Chapter 32 Chapter 31 Emperor Wen Cao Pi

On October 28th, the first year of Yankang in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 200), an altar was built in Yingchuan County (now Xuchang, Henan Province) in the Eastern Han Dynasty. A king with a yellow robe and a Zen emperor was proudly looking down at the subjects under the altar. accept their adoration.This middle-aged man who devoted himself to the Han Dynasty and started a new dynasty was Cao Pi, the first monarch of the Cao Wei Empire. Cao Pi, courtesy name Ziheng, was born in Li County, Peiguo (now Bo County, Anhui) in the fourth year of Zhongping (AD 187). He is the second son of the famous statesman Cao Cao.Cao Pi's adolescence was the period when the Eastern Han Dynasty was rapidly declining, the heroes competed, and the warlords fought.Cao Pi began to learn horseback riding and archery at the age of 4, and followed his father to fight in the north and south since he was a child, living a military life.In the second year of Jian'an (AD 197), Cao Cao was besieged by Zhang Xiu.Cao Cao's brave general Dian Wei was killed in battle, his eldest son Cao Ang and nephew Cao Anmin were shot to death, and Cao Pi, who was only 10 years old, was able to escape on a horse. It can be seen that Cao Pi was already a handsome boy who was good at riding and shooting.

During this period, it was the period when Cao Cao went around in the name of the prime minister of the Han Dynasty and wiped out the heroes. In the process of eliminating dissidents, Cao Cao's power developed rapidly and he became the de facto overlord of the Central Plains.Life in war not only improved the Cao Pi brothers' literary and military strategy, but also cultivated their ambition to control the country politically. In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208 AD), after the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei gradually formed a three-point situation.The Eastern Han regime has existed in name only.In the eighteenth year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 213), Cao Cao was granted the titles of Wei Gong, Jia Jiuxi, and then Wei Wang, and led Jizhou Mu as prime minister.All the government affairs of the Eastern Han court came from Cao Cao, and the difference between the king of Wei and the emperor was only in name.At this time, many civil and military officials advised Cao Cao to establish himself as emperor, but Cao Cao did not do so out of political considerations.He left the mission of changing Liu Han to Cao Wei to his descendants.

Under such circumstances, it is a very important issue to establish who will be the crown prince who will inherit the foundation in the future.Cao Cao had 25 sons.The eldest son, Cao Ang, was shot to death while following Cao Cao's southern campaign against Zhang Xiu.After Cao Ang's death, Cao Pi became the eldest brother among the brothers.Among Cao Pi's brothers, except Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong, who were born to Mrs. Bian who was established as the royal family, the others were all common people.The common son is generally not qualified to be a prince.Therefore, according to the traditional system of succession by the eldest son, Cao Pi has the most superior conditions in the process of fighting for the crown prince.At the same time, Cao Pi was capable of both literature and martial arts. In the 16th year of Jian'an (211 AD), he was named the general of the five senses and the deputy prime minister. It is natural to make Cao Pi the prince.But this is not the case. Cao Pi is not only facing a talented father, but also has several talented and ambitious brothers. The crown prince will not easily fall on his head.

