Book of Wei · Biographies of Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong

Prince Wei of Rencheng (Cao Zhang) <‘Formidable,’ a posthumous princely designation> had the courtesy name Ziwen. Skilled in archery and driving from youth, he possessed exceptional strength, grappled wild beasts with his hands, and did not shrink from danger. Repeatedly accompanying campaigns, he had a generous and resolute spirit. Taizu (Cao Cao) <Great Ancestor; a temple name conferred posthumously> once restrained him: “You neglect reading and admiration for the sages' Way, preferring to ride warhorses and practice swordsmanship. That is merely one man's strength. What is worthy of esteem?” He required Cao Zhang to read the Odes and Documents. Cao Zhang told his attendants: “A man should become another Wei Qing or Huo Qubing, lead a hundred thousand cavalry across the desert, drive off hostile peoples, establish merit, and win a title. How could he become an Erudite?” Taizu (Cao Cao) once asked his sons to state their interests and ambitions. Cao Zhang said: “I wish to be a general.” Asked what being a general involved, he answered: “Wear strong armor, carry sharp weapons, face danger without looking back, and lead the soldiers. Rewards must be carried out and punishments made certain.” Taizu (Cao Cao) laughed heartily. In the twenty-first year of Jian'an, Cao Zhang was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yanling.

In the twenty-third year, the Wuhuan of Dai Commandery rebelled. Cao Zhang became General of the Household of the North, acting as General of Valiant Cavalry. Before departure, Taizu (Cao Cao) warned him: “At home we are father and son; in accepting duties, ruler and minister. Act according to royal law. Be careful!” On campaigning north into Zhuo Commandery, Cao Zhang suddenly encountered several thousand rebellious cavalry. His troops and horses had not yet assembled; he had only a thousand infantry and several hundred mounts. Using Tian Yu's plan, he firmly held a key passage, and the enemy withdrew and scattered. Cao Zhang pursued and personally fought, shooting cavalry who fell one after another at the bowstring's sound. After over half a day of fighting, several arrows struck his armor, yet his spirit grew fiercer. Following victory, he pursued to Sanggan.

It lay over two hundred li from Dai. The chief clerk and generals argued that they had newly traveled far, men and horses were exhausted, and their instructions forbade going beyond Dai. They should not penetrate deeply, violate orders, and underestimate the enemy. Cao Zhang said: “When leading an army, one follows advantage. What fixed limit is there? The enemy has not gone far. Pursuit must defeat them. Obeying an order to let the enemy escape is no conduct for a good general.” Mounting, he ordered: “Anyone setting out late shall be beheaded.” After a day and night he caught and routed the enemy, taking heads and prisoners in the thousands. He doubled the customary rewards, delighting all his officers and soldiers. Xianbei leader Kebineng watched with several tens of thousands of cavalry to judge the balance. Seeing Cao Zhang fight fiercely and defeat every opponent, he requested submission. The north was entirely pacified. Taizu (Cao Cao), then at Chang'an, summoned Cao Zhang to his traveling headquarters. Passing Ye from Dai, Cao Zhang heard the crown prince's advice: “You have newly won merit. Going west to see our father, do not boast. Always answer as though your achievement were insufficient.” Cao Zhang followed this and credited the generals. Delighted, Taizu (Cao Cao) grasped his beard: “My yellow-bearded boy has indeed become extraordinary!”

On returning east, Taizu (Cao Cao) appointed Cao Zhang acting General of Surpassing Cavalry and left him at Chang'an. Reaching Luoyang, Taizu (Cao Cao) became ill and urgently summoned him. Before Cao Zhang arrived, Taizu (Cao Cao) died.

When Emperor Wen (Cao Pi) <Civil Emperor; a posthumous imperial title> succeeded as king, Cao Zhang and the other lords went to their fiefs.

An edict declared: “The former kings' Way rewarded merit and cherished kin, establishing younger brothers of the same mother to found states and inherit households. Thus they protected the principal lineage, resisted insult, and suppressed dangers. Cao Zhang previously received the command to campaign north and pacified the northern land with abundant achievement. Add five thousand households to his fief, making ten thousand.” In the second year of Huangchu, he advanced to duke; in the third he became Prince of Rencheng. In the fourth year, attending court at the capital, he became ill and died at his residence, receiving the posthumous designation Wei.

