Due to a victory against overwhelming odds, Cao Cao became one of the top generals of the Eastern Han Dynasty (23 – 220 A.D.)
In 189 AD, the emperor died and there was a power struggle to see who would control the dynasty. Thousands were murdered.
By 196 AD, out of the chaos, Cao Cao became the power behind the powerless, last emperor.
Due to the years of struggle, many of the farms had been abandoned leading to famine.
Cao Cao described the situation, “Dead body’s can be seen here and there. No roosters can be heard crowing anywhere.”
Cao Cao became prime minister and reestablished the farms around the capital to end the famine. To deal with the danger, each farm was populated with a mixture of farmers and soldiers to work the land.
The following harvests ended the food shortages and the famine.
The following video reports the discovery of Cao Cao’s tomb in late 2009, in Xigaoxue village near the ancient city of Anyang in Henan Province.
The archeologists discovered an epitaph and inscriptions that indicate the tomb belonged to Cao Cao.
Pan Wenbing, the archaeological team leader said, “Cao Cao commonly used broadswords and short spears for defense. We have found six of them in the tomb.”
The skull of a man in his 60s was discovered, which fits Cao Cao’s age at death.
After his death, Cao Cao was named Emperor Wei Wudi of the Wei Dynasty (215 – 265 AD). Source: kongming.net
Return to In Search of the Tomb of Cao Cao – Part 2
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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too.
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