Cao Pi

Cao Pi (onyomi: Sō Hi) is Cao Cao's second son and successor. Like his father, he was a reputed intellectual who calculated his plans thoroughly. However, Cao Pi was unpopular even with his retainers, allegedly due to his foul and taboo behavior. He founded Wei by forcing Emperor Xian to abdicate his throne. He is Zhenji's second husband and Cao Rui is his heir.

Before his playable appearance in the Dynasty Warriors series, he has been a generic Wei NPC since its second entry. He placed fifth place in Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll and ranked twelfth in the Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends popularity poll. The latest poll for the eighth installment puts him in fifth. The character poll for overseas fans puts him in sixth place for the Wei division. His Dynasty Warriors counterpart also has two character image songs titled Silent Phoenix and Last Forever.

Role in Games

 * "Nasty to know, even nastier to fight..."
 * Mitsunari; Warriors Orochi

Dynasty Warriors
Cao Pi first desires to prove himself as a worthy heir to his father. He accompanies the campaign against Yuan Shao and proves his strength to Zhen Ji. She accepts him and chooses to follow him hence forth. Cao Pi continues to follow his father's campaign at Chi Bi and is disappointed by his father's lack of vision. After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi takes command over the kingdom of Wei. He tests Shu's might at Jie Ting and deems them weakened enough to invade their lands. With their force defeated, he sets his sights on Wu. Sun Quan makes a preemptive strike at He Fei Castle. Undeterred, he realizes he has his own ambition and succeeds in uniting the land under Wei.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends pairs him with Sima Yi and Xu Huang. The trio work together to punish the traitor, Meng Da, at Xin Castle. He has stationed himself within the castle's walls and doesn't budge from his position. His followers, however, were pressured into the battle and submit to Cao Pi upon their defeat. When the castle's defenders realize the situation, they eventually open the castle gates and allow the trio to deal judgment. After the battle's conclusion, Cao Pi grows irritated by Shu's interruptions and threatens to exterminate them as well.

Cao Pi's ending scene in Dynasty Warriors: Online shows him noticing the player's drowsiness while writing down a report. Amused by their persistence, he tells the sleeping warrior to not overwork as he cannot fulfill his ambitions without them.

During the sixth title, Cao Pi is entrusted with Han Zhong in Cao Cao and Sima Yi's stories. His father leaves the area in his care after conquering it, though Cao Pi bluntly counters that it would be easy to crush the weakened Liu Bei. On Cao Cao's behest, however, Cao Pi restrains himself and continues to rule over Han Zhong. For this story, he survives to eventually take over the throne. During Sima Yi's storyline, he appears as reinforcements for the strategist's suppression of the area. After a few biting greetings, Cao Pi expresses his desire to have Sima Yi continue working for his own ambitious future. When Sima Yi betrays his father at Xu Chang, Cao Pi arrives as late aid for the main keep. He may either die in battle or be ignored entirely at this point. He also reinforces Cao Cao at He Fei Castle during Wu's story modes.

In Dynasty Warriors 6: Special, Cao Pi begins his story by leading follow-up campaigns for his father's conquests. He leads the downfall of Lu Bu's army at Xia Pi and captures a wild Red Hare for Wei. Since he didn't participate in the battle at Guan Du, Cao Pi commands the secondary campaign in his father's place to end Yuan Shao once and for all. After Liu Bei seizes Jing, he helps Cao Ren's defense against Guan Yu at Fan Castle. His father dies of illness shortly after. Following his father's last request to him, Cao Pi decides to make a land in his own image. Accompanying him is Sima Yi, who also secretly desires to realize his own ambition.

Cao Pi starts his conquest by getting rid of Wu at Shi Ting and unites the land by defeating Liu Bei at Wu Zhang Plains. Earning his seat as the undisputed ruler of the land, Sima Yi betrays him and claims Xu Chang. Along with his upstart, the strategist also convinces the remnants of Shu (Yue Ying, Ma Chao, and Wei Yan) and Wu (Lu Xun, Ling Tong, and Zhou Tai) to join him. Unimpressed and expecting the betrayal himself, Cao Pi confronts the strategist with his siblings to see which one of them is truly worthy to rule the land. Their contest ends with Cao Pi victorious and Sima Yi captured. His prisoner is spared as Cao Pi wants the strategist to continue working for his vision; Sima Yi acts offended but is grateful for the mercy.