The first threat to Cao Pi was his half-brother Cao Chong.Cao Chong is extremely intelligent. When he was five or six years old, he already had the insight and wisdom of an adult.Once, Sun Quan gave Cao Cao an elephant.Cao Cao wanted to know the weight of the elephant, so he asked the officials how to find out, but they couldn't think of a way.At this time, the young Cao Chong said that he could put the elephant on the boat, and then carve a mark on the boat near the water surface. If the mark of the boat sinks to the level of the water, then the weight of the object on the boat is the weight of the elephant.This is the well-known story of Cao Chong calling an elephant.Cao Chong was so talented at a young age, which made Cao Cao very happy.It was a time of war, and the criminal law was severe. Many people were executed for minor crimes.Whenever Cao Chong saw a person who was punished for a crime, he went to inquire about whether there was any grievance among them.For those generals who were usually diligent and violated the criminal law due to a certain negligence, Cao Chong often made statements to Cao Cao on their behalf and asked for leniency on their behalf.Dozens of people were saved from being killed after Cao Chong discerned their grievances.Therefore, Cao Cao often praised Cao Chong to his officials, saying that he was both intelligent and benevolent, and he was handsome and talented, showing the idea of ​​letting Cao Chong inherit his career.However, this little brother didn't live long. In the 13th year of Jian'an (208 AD), Cao Chong fell ill and died at the age of 13.Cao Cao was very sad, Cao Pi advised Cao Cao not to be too sad, Cao Cao said: "This is my misfortune, but it is your brother's great fortune." It can be seen that if Cao Chong is here, whether Cao Pi can succeed is very problematic.After Cao Pi became emperor, he often said: "If Cang Shu (Cao Chong) is alive, I will not have the world."

On the issue of establishing a prince, it was his second brother Cao Zhi who really worried Cao Pi.Like Cao Pi, Cao Zhi is also a man of literary and military skills, with great ambitions, and quick thinking, even more than Cao Pi.In the fifteenth year of Jian'an (210 A.D.), Cao Cao built Tongque Terrace in Yecheng (Linzhang County, Hebei).Cao Cao led his sons to the stage and asked them to write their own poems.Cao Zhi was only 19 years old, he was able to write well, and his writing was proficient and readable. Cao Cao was amazed at his talent.Cao Zhi usually lived a simple life and was not too gorgeous. Whenever Cao Cao asked about military and state affairs, he could answer in response, so he was especially loved by Cao Cao.At that time, Yang Xiu, Ding Yi, Jia Kui, Wang Ling and others all advised Cao Cao to make Cao Zhi the crown prince.

Seeing that Cao Zhi and his party were so active, Cao Pi did not dare to slack off, and actively planned with a group of trusted officials.As early as the 16th year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 211), when Cao Pi was named the General of the Five Senses, he began to cultivate his own power.Although Cao Zhi's literary talent is better than Cao Pi's, he is not Cao Pi's opponent in political struggle. In terms of plotting to seize power and governing the country, Cao Pi has a better talent than Cao Zhi. Therefore, many officials in the court have already attached themselves to Cao Pi's family.The unity that Cao Pi values ​​​​are those bureaucrats who are clear about political strategy and hold real power in the court. This is different from the scholars who support Cao Zhi.Jia Xu, Cui Yan, Wu Zhi, Huan Kai, Wei Zhen and others supported Cao Pi as the prince.According to the "Spring and Autumn Annals", they advocated that Cao Pi be the crown prince of Wei Wang.

Faced with the threat of Cao Zhi's rivalry, Cao Pi asked Jia Xu, a strategic doctor in the Taizhong, how to consolidate his position.Jia Xu told him to be generous and benevolent, to pursue the simple and diligent spirit of a man of lofty ideals, to work hard day and night, and not to violate the rules of being the eldest son.Cao Pi listened to his words, always paid attention to self-cultivation, and cultivated himself deeply, which made Cao Cao think better and better of him.On the contrary, Cao Zhi acted willfully, drank excessively, behaved indiscriminately, and did not pay attention to covering up, and violated Cao Cao's taboo many times.Once Cao Zhi was driving in a car and opened the middle door without permission. This was a violation of the prohibition.Cao Cao said: "At first I thought Zijian (Cao Zhi's character) was the one who could make major decisions among the scholars." Seeing that Cao Zhi's wife was dressed gorgeously, Cao Cao admired simplicity, so Cao Zhi's wife was sentenced to death for violating the dress system.

