Cao Xiu (died 28 November 228),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Wenlie, was a Chinese military general of the state of

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

in the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period of China. A distant younger relative of the warlord

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

, Cao Xiu started his career in the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

as a military officer under Cao Cao. In the early stages of the

Hanzhong Campaign The Hanzhong Campaign was a military campaign launched by the warlord Liu Bei to seize control of Hanzhong Commandery from his rival, Cao Cao. The campaign took place between December 217 and August 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdo ...

of 217–219, he outwitted

Zhang Fei Zhang Fei () (; died July or August 221 AD), courtesy name Yide (益德), was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period ...

and defeated his subordinate officer Wu Lan (吳蘭). Later in his career, he became a provincial-level military commander and fought in various battles against Wei's rival state,

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

. He died in 228 shortly after the Wei defeat at the Battle of Shiting.

Early life

Cao Xiu was a distant younger relative of

. When the

Yellow Turban Rebellion The Yellow Turban Rebellion, alternatively translated as the Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt during the late Eastern Han dynasty of ancient China. The uprising broke out in 184 CE, during the reign of Emperor Ling. Although t ...

broke out in the late

, the Cao clan left their ancestral home in Qiao County (譙縣; present-day

Bozhou Bozhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It borders Huaibei to the northeast, Bengbu to the southeast, Huainan to the south, Fuyang to the southwest, and Henan to the north. Its population was 4,996,844 at ...

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

) and went in different directions throughout the Han Empire to avoid getting caught up in the chaos. When Cao Xiu was around 10 years old, his father died and he only had one person to help him arrange for his father to be properly buried. Cao Xiu and his mother crossed the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

to southern China and settled down in Wu Commandery (around present-day

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

). Cao Xiu's grandfather, Cao Chang (曹嘗), had previously served as the Administrator of Wu Commandery. One day, after seeing a portrait of his grandfather in the Administrator's office, Cao Xiu became so overwhelmed by emotions that he knelt down and cried. Everyone present at the scene felt touched when they saw him crying.

Service under Cao Cao

In 190, Cao Cao was raising an army to join the Guandong Coalition against the warlord

Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo () (c. 140s – 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful ...

, who controlled the Han central government and held

Emperor Xian Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until his abdication and subsequent end ...

hostage. When Cao Xiu heard about it, he adopted a fake identity and travelled via

Jing Province Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in early Chinese texts such as the ''Yu Gong, Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'', and ''Rites of Zhou''. Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of E ...

to Cao Cao's base in Chenliu Commandery (陳留郡; around present-day

Kaifeng Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan, central Henan province, China. It is one of the Historical capitals of China, Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

). Cao Cao was pleased to see him and he remarked, "This is the thousand- ''li'' horse of my clan." Cao Cao treated Cao Xiu like a son and even allowed him to live with his own son,

Cao Pi Cao Pi () (late 187 – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the ...

. Cao Xiu fought on Cao Cao's side in the various battles against rival warlords throughout the late Eastern Han dynasty. He was also one of the commanders of the elite "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" (虎豹騎) unit in Cao Cao's army.

Hanzhong Campaign

In 217, Cao Cao's rival

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a China, Chinese warlord in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding Emperor of China, emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of ...

launched a campaign to seize control of

Hanzhong Commandery Hanzhong Commandery (漢中郡) was an imperial Chinese commandery located in what is now southern Shaanxi Province, centered on the upper reaches of the Han River (Hubei and Shaanxi), Han River in the Hanzhong Basin. Established during the late ...

, which was guarded by Cao Cao's general

Xiahou Yuan Xiahou Yuan () (died February 219), courtesy name Miaocai, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is known for his exploits in western China (in parts of prese ...

.''Zizhi Tongjian'' vol. 68. When Liu Bei sent Wu Lan (吳蘭), one of his officers, to lead troops to garrison at Xiabian County (下辯縣; northwest of present-day

Cheng County Cheng County or Chengxian () is a county under the administration of Longnan City, in southeastern Gansu Province of China. It has a land area of 1,780 square kilometers and a population of 250,000 in 2004. The postal code is 742500, and the coun ...

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

), Cao Cao ordered his cousin Cao Hong to lead an army to attack the enemy. Cao Xiu was commissioned as a Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉) to serve as an adviser to Cao Hong. Before they left, Cao Cao told Cao Xiu, "You may be an adviser, but you're actually the commander." When Cao Hong received the order, he delegated his command to Cao Xiu. Liu Bei later sent his generals

Ma Chao Ma Chao () (176–222), courtesy name Mengqi, was a Chinese military general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. A descendant of the general Ma Yuan, Ma Chao was the eldest son of M ...

and

to lead troops to Gushan (固山) and station there in an attempt to cut off Cao Hong's retreat route. When Cao Hong and his subordinates were unsure about what Ma Chao and Zhang Fei were trying to do, Cao Xiu pointed out that it was a ruse because the enemy would do so in secret if they really wanted to cut off the retreat route, instead of making it so obvious. He then suggested to Cao Hong to attack Wu Lan at Xiabian County before he could link up with Ma Chao and Zhang Fei, and said that Ma Chao and Zhang Fei would retreat once they learn of Wu Lan's defeat. Cao Hong heeded his suggestion and defeated Wu Lan at Xiabian County. As Cao Xiu foresaw, Ma Chao and Zhang Fei pulled back their troops from Gushan after hearing of Wu Lan's defeat. In 219, after a prolonged war against Liu Bei, Cao Cao eventually lost Hanzhong Commandery so he ordered his troops to retreat and return to

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

. Later, he appointed Cao Xiu as Commandant of the Central Army (中領軍).

