One of the main reasons why Cao Cao failed to unify the Three Kingdoms was that he met Liu Bei and Sun Quan, two equally brilliant heroes, and they also established an alliance. Cao Cao stood out in troubled times and was hailed as a hero in troubled times, but the rise of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, who were equally brilliant, was a big threat to Cao Cao. On his path to unification, he had to deal not only with Liu Bei's forces, but also with Sun Quan's maritime power. This predicament prevented Cao Cao from concentrating on a single enemy, thus distracting his resources and energy. This undoubtedly posed a huge obstacle to Cao Cao's great cause of unification.
In the troubled times, there were many talents, and Cao Cao ran into Liu Bei and Sun Quan, two equally outstanding heroes, which made Cao Cao feel pressured. Liu Bei has a high reputation among the people with his benevolence and good popularity. Sun Quan, on the other hand, was appreciated by Cao Cao for his betrayal of Yuan Shu, and demonstrated great military strength in a series of battles. When Cao Cao faced these two opponents, he had to distract himself from fighting on two fronts and was unable to concentrate his forces to defeat them. This put Cao Cao in a strategic dilemma.
Another reason that contributed to Cao Cao's failure to unify the Three Kingdoms was his strategic mistake in the Battle of Red Cliffs. The Battle of Chibi was originally part of Cao Cao's unification campaign, but Cao Cao did not see the battle situation clearly and was too eager to dominate the world, thus ignoring the power of Liu Bei and Sun Quan's alliance. His victory carried away and led him to make major mistakes strategically. This gave Liu Bei and Sun Quan the opportunity to fight back, which ultimately led to Cao Cao's crushing defeat. The defeat of Chibi not only dealt a blow to Cao Cao's great cause of unification, but also caused him to lose control of Jiangdong, laying a hidden danger for his failure to unify the world.
Cao Cao made a serious strategic mistake in the Battle of Red Cliffs. The Battle of Chibi was originally one of the decisive battles for Cao Cao to dominate the world, but Cao Cao did not fully assess the strength of Liu Bei's alliance with Sun Quan. Cao Cao originally thought that his army could easily defeat the combined forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan and thus destroy them in one fell swoop. However, he ignored the limitations of the red cliff terrain and the strategic cooperation between Liu Bei and Sun Quan. Liu Bei attacked by fire, causing Cao's army to suffer heavy losses in the Battle of Chibi. Cao Cao's defeat not only caused him to lose control of Jiangdong, but also gave him a deeper understanding of the strength of Liu Bei and Sun Quan. This defeat made Cao Cao deeply aware of the threat posed by Liu Bei and Sun Quan, and further hindered his unification cause.
Another reason for Cao Cao's failure to unify the Three Kingdoms was his own age and timing limitations. After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao realized that the general trend of unifying the world was decided, and he himself was already old. He understood that he did not have enough time and energy to start another war. He knew he needed to recuperate in order to maintain his strength. Therefore, he chose to let the three-legged situation take shape and did not challenge the alliance of Liu Bei and Sun Quan again. This deprived Cao Cao of the opportunity to realize the great cause of unification, and was destined to fail to fulfill his unfinished dream.
Cao Cao, after his defeat, realized that the chances of him failing to unify the Three Kingdoms were slim. He understands that time and age have become limiting factors for him. Cao Cao faced Liu Bei and Sun Quan, who were in full swing, and at the same time he was gradually aging. He knew he needed to recuperate to regain his strength and spirit in order to maintain his strength. Coupled with the alliance between Liu Bei and Sun Quan, the two rivals, the pressure on him increased. Cao Cao understood that defeating them would not be easy, and that it would come at a great cost. Therefore, he decided to choose to wait for the moment to continue to strengthen his position in a three-legged situation. However, time waits for no one, time does not forgive, and Cao Cao failed to challenge the alliance between Liu Bei and Sun Quan again, resulting in his failure to achieve the great cause of unification.
To sum up, there are three main reasons why Cao Cao failed to unify the Three Kingdoms. First, he faced Liu Bei and Sun Quan, two equally brilliant heroes, and lacked the ability to concentrate his forces against one enemy, thus distracting his resources and energy. Second, he made a strategic mistake in the Battle of Chibi and ignored the power of Liu Bei's alliance with Sun Quan, which led to his crushing defeat. In the end, he was old and the time was no longer right, and he realized that the general trend of unifying the world was decided, and chose to recuperate instead of challenging the alliance between Liu Bei and Sun Quan.
Cao Cao was a great and heroic figure who showed extraordinary talent and leadership in troubled times. However, in the face of many strong enemies and dilemmas, he also exposed some shortcomings. When we are in the success or failure of historical figures, we need to comprehensively consider various factors, including strategic decisions, opponent strength, personal ability, and so on. Cao Cao's failure to unify the Three Kingdoms does not represent his talent and efforts, but also a historical necessity. Through Cao Cao's history, we can learn lessons from it, while also better understanding the development of history and the destiny of mankind.