Dynasty Warriors 7 introduces Cao Pi at Guandu as he leads Cao Cao's men into battle. He performs magnificently in his duties and, with Xu You and Jia Xu's help, burns Wuchao to the ground. As the supply line is engulfed in flames, Cao Pi corners a frightened Zhang He to make his choice: disappear with the ashes of the Yuan family or spark a new allegiance under his family. His demands are enough to convince the general to defect during the turnabout of the battle. When he defeats Zhen Ji a second time, she bitterly refuses to return to her husband in defeat and asks Cao Pi to take her life. He therefore counters her proposal as an invitation to live and die with him, which surprises yet charms her to accept. In Wei's version of Guandu, he successfully captures Yuan Shao and orders the belligerent man to be taken away. Shu's version merely has him act as one of the generals attacking the area.

Cao Pi helps his father's escape from Chibi, but he otherwise contributes little to his father's campaigns. He proudly accepts his right to the throne after his father passes away. During Wu's Story Mode, Wu and Shu rebuild their ties and Sun Quan seeks to conquer Wei at Dongkou. Cao Pi opposes him in a bid to claim Wu and suffers a humiliating defeat. Spared by Sun Quan, he begrudgingly licks his wounds back at Wei. He is mentioned in passing to have died during Jin's Story Mode and the throne is passed on to his short-lived heir.

His first Legendary Battle sets him up to battle many famous warriors to show Zhen Ji his worth to marry her. In his other Legendary Battle stages, Cao Pi successfully conquers the other two kingdoms and unifies the land under his rule.

In Dynasty Warriors Next, Cao Pi is already a member of his father's army during the fourth chapter. He mostly interacts with Sima Yi throughout Wei's concluding chapter, sharing his thoughts on the state of the land. Both men work in tandem to repel Zhuge Liang at the Wuzhang Plains. The player takes control of Cao Pi during the final battle against Shu in Chengdu. Upon breaking through their defenses, he challenges Liu Bei to a duel and kills him. With his father's nemesis dead, the Wei army finally turns their attention on Wu to unify the land. Other chapters have Cao Pi stationed at Chang'an. He also appears during a flashback in Jin's opening movie, implying his awareness of Sima Yi's growing ambition. Surprisingly enough, he tells the strategist to do what he sees fit if any of his successors prove themselves unworthy.

Dynasty Warriors 8 has Cao Pi mainly reprise his role from the previous installment. He is present at Chibi and, if the fire attack is a success, defends against the attacking Wu-Shu coalition to allow Cao Cao time to flee. He also participates at Fan Castle, helping with the reinforcements for Cao Ren and Pang De. In the hypothetical route, he defends Xuchang from Zuo Ci's assault and joins his father in defeating Liu Bei at Baidi Castle.

In Wu's historical route, Cao Pi serves as the enemy commander in Hefei Castle. He is defeated by the Wu forces and gives up Hefei altogether but challenges Sun Quan to continue fighting against him until one remains standing. In its hypothetical route, he serves as the enemy commander at Shouchun. Cao Pi is named the vassal king of Wei by the Emperor after Cao Cao's death. He and Zhenji do not attend Sun Quan's banquet as they still mourn for the loss of his father. In Shu's hypothetical route, Cao Pi defends Luoyang and stands by Cao Cao at the final battle of Xuchang.

In Wei's first Xtreme Legend stage "Final Conflict at Guandu", Cao Pi appears along with Li Dian and Zhang Liao to defeat Yuan Shao with Lu Bu as their ally.

During Dynasty Warriors 9, Cao Pi's life after his father's death is further expanded. Shortly after Mai Castle, Cao Pi begins making plans to take the emperor's throne, however, many discontent officials make an assassination attempt at his residence but fail, and the discontent of many other ministers must be sated before the move can be made. Zhuge Liang, predicting the move, also sends Shu spies to sow distrust amongst Wei's retainers.

