reported and the local authorities knew of it
only when they seized a stone tablet carrying the inscription 'King Wu of Wei' Cao Cao's posthumous title
from grave robbers who claimed to have stolen it from
the tomb. Over the following year, archaeologists recov-

Since the discovery of the tomb, there have been many

skeptics and experts who pointed out problems with it
and raised doubts about its authenticity.* [20] In January 2010, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage
legally endorsed the initial results from research conducted throughout 2009 suggesting that the tomb was Cao
Cao's.* [21] However, in August 2010, 23 experts and
scholars presented evidence at a forum held in Suzhou,
Jiangsu to argue that the ndings and the artefacts of the
tomb were fake.* [22] In September 2010, an article published in an archaeology magazine claimed that the tomb
and the adjacent one actually belonged to Cao Huan (a
grandson of Cao Cao) and his father Cao Yu.* [23]
In 2010, the tomb became part of the fth batch of Major
Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National
Level in China.* [24] As of December 2011, it has been
announced that the local government in Anyang is constructing a museum on the original site of the tomb which
will be named 'Cao Cao Mausoleum Museum' (
).* [25]

11 In ction
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel by Luo
Guanzhong, was a romanticisation of the events that occurred in the late Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms
period. While adhering to historical facts most of the
time, the novel inevitably reshaped Cao Cao to some extent, so as to portray him as a cruel and suspicious villain.
In some chapters, Luo created ctional or semi-ctional
events involving Cao Cao.
See the following for some ctitious stories in Romance
of the Three Kingdoms involving Cao Cao:
List of ctitious stories in Romance of the Three
Kingdoms#Cao Cao presents a precious sword
List of ctitious stories in Romance of the Three
Kingdoms#Cao Cao arrested and released by Chen
Gong
L Boshe
List of ctitious stories in Romance of the Three
Kingdoms#Guan Yu releases Cao Cao at Huarong
Trail
List of ctitious stories in Romance of the Three
Kingdoms#New Book of Mengde
Battle of Tong Pass (211)#In ction
List of ctitious stories in Romance of the Three
Kingdoms#Cao Cao's death

14 NOTES
Chen Jianbin, in the 2010 Chinese television series
Three Kingdoms.
Jiang Wen, in the 2011 Hong Kong lm The Lost
Bladesman.
Chow Yun-fat, in the 2012 Chinese lm The Assassins.
Zhao Lixin, in the 2014 Chinese television series
Cao Cao.

12.2 Card games

In the selection of hero cards in the Chinese card game
San Guo Sha (), there is also a Cao Cao hero that
players can select at the beginning of the game.
Cao Cao is also referenced in Magic: The Gathering, as
the card Cao Cao, Lord of Wei. This card is black,
the colour representing ruthlessness and ambition, though
not necessarily evil. It was rst printed in Portal Three
Kingdoms and again in From the Vault: Legends.

12.3 Video games

Cao Cao appears in Koei's Romance of the Three KingA portrait of Cao Cao from a Qing dynasty edition of the doms video game series. He is also featured as a playable
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the hunched gure clearly character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi
portraying him as a villain. The anachronistic headwear is from series. He also features in Koei's Kessen II as a playable
main character.
the Song dynasty almost a millennium after Cao's death.

12
12.1

Modern references
Film and television

Cao Cao also appears in Puzzle & Dragons as part of the

Three Kingdoms Gods series.* [26]

12.4 Other appearances

The Father of Hong Kong cinema", Lai Man-Wai,

played Cao Cao in The Witty Sorcerer, a 1931 comedy
lm based on the story of Zuo Ci playing tricks on Cao
Cao. In the Shaw Brothers lm The Weird Man, Cao Cao
was seen in the beginning of the lm with Zuo Ci. Zuo
Ci was playing tricks on him by giving him a tangerine
with no fruit inside. This was later referenced in another
lm titled Five Element Ninjas.

