Cao Cao, also known as Mengde, was one of the most controversial figures during the Three Kingdoms period.
His great talent, cunning and suspicious nature, and literary talent have been repeatedly written by later generations, becoming a “classic image” in historical books and novels.
Today, let’s talk about these ‘Cao Cao you absolutely don’t know’ and take a look at the ‘strange stories’ about this hero.
1、 Is Cao Cao an ‘underground musician’?
Who would have thought that Cao Cao, who dominated history, would still be an ‘underground musician’?
According to the “Yiwen Lu” in the Book of Wei, Cao Cao was not only proficient in the guqin, but also created a special musical instrument called “Mengde Se”.
This instrument is similar to the ancient zither, but with more strings and a deeper tone.
It is said that Cao Cao often played this instrument in his tent during the intervals of leading his army to battle, in order to relieve the pressure of military life.
What’s even more surprising is that Cao Cao also held a small music competition! At that time, he invited generals such as Guan Yu and Zhang Liao to participate in the competition, and even personally proposed the competition topic.
As a result, Guan Yu was eliminated due to his “overly rough” qin skills, while Zhang Liao took the lead with his song “Battle Drum Song”. Although these stories may sound like fairy tales, they added an “unknown literary temperament” to Cao Cao.
2、 Cao Cao‘s’ Fear of Beauty ‘
Cao Cao was a lecherous man, as recorded in both historical books and novels, but strangely enough, he was rumored to have a “beauty phobia”.
It is said that the cause of this phobia was a “romantic encounter” by Cao Cao in his early years. Legend has it that Cao Cao was once infatuated with a peerless beauty when he was young, but during their private meeting, he unexpectedly witnessed the other person’s true appearance after removing their headdress.
According to the “Romance of the Wind and Fairy”, this beautiful woman suffers from severe hair loss and her scalp is as shiny as a mirror. Cao Cao was frightened by this scene and began to fear the ‘stunning beauty’ from then on.
Later, in order to overcome this psychological shadow, Cao Cao recruited a group of “plain looking” concubines to accompany him.
This also explains why in Cao Cao‘s list of wives and concubines, there are few people who are “stunning the country and the city”, and more of them are of the “virtuous and virtuous” type.
3、 Why is Cao Cao afraid of his wife?
In addition to his fear of beautiful women, Cao Cao also had a little-known trait – he was afraid of his wife!
In the “Wei Lue”, it is recorded that Cao Cao‘s wife, Lady Ding, had a strong character and was extremely strict with Cao Cao.
When Cao Cao was young, he was promiscuous and often secretly searched for flowers and willows outside, but every time he was caught by Lady Ding.
Once, Cao Cao was even publicly reprimanded by Lady Ding for returning late, and since then he has become even more cautious.
What’s even more interesting is that Cao Cao later wrote a poem called “Short Song Xing”, in which the line “Drinking wine as a song, the geometry of life” is said to be his emotion when he was banned by Lady Ding.
Although this is just a joke by later generations, it also provides us with an alternative perspective to look at the “little embarrassment” of this iron blooded hero in his family life.
4、 The Legend of Cao Cao’s “Resurrection of the Dead”
Cao Cao was suspicious and superstitious, which is often recorded in historical books.
He not only carries turtle shells for divination with him, but also believes in the technique of “borrowing the corpse to revive the soul”.
According to the unofficial history “Strange Tales of Wei Capital”, Cao Cao was weak and sickly in his later years. He was deeply afraid of losing his power after his death, and due to constipation, he secretly ordered people to prepare several corpses that looked similar to himself as “stunt doubles”.
Legend has it that after Cao Cao‘s death, his soul briefly possessed one of the corpses, conversing with his son Cao Pi and instructing him on how to govern the world.
This statement is obviously absurd, but it has become a topic of great interest for many people when talking about Cao Cao, and indirectly reflects Cao Cao’s personality of “being suspicious before his death and uneasy after his death”.
5、 Cao Cao invented the “amphibious vehicle”?
Cao Cao’s military talent is beyond doubt, but you may not know that he is still a ‘technical controller’.
It is said that after the failure of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao began to develop a “amphibious vehicle” to counter Sun Quan’s navy. The appearance of this tank is similar to a small boat, but it is equipped with rollers at the bottom and can travel on land.
Although this invention was ultimately not put into practical use, it is said that its prototype was later improved into a “floating bridge on water” and became an important tool for the Cao army to capture Jingzhou.
If this unofficial history is true, then Cao Cao was not only a military strategist, but also an “inventor”.
6、 Cao Cao’s’ Thousand Person Stand in ‘Plan
Cao Cao was suspicious and particularly afraid of assassins, so he invented a “Thousand Person Substitute” plan.
It is said that he ordered all one thousand soldiers around him to shave their heads and wear the same hat as him.
Every time he traveled, Cao Cao would scatter and arrange these soldiers, making it difficult for the enemy to identify the real targets.
Even more exaggeratedly, Cao Cao sometimes deliberately mixes with “stunt doubles” to make it difficult for people to determine who the real Cao Cao is.
Although this plan is considered absurd by later generations, it fully reflects Cao Cao’s suspicion and cunning.
7、 Cao Cao’s secret recipe for longevity: drinking wolf milk?
Cao Cao lived to the age of 66, which was considered a long life in ancient times.
There are many bizarre descriptions of his health secrets in unofficial history, among which the most peculiar one is “drinking wolf milk”.
It is said that Cao Cao believed that wolves were dynamic and intelligent animals, and that wolf milk could enhance human physical fitness and willpower.
In order to obtain wolf milk, Cao Cao ordered a group of female wolves to be raised near Xuchang and milked daily for him to drink.
Although this rumor may seem absurd, if we understand it from the perspective of ‘Cao Cao’s thirst for power’, it does not seem completely unreasonable.
Mixed authenticity, infinite fun
Cao Cao is a complex and multifaceted historical figure, whose talent and controversy coexist, and his legend and superstition intertwine.
Whether these unofficial histories are true or not, they provide us with a unique perspective to understand the image of this Three Kingdoms hero.
Welcome everyone to comment, discuss and explore more stories about Cao Cao.