Cao Xiu 曹休

Cao Xiu, courtesy name Wenlie, was a clan nephew of Taizu. When the realm fell into chaos and his clan scattered, he lost his father when he was a little over ten years old. Alone with one retainer he carried the coffin and gave his father a temporary burial, then took his aged mother across the Yangtze to Wu. When Taizu raised his loyalist army, Cao Xiu changed his name and moved to Jing Province, then returned north by byways to meet Taizu. Taizu told those around him, "This boy is the thousand-li colt of our family," and had him live with Emperor Wen, treating him like a son. Records, Wei 9 §54

He constantly accompanied the campaigns and commanded the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry as a palace guard. When Liu Bei sent his general Wu Lan to garrison Xiabian, Taizu sent Cao Hong to attack him, making Cao Xiu Chief Commandant of Cavalry and a participant in Cao Hong's military affairs, and told him, "Though you are an adviser, you are in fact the commander." Cao Hong, hearing this, also left matters to Cao Xiu. According to the biography of Xin Pi, Xin Pi also took part at this time, and Taizu issued an order saying that "the concerns of Zuozhi and Wenlie are not light." Records, Wei 9 §55Records, Wei 25 §8

When Liu Bei stationed Zhang Fei at Gushan to cut off the army's rear, the council wavered. Cao Xiu said that if the enemy truly meant to cut the road, they would have hidden their troops and moved in secret; since they were loudly announcing their strength beforehand, it meant they could not do it. He urged a swift attack on Wu Lan before the enemy could assemble, saying that Zhang Fei would then flee of his own accord. Cao Hong followed this and crushed Wu Lan, and Zhang Fei did indeed flee. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that in the 3rd month of the 23rd year of Jian'an (218) Zhang Fei and Ma Chao fled to Hanzhong. Records, Wei 9 §55–56Records, Wei 1 §160

When Taizu withdrew his army from Hanzhong and the armies returned to Chang'an, Cao Xiu became Central Commander of the Army. When Emperor Wen took the royal throne, he became General Who Commands the Army, and for his merits early and late he was made Marquis of Dongyang Village. When Xiahou Dun died, he became General Who Guards the South and, bearing the Tally, commanded the armies; Emperor Wen came in person to see him off, stepping down from his carriage to clasp his hand in farewell. Records, Wei 9 §56

When Sun Quan sent a general to garrison Liyang, Cao Xiu arrived and defeated him, and he separately sent troops across the Yangtze to burn several thousand households of the enemy camp at Wuhu. He was transferred to General Who Conquers the East, concurrently Inspector of Yang Province, and promoted to Marquis of Anyang District. When Emperor Wen attacked Sun Quan, Cao Xiu became General-in-Chief Who Conquers the East and was granted the Yellow Axe; leading Zhang Liao and others and more than twenty armies from the provinces and commanderies, he defeated Sun Quan's senior general Lü Fan and others at Dongpu. Records, Wei 9 §57

According to the biography of Dong Zhao, in the 3rd year of Huangchu (222), facing the Yangtze at Dongpukou, Cao Xiu submitted a memorial saying he would lead elite troops to sweep through the lands south of the river. Emperor Wen, worried that he would cross the river at once, sent an edict by post horse to stop him, and Dong Zhao said that if Zang Ba and the others did not advance, Cao Xiu's resolve would falter of its own accord. Soon afterwards a violent wind drove the enemy's ships to the foot of the camps of Cao Xiu and the others, and they beheaded and captured many, but the armies failed to advance in time and the enemy's relief ships arrived. The biography of the Sovereign of Wu records that in the winter of that year Cao Xiu had Zang Ba raid Xuling with five hundred light boats and ten thousand death-defying men. Records, Wei 14 §70–72Records, Wu 2 §47

He became Governor of Yang Province. In the 5th month of the 7th year of Huangchu (226), when Emperor Wen became gravely ill, he summoned Cao Xiu together with Cao Zhen, Chen Qun and Sima Yi to receive his testamentary edict and assist the succeeding ruler. When Emperor Ming took the throne, Cao Xiu was promoted to Marquis of Changping. When the Wu general Shen De garrisoned Wan, Cao Xiu attacked him and took his head, and Han Zong, Di Dan and others came one after another with their followers to surrender. His fief was increased by 400 households to 2,500 in all, and he was transferred to Grand Marshal, commanding Yang Province as before. The Annals of Emperor Ming record that in that year Cao Xiu defeated a detached Wu commander at Xunyang and became Grand Marshal in the 12th month. Records, Wei 9 §58Records, Wei 2 §52Records, Wei 3 §1 · 4

In the 2nd year of Taihe (228), when Emperor Ming attacked Wu along two routes, Sima Yi went down along the Han River while Cao Xiu led the armies toward Xunyang. In Wu, on Sun Quan's orders, Zhou Fang, Administrator of Poyang, sent a confidant with a letter of seven articles to lure Cao Xiu, and Cao Xiu submitted a memorial saying that since there were enemies asking to surrender, he would advance deep to respond to them. Man Chong submitted a memorial saying that Cao Xiu was intelligent and decisive but had seldom commanded troops, and that the road he was now taking was easy to advance along and hard to retreat on; but before a reply came, Cao Xiu had advanced deep. Records, Wei 9 §58–59Records, Wu 15 §50Records, Wei 15 §81Records, Wei 26 §10–11

Cao Xiu entered Wan with a hundred thousand infantry and cavalry. Zhu Huan said that Cao Xiu had been appointed only because he was a kinsman and was no wise and brave famous general, and proposed cutting the roads at Jiashi and Guache, but Lu Xun rejected it and it was not carried out. Lu Xun himself took the center, with Zhu Huan and Quan Cong as the left and right wings; advancing along three routes, they fell upon Cao Xiu's ambushing troops and pursued them as far as Jiashi, killing or capturing more than ten thousand men. Cao Xiu withdrew and halted at Shiting, where the army panicked at night and the soldiers fell into disorder, abandoning a great deal of armor, weapons and baggage. Records, Wu 11 §53–54Records, Wu 13 §30Records, Wu 15 §72Records, Wei 9 §59

When the Wu army cut off Jiashi and blocked the road home, Jia Kui advanced his army day and night and displayed many flags and drums, and the enemy withdrew. Jia Kui occupied Jiashi and supplied Cao Xiu with troops and provisions, and only then did Cao Xiu's army recover. The two had never been on good terms: during the Huangchu era, when Emperor Wen wished to grant Jia Kui a tally, Cao Xiu had blocked it, saying that Jia Kui was headstrong by nature and looked down on the other generals, so he could not be a commander. Chen Shou wrote that when Cao Xiu was defeated at Jiashi, his army would scarcely have been saved had it not been for Jia Kui. Records, Wei 15 §82–83

When Cao Xiu submitted a letter apologizing for his offense, Emperor Ming sent Yang Ji, Colonel of Garrison Cavalry, to console and reassure him, and the courtesies and gifts he received were even more generous. Because of this affair Cao Xiu developed an abscess on his back and died on the day gengzi in the 9th month of the 2nd year of Taihe (228). He was posthumously named Valiant Marquis (Zhuanghou), and his son succeeded him. Records, Wei 9 §59Records, Wei 3 §9–10

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