Service under Cao Pi

Following

's death in March 220, his son

succeeded him as the (vassal) King of Wei (魏王) and Imperial Chancellor (丞相) of the

.''Zizhi Tongjian'' vol. 69. Cao Pi appointed Cao Xiu as General Who Leads the Army (領軍將軍) and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Dongyang Village (東陽亭侯) in recognition of his past achievements. When

Xiahou Dun Xiahou Dun () (died 13 June 220), courtesy name Yuanrang, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.''Sanguozhi'' vol.9. He served for a few months under Cao Cao ...

died in June 220, Cao Pi ordered Cao Xiu to replace Xiahou Dun as the supervisor of all military operations, promoted him to General Who Guards the South (鎮南將軍) and granted him acting imperial authority. He held Cao Xiu's hands while personally seeing him off. At the time, Cao Pi's rival

Sun Quan Sun Quan (; 182 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime established by hi ...

had sent his forces to garrison at Liyang County (歷陽縣; present-day

He County He County or Hexian () is a county in the east of Anhui Province, China, under the jurisdiction of Ma'anshan. It has a population of 650,000 and an area of . The government of He County is located in Liyang Town. History From 1965 to 2011, He Co ...

) in preparation for an attack on Cao Pi's territories. When Cao Xiu reached his assigned position at Zhaoling County (召陵縣; east of present-day

Luohe Luohe ( zh, s= , p=Luòhé; Postal romanization, postal: Loho) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province of China, province, China. It is surrounded by the cities of Xuchang, Zhoukou, Zhumadian and Pingdingshan on its north, east, sout ...

), he led his troops to attack Liyang County and succeeded in driving Sun Quan's forces away. Later, he sent his troops to cross the

and attack and burn down a few thousand enemy camps at Wuhu County (蕪湖縣; east of present-day

Wuhu Wuhu () is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province of China, province, China. Sitting on the southeast bank of the Yangtze River, Wuhu borders Xuancheng to the southeast, Chizhou and Tongling to the southwest, Hefei City to the n ...

, Anhui). In late 220, Cao Pi usurped the throne from

, ended the Eastern Han dynasty, and established the state of

with himself assuming the title of emperor. After his coronation, he promoted Cao Xiu to General Who Attacks the East (征東將軍) and appointed him as the Inspector (刺史) of

Yang Province Yangzhou, Yangchow or Yang Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China mentioned in historical texts such as the ''Yu Gong, Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'' and ''Rites of Zhou''. Name There are four different theories regarding the origi ...

. He also elevated Cao Xiu from the status of a village marquis to a district marquis under the title "Marquis of Anyang District" (安陽鄉侯).

Death of Cao Xiu's mother

When Cao Xiu's mother died, Cao Pi issued an imperial decree to exempt Cao Xiu from the formalities and austere lifestyle of filial mourning, which was customary for officeholders when their parent(s) died. He excused Cao Xiu from wearing mourning garments and gave him permission to consume meat and alcohol. However, when Cao Xiu's health deteriorated due to grief and his desire to return home to Qiao County (譙縣; present-day

) to hold a proper funeral for his mother, Cao Pi approved and sent Xue Qiao (薛喬) as his personal representative to offer his condolences to Cao Xiu and attend the funeral. Cao Xiu settled the funeral arrangements and had his mother properly buried within one day, after which he wanted to return to his post. Before Cao Xiu left, Cao Pi met him in person to comfort and console him. This incident showed how close Cao Pi was to Cao Xiu and how highly he regarded Cao Xiu.

Battle of Dongkou

In October 222, Cao Pi launched the first of a series of invasions against

, the state founded by his rival,

. He promoted Cao Xiu to Senior General Who Attacks the East (征東大將軍), granted him the yellow axe (a ceremonial axe given to newly appointed high-ranking generals), and ordered him,

Zhang Liao Zhang Liao () (169 – late 222), courtesy name Wenyuan, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served briefly in the state of Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's successor Cao P ...

and others to lead 20 armies to attack Dongkou (洞口; in present-day southern

), where they dealt heavy losses to Wu forces led by Lü Fan before having to retreat. Cao Pi later promoted Cao Xiu to Governor of

Service under Cao Rui

After

died in June 226, Cao Xiu continued serving under

Cao Rui Cao Rui () (204 or 205 – 22 January 239), courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His parentage is in dispute: his mother, Lady Zhen, was Yuan Xi's wife, but she later remarr ...