With the throne secured, Cao Pi begins by leading one of five armies to attack Shu. The Wei forces are able to breakthrough Shu's defense, but soon they realize that this would be a perfect opportunity for Wu's assault. Cao Pi is forced to call off his campaign in order to meet Wu at Guangling. Despite Xu Sheng's defeat, the heavy losses and the battle take its toll on the emperor's body. After Cao Xiu's defeat at the hand of Wu at Shiting, Cao Pi quietly passes away before his relative can avenge the loss.

Warriors Orochi
Following his father's supposed death, Cao Pi abruptly becomes Wei's ruler in Warriors Orochi. He had formed an alliance with the snake demon, Orochi and is often seen doing his lord's dirty work in other story scenarios. In Wei's story, he is actually feigning loyalty while biding his time to build forces for a revolt. Da Ji suspects him and sends Mitsunari to observe him. The two men eventually share the same mindset and they defect together. When their forces face overwhelming odds at Yamazaki, Cao Cao and Dian Wei arrive to save them. Though his father returns, Cao Pi continues to lead Wei in a final confrontation with Orochi. During their victory banquet, it's implied that he will make his own vision separate from his father.

In Wei's story in Warriors Orochi 2, Cao Pi is loyally serving his father once more. While his father leaves to journey through the land, he is responsible for defending the main camp. Seeing Sun Jian ignore the land's new warfare, he also leads an attack on Wu to spur them into action. At Komaki-Nagakute, he struggles to withstand Kiyomori's assault and is reinforced by his father's army. They work together in an attempt to end a weakened Orochi.

His dream stage teams him up with Guan Ping and Gracia. The trio is challenged to prove their worth to their fathers. Cao Pi's challenge is to personally defeat Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Liao, and Cao Ren in combat before facing his father.

As a member of Wei's vanguard, Cao Pi led his forces to subjugate Wu and the serpent army forces throughout the dimensional realm. In the original timeline, he and Sima Yi once had Da Ji surrounded at Tong Gate, and he disappears along with most of Wei's retainers in the future timeline. When the Coalition returns to Da Ji's past at Tong Gate, Cao Pi attacks them to find their true motives. Believing that the Coalition has a good reason to help Da Ji, he sends Mitsunari, Xu Zhu and Sima Shi to aid them as he, a major figure in Wei, would not be able to do so. He would later aid the Takeda-Uesugi alliance at Shizugatake and his father at Fan Castle. Once Cao Cao sends messengers to unite the other warlords, multiple heads of the Hydra emerge to attack the humans. Cao Pi, along with his wife and Sima Yi, are sent to Hulao Gate with Sima Zhao and Shuten Dōji to eliminate the heads that emerged in the area. As a member of the coalition, he later reinforces Lu Xun at Hefei.

In Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, Cao Pi reprises his previous role serving his father and his allies loyally. He and his allies clash against the Oda army at Nanjun under the mistaken belief that Nobunaga had formed an alliance with Da Ji. Later on, he also takes a more active role in the fight against Kyūbi. Together with both Kiyomasa and Guo Jia, the three of them successfully subdue the fox demon at Odawara Castle and seal her inside the Divine Mirror.

Warriors Orochi 4 puts Cao Pi as Ares's staunch ally, being given an Arm of Ouroboros as payment for his service. In reality, Cao Pi is distrustful of the god, and seeks to bring the Olympians down from the inside.

He appears numerous times as an enemy, allying himself with Ares, but secretly having his troops leak important information away from the eyes of the gods. When Cao Cao arrives in the world and defeats his son, Cao Pi discreetly leaves a letter, revealing that the barriers guarding Zeus can be unlocked via the Arms of Ouroboros.

When the Coalition finally reach Zeus's palace, Cao Pi and wife reveal their true colors and attack Ares. After their victory, they join the Coalition together. He later accompanies Mitsunari in fighting Odin at Guandu.

