In Chinese history, Cao Cao's name is like a bright star, and although it has lasted for thousands of years, it still shines brightly. He was a legendary man of wisdom and intriguery, and his family affairs, especially the marriage of his seven daughters, became the talk of later generations. Why did Cao Cao marry all seven daughters to Emperor Xian of Han? What's the story behind this?
Cao Cao, a generation of heroes. However, when we turn our attention to his family affairs, especially the marriage of his seven daughters, we can't help but ask: why did this powerful hero make such a seemingly counterintuitive decision?
It is known that Cao Cao spent his entire life trying to consolidate his power. He coerced the Son of Heaven to make the princes become the de facto rulers at that time. However, Liu Xie, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, was not a mediocre man, and he was always looking for an opportunity to break free from Cao Cao's control.
Faced with such a situation, Cao Cao made a surprising decision: to marry all seven of his daughters to Emperor Xian of Han.
Behind this decision, in fact, hides Cao Cao's profound political wisdom. First of all, through marriage, Cao Cao successfully elevated his status to the father-in-law of the Son of Heaven, further consolidating his position. Secondly, he used the beauty trick to confuse Emperor Han Xian, so that he was addicted to the gentle countryside and had no time to take care of the government. In this way, Cao Cao was able to grasp the power of the court more freely.
However, this is only the superficial reason. A deeper consideration is that Cao Cao hopes to use his daughters to install his own eyeliner by the emperor's side. These daughters were not only beautiful, but also intelligent and clever, and were deeply taught by Cao Cao. They were by the emperor's side, and they were able to get inside information and pass it on to Cao Cao as soon as possible, so that they knew everything about the government and politics.
Of course, we can't ignore Cao Cao's love for his daughters as a father. He was well aware of the dangers of the court and the fate of his daughter, but he was more aware of his political goals. After weighing the pros and cons, he chose to sacrifice his daughter's happiness for greater political gain. Such a decision was undoubtedly cruel, but it also demonstrated Cao Cao's determination and courage as a politician.