Cao Zhang Cao Zhang ( died 223 ) , Ziwen , was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period . He was a son of Cao Cao , a warlord who rose to power towards the end of the Han Dynasty and laid the foundation of Wei . Cao Zhang was said to have wrestled and killed wild animals with his bare hands . He was also a general under his father , having led his troops to significant victories against Wuhuan tribe incursions on the northern frontier . Background . The second of Cao Cao ' s four sons by Empress Dowager Bian , Cao Zhang was said to excel and obsessed in archery and armed combat in his youth so much so that he would fight fierce beasts with his bare hands . Though Cao Cao criticised his lack of academic learning , Cao Zhang had always aspired to pursue a career in the military . Once , his father sent him to the imperial University to study , but Cao Zhang lamented to his aides , saying a real man should command the army to make a name for himself instead of being a Doctor ( a Doctor was both an academic degree and a formal court title for many Chinese dynasties ) . As a general . When the Wuhuan tribe rebelled on the northern frontier in 218 , Cao Zhang , holding the rank of Northern General of the Household , acting on the authority of General of the Resolute Cavalry ( 驍騎將軍 ) , led a force of 1 , 000 infantry and several hundreds of cavalry from central government to suppress the revolt . Before his departure , Cao Cao summoned him and specially warned him : " We are father and son in home , but we are supervisor and subordinate when assigned a task : the law will be applied straightly if you ever made any mistake , keep this in mind . " When Cao Zhang arrived the field , his force had not been joined by that of the local government as planned . Outnumbered by the enemy , Cao Zhang took up a passive stance and defended the vital passes and routes . The rebels could not gain an advantage and dissipated . Cao Zhang then led his force out in pursuit , displaying great valour in the ensuing battles . The " Records of the Three Kingdoms " says several arrows were embedded in his armor by the end of a half - day long battle . Despite opposition from his subordinates , he ordered the pursuit be continued after the initial victory . One of his staff came out and reminded him that Cao Cao ' s order was that the army could not cross the jurisdiction of Dai , and further pursuit was straightly prohibited , but Cao Zhang argued that a good general did not follow dull orders , and threatened if anyone did not join the pursuit would be penalized with death sentence ; thus , they performed a 24 hours dash to catch up with the Wuhuan cavalry , and dealt the latter a major blow which caused a few thousands casualties . The Xianbei tribe leader Kebineng had led a ten - thousand strong cavalry force nearby to observe the ongoing war between Han and Wuhuan . Having seen the splendid victories Cao Zhang scored , Kebineng submitted to him . Unrest on the northern frontier was then quelled . Cao Zhang then hurried west to take part in the Hanzhong Campaign against Liu Bei . Upon reaching Chang ' an , however , he found out that the war had already been lost . Cao Cao then promoted his son to General of the Elite Cavalry ( 越騎將軍 ) and left him to defend Chang ' an against probable advances of Liu Bei . Death . Shortly after returning to Luoyang in 220 , Cao Cao fell ill . He died as Cao Zhang was en route to see him . His successor Cao Pi then sent all his brothers , including Cao Zhang , back to their individual fiefdoms , for fear that they might contest his position . In 222 , Cao Zhang was enfeoffed as King of Rencheng ( 任城王 ) . In the following year , Cao Zhang died due to sickness whilst attending court at the capital . He received the posthumous appellation of Wei ( 威 ) , literally meaning awe - inspiring . Theory of death . There are legends surrounding the death of Cao Zhang . The most famous of these legends is that Cao Zhang was poisoned by his own brother Cao Pi . After Cao Cao died , Cao Zhang was summoned to the palace by Cao Pi . During a casual conversation , Cao Zhang asked his brother if he could see his royal seal . This got Cao Pi worried that his brother wanted to succeed the throne of Cao Cao , which was rightfully Cao Pi ' s , and therefore Cao Pi decided to kill him . Cao Pi knew that Zhang was his mother Empress Bian ' s favourite son , so in order to get away with it , he had to make Cao Zhang ' s death seem natural . A few weeks later , Cao Pi invited his brother to a game of weiqi during their mother ' s birthday . The match was very close in the middle game when Cao Pi ' s servants brought some prunes , some that were poisoned . Cao Pi made sure he ate the unmarked ones that were not poisonous and make sure his brother ate the other ones . When Cao Zhang realized that he had been poisoned , he screamed for help . Empress Bian got to the scene on her bare feet and tried to search for water to flush down the poison that was now in Cao Zhang ' s body . But unfortunately for Cao Zhang , the crafty Cao Pi had secretly placed all the containers away beforehand and so Empress Bian failed to get the water ; Cao Zhang then died at the hands of his own brother . In fiction . " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " , a historical novel by Luo Guanzhong , was a romanticization of the events that occurred before and during the Three Kingdoms era . The author probably exaggerated the tension between Cao Zhang and his elder brother Cao Pi just after their father Cao Cao ' s death . Cao Pi , the eldest surviving son of Cao Cao and the rightful heir , succeeded his late father . However , news came that Cao Zhang , leading a hundred - thousand strong army from Chang ' an , was approaching the capital . Cao Pi was gripped by fear that his brother would contest the heirship with the military power he held . Jia Kui , a counsellor to Cao Pi , then volunteered to persuade Cao Zhang to desist . Going out of the city , Jia Kui met with Cao Zhang . The latter was then asked if he came as a mourner or a rival claimant to the heirship . " I come as a mourner with no ulterior motive , " replied Cao Zhang . " That being so , why bring in your soldiers ? " Jia Kui said , whereupon Cao Zhang ordered his troops to wait outside the city while he entered alone . When the brothers met , they embraced and wept . Cao Zhang then passed the command of his force to Cao Pi and returned to his own fiefdom . Thus Cao Pi ' s position was more or less secured .