Dynasty Tactics
While with a minor role, Cao Pi unites the land under Wei after Cao Cao dies in one of the Wei scenarios.

Personality
Cao Pi is a son who closely follows his father's expectations. He is usually the only character who Cao Cao addresses by their style name in the overseas script. Unlike his father, he speaks in a bitter tone and is more condescending. Though a loyal and respectful son, he is also determined to surpass his father's image and realize his own dreams. To this end, he remains apathetic to the other two kingdoms and is unimpressed by their final efforts to oppose him. He shares an affinity with Sima Yi, as their combined efforts soundly unite Wei's army after his father's death. At the same time, however, he loosely trusts the strategist's loyalty. Cao Pi shares a strong kinship with Cao Xiu in Dynasty Warriors 9, the general still referring to his relative by his style name in Asian scripts, even after Cao Pi becomes emperor. Cao Pi is even willing to explicitly call Cao Xiu a friend as a show of how proud he is of his cousin's abilities and passion.

Any gentleness or caring feelings he has are usually reserved for his wife, whom he was instantly entranced with upon their first meeting. Though he boldly declares that he fights only for himself, he privately confides that his feats are dedicated to her in her scenario. He fondly calls her "Zhen" in Asian titles, a name which carries over into English. He additionally calls her "My Sweet" or "My Beloved" in English titles.

During the Warriors Orochi series, he has special praise for Pang Tong, Nuwa, Mitsunari, Nagamasa, and Kotarō. Cao Pi shares a mixed relationship with Lu Xun in the newest title, as the young Wu general is barely able to trust him, and Cao Pi himself shows that past grudges and rivalries are very minor to him overall especially in the face of bigger pictures. The latest installment gives him a kinship with Nobuyuki, who gives his own perspective about eventually ruling his family. Cao Pi's relationship with Ares is initially strenuous at best, but the prince notes that the emotions and passion that the god shows make him more human and manipulable than he'd like to admit.

Character Symbolism
As a dominant ruler in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, he calls his five greatest warriors the "Five Great Generals" just like his father.

The particular character (奏) used for the original names of Cao Pi's third, fourth, and first set of swords in Dynasty Warriors 6 may refer to one of two meanings. The common translation is someone playing music, meaning he is performing a type of "sword dance" with his attacks in battle. Cao Pi's "performances" are rather grim in nature based on the full name of the weapon. His third and Standard swords are aimed to be purely destructive; Cao Pi's fourth and Skill weapons target on silencing all other sounds while his Strength blade is focused on pure vehemence. To add insult to injury, a secondary meaning of the character implies that his acts should be celebrated and admired as he rises to his seat of royalty. Both meanings serve to strengthen his connection to the musically inclined Zhenji.

His weapons in Special follow a divine naming theme similar to the one given to his father in the series. At the same time, they follow the idea that he can surpass Cao Cao. He can control all men (Skill), brandish the earth (Strength), or transcend the heavens (Standard). Having power over the three essential components of the universe (heaven, earth, and people) is an impressive feat achieved only by beings of a higher power.

Cao Pi's proficiency with dual swords is a historical reference to his youth when Cao Cao taught him horseback archery. The young heir was noted for his ambidexterity which shined through during his swordsmanship training under the martial artists Shi E and Yuan Min.

His original outfit for Dynasty Warriors 7 is a Japanese school uniform for males. The colorful strips of cloth he wears around his chest and arm is similar to the ones worn by president of the student council found within the Japanese education system. A president is a student elected by their classmates or may be inaugurated due to their close ties to the student council. Once elected, they give an acceptance speech and wear these bands to signify their status as president. Within the student council, presidents have the highest rank and is the one who manages internal affairs regarding the student body. Presidents make the final decisions for student organized activities and nothing can be permitted to pass without their authority.

Dian Lun (典論), his personal item in Warriors Orochi, is a compilation of Cao Pi's theories and written literature kept in five scrolls. His preferences for ancient literature is consistent throughout the work, claiming that the path to true prosperity may be achieved by studying and learning from the past. At the same time, he seemed frustrated by the unforgiving vicissitudes of time. The literary text implied that the then culturally accepted answers for death and dying weren't satisfactory enough to answer his thoughts about it.