, Cao Pi's son and successor as the emperor of Wei. Following his coronation, Cao Rui elevated Cao Xiu from the status of a district marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Changping" (長平侯). When Wu forces led by Shen De (審悳) garrisoned at Wan (皖; present-day

Qianshan County Qianshan() is a county-level city in the southwest of Anhui, Anhui Province, China; it is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Anqing. It has a population of 570,000 and an area of . The government of Qianshan County is located i ...

), Cao Xiu led Wei forces to attack them and killed Shen De in battle. Two other Wu officers, Han Zong and Zhai Dan (翟丹), brought along their troops and surrendered to Cao Xiu. In recognition of Cao Xiu's achievements, Cao Rui increased the number of taxable households in Cao Xiu's marquisate by 400, bringing the total number to 2,500. Cao Rui also promoted Cao Xiu to Grand Marshal (大司馬) and ordered him to continue supervising military operations in

Battle of Shi'ting

In 228, as Cao Rui planned to launch an invasion on Wei's rival state Wu, he ordered

Sima Yi Sima Yi (; ; 179 CE7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He formally began his political career in 208 under th ...

to lead Wei forces from

and sail down the Han River to Xunyang County (尋陽縣; southwest of present-day Huangmei County,

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

) and supervise the invasion. During this time, Cao Xiu fell for a ruse by a Wu military officer Zhou Fang, who pretended to defect to Wei in order to lure Wei forces into a trap. He led his troops deep into enemy territory and suffered a disastrous defeat when they fell into the trap. Cao Xiu managed to retreat to Shiting (石亭; or Shi Village, in present-day

), but his soldiers started panicking at night and many of them deserted and left behind their weapons, armour and equipment. Cao Xiu wrote a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

to Cao Rui to apologise for his blunder and request to be punished. However, Cao Rui not only pardoned him, but also sent Yang Ji (楊曁) as an emissary to console him and continued to regard him as highly as before.

Death

Cao Xiu died later in 228 from skin infections on his back resulting from the wounds he sustained during the Battle of Shi'ting. Cao Rui honoured with the posthumous title "Marquis Zhuang" (壯侯), which literally means "robust marquis".

Descendants

Cao Xiu's son, Cao Zhao (曹肇), whose

was Changsi (長思), inherited his father's peerage and marquisate as the Marquis of Changping (長平侯). Cao Zhao, who was known for being talented and generous, served as a Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎常侍) and Colonel of the Garrison Cavalry (屯騎校尉) in the Cao Wei state. When Cao Rui became critically ill in 238, he wanted to appoint Cao Zhao and

Cao Yu Cao Yu (, September 24, 1910 – December 13, 1996) was a Chinese playwright, often regarded as one of China's most important playwrights of the 20th century. His best-known works are ''Thunderstorm'' (1933), ''Sunrise'' (1936) and ''Peking Man' ...

as the regents for Cao Fang, his adopted son and successor-to-be. However, later he changed his mind and ordered Cao Zhao to retire and go home. Cao Zhao died in the middle of the Zhengshi era (240–249) of Cao Fang's reign. He was posthumously awarded the appointment General of the Guards (衞將軍). His son, Cao Xing (曹興), succeeded him as the next Marquis of Changping. Cao Xiu had another son, Cao Cuan (曹纂), who was younger than Cao Zhao. Sometime between 220 and 226,

removed 300 taxable households from Cao Xiu's marquisate and used them to create a new marquisate for Cao Cuan. Like his father and elder brother, Cao Cuan served in the Cao Wei state and held the position General Who Destroys Wu (殄吳將軍). After his death, he was posthumously awarded the appointment General of the Vanguard (前將軍). Cao Xiu had a great-grandson, Cao Shu (曹攄), whose

was Yanyuan (顏遠) and was a grandson of Cao Zhao. Cao Shu was known for being virtuous, ambitious, knowledgeable and well-read since young. He served under the

Jin dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty or Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the or the , was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty in China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had previou ...

after the fall of the Cao Wei state in February 266 and gained quite a reputation during his tenure as the Prefect of

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

. When Sima Jiong was regent for Emperor Hui, Cao Shu and Zuo Si served as his subordinates. Cao Shu later rose through the ranks from a Palace Gentleman (中郎) to the positions of Administrator of

Xiangyang Xiangyang is the second-largest prefecture-level city by population in northwestern Hubei province, China. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River (Hanshui), Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city n ...

(襄陽太守) and Marshal Who Attacks the South (征南司馬). He was killed in battle in 308 while suppressing a rebellion.

Discovery of Cao Xiu's tomb

In May 2010, archaeologists announced the discovery of Cao Xiu's tomb in Mengjin County,

. 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, and the man was about 1.71 metres tall. 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 ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'', 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.

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms ''Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms'' () by Pei Songzhi (372–451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After the fall of the Eastern Jin ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cao, Xiu Year of birth unknown 228 deaths Cao Wei generals Generals under Cao Cao