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Liu Bei takes control of Xuzhou [Three Kingdoms]
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While Cao Cao and Lü Bu waged a brutal war for control of Yanzhou, Tao Qian, the aging Governor of Xuzhou, passed away in 194 AD at the age of 63.
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Cao Cao’s ordeal against Lü Bu [Three Kingdoms]
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In the summer of 194 AD, while Cao Cao was deep in Xuzhou, devastating Tao Qian’s forces and advancing toward Tan County, disaster struck at home. News reached him: Chen Gong and Zhang Miao had rebelled, opening the gates of Yanzhou to Lü Bu, the famed warrior fleeing from Dong Zhuo’s downfall.
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The second massacre of Xuzhou by Cao Cao [Three Kingdoms]
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In the summer of 194 AD, Cao Cao assembled a massive army to launch his second invasion of Xu Province, this time under the banner of filial vengeance. His father, Cao Song, had been murdered by soldiers of Tao Qian.
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The first massacre of Xuzhou by Cao Cao [Three Kingdoms]
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Historically, Cao Cao carried out two large-scale massacres in Xuzhou. The first occurred in 193. According to According to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when his father was killed by a general under the command of Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, Cao Cao led his army to attack Tao Qian, capturing over ten…
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Dong Zhao’s strategic gambit: From Yuan Shao to Cao Cao via Zhang Yang [Three Kingdoms]
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In an earlier post, we discussed the defection of Dong Zhao from Yuan Shao. Before becoming a key architect of Cao Cao’s political ascendancy, Dong Zhao served under the powerful warlord Yuan Shao for several years and then served under Zhang Yang briefly.