At burial he received an imperial-style carriage, dragon banner, and a hundred Tiger Guards, following the Han precedent for the Prince of Dongping (Liu Cang) <a territorial Han princely title>. His son Cao Kai succeeded, with his fief transferred to Zhongmou. In the fifth year it changed to Rencheng County. In the sixth year of Taihe it again became the State of Rencheng, comprising five counties and twenty-five hundred households. In the third year of Qinglong, Cao Kai privately sent officials to the Central Imperial Workshops to make prohibited objects. His fief was reduced by counties and two thousand households [削縣二千戶, the wording supplied here]. In the seventh year of Zhengshi it transferred to Jinan, with three thousand households. Early in Zhengyuan and Jingyuan it was repeatedly increased, reaching forty-four hundred households.

Prince Si of Chen (Cao Zhi) <‘Reflective,’ a posthumous princely designation> had the courtesy name Zijian. By his early teens he had memorized several hundred thousand words of the Odes, Analects, and literary compositions, and excelled in writing. Reading his work, Taizu (Cao Cao) asked: “Have you had someone compose it for you?” Cao Zhi knelt: “Words become argument as I speak, and writing forms as I set brush to paper. Test me before your eyes. Why would I have someone else write?” The Bronze Bird Terrace at Ye had just been completed. Taizu (Cao Cao) took all his sons up and had each compose a rhapsody. Cao Zhi immediately produced a fine piece, astonishing him.

Cao Zhi was easy and unassuming by nature, neglecting formal dignity. He did not favor ornate carriages, horses, clothing, or ornaments. Whenever received and questioned on difficult matters, he answered immediately and enjoyed exceptional affection.

In the sixteenth year of Jian'an he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Pingyuan; in the nineteenth his fief transferred to Linzi. When Taizu (Cao Cao) campaigned against Sun Quan, he left Cao Zhi at Ye and warned him: “When I was Magistrate of Dunqiu, I was twenty-three. Thinking of my conduct then, I have no regrets today. You too are now twenty-three. Should you not exert yourself?” Cao Zhi's talent had distinguished him, and Ding Yi (丁儀), Ding Yi (丁廙), and Yang Xiu supported him. Taizu (Cao Cao) hesitated, several times almost making him crown prince. But Cao Zhi followed his inclinations, failed to discipline himself, and drank without restraint. Emperor Wen (Cao Pi) managed him through calculation, concealed his feelings, and cultivated his own appearance. Palace women and attendants all spoke for him, so he was finally established as heir.

In the twenty-second year, five thousand households were added to Cao Zhi's fief, making ten thousand. He once drove along the reserved imperial road and opened the Sima Gate to leave. Taizu (Cao Cao) was furious, and the Director of Public Carriages was executed. Restrictions on the lords consequently grew stricter, and Cao Zhi's favor declined daily.

Concerned about changes at his life's end, Taizu (Cao Cao) noted Yang Xiu's considerable talent and strategy and his kinship as a nephew of the Yuan family. He had Yang Xiu executed on charges. Cao Zhi grew still more inwardly uneasy.

In the twenty-fourth year, Guan Yu besieged Cao Ren. Taizu (Cao Cao) appointed Cao Zhi General of the Household of the South, acting as General Who Conquers the Enemy, intending to send him to relieve Cao Ren. Summoned for instructions, Cao Zhi was drunk and unable to receive the command. Taizu (Cao Cao) regretted the appointment and canceled it.

On succeeding as king, Emperor Wen (Cao Pi) executed Ding Yi (丁儀) and Ding Yi (丁廙), together with the males of their households.

Cao Zhi went to his fief with the other lords.

In the second year of Huangchu, Supervising Internuncio Guan Jun anticipated the sovereign's wishes and reported: “Cao Zhi is drunken, insubordinate, and threatening toward envoys.” The authorities requested punishment. For the empress dowager's sake, the emperor demoted him to Marquis of Anxiang.

That year his fief changed to Marquis of Juancheng. In the third year he became Prince of Juancheng, with twenty-five hundred households.

In the fourth year, his fief transferred to Prince of Yongqiu. That year he attended court at the capital and memorialized:

