Cao Pi

Cao Pi , formally Emperor Wen of Wei , courtesy name Zihuan , was born in Qiao County, Pei Commandery . He was the second son of the politician and poet Cao Cao and was the first and the real founder of Cao Wei , one of the Three Kingdoms.



Cao Pi, like his father, was a poet. The first using seven syllables per line was the poem ''燕歌行'' by Cao Pi. He also wrote over a hundred articles on various subjects.



Cao Pi was the eldest son of Cao Cao and his concubine . Of all his brothers, Cao Pi was the most shrewd. Instead of studying hard or conducting military affairs, he was always in the presence of court officials in order to gain their support. He was mostly in charge of defense at the start of his career. After the defeat of Yuan Shao at , he took the widow of Yuan Shao's son Yuan Xi, , as a consort, although eventually she lost his favor and was forced to commit suicide. After he became emperor, his other favorite, , became empress.



In 220, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne and proclaimed himself emperor of Wei. Cao Pi continued his father's war against Liu Bei's Shu Han and Sun Quan's Eastern Wu but was unsuccessful. Unlike Cao Cao he concentrated most of his efforts on his home country, which prospered under his rule.



There were many internal conflicts during Cao Pi's rule. He demoted his brother Cao Zhi and had two of Cao Zhi's best friends executed. Allegedly, his younger brother Cao Xiong committed suicide out of fears for his brother, although this was undocumented in actual historical records. Cao Pi also put Yu Jin to shame for his loss to Guan Yu, which caused him to become ill and die. He further restricted the roles his other brothers had in the imperial administration; in addition, unlike princes of the Han Dynasty, under regulations established by Cao Pi, Cao Wei princes had minimal authority even in their own principalities and were restricted in many ways. Many historians attribute these heavy restrictions to how Cao Pi was jealous of Cao Zhi's literary talent and Cao Zhang's military might.

Family background and early career

Cao Pi was born in 187, to Cao Cao and one of his favorite concubines, Lady Bian. At the time of Cao Pi's birth, Cao Cao was a mid-level officer in the imperial guards in the capital Luoyang, with no hint that he would go on to the great campaigns that he would eventually carry out after the collapse of the imperial government in 190. After 190, when Cao Cao was constantly waging war, it is not known where Cao Pi and his mother Lady Bian were, or what their activities were. The lone reference to Cao Pi during this period was in 204, when he took Yuan Xi's wife Zhen Luo as his wife.



The immediate next reference to Cao Pi's activities was in 211, when he was commissioned to be the commander of the imperial guards and deputy prime minister . His older brother Cao Ang having died earlier, Cao Pi was now the oldest son of Cao Cao, and his mother Lady Bian was now Cao Cao's wife , making Cao Pi the presumptive heir for Cao Cao.



That status, however, was not immediately made legal, and for years there were lingering doubts whom Cao Cao intended to make heir, because Cao Cao greatly favored a younger son of his, also by Lady Bian -- Cao Zhi, who was known for his literary talents; while Cao Pi was a talented poet, Cao Zhi was even higher regarded as a poet and speaker. By 215, the brothers were on the surface in concord but each having his set of associates, fighting with each other under the surface. Initially, Cao Zhi's party appeared to be prevailing, and they were successful in 216 in falsely accusing two officials supporting Cao Pi -- Cui Yan and Mao Jie. Cui was executed, while Mao was deposed. However, the situation shifted after Cao Cao received advice from his strategist Jia Xu, who concluded that changing the general rules of succession would be disruptive -- using Yuan Shao and Liu Biao as counterexamples. Cao Pi was also fostering his image among the people and creating the sense that Cao Zhi was wasteful and lacking actual talent in governance. In 217, Cao Cao, who was by this point Prince of Wei, finally declared Cao Pi as his crown prince. He would remain as such until his father's death in 220.

Events of 220: inheritance of his father's position and seizure of the imperial throne

Cao Cao died in spring 220, while he was at Luoyang. Even though Cao Pi had been crown prince for several years, there was initially some confusion as to what would happen next. The apprehension was particularly heightened when, after Cao Cao's death, the Qing Province troops suddenly deserted, leaving Luoyang and returning home. Further, Cao Zhang, whom the troops were impressed by, quickly arrived in Luoyang, creating apprehension that he was intending to seize power from his brother. Cao Pi, hearing this news at Cao Cao's headquarters at , quickly declared himself the new Prince of Wei and issuing an edict in the name of his mother, Princess Bian, to that effect -- without confirmation from Emperor Xian of Han, of whom he was still technically a subject. After Cao Pi's self-declaration, neither Cao Zhang nor any other individual dared to act against him.