Although Cao Zhi is falling out of favor more and more in Cao Cao's eyes, Cao Cao still believes that Cao Zhi is the most talented among all the scholars. As Cao Cao who is good at selecting talents and knows the importance of talents to the success of his career, he is still hesitant about the issue of establishing a prince .One day, Cao Cao withdrew from the left and right, and consulted Jia Xu alone on the matter of the prince.Jia Xu just smiled and didn't answer.Cao Cao said, "I asked you a question, but you didn't answer, why?" Jia Xu said, "I'm thinking about something right now, so I can't answer right away." Cao Cao asked, "What are you thinking?" Jia Xu replied: "I'm thinking about Yuan Benchu, Liu Jingsheng and his son." Cao Cao laughed, so the matter of who should be the crown prince was finally settled in Cao Cao's mind.Yuan Benchu ​​was Yuan Shao, and Liu Jingsheng was Liu Biao. Although Jia Xu didn't say it clearly, he was actually reminding Cao Cao: If Yuan Shao and Liu Biao abolished the elders and established the younger ones, it would be inevitable that there would be disputes and endless civil strife in the future.This just touched Cao Cao's mind.How to pass on the foundation he created and ensure long-term stability is what Cao Cao cares most about.

In the 22nd year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (217 AD), Cao Pi was finally established as the crown prince of Wei Wang at the age of 31.When Cao Pi learned that he was established as the prince, he was very happy. He couldn't help hugging the neck of the prime minister, Shi Xinpi, and said, "Does Mr. Xin know how happy I am?" Indeed, this is a key step for him to ascend the throne in the future. In the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an (220 A.D.), Cao Cao suffered from a headache and a serious illness, and soon died of illness in Luoyang.The Chinese and military officials of the court sent people to report the funeral to the prince Cao Pi and others, and at the same time buried Cao Cao in the coffin, when Hua Xin, the imperial historian, came.The reason why he came late was because he advanced into the imperial palace and forced Emperor Xian to issue an edict, making Cao Pi the heir of the prime minister, king of Wei, and leader of Jizhou.With the emperor's edict, the civil and military officials had a basis, and within a day, the succession ceremony was fully prepared, and Cao Pi was helped to ascend the throne.

Cao Pi served as the king of Wei and the prime minister, and the posthumous leader of Jizhou, and became the actual master of the Han Dynasty.At the beginning of Cao Pi's tenure, he promoted the officials who had contributed in the process of supporting himself to the throne.He first promoted Jia Xu to be Taiwei, Hua Xin to Xiangguo, and Wang Lang to Yushi doctor, firmly holding the power in the hands of his own party.In view of the lessons learned by the eunuchs in the late Han Dynasty, he decided that eunuchs could not be officials, but could only serve as handymen on errands. In order to cultivate power extensively, Cao Pi followed the advice of Chen Qun, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and established the Jiupin Zhongzheng System.The Jiupin Zhongzheng System is a reform of the state and county procuratorial election system implemented in the Han Dynasty. That is, the state set up a big Zhongzheng, also known as the capital Zhongzheng, and the county set up a small Zhongzheng, also known as the Zhongzheng. That is to say, they judge the talents of the county, determine their superiority and inferiority, divide them into nine grades, send them to the Ministry of officials, and appoint them as officials.The Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System was originally to select people according to their talents, and it did select some talents at the beginning, which played a role in the era when talents were scattered.But later it evolved into Zhongzheng to determine the level of talents, and Zhongzheng was always held by aristocratic bureaucrats from famous families in Honshu and counties, so those who were determined to be top-ranking were nothing more than famous families.This electoral system played an important role in the formation of the later clan politics.

