In that era of division of powers, Cao Cao held great power, and the battle for his heir was like an undercurrent battle. Cao Cao's eldest son, Cao Ang, has been fighting with his father since he was a child, and he is brave and promising, and he is deeply favored by his father. Cao Cao had intended to let him inherit the family business, but the cruelty of fate gave Cao Cao a heavy blow in the Battle of Tongguan, and Cao Ang died on the battlefield to save his father.
Cao Cao's second son, Cao Pi, although not as eye-catching as Cao Ang's performance on the battlefield, was diligent in learning and well-read since he was a child, and his literary and political talents were gradually revealed. Although Sima Yi and other virtuous ministers tutored him, Cao Pi's potential gradually emerged, but in Cao Cao's eyes, he always seemed to lack a little bit of the brilliance of being a leader.
Among Cao Cao's many children, Cao Chong's intelligence is particularly outstanding, even at a young age, he shows extraordinary wisdom and compassion. Cao Cao had extremely high expectations for him, and was even ready to regard him as the best person in the future. However, fate played tricks on people again, and Cao Chong died of illness at a young age, leaving Cao Cao with endless grief and loss.
At this time, Cao Cao's eyes turned to his third son, Cao Zhi, who was outstanding in literature, famous in poetry, and praised for his cultural literacy and political insight. In Cao Cao's heart, although Cao Zhi is different from Cao Ang and Cao Chong, his talent should not be underestimated, and he has become Cao Cao's new object of consideration.
In Cao Cao's eyes, Cao Zhi's talent is like the brightest star in the sky, illuminating Cao Wei's future. The rhetoric of "Luo Shen Fu" is gorgeous and breathtaking; And "Seven Steps Poem" reveals his wit and profundity. Such a talented man naturally became the ideal successor in Cao Cao's mind. But in this family's power game, Cao Pi's mood is complicated and contradictory. is also Cao Cao's flesh and blood, he does not think that he is inferior to Cao Zhi, and his diligence and loyalty over the years always seem to be ignored by his father.
Cao Pi's heart is full of determination to be unwilling to challenge him. He decided to take a more cautious and secretive approach in this power struggle between brothers. In public, he always presented the image of a model son, considerate of Cao Cao, and secretly spared no effort to show his talents and political wisdom, hoping to reverse his father's prejudices.
In stark contrast to Cao Pi's elaborate planning, Cao Zhi does not seem to care much about this power struggle. He lived a casual life, and sometimes even ruined etiquette because of drunken gaffes, which greatly diminished Cao Cao's impression of him. Despite this, Cao Cao still tried to pave the way for Cao Zhi to become a qualified leader.
But Cao Zhi doesn't seem to buy it, and some have even speculated that some of his actions are deliberate, perhaps because he is not interested in the struggle for power, or perhaps for deeper personal reasons. Cao Cao had tried to get Cao Zhi to play the role of a hero in the Battle of Xiangfan, but Cao Zhi's excessive drinking made all this come to naught, and Cao Cao was completely disappointed in him by his serious mistakes, which led to the removal of all his duties.
This feud between the brothers ended with Cao Cao's disappointment with Cao Zhi and his renewed recognition of Cao Pi. As Cao Cao's condition deteriorated, he had to make the final choice, although there may be a lot of unwillingness in his heart, but the pressure of reality made him pin his hopes on Cao Pi and passed the throne to him.
After Cao Pi ascended the throne, although he failed to leave a glorious chapter on the stage of history, he still firmly inherited his father's foundation, laid the foundation of the Wei State, and completed the unfinished business of Cao Cao's life. However, the drastic change in power led to a change in Cao Pi's personality, and he began to pursue his personal desires unscrupulously, including taking countless concubines and even encroaching on Cao Cao's widow, a series of behaviors that raised questions about his character and qualifications for inheritance.
Although Cao Pi seems to be okay with Cao Zhi on the surface, he is secretly trying to weaken his power. Cao Zhi's once glorious status and fiefdom were deprived step by step, from 10,000 households to just over 2,000 households, and his living treatment was extremely ordinary, almost to the point of nothingness.
And Cao Zhi, the former opponent, has gradually lost his influence in this power game. With Cao Cao's death, Cao Zhi's helpers such as Yang Xiu and Ding Yi left one after another, coupled with Cao Pi's follow-up purge, Cao Zhi was already isolated. In this case, Cao Pi no longer needs to take extreme measures against him, because Cao Zhi is no longer a threat.
On the other hand, Cao Pi's external political layout also needs to be carefully considered. In the context of the era of the Three Kingdoms, the orthodox influence of the Han Dynasty was still deeply rooted. Through a series of political maneuvers, Cao Pi finally forced Emperor Chan of the Han Dynasty to ascend to the throne himself. At this critical moment, Cao Pi needs to create an image of a benevolent and righteous monarch, if it is not handled properly, and Cao Zhi is easily killed, it will inevitably arouse the criticism of the people of the world and affect the image of his newly established empire.
Therefore, between the balance of power and the fluctuation of people's hearts, Cao Pi chose a path that could both maintain his authority and show some restraint. Behind all these decisions are not only considerations for the interests of the family, but also far-reaching plans for personal image and future rule. Under Cao Pi's rule, although the Wei state was stable, its personal image and practices became the focus of controversy and thinking when later generations evaluated him as emperor.
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