Cao Bao 曹豹

In Chapter 10 of the Romance, as Cao Cao's great army, come to avenge his father, slaughters the people wherever it goes, Tao Qian hastily gathers his officials to deliberate. Cao Bao declares that with Cao Cao's troops already upon them they cannot sit with bound hands and wait to die, and offers to help Tao Qian defeat them; Tao Qian has no choice but to lead his troops out to meet the enemy. When Cao Cao asks who will capture the old traitor alive, Xiahou Dun comes forward and pursues Tao Qian as he flees into his formation, and Cao Bao, levelling his spear, gallops out to meet him. Just as the two horses clash, a fierce wind rises, sending sand flying and stones rolling; both armies are thrown into confusion and withdraw their troops. Romance, Ch. 10 §37–39

In Chapter 14, Zhang Fei, guarding Xu Province after seeing Liu Bei off, holds a banquet and presses wine on the officials, telling them to get thoroughly drunk today and from tomorrow give up wine and help him guard the city. Cao Bao, who says he has sworn to Heaven not to drink, is frightened into drinking one cup, but when the very drunk Zhang Fei presses him again he refuses again and again. Zhang Fei orders him seized, saying that for disobeying his command he deserves a hundred strokes of the rod, and Cao Bao begs to be spared for the sake of his son-in-law Lü Bu. Zhang Fei, angered all the more that Cao Bao should try to frighten him by invoking Lü Bu, has him given fifty lashes, stopping only after the others plead earnestly. Romance, Ch. 14 §52–55

When the banquet breaks up, Cao Bao, deeply resentful of Zhang Fei, sends a man that very night with a letter to Lü Bu at Xiaopei, telling him that Liu Bei has already gone to Huainan and that he should bring troops tonight, while Zhang Fei is drunk, to raid Xu Province. Chen Gong too says this is a chance not to be missed, so Lü Bu sets out first with five hundred horsemen and, arriving at the city gate at the fourth watch, calls out that he is a secret messenger sent by Commissioner Liu. Cao Bao comes up onto the wall to look and has his soldiers open the gate. Romance, Ch. 14 §56–58

When Zhang Fei breaks out through the east gate escorted by eighteen horsemen, generals from the land of Yan, Cao Bao, seeing that he has only ten or so followers and scorning him for being drunk, gives chase with a hundred or so men. After three bouts he is defeated and flees, but Zhang Fei pursues him to the riverbank and runs his spear into the middle of his back, and he dies in the river together with his horse. Zhang Fei goes to Xuyi and tells Liu Bei that Cao Bao and Lü Bu, working together from inside and outside, raided Xu Province by night. In Chapter 16, where Yuan Shu proposes a marriage alliance to Lü Bu, the Romance states that while at Xiaopei Lü Bu had taken Cao Bao's daughter as his second wife, and that this Lady Cao had died early without children. Romance, Ch. 14 §60–61 · 63Romance, Ch. 16 §20