As with most of the other relevant generals of the period,

Cao Cao is portrayed as a young female character in the
Koihime Mus franchise. He is also the central character
in the Japanese manga series Sten Kro. Barry Hughart's
novel The Story of the Stone mentions the Seven Sacrileges
of Tsao Tsao, most of which involve family.* [27]

Other notable actors who have portrayed Cao Cao in lm

and television include:

13 See also

Bao Guo'an, in the 1994 Chinese television series

Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Bao won two Best
Actor awards at the 1995 Golden Eagle Awards and
Flying Apsaras Awards for his performance.
Damian Lau, in the 2008 Hong Kong lm Three
Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon.
Zhang Fengyi, in the 200809 Chinese lm Red
Cli.

List of people of the Three Kingdoms

Empty Fort Strategy

14 Notes
[1] () Pei Songzhi. Annotations
to Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Volume
1, Biography of Cao Cao.

[2] de Crespigny, Rafe (2007). A biographical dictionary of

Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23220 AD). Brill. pp.
35, 38. ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0.
[3] () Chen Shou. Records of
Three Kingdoms, Volume 1, Biography of Cao Cao.
[4] de Crespigny (2010), pp.33-34
[5] de Crespigny (2010), p.35
[6] de Crespigny (2010), p.39
[7] de Crespigny (2010), p.40
[8] de Crespigny (2010), p. 43
[9] () Chen Shou. Records of
Three Kingdoms, Volume 1, Biography of Cao Cao. King
Wen was a high ocial at the end of the Shang dynasty in
ancient China. At the time, the corruption of King Zhou
of Shang prompted many uprisings, including that of King
Wen; but King Wen insisted that he would not take the
throne himself as it is improper for him, a subordinate, to
harm the Shang dynasty. Instead, he allowed his son (King
Wu of Zhou) to destroy the Shang dynasty and establish
the Zhou dynasty after his own death, and thus fullling
his personal code of honour but also ridding the world of
a terrible ruler. He was then named King Wen of Zhou
posthumously by King Wu of Zhou. Here, Cao Cao was
inferring that if the Cao family were to come to power and
establish a new dynasty, it would be by his descendants and
not him.
[10] Wang CC, Yan S, Hou Z, Fu W, Xiong M, Han S, Jin L,
Li H. Present Y chromosomes reveal the ancestry of Emperor CAO Cao of 1800 years ago. J Hum Genet. 2012,
57(3):216-8.
[11] Chuan-Chao Wang; Shi Yan; Can Yao; Xiu-Yuan Huang;
Xue Ao; Zhanfeng Wang; Sheng Han; Li Jin; Hui Li (14
February 2013). Ancient DNA of Emperor CAO Cao's
granduncle matches those of his present descendants: a
commentary on present Y chromosomes reveal the ancestry of Emperor CAO Cao of 1800 years ago. Journal of
Human Genetics. The Japan Society of Human Genetics.
58 (4): 238239. doi:10.1038/jhg.2013.5. Retrieved 3
May 2016.
[12] " DNA
[Scholars from Shanghai (University) discuss
Fudan (University)'s research on Cao Cao's DNA: A tooth
from Cao Ding is insucient to determine (Cao Cao's)
ancestry]". Sina News (in Chinese). 11 December 2013.
Retrieved 30 August 2014.
[13] " -
". web.archive.org. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
[14] " ". gmw.cn. Retrieved 23
October 2015.
[15] Domes 91
[16] Davis, p. vi
[17] Watson, p. 38

