courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...
Zihe, was a military officer serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was a younger
second cousin
Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...
of Cao Cao, and is best known for leading the "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" (虎豹騎), an elite mounted unit, in several battles against Cao Cao's rivals, including
Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan (died 205), courtesy name Xiansi, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who was the eldest son of Yuan Shao, a warlord who occupied much of northern China during the late Eastern Han dynasty. After Yuan Shao's death, Y ...
,
Tadun
Tadun (died 207) was a leader of the Wuhuan tribes during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was an ally of the warlord Yuan Shao and Yuan Shao's son and successor Yuan Shang.
Life
Tadun was a younger relative of the Wuhuan chieftain Q ...
and
Liu Bei
Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the ...
. His elder brother,
Cao Ren
Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei ...
, also served as a military officer under Cao Cao.
Cao Ren
Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei ...
, were younger second cousins of Cao Cao. Their grandfather Cao Bao (曹襃) and father Cao Chi (曹熾) served in the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
of the Eastern Han dynasty. Their father died when Cao Chun was 13 years old, so Cao Chun and Cao Ren lived with another family. They inherited their family fortune when they became older; they were wealthy and had hundreds of servants and
retainer
Retainer may refer to:
* Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth
* RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship
* Retainers in early China, a social group in early China
Employment
* Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for w ...
s. Cao Chun was known for being a strict, rule-abiding and fair leader among his followers. His fellow townsfolk regarded him highly. A well-read man who respected scholars, Cao Chun was also popular among the literati, many of whom flocked to him and became his retainers.
At the age of 17, Cao Chun was called to serve in the Han government as a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate (黃門侍郎). Two years later, he followed his
second cousin
Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...
Sui County, Henan
Sui County or Suixian () is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shangqiu, in the east of Henan province, People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in Ea ...
) to recruit soldiers. Since then, he had fought on Cao Cao's side in several battles against rival warlords. He became a Consultant (議郎) and Military Adviser to the Minister of Works (參司空軍事) sometime between 196 and 205. In early 205, he led the "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" (虎豹騎) during the
Battle of Nanpi
The Battle of Nanpi happened in the first month of 205, during the period known as the end of the Han Dynasty. The battle spelled the annihilation of Yuan Tan, one of Yuan Shao's sons vying to succeed their father, by their common enemy Cao Ca ...
against a rival warlord,
Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan (died 205), courtesy name Xiansi, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who was the eldest son of Yuan Shao, a warlord who occupied much of northern China during the late Eastern Han dynasty. After Yuan Shao's death, Y ...
. When his forces suffered heavy casualties, Cao Cao wanted to call for a retreat, but Cao Chun stopped him and said, "We've travelled a long distance to attack the enemy. While we can't defeat them at the moment by advancing, we'll definitely lose our might if we retreat. Besides, we're already deep in enemy territory and we won't be able to last long. The enemy has become complacent after their initial victory against us; we've become fearful after our initial defeat by them. We can use our fear to overcome their complacency and defeat them." Cao Cao agreed and ordered his forces to press on their attack, and eventually defeated Yuan Tan. Cao Chun's "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" killed Yuan Tan and cut off his head during the battle.
In 207, Cao Chun led the "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" again at the
Battle of White Wolf Mountain
The Battle of White Wolf Mountain was a battle fought in 207 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle took place in northern China, beyond the frontiers of the ruling Eastern Han dynasty. It was fought between the warlord Cao Cao ...
Yuan Shang
Yuan Shang (died December 207), courtesy name Xianfu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the third son and successor of the warlord Yuan Shao. In the 14th-centu ...
. During the battle, Cao Chun's unit captured Tadun, who was later executed by
Zhang Liao
Zhang Liao () (169–222), 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 Pi, in the ...
, a general under Cao Cao. In recognition of Cao Chun's contributions in battle,
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 in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220.
Liu Xie was a so ...
enfeoffed Cao Chun as the Marquis of Gaoling Village (高陵亭侯) and gave him 300 taxable households to form his marquisate.
In 208, Cao Chun accompanied Cao Cao on the campaign in Jing Province. During the
Battle of Changban
The Battle of Changban was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei in October 208 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle took place at Changban (長坂; south of present-day Duodao District, Jingmen, Hubei).
Background ...
, Cao Chun led his troops in pursuit of the rival warlord
Liu Bei
Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the ...
and captured Liu Bei's two daughters, along with much of his equipment. They also rounded up some of Liu Bei's soldiers who were scattered during the battle and recruited them to join Cao Cao's forces. After Cao Cao occupied Jiangling County (江陵縣; present-day
Jingzhou
Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...
,
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
), Jing Province's capital, Cao Chun headed back to 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 th ...
,
Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
). It is not known whether Cao Chun participated in the Battle of Red Cliffs.
Cao Chun died in 210, the 15th year of the Jian'an era in the reign of Emperor Xian. In 220, Cao Cao's son and heir,
Cao Pi
Cao Pi () ( – 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 eldest ...
, forced Emperor Xian to abdicate in his favour, ended the Eastern Han dynasty, and established the state of
posthumous title
A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments o ...
"Marquis Wei" (威侯).
The "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" (虎豹騎) unit that Cao Chun led was an elite mounted unit in Cao Cao's forces. Its recruitment process was highly selective – only soldiers who had at least 100 men under them were eligible. Even Cao Cao himself found it difficult to lead such a unit, which was why he chose Cao Chun, who was able to gain the trust and respect of those elite soldiers. After Cao Chun's death, when someone asked Cao Cao to select a new candidate to replace Cao Chun, Cao Cao said, "Who is comparable to (Cao) Chun? Am I not the only person capable of leading (this unit)?" He did not choose anyone.
Descendants
Cao Chun's son, Cao Yan (曹演), served as a military officer in the state of
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...
period and held the position of General Who Leads the Army (領軍將軍). Sometime between 254 and 256, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Pingle District (平樂鄉侯). After his death, his son, Cao Liang (曹亮), inherited his marquis title.(子演嗣，官至領軍將軍，正元中進封平樂鄉侯。演薨，子亮嗣。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 9.