The Three Kingdoms of Ancient China: The History and Legacy of the Reunification of China after the Han Dynasty by Charles River Editors & Fang Jin

Author:Charles River Editors & Fang, Jin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Charles River Editors
Published: 2016-01-31T16:00:00+00:00

Emperor Xian (center), from an edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Ultimately, another option presented itself to Emperor Xian. Cao Cao, a general under Emperor Ling and an official responsible for early action against the Yellow Turbans. He had been a key ally of Yuan Shao's in the campaign against Dong Zhuo, and had since established himself as a minor warlord in Xuchang 许昌, modern Henan. Cao invited Emperor Xian to establish his court at Xuchang, and declare it the new capital. The emperor agreed, ennobled Cao Cao and accepted his protection and new position as commander-in-chief. Cao Cao was the adopted son of a eunuch, and had no ties to the hereditary aristocracy of late Han China. Cao's unification of Xuchang and China's northern reaches occurred well before the final dissolution of the Han Empire. His main rival to the north was Yuan Shao, his former ally against Dong Zhuo.

Yuan Shao's ambition was apparent in his declining a number of titles offered by the emperor. Accepting these titles would have amounted to accepting the emperor's authority to grant them, and accepting Cao Cao's stewardship of the imperial court in Xuchang. From around 196, it became apparent that an armed struggle for control over the northern reaches of would take place, with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao the two main belligerents. Yuan Shao had not acted against Cao Cao until the latter's move to seize the imperial court. By then, however Cao had enacted a number of military reforms, which left him in command of largely professional soldiers, motivated to fight not just but sense of duty and coercion, but promise of material reward. In 200, Liu Bei 刘备, a descendent of Emperor Ling and a key ally of both Cao Cao and Emperor Xian rebelled against Cao Cao's command from Xuchang, and Cao was required to divert forces from his northern border to contain Liu Bei's treachery. Yuan Shao took this opportunity to begin his assault on Cao's territories, and declared war on Cao following Liu Bei's defeat. (Liu Bei was not killed by Cao's forces, and escaped north to Yuan Shao's protection.)

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