[18] Yip, 130-133

[19] Lin, Shujuan (28 December 2009). Tomb of legendary
ruler unearthed. China Daily. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
[20] Zhang, Zhongjiang (29 December 2009). "
[Experts say there is
insucient evidence to conrm that Cao Cao's tomb is in
Anyang, Henan]" (in Chinese). Tengxun News. Retrieved
26 June 2013.
[21] Wang, Yun (29 January 2010). "
[SACH conrms that the
Eastern Han tomb in Anyang, Henan belonged to Cao
Cao]" (in Chinese). Tengxun News. Retrieved 27 June
2013.
[22] Jiang, Wanjuan (24 August 2010). Cao Cao's tomb:
Experts reveal that ndings and artifacts are fake. Global
Times. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
[23] " " "
[The Xigaoxue tomb in Anyang should be that of Cao
Huan.Cao Cao Tombcomes to an awkward end. (pictured)]" (in Chinese). 360doc.com. 13 September 2010.
Retrieved 26 June 2013.
[24] Yang, Yuguo (3 May 2013). "
[Henan's Cao Cao Mausoleum and Shaolin Monastery are selected to be Major
Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National
Level]" (in Chinese). CRI online. Retrieved 26 June
2013.
[25] " [A
new chapter opens for the Cao Cao Mausoleum. Anyang
government will build a museum on the original site.]" (in
Chinese). chinahuanqiu.com. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
[26] Cao Cao stats, skills, evolution, location | Puzzle & Dragons Database. puzzledragonx.com. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
[27] Hughart, Barry (1988). The Story of the Stone. Doubleday. pp. 13, 55.

15 References
Chen Shou (2002). Records of Three Kingdoms.
Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80665-198-5.
Domes, Jurgen. Peng Te-huai: The Man and the Image, London: C. Hurst & Company. 1985. ISBN
0-905838-99-8.
A. R. (Albert Richard) Davis, Editor and Introduction (1970). The Penguin Book of Chinese Verse.
Penguin Books.
de Crespigny, Rafe (2010). Imperial warlord : a
biography of Cao Cao 155-220 AD. Leiden Boston:
Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-18522-7.

16
Luo Guanzhong (1986). Romance of the Three
Kingdoms. Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80520-0130.
Lo Kuan-chung; tr. C.H. Brewitt-Taylor (2002).
Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Tuttle Publishing.
ISBN 0-8048-3467-9.
Sun Tzu (1983). The Art of War. Delta. ISBN 0440-55005-X.
Burton Watson (1971). CHINESE LYRICISM: Shih
Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century.
Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-03464-4.
Yi Zhongtian (2006). Pin San Guo (; Analysis of the Three Kingdoms). Joint Publishing (H.K.)
Co., Ltd. ISBN 978-962-04-2609-4.
Yip, Wai-lim (1997). Chinese Poetry: An Anthology
of Major Modes and Genres. (Durham and London:
Duke University Press). ISBN 0-8223-1946-2

