Why Emperor Xian Plotted Against Cao Cao

Cao Cao had rescued Emperor Xian from one kind of danger.

But the emperor now lived under Cao Cao's control. Safety had become captivity.

Yuan Shao Became the Great Northern Threat

Before the robe-and-belt plot exploded, Cao Cao's larger problem was Yuan Shao.

Zhang Xiu eventually submitted to Cao Cao again. Jia Xu advised it, even though Zhang Xiu had once helped cause the Wancheng disaster. His reasoning was cold and clear. Cao Cao held the emperor, so he had legitimacy. Cao Cao was weaker than Yuan Shao, so he would value new support. And a ruler with great ambition would set aside a private feud if the gain was large enough.

Cao Cao did exactly that. He welcomed Zhang Xiu, arranged marriage ties, gave him honors, and brought Jia Xu into his own service.

Yuan Shao was furious that Cao Cao used imperial edicts to pressure others. He sent an arrogant letter. Cao Cao's advisers, including Xun Yu and Guo Jia, argued that Yuan Shao looked strong but had deep weaknesses in command, judgment, and discipline.

Cao Cao also had to calm the western frontier, where Ma Teng and Han Sui mattered. He could not afford enemies on every side before facing Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao, meanwhile, had recently finished off Gongsun Zan in the north and could now look south with enormous confidence.

He had pedigree, troops, territory, and momentum. Some of his advisers wanted caution and consolidation, but the pull of a direct campaign against Cao Cao was growing stronger.

Liu Biao Watched and Hesitated

Liu Biao in Jingzhou also faced a choice.

He sent Han Song to Xu to observe Cao Cao's court. Han Song warned Liu Biao before leaving: if he went and accepted imperial authority there, he would become the emperor's servant, not simply Liu Biao's agent.

That is exactly what happened. Han Song returned praising the court and urging Liu Biao to align with it. Liu Biao became angry and wanted to kill him, but Han Song reminded him of the warning. Liu Biao imprisoned him instead.

This was the strange power of Cao Cao's position. He controlled the emperor, but the emperor's name still pulled men toward Xu.

The Emperor Wanted a Way Out

Inside Xu, Emperor Xian was not free.

The court still contained people who saw Cao Cao as a domineering minister. They did not accept that the Han emperor should exist only as a political tool.

There was even an attempt to assassinate Cao Cao in his own camp. Xu Chu, one of Cao Cao's guards, stopped it.

The deeper plot centered on Dong Cheng, a relative by marriage of the imperial household. Emperor Xian, unhappy with Cao Cao's domination, issued a secret edict hidden in a robe and belt. The message called for loyal men to remove Cao Cao.

Dong Cheng drew in men such as Zhong Ji, Wu Zilan, Wang Fu, and Liu Bei.

The danger was enormous. The plot used the emperor's personal authority against the man who controlled the emperor.

Green Plums and Thunder

Liu Bei was in Cao Cao's sphere at this time, but he was never a comfortable subordinate.

In the famous story of the green plums and warmed wine, Cao Cao tested him by discussing who the real heroes of the age were. Cao Cao dismissed many powerful names and finally pointed to Liu Bei and himself.

Liu Bei was so startled that he dropped his chopsticks. A clap of thunder gave him an excuse. He pretended the thunder had frightened him.

Cao Cao let the moment pass.

Then Liu Bei found a way out. Yuan Shu, whose false imperial claim had collapsed, was trying to move north. Liu Bei asked to lead troops to intercept him.

Cao Cao agreed. Cheng Yu and Guo Jia warned him that he had released a tiger, but it was too late.

Liu Bei blocked Yuan Shu, who soon died. Then Liu Bei turned against Cao Cao's local control in Xuzhou. He killed Che Zhou, the inspector Cao Cao had placed there. Guan Yu guarded Xiapi, while Liu Bei stayed at Xiaopei and drew support from many people in the region.

He also contacted Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao Crushed the Plot

In 200, the robe-and-belt conspiracy was exposed.

Cao Cao killed Dong Cheng and the others involved. The punishment reached into the imperial circle and made Emperor Xian even more isolated.

The episode also made Cao Cao's political contradiction sharper.

He needed the emperor alive and useful. The emperor's name allowed Cao Cao to issue commands, reward allies, condemn enemies, and present himself as the defender of Han order. But the same emperor could become a source of secret resistance. Cao Cao could control the court building, but he could not fully control what the Han name still meant to people inside it.

Then Cao Cao faced a hard choice. Yuan Shao was preparing a massive southern campaign. Should Cao Cao stay north and wait, or first eliminate Liu Bei in Xuzhou?

Guo Jia argued that Yuan Shao was slow and indecisive, while Liu Bei was newly risen and not yet stable. Cao Cao struck Liu Bei first.

Tian Feng urged Yuan Shao to attack Xu while Cao Cao was away. Yuan Shao refused, saying his child was ill.

Cao Cao moved fast. He defeated Liu Bei, captured his family, took Xiapi, and gained Guan Yu. Liu Bei fled north to Yuan Shao.

The robe-and-belt edict had failed. Emperor Xian was more tightly trapped than before. Liu Bei had escaped one net only to run into another.

Cao Cao returned to Guandu with the court subdued behind him and Yuan Shao gathering ahead of him.

That was the strange shape of his power. Behind him stood an emperor who did not truly trust him. Before him stood the largest military bloc in the north. Between those two pressures, Cao Cao had to fight the battle that would decide whether his entire Xuchang system survived.

The next episode follows the Battle of Guandu, where Cao Cao's survival and Yuan Shao's failure changed the entire balance of the age.