Cao Zhen 曹真

Cao Zhen, courtesy name Zidan, was a clan nephew of Taizu (Cao Cao). When Taizu raised troops, Cao Zhen's father Cao Shao gathered followers and was killed by the provincial and commandery authorities. Taizu pitied Cao Zhen for losing his father so young, took him in, raised him exactly like his own sons, and had him live together with Cao Pi. Once, while hunting, he was chased by a tiger; he turned and shot it, and the tiger fell at the twang of the bowstring. Taizu admired his fierce courage and gave him command of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. He attacked and took the bandits of Lingqiu and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Lingshou Village, and as Lieutenant General he defeated a detached commander of Liu Bei at Xiabian and was made General of the Firm Center. Records, Wei 9 §62

He followed Taizu to Chang'an and concurrently served as Central Commander of the Army. When Xiahou Yuan died at Yangping and Taizu was troubled, Cao Zhen was made Protector of the Army for the Campaign against Shu and, commanding Xu Huang and others, defeated Liu Bei's detached commander Gao Xiang at Yangping. After Taizu came to Hanzhong in person and pulled out the various armies, Cao Zhen went to Wudu to meet Cao Hong and others and brought them back to garrison Chencang. When Cao Pi became King of Wei, Cao Zhen was made General Who Guards the West, granted the Acting Credentials, and put in command of all military affairs of Yong and Liang Provinces. Records, Wei 9 §63

For his successive merits he was advanced to Marquis of Dongxiang. When Zhang Jin and others rebelled at Jiuquan, he sent Fei Yao, who attacked and defeated them and beheaded Zhang Jin and the others. The biography of Zhang He records that Emperor Wen had Zhang He join Cao Zhen in subduing the Lushui Hu and the Eastern Qiang of Anding. In the 3rd year of Huangchu (222) he returned to the capital, was made Senior General-in-Chief, placed in command of all military affairs inside and outside the capital, and granted the tally and battle-axe. Records, Wei 9 §64Records, Wei 17 §50

Together with Xiahou Shang and others he attacked Sun Quan and broke the camp at Niuzhu. According to the biography of Zhu Ran, Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, Zhang He and others attacked Jiangling, set up one camp after another to surround the city, raised earthen mounds, dug tunnels and built towers, and poured arrows down like rain, but Zhu Ran held out for six months. The Annals of the Lord of Wu record that in the 1st month of the following year (223) Cao Zhen divided his troops to occupy the island in the river at Jiangling, and that in the 3rd month the Wei armies all withdrew. Records, Wei 9 §64Records, Wu 11 §16–17Records, Wu 2 §49

He was made General-in-Chief of the Central Army with the added title of Palace Attendant. In the 5th month of the 7th year of Huangchu (226), when Emperor Wen was critically ill, Cao Zhen, together with Chen Qun, Cao Xiu and Sima Yi, received his deathbed edict to assist the succeeding ruler. When Emperor Ming took the throne, Cao Zhen was advanced to Marquis of Shaoling and became General-in-Chief. Records, Wei 9 §64Records, Wei 2 §52

In the 2nd year of Taihe (228) Zhuge Liang besieged Qishan, and the three commanderies of Nan'an, Tianshui and Anding rebelled in response to him. Emperor Ming had Cao Zhen command the various armies and garrison at Mei, and sent Zhang He, who crushed Zhuge Liang's general Ma Su. When Yang Tiao and others of Anding coerced officials and commoners into holding Yuezhi City, Cao Zhen advanced and surrounded it, and Yang Tiao told his followers, 'Since the General-in-Chief has come in person, I would rather surrender early,' and came out having bound himself. With this, all three commanderies were pacified. Records, Wei 3 §7–8Records, Wei 9 §65

Judging that Zhuge Liang, having been chastened at Qishan, would surely come out by way of Chencang next time, Cao Zhen had the generals Hao Zhao and Wang Sheng guard Chencang and repair its walls. The next spring Zhuge Liang did indeed besiege Chencang, but defenses were already in place and he could not take it. The Annals of Emperor Ming place this in the 12th month of the 2nd year of Taihe (early 229 CE) and record that Cao Zhen sent the general Fei Yao and others to resist, and the biography of Zhuge Liang records that when Cao Zhen blocked him, Zhuge Liang ran out of provisions and returned. Cao Zhen's fief was increased to a total of 2,900 households. Records, Wei 9 §65–66Records, Wei 3 §10Records, Shu 5 §35

In the 4th year of Taihe (230) he came to court at Luoyang and became Grand Marshal, and was granted the privileges of ascending the hall wearing his sword and shoes and of not having to hasten his steps when entering court. Cao Zhen argued that since Shu kept coming out to raid the borders, entering together by several routes could bring a great victory; the emperor followed his plan and came out in person to see him off. Chen Qun opposed this, saying that the Xie Valley was treacherous and supply transport would be cut off, and when Cao Zhen proposed instead to go by the Ziwu Road, he again set out its disadvantages; but Cao Zhen used Chen Qun's opinion, which had been sent down to him, as his basis and finally set out. Records, Wei 9 §66Records, Wei 3 §18–19Records, Wei 22 §23–24

Cao Zhen left Chang'an in the 8th month and entered southward along the Ziwu Road. Sima Yi was to go up the Han River and meet him at Nanzheng, and the other armies entered by the Xie Valley road or from Wuwei. Just then heavy rains continued for more than thirty days and in places the plank roads were cut, so an edict was issued ordering Cao Zhen to turn back his army. The Annals of Emperor Ming record that in the 9th month heavy rains made the Yi, Luo, Yellow and Han Rivers overflow and Cao Zhen and the others were ordered to withdraw their troops. Records, Wei 9 §66–67Records, Wei 3 §19

In his youth Cao Zhen had served Taizu together with his clansman Cao Zun and Zhu Zan, a man from his home district. When the two died young, he asked to divide his own fief to enfeoff their sons, and an edict likened him to Shuxiang, who cared for orphans, and to Yan Pingzhong, who kept an old promise, and granted each of the two men's sons the rank of Marquis Within the Passes with 100 households. Whenever Cao Zhen went on campaign he shared hardships with his officers and men, and when army rewards fell short he distributed his family's wealth, so that the soldiers all wished to be used by him. Records, Wei 9 §68

When Cao Zhen fell ill and returned to Luoyang, the emperor went to his residence in person to see how he was. In the 3rd month of the 5th year of Taihe (231), the Grand Marshal Cao Zhen died. He was given the posthumous name Marquis Yuan, and his son Cao Shuang succeeded him. The emperor issued an edict praising him for not relying on the favor due to kin within the court and not being arrogant toward scholars living in thatched huts outside it, and enfeoffed all five of his sons, Cao Xi, Cao Xun, Cao Ze, Cao Yan and Cao Ai, as full marquises. Earlier, Emperor Wen had split off 200 households of Cao Zhen's fief to enfeoff his younger brother Cao Bin as a full marquis. The biography of Du Xi records that when Cao Zhen died, Sima Yi replaced him. Records, Wei 9 §69Records, Wei 3 §21Records, Wei 23 §45

In his assessment, Chen Shou wrote that because the Xiahou and Cao clans had intermarried for generations, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Cao Xiu, Xiahou Shang, Cao Zhen and others were all esteemed in their time as close kin and old friends, and that they assisted the great enterprise at their lord's side and all rendered meritorious service. Records, Wei 9 §132