Luo Guanzhong, author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, crafted a dramatic “assassination attempt against Dong Zhuo” specifically to highlight Cao Cao’s boldness, cunning, and adaptability. Although unsuccessful, Cao Cao’s spirit in attempting to eliminate a traitor for the nation is highly commendable.
However, official historical records contain no account of Cao Cao attempting to assassinate Dong Zhuo. The significant figure he actually attempted to assassinate was the powerful eunuch Zhang Rang. This fictional episode in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is likely a composite narrative, blending historical elements such as Cao Cao’s flight from Dong Zhuo, his assassination attempt on Zhang Rang, and Wu Fu’s attempt on Dong Zhuo’s life.
The Controversial Killing
After the failed assassination attempt, Cao Cao seized the moment and decisively escaped the capital. During his flight, a famous incident occurred: he mistakenly killed the family of Lü Boshe.
So, what exactly happened? Given the conflicting accounts from various sources, we must analyze the plausible realities ourselves. Firstly, we can ascertain that since the Wei Shu (Book of Wei), considered an official record of Cao Wei, documents Cao Cao killing people, it confirms the event indeed occurred. If it hadn’t happened, efforts would likely have been made to whitewash Cao Cao’s image, not record it in history. However, the Wei Shu claims that Lü Boshe’s sons intended to kill Cao Cao, who then acted in self-defense. This account clearly beautifies Cao Cao’s actions, placing all blame on the other party, and thus cannot be fully trusted.
Logical Flaws in the Fictional Narrative
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after Lü Boshe takes Cao Cao in, he goes out to buy wine. Hearing the sound of sharpening a knife, Cao Cao mistakenly believes the family plans to harm him, so he kills them all, then shamelessly declares, “Better I betray the world than let the world betray me”. This version also contains significant flaws.
First, Lü Boshe, being an old friend of Cao Cao’s father and sworn brothers with him, would not have been an ordinary commoner. How could such a household lack wine to serve a guest? One might argue that upon seeing Cao Cao, Lü Boshe deemed his household wine unworthy of Cao’s status and went to buy better.
This assumption is also flawed. Even if better wine was needed, why would Lü Boshe go personally? Wouldn’t there be other servants or his own sons to send? If buying better wine was to honor Cao Cao’s status, as host, Lü Boshe should have stayed to show respect. Leaving a guest who has come seeking refuge on a pretext is poor hospitality. Therefore, if Lü Boshe was home but left under the excuse of buying wine, Cao Cao would have had legitimate reason to suspect he was not buying wine but reporting to the authorities.
Second, the novel states Cao Cao killed the family because they were sharpening knives, preparing to slaughter a pig in his honor, but he misinterpreted this as preparation to harm him. This presents a major logical flaw. Anyone familiar with rural life knows that slaughtering a pig, especially during festivals, involves several men restraining the animal, whose squeals can be heard in the next village.
When Lü Boshe was hosting Cao Cao, a fugitive, and he should have kept a low profile—yet he went ahead slaughtering pigs, drawing attention to himself. This was incredibly bizarre.
Also if a pig was truly being tied up for slaughter in Lü Boshe’s home, Cao Cao would certainly have heard the commotion and unlikely suspected the sharpening was meant for him. If he heard the pig and still suspected intent to murder, this severely underestimates his intelligence. Could someone so foolish have defeated his rivals one by one amidst the warlord conflicts? Thus, while the Wei Shu account beautifies Cao Cao, Romance of the Three Kingdoms largely vilifies him.
Plausible Reconstructions of the Event
Given the chaotic and conflicting records, what is the most likely course of events? Let’s venture some bold speculation.
Scenario 1: Lü Boshe Was Home
Following the novel’s premise, if Lü Boshe left to buy wine when Cao Cao sought refuge, it could easily arouse suspicion and homicidal intent in Cao Cao. Him killing the entire family before fleeing is barely plausible.
Scenario 2: Lü Boshe Was Not Home
Many historical texts record that when Cao Cao sought refuge, Lü Boshe himself was not home; his sons played host. As the friendship between Cao Cao and Lü Boshe stemmed from their fathers’ generation, it’s likely the sons had little personal connection to Cao Cao. Compelled by their fathers’ friendship, they agreed to host him temporarily. However, with Lü Boshe absent, his sons might have discussed the situation, deciding it wasn’t worth opposing the court for Cao Cao’s sake and risking their entire family. In this scenario, they might have planned a preemptive strike, only to be killed by a reactive Cao Cao.
Scenario 3: Lü Boshe Was Home, But Trust Broke Down
Alternatively, Cao Cao might have arrived with Lü Boshe present, but due to specific circumstances on-site, Cao Cao lost trust in Lü Boshe’s sons and decided to strike first.
The Infamous Quote and Its Historical Context
As for the infamous quote, “Better I betray the world than let the world betray me”, it is an exceedingly foolish statement unlikely to have come from Cao Cao’s mouth. As an idealist and top-tier politician, Cao Cao understood the importance of winning hearts and minds even as a minor official in Jinan. Preparing to raise an army and rebel for greater ambitions, why would he utter such foolish words to ruin his own prospects? In the novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it was exactly the reason why Chen Gong broke with Cao Cao.
Other historical records cite Cao Cao’s original words as “Better I wrong others than others wrong me”. Luo Guanzhong added the term “the world” in his novel, expanding the semantic scope to intensify dramatic conflict and cement this line as a core representation of Cao Cao’s villainous-hero image.
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