One of the first acts that Cao Pi carried out as Prince of Wei was to send his brothers, including Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi, back to their marches. Cao Pi, particularly fearful and resentful at Cao Zhi, soon had his march reduced in size and killed a number of his associates, including Ding Yi, who was chief among Cao Zhi's strategists.



In winter 220, Cao Pi finally made his move for the imperial throne, strongly suggesting to Emperor Xian that he should yield the throne. Emperor Xian did so, and Cao Pi formally declined three times , and then finally accepted, ending Han Dynasty and starting a new Wei Dynasty. The former Emperor Xian was created the Duke of Shanyang. Cao Pi posthumously honored his grandfather Cao Song and father Cao Cao as emperors, and his mother Princess Dowager Bian as empress dowager. He also moved his capital from Xu to Luoyang.

As emperor of Cao Wei

Failure to take advantage of the conflict between Liu Bei and Sun Quan

After news of Cao Pi's ascension arrived in Liu Bei's domain of Yi Province , Liu Bei declared himself emperor as well, establishing Shu Han. Sun Quan, who controlled the vast majority of modern southeastern and southern China, did not take any affirmative steps one way or another, leaving his options open.



An armed conflict between Liu and Sun quickly developed, because in 219 Sun had ambushed Liu's general and beloved friend Guan Yu to seize back western Jing Province , which Liu had controlled, and Liu wanted to take vengeance. To avoid having to fight on two fronts, Sun formally paid allegiance to Cao, offering to be a vassal of Cao Wei. Cao's strategist Liu Ye suggested that Cao decline -- and in fact attack Sun on a second front, effectively partitioning Sun's domain with Shu Han, and then eventually seek to destroy Shu Han as well. Cao declined, in a fateful choice that most historians believe doomed his empire to ruling only the northern and central China -- and this chance would not come again. Indeed, against Liu Ye's advice, he created Sun the Prince of Wu and granted him the nine bestowments.



Sun's submission did not last long, however. After Sun's forces, under the command of , defeated Liu Bei's forces in 222, Sun began to distance himself from Cao Wei. When Cao demanded Sun to send his heir Sun Deng to Luoyang as hostage and Sun refused, formal relations broke down. Cao personally led an expedition against Sun, and Sun, in response, declared independence from Cao Wei, establishing Eastern Wu. By this time, having defeated Liu, Eastern Wu's forces enjoyed high morale and effective leadership from Sun, Lu, and a number of other capable generals, and Cao's forces were not able to make significant advances against them despite several large-scale attacks in the next few years. The division of the Han empire into three states has become firmly established, particularly after Liu Bei's death in 223; his prime minister Zhuge Liang, serving as regent for his son Liu Shan, reestablished the alliance with Sun, causing Cao Wei to have to defend itself on two fronts and not being able to conquer either. Exasperated, Cao made a famous comment in 225 that "Heaven created the Yangtze to divide the north and the south."

Domestic matters

Cao Pi was generally viewed as a competent, but unspectacular, administrator of his empire. He commissioned a number of capable officials to be in charge of various affairs of the empire, employing his father's general guidelines of valuing abilities over heritage. However, he was not open to criticism, and officials who dared to cricitize him were often demoted and, on rare occasions, put to death.

Marriage and succession issues

An immediate issue after Cao Pi became emperor in 220 was who the empress would be. Lady Zhen was his wife, but had by this point long lost favor due to a variety of reasons -- chief among which was the struggle she had with a favorite concubine of Cao's, . Lady Guo used the unlikely possibility that Zhen's son Cao Rui might be biologically Yuan Xi's son to full advantage in creating conflicts between Cao Pi and Lady Zhen. Cao therefore refused to summon Lady Zhen to Luoyang after he ascended the throne but instead ordered her to remain at Yecheng, which caused Lady Zhen to be resentful. When words of her resentment reached Cao, he became angry and forced her to commit suicide. In 222, Cao created Consort Guo empress.



Empress Guo, however, was sonless. Lady Zhen's son Cao Rui was the oldest of Cao Pi's sons, but because she had been put to death and because of Cao Pi's lingering doubt as to his paternity, was not created crown prince but only the Prince of Pingyuan after Cao Pi's ascension. Cao Pi, however, did not appear to have seriously considered any other son as heir. In the summer of 226, when Cao Pi was seriously ill, he finally created Prince Rui crown prince. He died soon thereafter, and Prince Rui ascended the throne.

