Traditional Chinese 曹休 Name Cao Xiu Simplified Chinese 曹休 Died 228 AD, Luoyang, China | Pinyin Children Cao Zhao Wade–Giles Ts'ao Hsiu | |
Courtesy name Wenlie (Chinese: 文烈; pinyin: Wenlie; Wade–Giles: Wen-lieh) Posthumous name Marquis Zhuang (traditional Chinese: 壯侯; simplified Chinese: 壮侯; pinyin: Zhuang Hou; Wade–Giles: Chuang Hou) Similar People Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, Cao Ren, Cao Pi, Zang Ba | ||
Cao Xiu - Xtra Warriors
Cao Xiu (died 228), courtesy name Wenlie, was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He served the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period under its first emperor, Cao Pi, and briefly under the second emperor, Cao Rui. As Cao Xiu was a distant nephew of his, Cao Cao gave him special attention and once said that he could be a military commander. When the warlord Liu Bei started the Hanzhong Campaign to seize control of Hanzhong Commandery from Cao Cao, Cao Xiu outwitted and defeated two of Liu Bei's generals, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao. He became a provincial-level military commander later in his career, and led various campaigns against forces from Wei's rival state, Eastern Wu. Despite defeating several enemy units, few of the campaigns achieved success. He died in 228 shortly after his disastrous final campaign against Wu.
Contents
- Cao Xiu Xtra Warriors
- Early life
- Service under Cao Cao and Cao Pi
- Defeat and death
- Tomb
- In Romance of the Three Kingdoms
- References
Early life
According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Xiu lost his father before he turned 20, when the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out. Bringing along his mother, Cao Xiu moved south across the Yangtze River away from the north, which was in a state of chaos. When Cao Cao was raising an army to join the coalition against Dong Zhuo in 190, Cao Xiu heeded the call. Cao Cao was pleased to see his distant nephew, whom he described as the thousand-li horse of his clan. Since then, Cao Cao had Cao Xiu reside with his son, Cao Pi, and treated Cao Xiu like his own son. Beside Cao Zhen and Cao Chun, Cao Xiu was also responsible for leading the elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry (虎豹騎) during military operations.
Service under Cao Cao and Cao Pi
Cao Xiu participated mainly in campaigns against the forces of rival warlord Liu Bei during Cao Cao's time, notably against Zhang Fei and Ma Chao. When Cao Hong was threatened by Zhang Fei that his retreat route would be cut off, Cao Xiu saw though the ruse and stated that if Zhang Fei indeed wanted to block their retreat route, he would do so secretly instead of showing his intention so obviously. He then suggested Cao Hong that they should strike the enemy upfront when Zhang Fei and Ma Chao were still dwelling on the fantasy that their tactic would work out. Zhang Fei and Ma Chao retreated back to Hanzhong Commandery after being defeated by Cao Hong, while Wu Lan (吳蘭) fled to join the Di tribes, who killed him. Cao Xiu was later appointed as a zhong ling jun (中領軍; a commander of the imperial guards).
After Cao Cao's death in 220, Cao Xiu enjoyed a close relationship with Cao Pi, who had usurped the throne from Emperor Xian, the last emperor of the Han dynasty, in 220 and established the state of Cao Wei. After becoming emperor, Cao Pi appointed Cao Xiu as General who Guards the South (鎮南將軍) and sent him to the southern frontier to guard against invasions from Cao Pi's rival, Sun Quan. While personally seeing Cao Xiu off, Cao Pi dismounted from his carriage and held Cao Xiu's hands, reluctant to part.
In 222, Cao Pi personally led an offensive against Sun Quan. Cao Xiu was appointed Senior General Who Attacks the East (征東大將軍). He supervised over 20 juns (a jun was a military unit composed of about 12,500 soldiers) from various regions and defeated Sun Quan's forces under Lü Fan at Dongpu (洞浦; in the vicinity of present-day Wuhu, Anhui). Despite his victory over Lü Fan, who was able to regroup his forces, Cao Xiu eventually lost to Wu reinforcements sent by Xu Sheng and Quan Cong.
Defeat and death
Following Cao Pi's death in 227, Cao Xiu continued to serve under the second Wei emperor, Cao Rui. He was promoted to Grand Marshal (大司馬) but retained governorship of Yang Province.
In 228, Cao Rui launched yet another offensive against Sun Quan, leading to the Battle of Shiting. Cao Xiu led a force towards Xunyang (尋陽; present-day Huangmei County, Hubei). Believing the words of an enemy general, Zhou Fang, who pretended to defect to his side, Cao Xiu led his army deep into hostile territory and suffered a disastrous defeat, which amounted to tens of thousands of casualties. Submitting a memorial, Cao Xiu pleaded guilty for his misjudgment. Cao Rui, however, not only forgave him but treated him with even more respect thereafter.
Cao Xiu died shortly after the Battle of Shiting from skin infections on his back resulting from wounds incurred in the battle. He was given the posthumous title "Marquis Zhuang" (壯侯), literally meaning "robust marquis".
Tomb
In May 2010, archaeologists announced the discovery of Cao Xiu's tomb in Mengjin County, Henan. The tomb, 50 metres long and 21 metres wide, held chinaware, copperware, liquor cups and jars as well as some human bones. Tests suggested that these bones belonged to a 50-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman. A bronze seal, about the size of a coin and engraved with Cao Xiu's name, revealed the tomb owner's identity.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, on one occasion when Yue Jin was losing to the enemy general Ling Tong in a duel, Cao Xiu fired an arrow which hit Ling Tong's horse. Ling Tong fell from the horse's back and would have been killed by Yue Jin if Gan Ning had not intervened and saved him.