His fourth ranked swords in Warriors Orochi 3 are named Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, the names of a legendary married couple and their eponymous swords. Gan Jiang was Mo Ye's husband and was known as a famed swordsmith. There are several variations of their story, but Gan Jiang is often asked by a king to create a sword worthy for him. According to the Wuyue Chunqiu, Gan Jiang crafted the blade using the finest metals and lumber which he personally left his home to gather. As he created the blade, he ran out of resources to heat his furnace. As her husband lamented, Mo Ye cut off her nails and hair, threw them into the furnace, and used 300 children to pump the bellows for the flames. Other tales may instead say that she threw herself into the furnace, used the couple's hair and nails and powered the bellows herself, or that the couple prayed to the gods to magically craft the sword.

When the smith had finished his work, two swords were made. The yang sword was named Ganjiang and the yin sword was named Moye. He presented only Moye to King Helu and kept Ganjiang for himself. When the king's retainer, Chun Qiu, presented the Moye sword to his liege, the sword fell out from its sheath. Chun Qiu interpreted the event as an ill omen foretelling that the king would become a conqueror of men but would be forever forgotten by his people. After careful consideration, King Helu ultimately rejected the Moye sword. Another variation of the event appears in the Sōushénjì which instead has the King of Chu commence the order. This version remarks that the king was instead outraged for only receiving one sword and had Gan Jiang executed. Gan Jiang's son later sought to avenge him using the Ganjiang sword, but he was found by an assassin. After hearing his story, the assassin sought to avenge the boy in his stead and died after he decapitated the son, the king, and himself. The Ganjiang and Moye swords continue to appear in literature as legendary weapons. One of Huang Tianhua's divine weapons in Fengshen Yanyi is the Moye sword.

Voice Actors

 * David Berón - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English-uncredited)
 * Kim Strauss - Dynasty Warriors 5, Warriors Orochi (English-uncredited)
 * Doug Erholtz - Dynasty Warriors 6~8, Warriors Orochi 2, Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Legend of Cao Cao (English-uncredited)
 * Aric Hendrix - Dynasty Warriors 9 (English)
 * Zhe Chen - Dynasty Warriors 9 (Chinese)
 * Sin Yong Woo - Dynasty Warriors 5 (Korean)
 * Jeong Jaeheon - Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Legend of Cao Cao (Korean)
 * Hironobu Tanaka - Dynasty Warriors 4 (Japanese)
 * Nobutoshi Canna - Dynasty Warriors 5~9, Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Nobuyuki Hiyama - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series
 * Tomokazu Seki - Sangokushi Legion

Live Action Performers

 * Atsushi Shiramata - Butai Shin Sangoku Musou Kanto no Tatakai

Quotes

 * See also: Cao Pi/Quotes


 * "Wait and see, Father. I shall show you what true greatness is."
 * "My empire has been embarrassed by this pathetic kingdom for too long. Father, at last I have a chance to prove myself to you."
 * "Today will herald the end of Shu. There's no need for trickery. Crush and salt the earth with their bones."
 * "So, I have surpassed Father. The day when I ascend to the heavens must be drawing near."
 * "Heh... Compared to last time, there are more people who caught the public's eyes. I shall celebrate this result with some high-quality wine."


 * "You have true talent. Plus you have the wisdom to know your own limits."
 * "Hmph. Your flattery is obvious and hollow. What do you want?"
 * "I merely wish to achieve your dream of conquest... Before the fools take over the world."
 * "Then, concentrate on your strategies... My time is not unlimited, you know."
 * Sima Yi and Cao Pi; Dynasty Warriors 7


 * "You have always looked after me. I'm sure I will continue to need your help for some time to come."
 * "You've always been the perfect child. I haven't really had to do anything..."
 * "Hmph... There is no need to flatter me."
 * "Hahaha. I see your bashful side hasn't changed either."
 * Cao Pi and Cao Ren; Dynasty Warriors 8