In order to establish his reputation, Cao Pi sent troops to the south in June of the year he succeeded to the throne, hoping to let his subjects know that the new king of Wei was also a great talent with great ambitions and capable of governing the country.In August, Cao Pi led a mighty army to Bo County, Anhui.When Sun Quan heard the news, he hurriedly sent envoys to present antiques and treasures to Cao Pi, and asked for peace.This is exactly in Cao Pi's arms. If he really fights, he doesn't know what it will be like. Cao Cao, the former king, has no choice but to do anything to Sun Quan. It's hard to say whether Cao Pi can fight now.Now Sun Quan took the initiative to ask for peace, so that he would not have to fight, but also established prestige in front of his subjects, so why not do it.Then he received a report that Meng Da, the famous general of the Shu Kingdom, had led his troops to surrender.Cao Pi succeeded to the throne for only half a year, and he gained the upper hand in the confrontation with Sun and Liu, which really made Cao Pi happy. The consolidation of power and the increase of prestige made Cao Pi's desire to replace Han more and more intense.While taking charge of the state affairs and adjudicating all opportunities, he made preparations for the Han dynasty.As a result, auspicious omens symbolizing the change of dynasty came out one after another in the society.In March, Huanglong appeared in Bo County.In April, Rao'an County also reported the appearance of white pheasants.In August, Shiyi County is also populated by clouds and phoenixes. In October of the first year of Yankang in the Eastern Han Dynasty (220 A.D.), Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, who had been a puppet for decades under the turbulent public opinion of the change of dynasty, was worried all day long and endured humiliation. He could no longer hang out in the palace.On this day, Zuo Zhonglang general Li Fu, Taishi Cheng Xu Zhi and Hua Xin, who knew Cao Pi's heart well, invited Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty to sit in Cao Pi, king of Wei. Xishou Zen bit Cao Pi.Cao Pi was naturally delighted to see Xishou and the book report, but he had to pretend to be humble.Then the abdication ceremony was held, officially enthroned and proclaimed emperor, the country name was Wei, and it was changed to Yuan Huangchu.At this time, Cao Pi was 33 years old. Although Cao Pi won one after another in the power struggle, he did not forget those brothers who had posed a great threat to him.Especially the third brother, Cao Zhi, who is famous for his talent and has a group of literati around him to help him, is really a deep-rooted worry.When Ding Yi helped Cao Zhi compete for the crown prince, he actively participated in the planning, and praised Cao Zhi's talent many times in front of Cao Cao and everyone. After Cao Zhi was granted the title of Marquis of Linzi, Ding Yi often drank wine and wrote poems with Cao Zhi, and had a close relationship.Therefore, as soon as Cao Pi became the king of Wei, he arrested Ding Yi and put him in prison.Cao Zhi knew that Xia Houshang, the leader of the Central Committee, had a close relationship with Cao Pi, so he asked Xiahoushang to intercede with Cao Pi, hoping that Xiahoushang would rescue Ding Yi brothers like a boy saving a yellow bird in the wild, and Ding Yi brothers would also kowtow to Xiahoushang.But this matter was caused by Cao Pi's heart disease. Despite Xia Houshang's repeated pleas, Cao Pi killed them and killed all the men in his clan. Then, Cao Pi sent the brothers back to their respective fiefs.Cao Zhang thought that when the first king was alive, he conquered cities and plundered land, and was highly valued. He hoped to be appointed by Cao Pi, but Cao Pi felt that he was a big threat to him with a heavy army in his hand, so he was no exception.Seeing this old man's ruthless face, Cao Zhang was very unhappy. Without waiting for his order, he handed over his army and returned to his fief Zhongmou County.Cao Zhi was even more frightened. He knew how much he had offended his elder brother in the past, and now that his close friend was beheaded, he would become a victim of Cao Pi's anger if he made trouble, so he didn't dare to show any disobedience.Cao Zhi asked to sacrifice to the ancestor before leaving, but Cao Pi refused, so Cao Zhi had to leave the capital sadly and became his Marquis of Linzi. In order to show the well-being of the new dynasty, Cao Pi promoted many heroes and heroes, awarded a large