In the history of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao once swore an oath: "I'd rather bear the people of the world than the people of the world bear me!."As soon as these bold words came out, the first person to hear them felt a chill in their hearts, and soon betrayed Cao Cao. Decades later, Cao Cao finally grabbed the former best friend and asked, "If you die, who cares about your wife?"Cao Cao's answer made Cao Cao tearful farewell, this former best friend was none other than Chen Gong, the chief military advisor under Lu Bu.
Chen Gong, a native of Dongwuyang, Dongjun, Henan, has a straightforward temperament and is resourceful. When he was young, he befriended the celebrities of the time and showed extraordinary intelligence. In the era when Dong Zhuo was in power, Cao Cao had an ambitious plan to assassinate Dong Zhuo, but at the critical moment Dong Zhuo woke up, Cao Cao improvised and pretended to send a knife, and luckily escaped. Dong Zhuo later learned of Cao Cao's intentions and wanted him, but on the way to escape, Cao Cao was captured by Chen Gong, who did not betray him, but helped him escape from danger.
Cao Cao fled with Chen Gong and defected to his father's friend Lü Bohao. Lü Bohao was hospitable to Cao Cao and others, but Cao Cao mistakenly killed his family because he suspected Lü Bohao. Faced with this tragedy, Chen Gong was dissatisfied with Cao Cao's cruel mentality and finally chose to leave. Cao Cao left the sentence "I'd rather bear the people of the world than the people of the world bear me".
Chen Gong took refuge in Tao Qian and became an engaged in Dongjun. Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou for revenge, and Chen Gong had persuaded Cao Cao to quit the army without success, so he took refuge in Chen Liutai to guard Zhang Miao, and thus became acquainted with Lu Bu. Chen Gong became the chief military advisor under Lü Bu, and when Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, he successfully planned a sneak attack on Cao Cao's Yanzhou base, gaining a foothold for Lü Bu. However, Lü Bu eventually acted for himself and did not listen to Chen Gong's advice, resulting in defeat and capture. Chen Gong was also captured by Cao Cao's general Xu Huang at this time.
Facing Chen Gong, Cao Cao had a complicated mood, and he asked, "You are dead, who cares about your mother?"Chen Gong replied without hesitation: "The survival of the old mother lies in Ming Gong, not in Chen Gong." Cao Cao asked again: "Then what about your wife?"Chen Gong responded firmly: "The survival of his wife and child also lies in Ming Gong." "This is actually Chen Gong gambling, betting on whether Cao Cao is still the same Cao Cao in the past. Chen Gong eventually begged Cao Cao to execute him, and said goodbye with tears. Cao Cao chose to spare Chen Gong and provide shelter to his family.
This story of Cao Cao and Chen Gong shows Cao Cao's benevolence and nostalgia for his former best friends. This is an embarrassing episode in history, witnessing Cao Cao's open-mindedness and Chen Gong's loyalty.