Although the history of the Three Kingdoms is short, it is a historical period of bright stars and talented people in China. Cao Cao is one of the most outstanding figures in the Three Kingdoms. However, for more than 1000 years, Cao Cao's image was smeared by his contemporaries and successors, and was finally portrayed as a typical villain in China history. It is incredible that history has been turned upside down. No wonder Guo Moruo and other Marxist historians tried to vindicate Cao Cao in the late 1950s.

From the perspective of poetry and prose, Cao Cao is the pioneer and leader of Jian 'an literature, and the seven sons of Jian 'an are all gathered around him. From the Confucian point of view, although some people criticized Cao Cao for holding the emperor to make the princes, in fact, it was he who held high the banner of Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty that made the Han Dynasty last for more than 20 years. Among the hottest figures at that time, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and other governors all wanted to be kings, and even Liu Bei and Sun Quan finally climbed to the throne of the emperor, but Cao Cao never abandoned Han to stand on his own feet. From the point of view of cultivation, Cao Cao has always been very strict, and we can't find any trace of his bullying, corruption and bribery. He even cut his hair when his horse stepped on the crops and insisted on a thin burial after death. His brother-in-law wants to be promoted and made a fortune, but he is merciless. I'm afraid there are not many worthies who can do this since ancient times. From the perspective of governing the country, he was respectful to the virtuous corporal and issued three orders for seeking talents, unlike Yuan Shao and Lu Bu who were jealous of talents. Even Chen Lin, who scolded her ancestors for three generations, was not punished but was reused. How can you say that he is petty and has no gentlemanly demeanor? In fact, in the desperate struggle for talents among political groups at that time, the talents gathered under Cao Cao were the most abundant. He also paid attention to calling on refugees to reclaim wasteland and reduce the burden on the people. Therefore, Cao Wei was also the strongest political structure in the world at that time. In terms of military management, although it was defeated by the artistic Red Cliff, the battle of Guandu was also a famous example in the ancient military history of China. Not only Liu Bei, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Lu Bu, Liu Biao and other ambitious people were defeated by him, but even talents like Sun Quan had to serve as governors, and Zhuge Liang, who is famous for his six trips to Qishan and the northern expedition to the Central Plains, did not get any cheap money. From the perspective of political strategy, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had a wonderful discussion as early as the decline of the Han Dynasty and the chaos in the world. Yuan Shao said to take Hebei first, and then go south to pacify the world in one fell swoop; But Cao Cao said that he should rely on the wisdom of the world and improvise. Which is better or worse is really a matter of opinion. Even if Zhuge Liang was right in Longzhong, it was only a partial plan and lacked the spirit of unity. Therefore, even compared with Zhuge Liang, the most praised by later generations, Cao Cao surpassed him in military and political talents and achievements.

That being the case, why should people in later generations praise Zhuge Liang fiercely and belittle Cao Cao mercilessly? After careful study, I am afraid there are mainly the following points: First, although Cao Cao did not abolish Han's self-reliance, he played with Emperor Xian in the palm of his hand, which is obvious to people wearing Taoist glasses and future generations. And his son Cao Pi finally abolished Han and proclaimed himself emperor. Does Cao Cao have no responsibility? Therefore, no matter from the perspective of hypocrisy or orthodox Confucian ethics, Cao Cao's character is indeed tainted. Even if it is done skillfully, it is difficult to hide the fox's tail, which is not worthy of praise. Rulers who took the emperor as the center in all previous dynasties, no matter what aspect they considered, would criticize the powerful ministers of the previous generation who relied on the emperor to make the princes, so Cao Cao would never be praised by later rulers. Second, between Han and Tang dynasties, dynasties changed frequently, and Cao Wei's country was not eternal. The Sima family soon abolished Wei's independence and established the Jin Dynasty. In order to show the legitimacy of destroying Wei Xing Jin, Sima Jia had to show the illegality of Cao Wei's generation of Han Dynasty, so they tried their best to throw dirty water on Cao Cao and Cao Wei's regime. After the Jin Dynasty, the regime was too short-lived to care about itself. Of course, it is too lazy to "wash your face" for Cao Cao. Thirdly, since the Tang and Song Dynasties, storytelling and storytelling have been popular among the people, and the content of storytelling is mainly taken from historical themes. The Three Kingdoms is a talent peak in the history of China. Heroes come forth in large numbers, competing with each other, which is very story-telling, and naturally becomes the favorite theme of storytellers. Song Dynasty was a weak and extreme dynasty, and the country was devastated. Therefore, the Zhao Dynasty vigorously advocated the Confucian ethics of loyalty, filial piety and righteousness, praised Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang under the banner of protecting the Han Dynasty, and constantly vilified Cao Cao, who had ambitions to seize power. Most of storytellers' books are written by scholars who advocate Confucian loyalty, filial piety and benevolence. They observe the color of Zhao, and of course they won't say anything nice to Cao Cao. At that time, with the support of the Zhao and Song royal families, Neo-Confucianism prevailed, which encouraged the atmosphere of praising Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and belittling Cao Cao. Novels in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera in the Qing Dynasty all make fun of the characters of the Three Kingdoms. Of course, artistic things are based on the principle of pursuing sensational effects. As a result, Cao Wei was blacked out and completely vilified.

In the 1950s, Guo Moruo and other Marxist historians could not bear to look back on the past and made up their minds to vindicate Cao Cao. Regrettably, the personalities of historical figures such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang have been soaked in the sauce jar of Confucian principles for nearly two thousand years and repackaged by various art categories. People have become accustomed to the artistic Cao Cao and no longer care about the real Cao Cao in history. It is easy to turn things upside down at once. The romance of the Three Kingdoms is still circulating, the drama of the Three Kingdoms is still being staged, and the inertia of historical traditions is still continuing. Who can accept the "sudden power failure" at this time? Therefore, when Guo Moruo and others advocated that Cao Cao's conviction be reversed, it triggered a modest debate. From this point of view, Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang in the minds of future generations are not completely real figures in history, but borrowed a crooked and vague image in history for moral and artistic needs and labeled them as "Cao Cao" and "Zhuge Liang" to pin their personal ideals on society or vent their pent-up blocks.

Of course, after all, history and art are completely different. Readers with a sense of historical responsibility should really be aware of the art history and historical figures. In particular, all kinds of "historical jokes" are very popular now, so it is necessary to remind them.