“Since returning to my fief burdened with fault, I have engraved my guilt upon skin and bone, remembering my offenses and eating only after midday, sleeping only after midnight. Truly, Heaven's net cannot be encountered twice, nor sage favor relied upon again. I am privately moved by the Odes' Rat poem, which says the man without propriety should die swiftly. My form and shadow console one another, all my feelings ashamed. To abandon life because of guilt would violate the ancient worthy's encouragement to reform even in the evening; to endure and merely survive would incur the poet's reproach, ‘With what face?’ Yet Your Majesty's virtue resembles Heaven and Earth, your kindness surpasses parents', your generosity spreads like spring wind and your favor like timely rain. Auspicious clouds do not distinguish even thorns in their beneficence; the cuckoo's humanity nurtures all seven young alike. Pardoning guilt and requiring achievement is an enlightened ruler's act; pitying folly and loving ability is a kind father's grace. Thus your foolish servant lingers within your favor and cannot cast himself away. “An earlier edict cut us off from court. Heart and purpose severed, I thought that even with yellow hair in old age I would never again hold the ceremonial jade in audience. Unexpectedly your sage edict graciously summoned me. On arrival my heart raced toward the imperial carriage. Yet secluded in the western lodging, I have not attended the palace. With eager feelings I gaze toward it in restless hope. I respectfully offer this memorial and two poems: “Majestic my illustrious father, Emperor Wu (Cao Cao), Received Heaven's mandate and secured the four directions. Where vermilion banners brushed, the nine lands opened; Profound transformation flowed, and distant regions came to court. Surpassing Shang and Zhou, he matched Tang's example, And richly begot our emperor, wise through successive generations. Martially stern and brilliant, civilly harmonious, He received the abdication from fiery Han and ruled all states. The myriad states transformed, all followed established models; He broadly appointed worthy kin to shield the royal state. The emperor said: ‘You, lord, shall govern this eastern land, Possessing the seacoast, like Zhou's grant of Lu.’ Carriages and robes shone; banners followed ordered distinctions; Many outstanding men became my helpers and counselors. But I, the little one, relied on favor and grew proud; Every action caught the age's net and disturbed the state's principles. As frontier and shield, I let the former pattern fall, Defied our imperial envoy and violated court ceremony. The state possessed fixed penalties: I was reduced and dismissed, About to be sent to judgment as a chief offender. Our discerning Son of Heaven cherished those of his own kind; He could not bear my punishment, exposed before the court and market. He set aside the law officers' demand, pitying this little one, And changed my fief to a town of Yan beside the river. My supporting limbs were left unappointed: a lord without ministers. Who could help me correct indulgence and neglect? Alone, a humble servant in that northern region, Alas, this little one encountered such calamity. Illustrious Son of Heaven, your kindness neglects no being: You capped me with a black crown and girded me with vermilion ribbon. That splendid ribbon gave me renewed distinction; You divided the tally, granted jade, and added princely rank. Looking upward, I received the golden seal; Bowing downward, I held the sacred patent. Imperial favor was overwhelmingly abundant; Reverently I accepted it in fear and trembling. Alas, this little one remains entangled in stubborn wrongdoing: Gone, I would shame the ancestral tombs; living, I shame the court. I dare not disdain your virtue but have relied upon your kindness. Should your formidable authority fall again, it would end all my years. Vast Heaven has no limit; my life cannot be foreseen. I constantly fear collapse, carrying guilt into the yellow earth. I wish to face arrows and stones, planting banners by the eastern peaks, Hoping with hair's-breadth merit to redeem myself. Risking my body and surrendering life might suffice to escape blame. Gladly I would go to Jiang and Xiang, raising a spear in Wu and Yue. Heaven opened your heart and allowed me to reach the capital. I long to behold your sacred face like one hungry and thirsty. My heart's yearning is sorrowful and deeply grieved. Heaven is high yet hears the lowly: may the emperor illuminate the slight.”

He also wrote: “Reverently receiving the clear edict, I answered the capital's summons. Stars still arrayed, I harnessed early, feeding horses and greasing the carriage. I ordered those managing my followers to prepare our traveling company. At dawn we left Luan Terrace; at evening we lodged by Orchid Islet. Vast were the plains and marshes, numerous the men and women. Passing public fields, I rejoiced in our millet crops. Trees spread drooping branches and deep shade, yet we did not rest. Though provisions were at hand, hunger found no leisure to eat. I looked toward cities without entering, faced towns without wandering. The driver urged his whip; level roads guided our course. Four dark horses crowded forward, bridles raised and foam flying. Flowing wind winged the crossbar; light clouds upheld the canopy. We crossed beside streams and rounded mountain bends, Followed the riverbank and climbed the yellow slopes. Westward through passes and valleys, descending and ascending, The side horses tired upon the road; twice we rested and rose again. Going to attend the sage emperor, I dared not linger at ease. Moderating the pace, then driving long, I marked the sun and hurried onward. The vanguard raised torches; the rear carriages held banners high. Wheels never ceased turning; bells never ceased sounding. At last I reached the imperial residence and halted beneath the western wall. The gracious command had not arrived; no means of audience was granted. Looking up toward the city's threshold, looking down in thought of the court, I cherish endless longing, my anxious heart like one sick with wine.”

The emperor admired the language and meaning and answered with a generous edict of encouragement.

In the sixth year, the emperor returned from an eastern campaign through Yongqiu, visited Cao Zhi's residence, and added five hundred households to his fief.