Era name

* ''Huangchu'' 220-226

Modern references

Cao Pi appears in the Koei video game ''Dynasty Warriors 6'', the latest in the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''-based franchise. Whilst several characters have been portrayed as corrupt, megalomanical, arrogant and merciless, none before the introduction of Cao Pi have been portrayed as inherently evil.



In Warriors Orochi, a crossover between Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, Cao Pi inherits the kingdom of Wei after the alleged death of Cao Cao. He fought for Orochi and Da Ji in the beginning and made an uneasy alliance with Mitsunari Ishida. He would defect from Orochi after allowing Sun Ce to escape. When Mitsunari witnessed this he struck a friendship with Cao Pi and continued to fight alongside him. They would eventually find out that Cao Cao was still alive. But Cao Pi was to lead the final battle against Orochi.

Personal information

* Father

** Cao Cao

* Mother

** Empress Dowager Bian

* Wife

** , mother of Cao Rui and Princess Dongxiang

** Empress Guo Nüwang

* Major Concubines

** Consort Li

** Consort Yin, mother of Prince Xie

** Consort Liu, daughter of Emperor Xian of Han

** Consort Liu, daughter of Emperor Xian of Han

** Consort Pan, mother of Prince Ruí

** Consort Zhu, mother of Prince Jian

** Consort Chou, mother of Prince Lin

** Consort Xu, mother of Prince Li

** Consort Su, mother of Prince Yong

** Consort Zhang, mother of Prince Gong

** Consort Song, mother of Prince Yan

* Children

** , initially Prince of Pingyuan , later Crown Prince , later Emperor Ming of Wei

** Cao Xie , died early , posthumously created Duke Sang of Jing then Prince Ai of Zan

** Cao Ruí , initially the Prince of Yangping , later Prince Dao of Beihai

** Cao Jian , Prince Huai of Dongwuyang

** Cao Lin , initially the Prince of Hedong , later the Prince of Guantao , later Prince Ding of Donghai , father of Cao Mao

** Cao Li , initially the Duke of Qin , later the Prince of Jingzhao , later Prince Ai of Yuancheng

** Cao Yong , initially the Duke of Huainan , later the Prince of Huainan , later the Prince of Chen , later Prince Huai of Handan

** Cao Gong , Prince Dao of Qinghe

** Cao Yan , Prince Ai of Guangping

** Princess Dongxiang

Sun Hao

Sun Hao , courtesy name Yuanzong , originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Yuanzong , was the fourth and final emperor of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. He was the son of Sun He, a one-time crown prince of the founding emperor Sun Quan. He came to the throne in 264 after the death of his uncle Sun Xiu in light of the desire of the people to have an older emperor considering the recent destruction of Eastern Wu's ally Shu Han. However, he turned out to be a most unfortunate choice, as his cruelty, extravagance, and inability to handle domestic matters doomed Eastern Wu, which was conquered by in 280, ending the Three Kingdoms period.



Sun Hao is also known by his pre-ascension title of Marquess of Wucheng and post-conquest Jin-bestowed title Marquess of Guiming .

Early life

Sun Hao was born in 242, as Sun He's oldest son, at a time either briefly before or briefly after Sun He was created crown prince following the death of his father Sun Quan's oldest son and first crown prince, Sun Deng, in 241. His mother was a concubine of Sun He's, Consort He.



In 250, when Sun Hao was just eight, after Sun Quan tired of constant disputes between Sun He and his brother Sun Ba the Prince of Lu, he ordered Prince Ba to commit suicide and deposed Crown Prince He, who was exiled to Guzhang , presumably with his family, and reduced to commoner status. Sun Hao went from the status of eventual presumed heir to being the son of a commoner, albeit the grandson of the emperor.



In 252, Crown Prince He's status was elevated from commoner status, as Sun Quan, just before his death that year, created him the Prince of Nanyang, with his fief at Changsha. Indeed, there were rumors, even after Sun He's younger brother Sun Liang took the throne after Sun Quan's death, that the regent Zhuge Ke, an uncle of Sun He's wife Princess Zhang, was interested in restoring Prince He and making him emperor instead. After Zhuge's assassination and replacement by Sun Jun in 253, however, Prince He fell into danger, as Sun Jun had been instrumental in having him deposed in the first place and wanted to eliminate any chance of a comeback. He used the rumors as excuse to have Sun He demoted back to commoner status and exiled to Xindu , and then sent messengers to force Sun He to commit suicide. Princess Zhang also committed suicide, but when offered the chance to, Consort He refused -- stating that if she died as well, no one would be left to care for Sun He's sons, so she raised Sun Hao and his three brothers by other consorts -- Sun De , Sun Qian , and Sun Jun . Sun Hao was just 11 when his father died.