16

External links

Works by or about Cao Cao at Internet Archive

Works by Cao Cao at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

EXTERNAL LINKS

17
17.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Cao Cao Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Cao?oldid=735026340 Contributors: Ktsquare, Hephaestos, Olivier, Mgmei, Wshun,
Oliver Pereira, Menchi, Komap, Snoyes, TUF-KAT, Whkoh, Technopilgrim, Charles Matthews, Lfh, Colipon, Wik, Tpbradbury, Jose
Ramos, Thue, Bjarki S, Olathe, Jusjih, Jhobson1, DivADPArADox, Chris 73, Lowellian, Mirv, Auric, Gbog, Lupo, Jiejie, Xanzzibar,
Sethoeph, Nat Krause, RealGrouchy, Spencer195, Obli, Mboverload, Python eggs, Tagishsimon, Dvavasour, Ran, J3, Yik Lin Khoo,
Rdsmith4, Uly, SatyrEyes, Patrik Stridvall, Jie, Rich Farmbrough, Aris Katsaris, Dbachmann, Paul August, Liuyao, *drew, Lankiveil,
Kwamikagami, Art LaPella, Bobo192, La goutte de pluie, Azn king28, Thevizier, Storm Rider, Bathrobe, User6854, T-1000, Fat pig73,
Yeu Ninje, Evangeline, Deacon of Pndapetzim, TonySapphire, RJFJR, Ghirlandajo, Woohookitty, FeanorStar7, Mr Tan, Chochopk,
Duncan.france, Tabletop, GregorB, John Hill, , Marudubshinki, Rjwilmsi, Hiberniantears, Maeglin Lmion, Brian.pirie,
MMcM, Mouselmm, Duke of Jin, MarnetteD, Plastictv, FlaBot, Skyler, Made2Fade, Colinoncayuga, Vsion, GnniX, Banazir, Tedder,
Chobot, Gwernol, YurikBot, Tdxiang, Lord Voldemort, Wimt, SEWilcoBot, Badagnani, Cynehelm, Nick, Ezeu, Nlu, FF2010, Bhumiya,
CWenger, Chris1219, 5CN, DVD R W, Scepter0, KnightRider~enwiki, SmackBot, McGeddon, Lawrencekhoo, Lds, PJM, Kintetsubualo, Betacommand, Skizzik, Carambola, Bluebot, Sixsous~enwiki, JoeBlogsDord, Neo-Jay, Sadads, TheLeopard, DHN-bot~enwiki,
OrphanBot, Magicstu, Underbar dk, Whipsandchains, Jeremyb, Ligulembot, Wossi, Zahid Abdassabur, Kocoum, WM-R, Jonathan
Gro, Werdan7, Pocketfox, Optakeover, A-cai, Ace Class Shadow, Intranetusa, Saxbryn, ShakingSpirit, Cai-Cai, DabMachine, Norm
mit, Newone, HongQiGong, Courcelles, John10235, Bertport, Scarlet Lioness, Tawkerbot2, Agus elex 2005, Wahoot, CmdrObot, Dragonbones, Aherunar, The Cake is a Lie, Brownings, A. Exeunt, Senorelroboto, Obstreperously, Slazenger, Cydebot, TheAsianGURU,
Kanags, Treybien, Travelbird, Hebrides, ST47, Dynaow, DumbBOT, Mathpianist93, JamesAM, , Thijs!bot, Notrdangschool, N5iln,
Missvain, Dyslexik, Richyip, Nick Number, Uruiamme, Escarbot, AntiVandalBot, Luna Santin, Kromagg, Dr. Blofeld, AllanLee, Arx Fortis, MaskedRiderGatack, Darrenhusted, Armando12, Magioladitis, WolfmanSF, Bongwarrior, Mengde, Syarir, Ling.Nut, Darkblood189,
Ksanyi, Tango Alpha Foxtrot, Gwern, Ebizur, Emeraldhue, Archimedes314, CommonsDelinker, Lilac Soul, Wiki Raja, Tgeairn, Markacutshall, Eruhildo, It Is Me Here, Scienter, Satsu Ryu, El Demoniol, Nameles84, Xiahou, FJP111, Signalhead, Mizunoryu, Littleolive oil,
VolkovBot, JohnBlackburne, Ryan032, Hy Brasil, TXiKiBoT, Zidonuke, Doceirias, Cezarika1, Rei-bot, Qxz, Gauge00, Persiana, Sarc37,
Li Chang, Megadethking, , Cercia, Insanity Incarnate, Truthanado, Shokatsu-sensei, PericlesofAthens, Kinnerton, Ponyo, Coffee, Zmtorture, Quest for Truth, Flyer22 Reborn, Momo san, MookieZ, Vanished user ewsn2348tui2f8n2o2utjfeoi210r39jf, Dcattell,
CCHIPSS, EveryDayJoe45, ClueBot, Icarusgeek, BeLiEvE0101, The Red Guy, The Holy Dragon, Exiled Ambition, DragonBot, Black
Coee CC, ZekeAsakura-VulcanSparda, Leonard^Bloom, Hunanuk, Zhugeplante, Eploy, Lukedddd, V i P, Sunquanliangxiuhao, Bearsona, Chronicler~enwiki, RogDel, WikHead, Engkeng22, Gfkgfkgf, Addbot, Weegee06, Mr0t1633, SpellingBot, Metsavend, Douglas the
Comeback Kid, BlueQ99, Ka Faraq Gatri, Ccacsmss, FiriBot, SpBot, Lightbot, Koiiiuuuujj, Shadow Otaku, Marc87, Luckas-bot, Yobot,
WikiDan61, Vini 17bot5, DORC, Benlolz, AnomieBOT, Tavatar, Ulric1313, Materialscientist, Citation bot, Ferox Seneca, A29323913,
Xqbot, GenQuest, Timmyshin, Teamjenn, GrouchoBot, Amaury, Yoribu, Simon Kure, White whirlwind, Kongrong, Green Cardamom,
AlexanderKaras, Alexchen4836, TrueDynasty, Hell in a Bucket, Gisbrother, Redrose64, DrilBot, Gloryify, DefaultsortBot, GWST11,
AndreaFox2, RedBot, Diyuxiang, HRW in 1899, Banej, Pantherskin, Orenburg1, TobeBot, Zanhe, NickWong 95, Lotje, Callanecc, Rainmaker490, ZhBot, Gamegi3, Daviddragon96, Generalboss3, In ictu oculi, Awesomeguy92, Sunuraju, Aprillyw, Homunculus, LuBu1001,
Carmarten, OnePt618, Brandmeister, Deed89, Donner60, Xiaoyu of Yuxi, Marcusokh, Snuge purveyor, ChuispastonBot, TheObsidianFriar, ClueBot NG, Yoyoliam2, FourLights, Coinman220, Frietjes, Helpful Pixie Bot, TheParasiteGod, Kai Ojima, Calvin Marquess, Cold Season, Qiushi2, Junho0520, Goodj111, Harkonnen5, Benjitheijneb, Trice-Up, Tararoar, ChrisGualtieri, Dawntseng, Ybao,
W1k1m0derat0r564, Dexbot, Dwayne Davis Goldberg, VIAFbot, Zigen99, Luckong, Perry Pace, Rajmaan, Apidium23, Guywholies,
Theo's Little Bot, AmaryllisGardener, Chuanchao-fudan, Khanate General, Nobleemperorafnanahmedkhan, Indianasean, Crazynyancat,
Frayten, KasparBot, Liaoshimin, SundayRequiem, Emperor John, CMEres.bw, Nineth Kazekage, XVlom, Kennycalligraphy and Anonymous: 336