In the first year of Taihe, his fief transferred to Junyi; in the second, he returned to Yongqiu. Constantly resentful and frustrated at possessing a keen instrument without a place to use it, Cao Zhi memorialized requesting a trial of his abilities:

“I have heard that a scholar born into the world serves his father within and his ruler outside. Serving a father prizes bringing honor to one's parents; serving a ruler prizes strengthening the state. Thus a kind father cannot cherish a useless son, nor a humane ruler maintain a useless minister. A ruler who assigns office according to virtue accomplishes his work; a minister who accepts rank according to ability devotes his life. Let neither grant nor acceptance be empty. Empty grant is mistaken appointment; empty acceptance is consuming salary without service, the cause of the Odes' criticism of ‘idle eating.’ Formerly the two lords of Guo did not decline responsibility for two states because their virtue was abundant. The Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan) <Duke of Zhou; a noble title> and Duke of Shao (Ji Shi) <Duke of Shao; a noble title> did not refuse enfeoffment in Lu and Yan because their achievements were great. “I have now received the state's generous favor through three reigns. Living in Your Majesty's peaceful age, bathed in sage kindness and quietly nurtured by moral instruction, I may be called exceptionally fortunate. Yet I unworthily occupy an eastern fief and stand among the highest ranks, wearing light warm clothing, filling my mouth with a hundred flavors, exhausting my eyes with splendor and my ears with strings and pipes. This follows from heavy rank and abundant salary. Reflecting upon antiquity, I find that rank and salary were granted differently: all recipients labored to help the state, assist the ruler, and benefit the people. I possess no virtue worth relating or achievement worth recording. If I pass the year without benefiting the court, I incur the poet's reproach toward ‘that man.’ Looking up, I shame the black crown; looking down, the vermilion ribbon. “The realm is now united and the Nine Provinces at ease, yet Shu in the west defies commands and Wu in the east refuses submission. Border men cannot remove their armor, and strategists cannot sleep on high pillows, because complete unification is desired to achieve great harmony. Qi destroyed Youhu and made Xia's achievement clear; King Cheng (Ji Song) <Accomplished King; a posthumous royal title> conquered Shang and Yan and displayed Zhou's virtue. Your Majesty governs with sage clarity and wishes to complete Emperors Wen (Cao Pi) and Wu (Cao Cao)'s work and continue the flourishing of Kings Cheng (Ji Song) and Kang (Ji Zhao). Selecting worthiness and appointing ability, using men like Fangshu and Shao Hu to guard the four borders as the state's claws and teeth, is certainly fitting. Yet high birds remain uncaught by slender arrow cords, and deep-water fish unhooked by bait. Perhaps the arts of shooting and fishing have not been fully employed. “Formerly Geng Yan did not await Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu) <Luminous Martial Emperor; the founding Eastern Han emperor>, but urgently attacked Zhang Bu, declaring that he would not leave rebels to his ruler and father. Thus a chariot's right-hand warrior fell on his sword because its hub creaked, and Yongmen Di cut his throat at Qi's frontier. Did these two men hate life and prize death? They were truly angry that their ruler was slighted and insulted.”

“A ruler favors ministers to remove harm and create benefit; ministers serve their ruler by sacrificing themselves to settle disorder and repay him through achievement. Jia Yi, barely of age, requested a trial in the dependent states, asking to bind the chanyu's neck and control his fate. Zhong Jun, a youth sent to Yue, sought a long cord to bind its king and bring him to the northern palace. Did they merely wish to boast before their ruler and dazzle the age? Their purpose was perhaps frustrated, and they wished to display their talent and devote their ability to an enlightened sovereign. When Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) <Martial Emperor; a posthumous imperial title> built Huo Qubing a residence, he declined: ‘Until the Xiongnu are destroyed, what use have I for a home?’”