After Sun Liang was deposed by Sun Jun's cousin and successor Sun Lin in 258, another uncle of Sun Hao's, Sun Xiu, became emperor, and that year, Sun Xiu created Sun Hao and his brothers Sun De and Sun Qian marquesses. Sun Hao's title was the Marquess of Wucheng, and he was sent to his . At some point, he befriended a magistrate of Wucheng County, Wan Yu , who believed him to be intelligent and studious.



In summer 264, Sun Xiu fell ill and was unable to speak but still could write, so he wrote an edict summoning the prime minister Puyang Xing to the palace, where he pointed and entrusted his son, Sun Wan the Crown Prince, to him. Sun Xiu died soon thereafter. However, Puyang did not follow his wishes. Rather, after consulting with the powerful general Zhang Bu, they believed that the people were, in light of key ally Shu Han's recent fall in 263, yearning for an older emperor. At the recommendation of Wan Yu, who was by this point a general, Puyang and Zhang declared Sun Hao emperor instead.

Early reign

At first, the people of Eastern Wu were impressed with the new emperor, as he reduced taxes, gave relief to the poor, and released a large number of ladies in waiting from the palace to let them marry. However, soon that hopefulness was shattered, as Sun Hao started to be cruel in his punishments, superstitious, and indulging himself in wine and women. He also demoted his aunt, Sun Xiu's wife to the title of "Empress Jing." Puyang and Zhang were shocked and disappointed, and their disappointment was reported to the emperor, who had them arrested and executed, along with their clans, late in 264. In 264, he also created his wife empress.



In 265, Sun Hao forced the former Empress Dowager Zhu to commit suicide and exiled Sun Xiu's four sons -- and soon executed the two oldest, Prince Wan of Yuzhang and Prince Gong of Ru'nan. He then also, believing in a prophecy that the imperial aura had moved from Yang Province to the Jing Province and that Jing forces would defeat Yang forces, undertook a costly move of the capital from Jianye to Wuchang . He also started executing officials who showed disapproval of his wasteful ways regularly. The only major official who was able to speak freely without consequences was Lu Kai, the nephew of and one of the prime ministers serving in tandem with Wan Yu, because of the great respect the people had for Lu.



In 266, , which newly established itself as the successor to Eastern Wu's archenemy Cao Wei after its first emperor, usurped the Cao Wei throne, sought to establish peace with Eastern Wu. Sun Hao instead considered attacking Jin, but while he did not do so at this point, he did not establish peace with Jin.



Also in 266, commoners in modern Zhejiang unable to withstand Sun Hao's heavy levies rebelled and kidnapped Sun Hao's brother Sun Qian as figurehead. They reached Jianye but were eventually defeated by Ding Gu and Zhuge Jing , who were responsible for Jianye's defense. Although there was no evidence that Sun Qian was actually involved in the rebellion, Sun Hao had not only Sun Qian but also his mother and his younger brother Sun Jun, by the same mother, executed. Sun Hao thought this to be the fuilfillment of the prophecy that prompted his move of the capital to Wuchang, and later that year, he moved the capital back to Jianye.



In 268, Sun Hao started a policy of periodically attacking Jin border regions; he had his general Zhu Ji attack Jiangxia and Wan Yu attack Xiangyang, while he himself postured to attack Hefei. This attack as repelled by Jin forces, as would be several later attacks.



In 269, Lu Kai died, and soon there was no one left in the administration who dared to speak any more, as after Lu Kai's death Sun Hao exiled his clan to Jian'an . Lu Xun's son Lu Kang, a general who was in charge of defending the western empire, did periodically submit petitions requesting reforms, but Sun Hao generally ignored them, although he did not punish Lu Kang.

Late reign

In early 271, in the middle of winter, Sun Hao personally launched a major attack against Jin, and he brought his mother Empress Dowager He, his wife Empress Teng, and thousands of women in his harem along, which necessitated heavy labor from soldiers to drag their wagons, causing the soldiers to murmur about possibly defecting. Only after Sun Hao heard this possibility did he withdraw and return to Jianye.



Later that year, Eastern Wu forces finally recovered Jiao Province from rebels paying allegiance to Jin, who had held out ever since 264 . This gave Sun Hao encouragement, and he continued to plan military actions against Jin in earnest -- although, to his credit, he put the capable general Tao Huang in charge of Jiao Province, and Tao managed the province effectively; the province would not rebel again for the duration of Sun Hao's reign.