17.2

Images

File:Cao_Cao_(Chinese_characters).svg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Cao_Cao_%28Chinese_
characters%29.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Self Original artist: White whirlwind
File:Cao_Cao_Portrait_ROTK.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Cao_Cao_Portrait_
ROTK.jpg License:
Public domain Contributors:
en:Image:Cao Cao Portrait ROTK.jpg Original artist:
Unknown<a
href='//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4233718'
title='wikidata:Q4233718'><img
alt='wikidata:Q4233718'
src='https://upload.
wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/20px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png'
width='20'
height='11'
srcset='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/30px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png
1.5x,
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/40px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 2x' data-le-width='1050'
data-le-height='590' /></a>
File:Cao_Cao_statue.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Cao_Cao_statue.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Contributors: Cao Cao Original artist: Dhugal Fletcher from Singapore, Singapore
File:Chibi.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Chibi.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is (was) here Original artist: User Jie on en.wikipedia
File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:It- .png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/It-%E6%B3%95.png License: Public domain Contributors:
Own work Original artist: Arlas! it
File:Long_Corridor.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Long_Corridor-%E6%9B%B9%E6%
93%8D%E8%B5%8B%E8%AF%97.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Shizhao
File:Mask_of_Cao_Cao.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Mask_of_Cao_Cao.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). Original artist: No machinereadable author provided. Mountain assumed (based on copyright claims).

10

17

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

File:Quill_and_ink.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Quill_and_ink.svg License: CC BY-SA 2.5 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Ebrenc at Catalan Wikipedia
File:Speaker_Icon.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Speaker_Icon.svg License: Public domain Contributors: No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). Original artist: No machine-readable
author provided. Mobius assumed (based on copyright claims).
File:Wikiquote-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg License: Public domain
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Rei-artur
File:Wikisource-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Rei-artur Original artist: Nicholas Moreau
File:Wikiversity-logo-Snorky.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Wikiversity-logo-en.svg License:
CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Snorky
File:Wiktionary-logo-v2.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Wiktionary-logo-v2.svg License: CC BYSA 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Dan Polansky based on work currently attributed to Wikimedia Foundation but originally
created by Smurrayinchester

17.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0