number of official titles and titles, and he had to show his brothers.In the second year of Cao Wei Huangchu (AD 221), Cao Pi's brothers: Cao Zhang, Marquis of Yanling, Cao Ju, Marquis of Wan, Cao Yu, Marquis of Luyang, Cao Lin, Marquis of Qiao, Cao Gun, Marquis of Zan, Cao Jun, Marquis of Xiangyi, Cao Ju, Marquis of Hongnong Qian, Cao Biao, Marquis of Shouchun, Cao Hui, Marquis of Licheng, and Cao Mao, Marquis of Pingyu, were all promoted to the rank of Duke, and only Cao Zhi was not enfeoffed.It turned out that Cao Zhi was very depressed in Linzi. The friends who wrote poems and sang peace in the past were gone, and the officials sent by the imperial court to supervise him were very strict, which made him violate the regulations frequently.He was disheartened and felt that it was not easy to endure life.So he drank all day long and drank his sorrows with wine.Behavior after drunkenness is natural.Guan Jun, the supervisor of the feudal land of the Marquis of Linzi, went up to play, saying that he was "drunk and arrogant, and robbed and threatened the envoy".Cao Pi couldn't help being furious, and sent troops to Linzi to capture Cao Zhi and take him to Beijing, hoping to punish Cao Zhi for his crimes.Cao Pi's mother, Empress Dowager Bian, hurried out to stop her. Empress Dowager Bian summoned Cao Pi to cry and said, "Your brother Cao Zhi is usually addicted to alcohol. One life. If you forgive his sins, I will die in peace." Cao Pi said: "I also love his talent very much, but I just want to punish his madness and not kill him." Hua Xin He is Cao Pi's confidant minister. He persuaded Cao Pi, saying: "Zijian is very intelligent and ambitious. If you don't get rid of him as soon as possible, you will be troubled later." Cao Pi said: "Mother's order must not be violated." People say that Zijian can speak well, but I don't really believe it, the emperor can call him in, try his talent, if he can't speak well, kill him; if so, demote him." Cao Pi thinks it is possible.After a while Cao Zhi came in to see him, he was very frightened, and when he saw Cao Pi, he prostrated himself on the ground and pleaded guilty.Cao Pi said: "You and I are brothers in love, but we are monarchs and ministers in morality. How dare you rely on your talents and despise etiquette? When the previous king was alive, you often showed off your articles to others. I suspect that you are looking for someone I wrote it on behalf of the writer. Now I limit you to write a poem within seven steps. If you can do it, you will be saved from death. Otherwise, you will be punished severely and will never be lenient." Cao Zhi said: "Please come up with a title." Cao Pi said: " You and I are brothers, so let this be the title, but the words 'brother' are not allowed." Cao Zhi didn't even think about it, and wrote a poem following Cao Pi's voice: Weeping. They are born from the same root, so why are we in such a hurry?" Cao Pi couldn't help weeping because of his kinship.His mother came out from the back of the hall and said, "Why do you, a brother, force you so much on your younger brother?" Cao Pi hurriedly said, "Although we are brothers, the laws of the country cannot be abolished." He is Marquis of Juancheng.Under the protection of his mother and relying on his outstanding literary talents, Cao Zhi finally escaped a crisis. In order to weaken the strength of his younger brothers, Cao Pi restricted them in many ways and took precautions everywhere.In March of the third year of Cao Wei and Huangchu (AD 222), Cao Pi made his prince Cao Rui the king of Pingyuan, and at the same time made his younger brothers kings.In April, Cao Zhi was finally promoted to the title of King of Juancheng.However, they are actually all in name but without reality.Each kingdom is only allocated more than 100 veteran guards. The kingdom is thousands of miles away from the capital, and gatherings are not allowed. The kings are not allowed to go hunting for more than 30 miles.They also set up officials to monitor them, and these people reported to Cao Pi almost every day, saying bad things about the kings.The kings are like house arrest in the fiefdom, and they can't be treated as ordinary people with a little freedom.Under such circumstances, the Cao brothers were all in danger and did not dare to take any disobedient actions.Cao Gun, the king of Beihai, is very cautious. He usually only loves to study Confucian classics and does not participate in other activities.The officials in charge of supervising him discussed and said: "We are