“To worry about the state and forget home, sacrificing oneself to relieve danger, is a loyal minister's purpose. My treatment outside the capital is not ungenerous, yet I cannot rest on my mat or taste my food because the two enemies remain unconquered. I hear that veteran ministers and generals of the late Emperor Wu (Cao Cao) have grown old and died. Although worthies appear in every age, experienced generals and old soldiers still know battle formations. Without measuring my limitations, I wish to give my life and establish even a hair's-breadth achievement to repay favor. If Your Majesty issues an extraordinary edict and tests my slight usefulness, let me join the General-in-Chief in the west commanding one unit, or the Grand Marshal in the east supervising a detached flotilla. I shall brave danger, speed boats and urge black steeds, rush blades and strike points, always before the soldiers. Though unable to capture Sun Quan or take Zhuge Liang's head, I hope to seize their leading commanders and destroy their forces, achieving a moment's victory to erase a lifetime's shame and placing my name in history and my deeds in court records. Even if my body is torn apart in Shu or my head displayed at Wu's palace, those would be years truly lived. “If my slight talent remains untested and I die unheard of, merely honoring and nourishing my body, living without benefit to affairs and dying without loss to the total, vainly bearing high rank and consuming a great salary, breathing like a captive animal and staring like a bird until old age, I would merely be a creature raised in a pen. That is not my purpose. Hearing that our eastern army failed in preparedness and suffered a small reverse, I stopped eating, threw aside my meal, shook my sleeves, gathered my clothes, and looked east with hand upon sword. My heart had already sped to Wu and Kuaiji. Formerly I followed the late Emperor Wu (Cao Cao) south to Chian, east to the sea, west toward Yumen, and north beyond the dark passes. I witnessed military operations and their inspired skill. Warfare cannot be prescribed beforehand; one adapts to danger when it comes. I wish to serve this enlightened time and achieve merit in this sage age. Whenever I read the histories and see ancient loyal ministers and righteous men committing their lives in one morning to the state's peril, torn apart in body yet inscribed in achievement upon bells and cauldrons, their names transmitted in the records, I cannot help striking my breast and sighing. I have heard that an enlightened ruler does not reject a minister merely for having faults. Thus defeated generals who fled were employed, and Qin and Lu completed their achievements.”

“Ministers who cut a cap cord or stole horses were pardoned, and Chu and Zhao thereby escaped danger.”

“I privately grieve that the late emperor died early and Prince Wei (Cao Zhang) left the world. Who am I alone to endure long? I constantly fear vanishing before the morning dew, filling a ditch, my body and name extinguished before the grave earth dries. I have heard that when a fine horse neighs, Bo Le perceives its ability; when a black hound cries, Nan Han recognizes its talent. Thus the horse is tested on the roads of Qi and Chu to display its capacity for a thousand li, and the dog against swift hares to prove its pursuit and bite. Desiring even a dog's or horse's slight service, I reflect that no Bo Le or Nan Han will recommend me. This is why I secretly grieve in frustration. “One who rises on tiptoe at wrestling or claps privately upon hearing music may recognize the skill and understand the Way. Mao Sui, merely a retainer in Zhao, still borrowed the image of an awl in a bag to awaken his lord and establish achievement. How much more could majestic Great Wei's court, full of men, lack a resolute minister willing to die in danger? Advertising oneself and arranging one's own match is shameful conduct for men and women; seeking advancement by courting the times is expressly forbidden by the masters of the Way. Yet I venture to speak because I share the state's bodily form and breath and must share its worries and dangers. I hope that dust and mist may add a little to mountains and seas, that a small candle may augment sun and moon. Thus I dare accept the shame and offer my loyalty.”

In the third year of Taihe, his fief transferred to Dong'e. In the fifth year he again memorialized requesting contact and inquiries among relatives, expressing his feelings:

“I have heard that Heaven is called high because it covers everything, Earth broad because it bears everything, sun and moon bright because they illuminate everything, and rivers and seas great because they contain everything. Thus Confucius said: ‘Great indeed was Yao as ruler! Only Heaven is great, and only Yao modeled himself upon it.’ Heaven's virtue toward all things may be called expansive. In instruction, Yao first cherished the close and then the distant, extending from near to far. The tradition says: ‘He clarified lofty virtue to bring affection to the nine kin groups. Once the kin groups were harmonious, he distinguished and ordered the hundred families.’ King Wen of Zhou (Ji Chang) <Civil King; a posthumous royal title> likewise exalted this transformation. The Odes says: ‘He set a pattern for his wife, extended it to brothers, and thereby governed household and state.’ Harmony and solemn concord were thus celebrated by the poets. “The Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan), grieving that the lords of Guan and Cai failed to remain united, broadly enfeoffed worthy kin as shields for the royal house. The tradition says: ‘In Zhou's ancestral covenants, other surnames come afterward.’ Flesh-and-blood affection may differ without separation; the duty of cherishing kin rests in strengthening bonds. No righteous man puts his ruler last, nor humane man forgets his kin. Your Majesty possesses Yao of Tang's reverent clarity and King Wen (Ji Chang)'s cautious humanity. Favor reaches the consort's chambers, kindness illuminates the nine kin groups, and lords and officials take turns at rest and attendance. Those governing do not neglect the public court, while personal feelings can be expressed in private. Routes of kinship remain open and congratulations and condolences can be exchanged. This truly applies understanding of oneself to governing others and extends generous favor. “As for me, human relations have had their thread cut. Confined in an enlightened age, I privately suffer. I dare not hope excessively to associate with like-minded men, cultivate social connections, or discuss human relationships. Even marriage ties cannot communicate, brothers are severed, news of good or ill is blocked, and congratulations and mourning rites are abandoned. In estrangement of affection we exceed strangers on the road; in separation we differ more than Hu and Yue. Under an expedient rule I now have no lasting hope of audience. Yet the spirits know my heart's devotion to the imperial center and palace gates. Heaven has indeed done this—what can be said? “I reflect that all the princes constantly share anxious brotherly feeling. I hope Your Majesty will issue an abundant edict allowing our states to exchange greetings at the four seasonal festivals, renewing flesh-and-blood affection and completing cheerful brotherhood. Let the households of consorts and concubines exchange gifts for hair washing and grooming twice yearly. Give us the same consideration as honored clans and the same kindness as the offices. Then what ancient men sighed for and the Airs and Odes celebrated will return in this sage age. “Examining myself, I possess no awl's or knife's usefulness. Yet considering those Your Majesty appoints, if I were treated as a man of another surname, I privately judge I would not fall behind court officials. If I could leave distant residence, wear a military cap, exchange vermilion ribbons for green, and receive even one title such as Commandant Escorting the Imperial Son-in-Law or Commandant of the Imperial Equipage, dwelling securely in the capital, holding whip or brush, accompanying the imperial canopy outside and attending the carriage within, answering your sacred questions and supplying omissions beside you—this is my heart's utmost sincere wish, never absent from dreams. “I admire the ruler-and-minister feast of Deer Call, recite the brotherhood warning in The Cherry Tree, ponder the friendship of Felling Trees, and always cherish the boundless sorrow of Luxuriant Mugwort. At every seasonal gathering I sit alone, with only servants beside me and wife and children before me. I have no one with whom to share elevated talk or unfold principles. Hearing music, I cannot help striking my heart; facing the cup, I sigh. A dog's and horse's sincerity cannot move people, just as a person's sincerity cannot move Heaven. I once believed stories of walls collapsing and frost falling from grief; measured against my heart, they are merely empty tales. Like mallow and bean leaves turning toward the sun, although the sun does not turn its light back for them, their inclination is sincere. I privately compare myself to those plants. Bestowing Heaven and Earth's favor and the three lights' illumination truly rests with Your Majesty. “I have heard the Wenzi say: ‘Do not initiate fortune or lead the way to disaster.’ Brothers share the present obstruction and worry. I alone speak first because I do not wish this sage age to contain any creature unreached by favor. Such a creature must harbor deep suffering. Thus Cypress Boat cries to Heaven, and Valley Wind sighs at being abandoned. Yi Yin was ashamed if his ruler failed to equal Yao and Shun. Mengzi said: ‘One who does not serve his ruler as Shun served Yao fails to respect him.’ In my ignorance I am certainly no Shun or Yi Yin. Yet my earnest wish that Your Majesty exalt the excellence of universal illumination and harmonious rule and proclaim brilliantly flourishing virtue is a sincerity I alone hold fast, standing like a crane on tiptoe in expectation. I venture to speak again, hoping your heavenly intelligence may awaken and your sacred hearing attend.” The emperor replied: “Moral transformation has its flourishing and decline, not always because good beginnings deliberately become bad endings. Circumstances bring it about. When loyal generosity and humanity reached grasses and trees, the poem Reeds grew forth. When kindness weakened and rulers neglected the nine kin groups, the Stanza of the Horn Bow criticized it. Now brothers in the princely states have been treated negligently, and gifts between consorts' households have grown sparse. Though I have not strengthened their harmony, your citations of antiquity and explanation of duty are complete. Why say sincere feelings cannot communicate? Clarifying rank, honoring kin, respecting worthiness, and observing age are the state's guiding bonds. There was originally no edict forbidding the states to exchange inquiries. Correcting excess too far, lower officials feared reprimand and brought matters to this. The authorities have now been instructed according to your complaint.”

Cao Zhi again memorialized on the principle of carefully selecting worthy men:

“I have heard that Heaven and Earth harmonize their forces and all things are born; ruler and ministers unite virtue and government is accomplished. Not everyone under the Five Emperors was wise, nor everyone at the end of the Three Dynasties foolish. The difference lay in employment or neglect, recognition or failure to recognize. If an age has the name of recommending worthiness without actually obtaining worthy men, everyone must merely promote his own associates. The proverb says: ‘A chancellor's house has chancellors; a general's house has generals.’ A chancellor displays civil virtue, a general brilliant martial achievement. Civil virtue sustains the court and brings harmonious prosperity, as with Hou Ji, Xie, Kui, and Long. Martial achievement campaigns against the disobedient and awes outer peoples, as with Nanzhong and Fangshu. “Yi Yin's position as an accompanying servant was supremely low, and Lü Shang's work as butcher and fisherman supremely humble. When recognized by Tang (Zi Lü), King Wu (Ji Fa) <Martial King; a posthumous royal title>, and King Wen of Zhou (Ji Chang), their principles and purposes agreed, their profound plans communicated with inspired understanding. Why would they still need recommendations from familiar attendants or intermediaries beside the ruler? The Documents says: ‘An extraordinary ruler can employ extraordinary ministers; extraordinary ministers establish extraordinary achievement.’ The kings of Yin and Zhou illustrate this. What use is telling Your Majesty of cramped little steps, routine observance, and clinging to old ways? “If yin and yang fail to harmonize, the three lights lose brilliance, offices lack proper men, and government is disordered, responsibility belongs to the Three Excellencies. If frontiers are disturbed, regions invaded, armies lost, and weapons never rest, concern belongs to the border generals. How may they bear state favor without fulfilling their duties? The greater the responsibility, the heavier the burden; the higher the position, the deeper the accountability. The Documents says, ‘Let no office be neglected,’ and the Odes, ‘Attend to the worries of your charge.’ This is their meaning. “Your Majesty embodies Heaven-given goodness and sagacity and ascended through inspired opportunity to continue the succession. I hoped to hear the song ‘Prosperous indeed!’ and see the beauty of resting arms and practicing civil government. Yet for several years, floods and droughts have come untimely, people lack clothing and food, and troop levies increase annually. In the east armies are overthrown, in the west generals die, until shellfish float and move along the Huai and Si and rodents cry among the woods [the precise imagery of 蚌蛤浮翔 and 鼲鼬讙譁 remains open]. Whenever I think of this, I stop eating, cast aside my meal, and grip my wrists before the wine cup. “When Emperor Wen of Han (Liu Heng) <Civil Emperor; a posthumous imperial title> departed Dai and feared a change at court, Song Chang said: ‘Within stand your kinsmen, the lords of Zhuxu (Liu Zhang) and Dongmou (Liu Xingju); outside stand Qi, Chu, Huainan, and Langye. These are a rock-firm lineage. Have no doubts.’ I hope Your Majesty looks far back to the two Guo lords' support of King Wen (Ji Chang), next to the Duke of Shao (Ji Shi) and Duke of Bi (Ji Gao)'s aid to King Cheng (Ji Song), and more recently remembers Song Chang's rock-firm security. “A fine horse on the slope of Wu was truly distressed. Once Bo Le judged it and Sun You drove it, it gained a thousand li without exhausting its body. Bo Le knew how to manage horses, an enlightened ruler how to manage ministers. The former travels a thousand li; the latter achieves great peace. This clearly demonstrates appointing worthiness and employing ability. If the court's officials are good and the myriad affairs ordered within, while martial generals lead armies and settle regional dangers, Your Majesty can remain at ease in the capital. Why trouble the imperial carriage and expose yourself on the frontier? “I have heard that a sheep wearing a tiger's skin delights at grass and trembles at jackals, forgetting its tiger skin. Appointing poor generals resembles this. Thus the saying: ‘The trouble is that those doing the work do not understand, while those who understand cannot do it.’ Yue Yi fled to Zhao without forgetting Yan; Lian Po lived in Chu yet longed to be Zhao's general. I was born in disorder, grew up in armies, and repeatedly received Emperor Wu (Cao Cao)'s instruction. I witnessed the essentials of warfare. Without deliberately taking Sun Wu and Wu Qi as models, I inwardly accord with them. Measuring my heart, I constantly wish for one audience, to pass the Golden Gate, tread the jade steps, stand among ministers with actual duties, and receive a moment's questioning. If I could once unfold my accumulated thoughts, I would die without regret. “I have received the Grand Herald's order to levy soldiers' sons, with an urgent deadline. I also hear that the Leopard Tail standard has been raised and war chariots hasten: Your Majesty will again weary your precious person and disturb your sacred thoughts. In alarm I cannot rest. I wish to mount a horse, hold a whip, and first face dust and dew, gathering Feng Hou's extraordinary methods and joining Sun Wu and Wu Qi's essentials, admiring Bu Shang (Zixia), who inspired his teacher beside him, and giving my life in the vanguard beneath the wheels. Even without great benefit, I hope to provide a little help. Yet Heaven is high and hearing distant; my feelings do not reach above. Alone I gaze toward blue clouds and strike my heart, looking up to the high sky and sighing. Qu Ping (Qu Yuan) said: ‘The state has a fine horse but knows not to ride it. Why search anxiously elsewhere?’ “Formerly the lords of Guan and Cai were banished or executed, while the Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan) and Duke of Shao (Ji Shi) served as supports. Shuyu fell under punishment, while Shuxiang strengthened his state. The fault of the Three Supervisors I take upon myself; assistance like the Two Southern Lands need not be sought far away. Among illustrious clans and princely kin, someone must answer this selection. The tradition says: ‘Without the Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan)'s closeness, one cannot undertake his affairs.’ May Your Majesty give this a little attention. “More recently Han broadly established princes. The richest held dozens of connected cities; the least merely received subsistence and maintained ancestral sacrifices. This differed from Zhou's planting of states in five graded ranks. Fusu's remonstrance to the First Emperor of Qin (Ying Zheng) and Chunyu Yue's challenge to Zhou Qingchen may be called understanding changing times. Those who make the realm incline its ears and fix its eyes are the holders of power. Their plans can move the ruler and their authority intimidate below. Powerful families governing are not necessarily kin. Wherever authority lies, even distant men become important; wherever influence leaves, even close kin become slight. Thus the Tian family took Qi, not the Lü lineage, and Zhao and Wei divided Jin, not the Ji clan. May Your Majesty examine this. “Those monopolizing position in good fortune but departing from danger are ministers of other surnames. Those wishing the state secure and the house honored, sharing its glory alive and its disaster in death, are ministers of the ruling clan. Now the ruling clan is distant and other surnames close: I privately find this perplexing. Mengzi said: ‘In hardship a gentleman perfects himself alone; in success he benefits the whole realm.’ I share ice and burning coals with Your Majesty, mountains and streams, cold and warmth, dryness and damp, height and depth. How could I be separated from you? Unable to restrain indignation, I bow and present these feelings. If anything is unsuitable, preserve it for now in the book repository rather than destroy it. After my death, circumstances may invite reflection. If even a hair's breadth engages your sacred attention, bring it before the court and have learned men correct what violates righteousness. Then my wish will be fulfilled.”