 * "Liu Bei, don't you think this virtue of yours is too idealistic? How can you hope to restore the world with love and compassion?"
 * "It is my belief that the very cause of this chaos is the loss of love and compassion. If we can bring those things back, the world should right itself. Virtue is to be prized amid this chaos."
 * "Just another naive delusion. Why do you think something lost can be regained? That's the epitome of idealism. If compassion can't hold this land together then we need to find something else that can. That's how we end this chaos."
 * Cao Pi and Liu Bei; Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers


 * "Cao Pi, why do you waste your resources in this meaningless battle?"
 * "I cannot think what you could possibly mean."
 * "Play dumb all you like - my lord has seen through your charade."
 * Hideyoshi and Cao Pi; Warriors Orochi


 * "Hmmph, here's a gift for relieving my boredom."
 * "And to think I thought you were cold and unfeeling... I take it all back, you generous, thoughtful man."
 * Cao Pi and Okuni; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "If we cannot accomplish anything in this world while we are here, is that not a wretched feeling?"
 * "I was also thinking the same thing, but if this world is not to our liking, we might as well change it."
 * "You are right. Between the two of us, I am sure we can put everything in place."
 * Mitsunari and Cao Pi; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "Master Cao Pi. Back in your own world, I understand that you are poised to rule the land."
 * "That is true. After my father's path to conquest has been walked, I will lead the next generation. After that, if there is one more qualified than me to lead, I will relinquish control to them."
 * "Master Cao Pi..."
 * "Are you going to worry unnecessarily again? Then I will put your mind at ease. The soothsayers tell me I am fated to live long. I will not be killed."
 * "Hehe, you believe the fortune tellers? Still, I am happy to hear that you will live a long life."
 * "If you keep worrying like that, you will not live long yourself. Since we are such friends now, maybe I should give you some of my life."
 * Nobuyuki and Cao Pi; Warriors Orochi 4

Gameplay

 * See also: Cao Pi/Movesets‎‎

Dynasty Warriors 9


Cao Pi is affiliated with the double-edged blade in this appearance.


 * Unique Flow Attack:
 * Unique Trigger Attack ( R1 + ):
 * Special Technique (R1 + ):
 * Musou :
 * Aerial Musou ( + ):

Weapons

 * See also: Cao Pi/Weapons

Dynasty Warriors 8
Cao Pi now uses the dual blade as his default weapon in this title.

Personal Info
Cao Pi was Cao Cao's third son, the eldest son born from one of his father's favorite concubines, Lady Bian. He was the older biological brother to Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong. According to the Book of Jin, he was born in the same area as his father's homeland, Pei Commandery, Qiao Country (modern day Bozhou, Anhui). Given the somewhat loose nature of the record, however, this has been stipulated to be a probable fabrication. Book of Wei stated he showed intellectual promise since his childhood as he divulged himself into his studies. By the time he was eight years old, Cao Pi was also a talented fencer and was capable with mounted archery. Later on in his life, his favorite drink was supposedly grape wine. His praise for the liquid is listed in the Yuwu Jianshu, in which he favored the unique richness and sweetness over other local fruits in lengthy detail.

Throughout his life, Cao Pi was a rather academic man and often retreated to reading or debating in his free time. He expressed an interest in the Zhuzhi Baijia and chose to confide with nearby intellectuals on a regular basis. Allegedly, there were four individuals whom he thought as his closest friends and confidants: Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Wu Zhi and Zhu Shuo (listed in Western Jin's Shiyu and Book of Jin). Another one of his famous friends was Xiahou Shang, a nephew of Cao Cao and Xiahou Yuan. Unlike the previously mentioned individuals, they knew one another before Cao Pi ascended the throne. Their friendship became ill fated when Cao Pi ordered the death of Xiahou Shang's beloved concubine at the request of his friend's wife. Cao Pi would regret his actions and avoided seeing Xiahou Shang to repress ill will between them. When Xiahou Shang passed away to illness shortly thereafter, Cao Pi was mournfully by his side.