ordered to supervise the behavior of the princes and report their mistakes. Of course they have to report their faults, but they should also let the higher-ups know if they have good deeds." So they jointly submitted a petition to praise the king of Beihai for his good behavior.When Cao Gun knew about it, he was very scared, and he blamed the guarding officials, saying: "You guys are really doing a disservice to me by doing this. It is not good for me to suddenly join the table to praise me." He was afraid even to praise him, which shows the situation of the kings at that time. . What happened to Cao Zhang, the king of Rencheng, was even worse.Cao Zhang is resolute and mighty, has excellent martial arts skills, and is well versed in the art of war.Even Cao Cao asked Cao Zhang how to march and deploy when he was attacking Wu and Shu.At that time, a fierce tiger was donated to Kyoto from another place. The tiger was covered with golden spots and was extremely fierce.Cao Zhang stepped forward and grabbed the tiger's tail and wrapped it around his arm. The tiger pulled its ears and did not dare to growl. Everyone admired Cao Zhang's bravery.The Nanyue Kingdom offered a white elephant. Cao Zhang held the elephant's trunk with his hand, and the elephant fell on the ground and could not even move.Cao Pi cast a huge bronze bell that weighed a thousand catties, and more than 10 strong men couldn't lift it, but Cao Zhang could trot when he lifted it.When all the places heard Cao Zhang's inspection, they stopped their troops to protect themselves and did not dare to act rashly.Cao Pi said: "With Ren Chengwang's majesty and might, annexing Bashu is as easy as a goshawk holding a dead mouse." It is because Cao Zhang is so brave that Cao Pi hates him even more. Rebellion, that is very nerve-wracking.Therefore, Cao Pi was determined to get rid of him.In June of the fourth year of Huangchu (223 A.D.), Cao Zhang went to Beijing to meet. Cao Pi played Go with him in the Palace of Empress Dowager Bian, eating jujubes while playing.Cao Pi ordered someone to poison some of the jujubes in advance, and he picked out non-poisonous ones to eat. Cao Zhang didn't know it, so he ate it casually, and was immediately poisoned.Empress Dowager Bian searched for water everywhere for rescue, but all the bottles and jars had already been smashed by Cao Pi in advance. Empress Dowager Bian ran barefoot to the well in a hurry, but she still couldn't fetch water, so she saw Cao Zhang was poisoned to death.Cao Pi wanted to kill Cao Zhi again, but Queen Mother Bian reprimanded him angrily: "You have already killed my Rencheng King, you are not allowed to kill my Dong'a King (Cao Zhi was Dong'a King at that time)!" It worked a little bit, maybe because Cao Zhi didn't command soldiers, he was a literati, and he was docile, so he was not killed in the end. The fiefdoms and conditions of the Cao kings are so pitiful, but Cao Pi is still afraid of causing trouble in the future.Before he died, he changed the titles of the kings to county kings, and the fiefdoms of the kings were reduced from one county to one county. This kind of enfeoffment was completely empty.Cao Pi entrusted the kings not to shield the central government, but to prevent the younger brothers from fighting for power. This purpose was indeed achieved.The Cao Wei regime has never seen a situation where foreign vassals bully the central government.But it also caused the disadvantage of the isolation and helplessness of the royal family, which made it easier for Sima Yi and his son to usurp the power of the Cao family in the future. Cao Pi is quite proficient in the art of governing the country, and he also knows people well.In the second year of Huangchu (AD 221), Cao Pi promoted Gongsun Gong, the governor of Liaodong (now Liaoyang, Liaoning) to the rank of general of chariots and cavalry, so that this unreachable area remained stable.He also ordered Zhang Ji to be the governor of Liangzhou to quell the resistance of the local Hu people.The connection with the Western Regions was reopened, the relationship with the ethnic minorities in the Western Regions was strengthened, and the rule of the Wei Dynasty was consolidated. In the second year of Huangchu (221 AD), Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor in Chengdu.Two of the three parties have officially shown their banners, and only Sun Wu's family is left.After Liu Bei became emperor, he mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops and went eastward along the Yangtze River