Historical Record
Cao Song, courtesy name Jugao, was a man of Qiao in the state of Pei. The origins of his birth father are unrecorded in history, but the *Records of the Three Kingdoms* clearly records that he was the adopted son of the Regular Palace Attendant Cao Teng and inherited Cao Teng's title. Cao Teng, courtesy name Jixing, was known for his benevolence and generosity, served four emperors without ever committing a fault, and was fond of advancing the worthy and capable, with many of those he recommended rising to the ranks of the highest ministers. Cao Song inherited his adoptive father's character, was honest and prudent by nature, and was loyal and filial wherever he was. By his talent and character he rose to the office of Grand Commandant, ranking among the Three Excellencies. According to the *Continued Book of Han*, in the time of Emperor Ling, Cao Song was promoted from Colonel-Director of Retainers to Grand Minister of Agriculture and Grand Herald, and finally replaced Cui Lie as Grand Commandant. Cao Song was the father of Cao Cao, this kinship being clearly recorded in the histories. In the first year of Huangchu, Cao Song was posthumously honored as Grand Emperor, showing his exalted standing after the founding of the Cao Wei regime. As for Cao Song's origins, there is a view that he was a son of the Xiahou family and an uncle of Xiahou Dun, but the *Records of the Three Kingdoms* takes a skeptical view of this, saying that "none could ascertain the origins of his birth".
In the Novel
In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Cao Song is portrayed as an affectionate father who, however, somewhat indulged the dissolute behavior of his son Cao Cao. The novel's opening clearly states that Cao Song was originally surnamed Xiahou, and because he was the adopted son of the Regular Palace Attendant Cao Teng, he took the surname Cao. This setting differs from the histories' record of "none could ascertain the origins of his birth," adding a legendary coloring to Cao Cao's lineage. In the novel, Cao Cao in his youth was fond of hunting, delighted in song and dance, was full of schemes and stratagems, and his uncle once complained to Cao Song about Cao Cao's idle dissipation. To avoid punishment, Cao Cao devised a scheme to feign a stroke and then falsely accused his uncle, saying "I have lost my uncle's affection, and so am maligned," so that thereafter Cao Song no longer believed his uncle's complaints about Cao Cao, allowing Cao Cao to indulge his dissolute ways. This displays Cao Song's partiality toward his son and Cao Cao's cunning. After Cao Cao's failed assassination of Dong Zhuo, he fled to Chenliu, sought out his father Cao Song, told him all that had happened, and wished to disburse the family wealth to recruit a righteous army. Cao Song held that the family resources were insufficient to accomplish anything and advised Cao Cao to seek the help of the local magnate Wei Hong, reflecting Cao Song's support and planning for his son at a critical moment. Later, Cao Cao sent the Grand Administrator of Mount Tai, Ying Shao, to the commandery of Langya to welcome his father Cao Song. Cao Song was at the time taking refuge in seclusion at Langya; he set out with his younger brother Cao De and a household of more than forty, along with more than a hundred attendants and over a hundred carts, heading for Yanzhou. Passing through Xu Province, the Grand Administrator of Xu Province, Tao Qian, in order to ingratiate himself with Cao Cao, personally welcomed and lavishly entertained Cao Song for two days, and sent the Commandant Zhang Kai to lead five hundred troops as escort. This episode foreshadows Cao Cao's later attack on Xu Province and binds Cao Song's fate closely to Cao Cao's military actions.
Key Relationships
* Cao Teng (adoptive father): Cao Song was the adopted son of the Regular Palace Attendant Cao Teng. Cao Teng was renowned in the histories for his benevolence and generosity and for recommending the worthy, rising to Grand Prolonger of Autumn and enfeoffed as Marquis of Feiting. Cao Song inherited Cao Teng's title and rose to the office of Grand Commandant, his illustrious standing inseparable from Cao Teng's shelter. In the novel, this adoptive relationship is explicitly mentioned and serves as the source of Cao Cao's surname.
* Cao Cao (son): Cao Song was the father of Cao Cao. This relationship is Cao Song's most important identity in both history and the novel. The histories record that Cao Cao was born of Cao Song. In the novel, Cao Song played a key role in Cao Cao's upbringing and early career, including indulging Cao Cao's childhood behavior and supporting him when he recruited a righteous army,.
* The Xiahou family (birth family): According to the *Biography of Cao Man* and the *Shiyu*, Cao Song was a son of the Xiahou family and an uncle of Xiahou Dun. Although the histories are skeptical of this, in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* this view is adopted, clearly stating that Cao Song was originally surnamed Xiahou and changed to the surname Cao upon being adopted by Cao Teng. This provides a blood-relation explanation for the close ties between Cao Cao and the Xiahou family (novel-only).
* Tao Qian (Grand Administrator of Xu Province): In the novel, Tao Qian once lavishly entertained Cao Song and sent troops to escort him, intending to ingratiate himself with Cao Cao. However, this act ultimately became, through Zhang Kai's murder of Cao Song, the fuse for Cao Cao's attack on Xu Province (novel-only).
Iconic Scenes
* Rising to Grand Commandant: Cao Song's most notable achievement in the histories was his rise to Grand Commandant, ranking among the Three Excellencies. This was an embodiment not only of his personal ability but also of his family's political influence in the late Eastern Han.
* The Young Cao Cao Tricks His Uncle: In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, the young Cao Cao, to avoid his uncle's complaints, feigned a stroke and falsely accused his uncle, so that thereafter Cao Song no longer believed his uncle's complaints about Cao Cao. This scene vividly displays Cao Cao's cunning and Cao Song's partiality toward his son, and foreshadows Cao Cao's later image as a "treacherous hero of a chaotic age" (novel-only).
* Funding Cao Cao to Recruit a Righteous Army: After Cao Cao's failed assassination of Dong Zhuo, he returned to Chenliu to seek his father Cao Song's help. Although Cao Song held the family resources insufficient, he still advised Cao Cao to seek the help of the magnate Wei Hong, thereby supporting Cao Cao's initial action in recruiting a righteous army (novel-only).
* Death in Xu Province: In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, on his way to Yanzhou to rejoin Cao Cao, Cao Song passed through Xu Province and was entertained and escorted by the Grand Administrator of Xu Province, Tao Qian. However, the Commandant Zhang Kai whom Tao Qian had sent, moved by greed, murdered Cao Song and his entire household. This event directly led to Cao Cao's two large-scale campaigns against Xu Province and had a far-reaching influence on the course of Three Kingdoms history (novel-only).
Relationships
8 relationships
Lines
- 演 ch.1 §25→ Cao Cao
「叔言汝中風，今已愈乎？」
- 演 ch.5 §1→ Cao Cao
「資少恐不成事。此間有孝廉衛弘，疏財仗義，其家巨富；若得相助，事可圖矣。」
Chapters6 回 ▸
- 史ch.1
- 演ch.1ch.4ch.5ch.10ch.11
Relationship timeline3 条 ▸
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- I am Cao Song, courtesy name Jugao. My family now stands in prominence, and I have risen to the office of Grand Commanda
Life events2 ▸
- 0193-01-01 · FeixianMurder of Cao Song· Victim
- 0193-01-01 · Xu ProvinceCao Cao's Campaign Against Xu Province· Victim