Battle of Red Cliff

Written by Zhao Ning

Illustrated by Cheng Yuanhong

Liaoning People’s Publishing House

January 2023

49.80 （CNY）

Zhao Ning

Zhao Ning graduated from Jilin University with a master’s degree in Ancient Chinese History. He specializes in telling history in a common language and has been devoted to popularizing ancient Chinese history for more than twenty years. He also specializes in planning history book topics and has his own unique insights into Chinese history.

It can be said that the core of Three Kingdoms’ history can be condensed into the Battle of Red Cliff. The use of Cao Cao’s colorful life experiences as the main line is also unique. This book provides a comprehensive， detailed， and vivid account of his remarkable contribution to Chinese history， as well as a portrait of his treacherous side.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty， the eunuchs monopolized the power， the government was corrupt， and the society was in chaos. It was a time of turmoil but also a time of heroes.

History records that out of the 27 major floods that occurred during the Eastern Han Dynasty， 13 occurred during the Emperor Huan and Ling periods， accounting for half of the floods. 17 major droughts happened in the Eastern Han Dynasty， 6 of them in the period of Emperor Huan and Ling， accounting for one-third of the droughts. In addition， according to incomplete statistics， there were 7 locust plagues， 2 gale disasters， 7 hail disasters， 8 epidemic plagues， and more than 10 earthquakes during Emperor Huan and Ling.

Cao Cao was born in such an era， but he was fortunate that his life was not tough. On July 18， 155 CE， he was born into a distinguished official family. His grandfather， Cao Teng， was sent into the court at a young age and was assigned by Empress Dowager Deng to accompany Crown Prince Liu Bao （Emperor Shun） in studying because of his prudence， loyalty， and meekness. Later， Cao Teng was made Marquis of Feiting and promoted to the Chief Manager of Changqiu Palace for his great merit in supporting Emperor Shun’s accession to the throne. He became one of the few great eunuchs in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Cao Cao’s father， Cao Song， was the adopted son of Cao Teng.

Cao Cao， the eldest son of Cao Song， was very resourceful and adaptable from childhood and was particularly bold， with little respect for the restrictions and doctrines of the feudal rituals.

Cao Cao wandered around from day to day， enjoying hunting， singing and dancing， sometimes playing with falcons and hounds， sometimes practicing martial arts. And he was especially proficient in horsemanship and swordsmanship and often returned home late. Not only that， he often needed help everywhere he went with his martial arts skills， which got him a poor reputation.

He even violated the criminal law， was prosecuted by the county magistrate， and was about to be sentenced for a felony. In the end， it was Xiahou Yuan who stepped in and took the blame for Cao Cao. Afterward， Cao Cao， in turn， managed to rescue his partner Xiahou Yuan， and they both escaped punishment.

Zhang Rang was a senior eunuch in charge of tending the imperial bedchamber， and he was favored by the emperor at that time. "He was so domineering and arbitrary that he was feared and hated by all the officials and civilians. "When Cao Cao’s father， Cao Song， was an official in the capital city of Luoyang， Cao Cao came there with him. "Once， Zhang Rang was resting in bed when Cao Cao unexpectedly barged into his bedroom. Upon finding a stranger who broke in， Zhang Rang yelled， “Assassin！” The guards swarmed in in an instant. Cao Cao did not fluster; he held a halberd in his hands and fought his way from the bedroom to the hall， from the hall to the courtyard. "And none of the guards dared to come close. They just watched as he jumped over the wall and went away.

Regardless of whether this act of Cao Cao was an expression of his hatred for Zhang Rang， this licentiousness did give rise to much gossip.

Cao Cao’s uncle， who knew all these things about Cao Cao， was worried that he would not be successful in the future， so he reported to Cao Song and asked him to strictly discipline Cao Cao. After hearing this， Cao Song called Cao Cao in and gave him a stern reprimand. From then on， Cao Song strengthened his discipline on Cao Cao.

In fact， his uncle’s complaint was intended to make his nephew behave properly and obey the law， for he was exasperated that Cao Cao hadn’t been living up to the expectations， and he was worried about his future. But in this way， Cao Cao was no longer as free as before， so he was disgusted with his uncle and was bent on revenge.

One day， Cao Cao was wandering in the street as usual when he met his uncle again. He suddenly had an idea and thought， “Old man， see how I can beat you up！” So he shouted “ouch” and threw himself to the ground.

His uncle， not knowing there was foul play at hand， thought his nephew had an accident and rushed forward. Cao Cao’s mouth was wide open， his neck crooked， his facial muscles twitching， and his eyes rolled up. His uncle was stunned.

“You， what’s wrong with you？” Uncle asked hastily.

Cao Cao grunted in pain.

Seeing that the situation was bad， uncle rushed to tell Cao Song， “Hurry！ Your son has had a stroke！”

Cao Song rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.

Cao Cao was lying on the ground， and when he saw his father approaching from the street corner， he jumped to his feet immediately.

Cao Song saw that Cao Cao was standing there， well and sound， neck not crooked， eyes not rolled back， demeanor the same as usual， as if nothing had happened， and he felt very puzzled.

“Didn’t you have a stroke？ How come you are all well？”

“Who said I had a stroke？ Trying to curse me？”

“Your uncle told me that you had a stroke.”

“When and where？ How come you believed his words？” Cao Cao asked in an injured tone.

“My uncle has always hated me and always spoken ill of me behind my back， and now he is saying that I had a stroke. Is this not a curse？”

“Ah， so that’s how it is...”

Cao Cao’s plan worked！

From then on， Cao Song no longer believed everything his brother said about his son， and Cao Cao was more permissive and reckless. He even kidnapped a bride together with Yuan Shao.

In general， we can better understand Cao Cao from his various acts as a teenager. Back then， Cao Cao already revealed a cunning and treacherous character， as well as a decisive spirit fearless of death. But it was because of these things that Cao Cao had difficulties entering the political field.

Cao Cao came from a eunuch family and was despised by the scholars. He gained neither learning nor skill when he was young and was born to dislike the rules and regulations of rituals. Those cultivation and manners upheld by scholars in political criticism were like a demanding skill for him， which formed a certain obstacle to his career development.

Fortunately， at the end of the Han Dynasty， when Confucianism was in decline， personal talent became increasingly valuable， and the cultivation of scholars gradually receded to a secondary position. There is almost nothing creditable in Cao Cao’s character， but his talents were outstanding.

As a young man， Cao Cao wandered around and behaved unrestrainedly. He did not engage in family property or seek to enter the government and rise to the top. As a result， not only did most people consider him a naughty and unpromising child， but even he considered him to be “not a man of great renown”.