The emperor always answered with generous language.

That winter an edict summoned the princes to court in the first month of the sixth year of Taihe.

In the second month, four counties of Chen were granted to Cao Zhi as Prince of Chen, with thirty-five hundred households. He repeatedly sought a private audience to discuss contemporary government, hoping to be tested and employed, but never obtained it. Returning, he was disappointed and despaired. Under the prevailing rules, the princely states were treated with severe restriction. Their officials were petty, low-ability men, and their soldiers the disabled and elderly, generally no more than two hundred. Because of his earlier faults, Cao Zhi's allotment was further halved in everything. Within eleven years he moved his seat three times. Constantly anxious and unhappy, he became ill and died aged forty-one.

His final instructions required a simple burial. Considering his younger son Cao Zhi (曹志) the man to preserve the family, he wished to establish him. Earlier, climbing Mount Yu above Dong'e, he had sighed with a wish to end his life there and accordingly prepared a grave.

His son Cao Zhi (曹志) succeeded him, with his fief transferred to Prince of Jibei. During Jingchu an edict declared: “Though Prince Si of Chen (Cao Zhi) formerly committed faults, he restrained himself and acted carefully to repair them. Moreover, from youth to the end he never put down his books. This was truly difficult. Collect all reports of his offenses from Huangchu and delete those discussed by the highest ministers and below in the offices of the Masters of Writing, the Secretariat, the Palace Secretariat, and the Grand Herald [the construction of the administrative list is compressed in the source]. Compile his writings—rhapsodies, eulogies, poems, inscriptions, and miscellaneous discussions—over a hundred pieces, preserving copies inside and outside the palace.” Cao Zhi (曹志)'s fief was repeatedly increased to a total of nine hundred and ninety households.

Prince Huai of Xiao (Cao Xiong) <‘Lamented,’ a posthumous princely designation> died early. In the second year of Huangchu he was posthumously enfeoffed as Duke Huai of Xiao (Cao Xiong). In the third year of Taihe he was further posthumously raised to prince. In the second year of Qinglong his son Prince Ai (Cao Bing) <‘Mourned,’ a posthumous designation> succeeded, receiving twenty-five hundred households. The text next records ‘six years’ and his death [六年薨; whether this indicates a duration, age, or another chronological reference is unclear]. He left no son, and the state lapsed.

Appraisal: The Prince of Rencheng (Cao Zhang) possessed powerful and fierce martial skill and the spirit of a commander. Prince Si of Chen (Cao Zhi)'s rich and splendid literary talent was sufficient to carry his name to later generations. Yet he could not restrain himself, yield, or guard against distant dangers, ultimately creating estrangement and conflict. The tradition says: “Chu indeed lost, yet Qi cannot be said to have gained.” Does this describe the case?