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Cao Cao

Military Leaders and Commanders

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Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty and ultimately took effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei, established by his son and successor Cao Pi, who ended the Eastern Han dynasty and inaugurated the Three Kingdoms period. Beginning in his own lifetime, a corpus of legends developed around Cao Cao built upon his talent, his cruelty and his perceived eccentricities.

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