In 272, , the Jin governor of Yi Province , with Emperor Wu's support, began building a massive fleet, with the plan to eventually use the fleet in conquering Eastern Wu. As the wood shavings from the building projected floated down the Yangtze River, Sun Hao's general Wu Yan realized what was happening and requested that the northwestern border be fortified, but Sun Hao refused.



Later that year, Sun Hao would carry out an action that would lead to a major rebellion -- summoning Bu Chan , the general in charge of Xiling , back to the capital back to Jianye. Fearful that he was about to be punished somehow, Bu rebelled and defected to Jin. While Lu Kang was eventually able to defeat Bu and recover Xiling for Eastern Wu, the distrust the Eastern Wu generals had for their emperor has been thoroughly exposed, and Jin generals became emboldened in proposing plans of conquest to their emperor.



Later that year, Sun Hao, still bearing grudges against Wan and Liu for their plan to return to Jianye themselves, tried to poison them. Neither died, but after they found out that Sun Hao was behind the poisoning, they knew they could not do anything about it; Wan committed suicide, and Liu died in distress.



In 274, Lu Kang died. In his final petition, he requested Sun Hao to strengthen the western defenses, but Sun Hao did not do so. Further, he divided Lu's forces into six different commands, although each was led by a son of Lu.



In 275, the key official He Shao suffered a stroke and was paralyzed. Sun Hao suspected that he was pretending, and had him arrested and tortured, by whipping and by subjecting him to saws and fires. He died under torture, and his clan was exiled.



For the next several years, people wishing to flatter Sun Hao often offered him miraculous items that purportedly suggest that he would eventually destroy Jin and unite China. Sun Hao's superstitious nature became even more aroused, and he spent all of his efforts on plans to conquer Jin.

The fall of Eastern Wu

In 279, after Emperor Wu accepted the advice of Wang Jun and Du Yu Jin finally launched a major attack aiming to conquer Eastern Wu. The attack was in six prongs, with the forces led by Emperor Wu's uncle Sima Zhou, Wang Hun , , Hu Fen , Du, and Wang Jun, with the largest forces under Wang Hun and Wang Jun's commands. Each of the Jin forces advanced quickly and captured the border cities that they were targeting, with Wang Jun's fleet heading east down the Yangtze and clearing the river of Eastern Wu fleets. The Eastern Wu prime minister Zhang Ti made a last ditch attempt to defeat Wang Hun's force, but was defeated and killed. Wang Hun, Wang Jun, and Sima Zhou each headed for Jianye, and Sun Hao was forced to surrender in spring 280.



Sun Hao and his clan were escorted to the Jin capital Luoyang. Sun Hao, now a captive, humiliated himself by covering himself with mud and having himself bound behind his back. Jin's Emperor Wu had him unbound and seated next to himself at the next imperial gathering, commenting "I have set this seat for you for a long time." Sun Hao's response was, "I also had a seat for your imperial majesty in Jianye." When the key official Jia Chong, seeking to humiliate Sun, asked him, "I heard that you had such cruel punishments as poking out people's eyes and peeling the facial skin off people. What kind of punishment is this?" Sun's response was, "If a subordinate planned to murder his emperor or was treacherous, I would use those punishments on him." Jia, who was instrumental in Cao Wei's emperor Cao Mao's death, was humiliated and could not further respond.



Emperor Wu pardoned Sun Hao and further created him a marquess -- the Marquess of Guiming. His sons were made junior officials in the Jin administration. In 284, Sun Hao died -- without ever having been punished for his atrocities.

Era names

* ''Yuanxing'' 264-265

* ''Ganlu'' 265-266

* ''Baoding'' 266-269

* ''Jianheng'' 269-271

* ''Fenghuang'' 272-274

* ''Tiance'' 275-276

* ''Tianxi'' 276

* ''Tianji'' 277-280

Personal information

* Father

** Sun He , one-time crown prince and son of Sun Quan, later the Prince of Nanyang

* Mother

**

* Wife

** Empress Teng

* Children

** Sun Jin , the Crown Prince

** The Prince of Huaiyang

** The Prince of Dongping

** 11 other princes, created in 278, personal names unknown, some of whom might be nephews or cousins rather than sons; the only two known titles are the Princes of Chengji and Xuanwei

** 11 other princes, created in 280, personal names unknown, some of whom might be nephews or cousins rather than sons; the only two known titles are the Princes of Zhongshan and Dai -- and some or all of these princes may be the same ones as the ones created in 278