Like his father, Cao Pi was a poet. However, his approach to the poetic medium was a severe contrast to his father or Cao Zhi. He doesn't emphasize the decorative or heroic prose as much as his younger brother or father. Several of his compositions hint that he was unattached to Confucianism and he was a natural skeptic. He denounced the existence of immortals and questioned the morality of ancient traditions. The poem dedicated to his father's passing expresses a tone of remorse, but it also criticizes the purpose of digging a grave for a lifeless corpse. It is thought that Cao Pi's overall level-headed and pessimistic nature led to his unpopular reputation, both in literature and -eventually- politics.

In spite of whatever reaction his poetry invoked, his Yangehang is considered the first poem with seven syllables per line, and it is a rousing piece entailing a husband lost to war. The same composition is also said to be dedicated to the people of the Yan during the Warring States Period of Chinese history, thus making the title roughly translated as "Ballad of Yan". In the Shipin, he is praised as one of the poetic "Three Caos", along with his father and Cao Zhi. He is praised as being artful yet direct with his words, offering an eccentric "flavor" than his relatives. When not composing poetry, Cao Pi wrote analytical compositions and other essays for Wei. He has been credited to have been the author to the compiled novel, Lieyizhuan, but recent research draws the centuries year old claims into question.

While the chain of internal rebellions marked disdain for his ideas, Cao Pi led a relatively peaceful reign. His country did not experience any major revolts, making it a sparse moment of rough stability during Wei's time. Even so, the historian Chen Shou commented that, while Cao Pi was of uncommon character, he was also a ruler who ultimately refused to work together with politicians and other rulers of the state. Researchers are currently questioning the neutrality of certain records regarding Cao Pi and his reign, since many are quick to denote him due to his unpopular reputation. As of late, there is a growing speculation that many -not all- of the negative events tied to him are either circumstantial or deliberately made after the fact to further distort his image.

Cao Pi had sixteen royal consorts (seventeen if counting a dubious legendary one) and sired ten sons and one daughter.

Early Career
When Cao Pi was eleven years old, he was enrolled into Cao Cao's army. Approximately at the time of his enrollment, his older brothers, Cao Ang and Cao Shuo, had already perished. Lady Liu (the mother of Cao Cao's eldest sons) had passed away at a young age and Lady Ding (Cao Cao's actual wife) refused to return to her husband. With these losses, Cao Cao gradually recognized Cao Pi to be his eldest child. His decision came as a reluctant one since he originally refused to adopt any of his other children into his family line. By 197, Cao Pi was considered the next legitimate heir for his father. According to the Book of Wei, Cao Pi was appointed to official duty but had no participation in his father's campaigns.

Four years later, he was appointed the titles Fifth Official Commander of the Palace Guards and Assistant Chancellor. Little is recorded of his time in office so it's presumed his service was mainly uneventful. According to Record of the Three Kingdoms Cao Pi at this time paid a visit to Zhu Jianping, a well versed practitioner of Xiangshu, or a type of divination method for reading a person's future. Cao Pi was among thirty or so onlookers at the fortune teller's stall. When Zhu Jianping read his fortune, he said, "You are fated to live eighty years. When you are forty, you will experience a small misfortune that might jeopardize your longevity. I hope that you overcome this minor setback and live your life to its fullest." Apparently the divination was made based on the lines of Cao Pi's palm.

In 217, Cao Pi was officially deemed a crowned prince by his father. Many believe that there was growing attribution for the succession between him and Cao Zhi, but the legitimate nature of these claims are under speculation. Before his father's death in 220, he was married to Lady Zhen. Cao Pi had apparently favored her long before their official marriage date, since their first child was born shortly after their first meeting. Some theorize that Lady Zhen's son was not actually Cao Pi's, since she isn't historically mentioned to have met Cao Pi personally until their wedding date. Her activities following her capture in 204 mainly state that she was taken prisoner and nothing more. Since records state she was with child shortly after their marriage, it is therefore more likely that their only offspring together was Princess Dongxiang.

Trivia

 * During Cao Pi's playable Dynasty Warriors debut, Western fans gave him the derogatory nickname of "Bovine Urine" due to the humorous mispronunciation of his name at the time.

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