Archaeologists Were Excavating A Hidden Tomb When They Found The Body Of An Ancient Chinese Warlord

In 2008, some workers were digging near the kiln where they plied their trade when they stumbled across an old stone tablet. Presumably hoping to profit from this apparently ancient artifact, they kept quiet about their find. But the men were caught and astonishingly, the tablet turned out to be from the tomb of one of China's greatest warlords and leaders, Cao Cao, who ruled some 1,800 years ago. Cao Cao lived in eastern China from 155 to 220 A.D. during a turbulent time in Chinese history known as the Three Kingdoms period. He was born in the provincial city of Bozhou into minor aristocracy. His father had been adopted by a certain Cao Teng who had been one of Emperor Huan's favorite court eunuchs. Cao Cao's political career started at the youthful age of 20 when he was given the position of district captain of the city of Laoyang. There, he formed a reputation for ruthlessness by flogging people for even minor transgressions of city laws, no matter what their social standing. Cao Cao now served in various administrative posts, alternately falling in and out of favor at the imperial court where the internal wranglings were complex and sometimes deadly. Eventually, Cao Cao's own father, Cao Song, was killed by rivals in 193, demonstrating just how dangerous the politics of these restless years in China could be. The background of this story of rebellions and attempted coups was the fact that the long-lasting Han dynasty was drawing to a close. The Han line of emperors was established in 206 B.C. and held sway over China for some four centuries. As it came to an end, the country was thrown into chaos. The political situation in eastern China, perilous though it was, offered opportunities to ambitious men like Cao Cao. He fought in a seemingly endless series of local conflicts, emerging in the year 16 as the man who controlled the last of the Han emperors, Zhan. However, although he now had Zhan in his hands, he declined to actually overthrow the emperor. But Cao Cao's control of the emperor did not impress his rival warlords and they continued to oppose him after 1986. In a complicated choreography of attack and counterattack, Cao Cao had vanquished his main adversaries by around 199. This enabled him to control more territory. However, one previously defeated warlord, Liu Bei, soon rebelled against Cao Cao's authority and warfare broke out. Cao Cao subsequently crushed Liu Bei's troops, prompting the rebel to flee and join forces with another warlord, Yuan Shao. And together they mustered an army of 100,000 with the aim of usurping Cao Cao's power over the emperor. After a series of indecisive skirmishes and battles stretching for a couple of years, Yuan Shao died. His two sons now took over the fight, although they also became brotherly rivals. But Cao Cao defeated them and other adversaries to take control of almost all of northern China. The two sons tried to elicit the support of a local chieftain, but he killed them and had their heads delivered to Cao Cao, decisively ending their challenge to his authority. With northern China firmly under his iron grip, Cao Cao now turned his attention to the south. But he had little success in a series of battles known as the Red Cliffs Campaign. After that disappointment, Cao Cao resolved to concentrate on crushing opposition that remained in the north. Cao Cao succeeded in suppressing his remaining northern enemies and in 216 was given the title King of Huai. China remained divided into three kingdoms, with Cao Cao at the head of one of them. He died at the age of 65 in 220 with instructions that he should be buried simply without valuable grave goods. But his final wish was to be ignored by his own son. And not long after his father's death, Cao Cao's son, Cao Pai, compelled Emperor Xian to abdicate. Cao Pai now declared himself as emperor and elevated his dead father to the position of Grand Ancestor Emperor Wu of Wei. At last, albeit only after his death, Cao Cao became an emperor. A legend grew that Cao Cao had 72 tombs built for himself in a bid to foil grave robbers. But in fact, Cao Pai built his father a large and elaborate tomb, despite Cao Cao's wish for a simple burial. But it seems that at some stage, Cao Pai came to fear the depredations of tomb robbers and ordered that the mausoleum be demolished, or at any rates those parts of it that were above ground. This led to a mystery that lasted for centuries. Where was the tomb of this famous figure from Chinese history? So, when the kiln workers stumbled across this mysterious-toned tablet as described earlier, it seemed that they'd solved the riddle. As a result, the Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau announced in 2009 that the tomb of Cao Cao had indeed been found. But other experts cast doubts on these claims and a hot-tempered controversy ensued. Then in 2018, after further exploration of the site, Henan authorities reiterated their belief of nine years ago. Cao Cao's mausoleum had almost certainly been discovered. Excavation of the tomb has yielded an array of stunning artifacts. These included paintings of daily scenes from Chinese life from nearly 2,000 years ago, inscribed stone tablets and exquisite ornaments made of agate. Also discovered in the tomb were the remains of two women. The identities of these two women continues to be a mystery. It had been believed that Cao Cao was buried with his wife, who would have been in her mid-70s, but these two women were much younger, in their 20s and 50s respectively. Meanwhile, another grave, adjacent to the main tomb, contained what may be the body of Cao Cao's first son, who died while still young. The mausoleum itself is of truly monumental proportions. It covers an area of nearly 8,000 square feet and is approached by a passageway 130 feet long. In total, some 250 items were retrieved from the tomb. These artifacts have the potential to provide valuable insights into the China of almost two millennia ago. And the evidence that this is indeed the long-lost tomb of Cao Cao is strong. Among the artifacts that were discovered are stone tablets attached to weapons and carrying the inscription, This is what the King of Wei Wu used. Wei was the name of the kingdom that Cao Cao ruled. Now plans are afoot to build a museum centered on this magnificent archaeological site. And at last there will be a suitable memorial to the man who, according to history, was not only a fierce warrior and skilled general, but also an accomplished calligrapher and poet.