to attack Sun Quan in order to avenge the death of his brother-in-law Guan Yu.Under the severe situation of Liu Bei's army pressing down on the country, Sun Quan sent envoys to meet Cao Pi, profess his ministers to Pi, and sent him back to the country in Jin.All civil and military officials congratulated together, and Pi was also complacent.At this time, Liu Ye said: "You should take advantage of the situation and send out a large army to cross the river to attack Wu. If Sun Quan is destroyed, Shu will be alone and alone, and it will not survive for a long time. This is a golden opportunity, don't miss it." Cao Pi disagreed, saying: " Others surrendered and became ministers, but we took the opportunity to turn our faces, I am afraid that it will block the heart of the heroes of the world to surrender, not to mention that it will be more beneficial for me to lose both." Cao Pi finally accepted Sun Quan's surrender form, and sent Taichang Xingzhen to Wuchang (now Hubei Hubei) City) made Sun Quan king of Wu and added Jiuxi. Cao Pi heard that the Shu army attacking Sun Quan used trees as fences and had a company battalion of more than 700 miles, so he said that the Shu army had violated the taboo of military strategists and would be defeated.Sure enough, Lu Xun soon defeated the Shu army in Yiling.Cao Pi asked Sun Quan to send his son to Luoyang as a guarantee for the reconciliation of the two families.Sun Quanxu and the snake, blindly evade.Cao Pi couldn't help being furious, so he wanted to take advantage of the fact that Wu Shu had just finished the battle and the Wu army was tired, so he launched an army to attack Wu.Liu Ye said: "Now the time for the crusade has passed. Sun Quan has just won the victory, and he is united as one, and there are rivers and lakes blocking him, so it is impossible to subdue him hastily." Cao Pi refused to listen, and still sent his army to march south. Cao Pi's army arrived in Guangling in October.On the bank of the river, there are more than 100,000 troops of Wei State, stretching for hundreds of miles, and the flags are waving spectacularly.However, Soochow is heavily guarded and there is no gap to take advantage of.In addition, Liu Bei was dead at this time.Zhuge Liang was afraid that Soochow would be defeated by Wei, and that it would be difficult to support it alone in the future, so he sent Deng Zhi to envoy Wu, and Wu and Shu re-allyed, so that Soochow was relieved of its worries.At this time, the weather was cold, the waterways were frozen, and ships were not allowed to enter the river, so Cao Pi had to order the troops again.Soochow general Sun Shao sent his general Gao Shou to lead a death squad of 500 people on Cao Jun's return pass, and suddenly attacked Cao Pi's imperial camp. Cao Pi was shocked.Gao Shou won Cao Pi's spare imperial chariot "Feather Cover" and retreated roaringly.Cao Pi's last expedition during his lifetime ended like this. During Cao Pi's reign, he used troops against Wu several times, but returned them to no avail. In fact, it was an inevitable result.At this time, after years of operation, the three parties have consolidated their foundations. Although Wu and Shu are weak, they can unite enough to compete with Cao Wei.Although Cao Pi really wanted to make contributions, he did not have the objective conditions to destroy Wu and Shu at that time. Not surprisingly. Although Cao Pi did not have any good achievements in the struggle with Wu Shu, his literary attainments are well-known.Under the influence of their father, Cao Pi and his younger brother Cao Zhi had very good literary attainments since they were teenagers. Afterwards, they had long been with Kong Rong, Wang Can, Chen Lin, Liu Zhen, Xu Gan, Yang Xiu, and others gathered around the Cao regime. Handan Chun and other talented literati are together, like a fish in water, and the poems are long. Cao Cao went on expeditions for years, and Cao Pi often stayed behind in Yecheng.In his spare time, Cao Pi drank and danced with literary friends, composed poems and sang harmony, leading the literary world in Yecheng virtually. In the sixteenth year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 221), Cao Pi had particularly close contacts with literary celebrities in the years after he was named the general of the five senses.The five-featured general's mansion was full of guests and celebrities like crucian carp.Except for Kong Rong who was killed by Cao Cao because of his quarrel with Cao Cao, Cao Pi and the other six sons Wang Can and Chen Lin of the "Seven Sons of Jian'an" often stayed together, composing poems and compositions, singing and reciprocating, admiring strange prose, and analyzing disagreements. In the winter of the 22nd year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 217), the plague was prevalent, and four people including Xu Gan and Chen Lin died successively.Cao Pi was deeply saddened by the death of Wenyou.He wrote to his good friend Wu Zhi, saying: "Xu, Chen, Ying, and Liu are all gone in a short time, so there is nothing wrong with the pain!" In the winter of this year, Cao Pi's "Dian Lun" was completed.In "Allusions · Essays", Cao Pi made a fair comment on the literary achievements and poetic features of his deceased friend.Combining his own creative experience and the characteristics of his deceased friend's poems, he put forward the argument that "writing is based on spirit", and made important achievements in literary theory.He proposed four categories and eight categories of article classification, and each style has its own genre characteristics.At the same time, in the article, he opposed the tendency of "literati despising each other" and "the noble far and the near cheap", and advocated "examining oneself to judge others".In the end, Cao Pi proudly stated that the article is "the great cause of the country and the immortal event", raising the status and value of literature to an unprecedented height.This monograph on literary theory and criticism summarizes the poetic achievements and characteristics of famous writers in the Jian'an period, and puts forward new understandings and new viewpoints on literature. It is indeed an immortal work. In the first month of the seventh year of Huangchu (AD 226), Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei, who had returned from the Southern Expedition, dragged his exhausted body, and returned to Xuchang surrounded by civil servants and generals.This time, thousands of warships, 100,000 cavalry, flags, flags and sails covered the river and blocked out the sun. What a grandeur.But apart from demonstrating against the roaring river, he still didn't move a single hair of Soochow. On the contrary, he was attacked by hundreds of Wu soldiers when he was in class, and he was at a loss.Cao Pi's face was gloomy and his heart was heavy.Xuchang City is in front of you. Xuchang City is always very kind to Cao and his son. Aren't many brilliant achievements established in Xuchang?When he was about to enter the city, suddenly the south gate of the city collapsed for no reason.Cao Pi couldn't help but turn pale, this is not a good omen!Surprised, he ordered the car to turn to Luoyang. When Cao Pi arrived in Luoyang, he fell ill. When he was dying, Cao Pi ordered Cao Rui to be the crown prince and chose a minister to assist him.Maybe it was because of his trance, or maybe it was Sima Yi's usual ability and loyalty that gave him a good impression. At this critical moment, Cao Pi forgot the exhortation of the late king Cao Cao: "Sima Yi is an eagle and a wolf, and he cannot be given military power. It will be a catastrophe for the country for a long time." .” Cao Pi chose Cao Zhen, the general of the Chinese army, Chen Qun, the general of the Zhen army, Cao Xiu, the general of the east conquest, and Sima Yi, the general of the Fu army, as his auxiliary ministers.In fact, Sima Yi at this time had no ambitions.For many years, Cao Cao used and restricted Sima Yi, and was always on guard. When Cao Pi came to power, he gradually gave real power to Sima Yi, making Yi alone.Cao Pi's trust made Sima Yi more diligent and loyal, coupled with his extraordinary intelligence, he did many beautiful things for the Wei Dynasty. During the eventful autumn of the Three Kingdoms War, he was indeed a rare talent. I am afraid that Cao Pi did this after seeing these a choice.Cao Pi was not wrong. After all, Sima Yi was the only capable minister who blocked Zhuge Liang's repeated attacks and quelled the rebellions of all parties for Cao Wei after Cao Pi's death. Without Sima Yi, Wei Mingdi's life would be even more difficult.The problem is that Emperor Ming once again turned to Sima Yi like his father when he was dying, but he didn't see that Sima Yi was already powerful and prosperous at this time, thus leaving future disasters for Cao's descendants.In May of the seventh year of Huangchu (AD 226), Cao Pi, the founding emperor of Cao Wei and a generation of literary giants, died of illness in Jiafu Hall in Luoyang at the age of 40 and was buried in Shouyang Mausoleum.