Early life and career

Cao Hong's uncle, Cao Ding (曹鼎), served as the Prefect of the Masters of Writing (尚書令) in the Han central government. Because of this connection, Cao Hong gained an official appointment as the Chief (長) of Qichun County (蘄春縣; northwest of present-day Qichun County, Hubei).

Around 190, the warlord Cao Cao, an older second cousin of Cao Hong, raised an army to participate in the campaign against the tyrannical warlord Dong Zhuo, who controlled the Han central government. Cao Hong joined Cao Cao around this time and served as an officer in his army. Cao Cao engaged Dong Zhuo's general Xu Rong at the Battle of Xingyang, but was defeated and forced to retreat. While fleeing from the enemy, Cao Cao lost his horse so Cao Hong got off his own horse and offered it to him. When Cao Cao declined, Cao Hong said, "The world can do without (Cao) Hong, but it can't do without you." He then escorted Cao Cao on foot to the bank of the Bian River. As the river was too deep for them to wade across, Cao Hong swam around in search of a boat and finally found one. They crossed the river and returned to Cao Cao's hometown in Qiao County (譙縣; present-day Bozhou, Anhui) safely.

Chen Wen (陳溫), the Inspector of Yang Province, was on friendly terms with Cao Hong. At the time, Cao Hong had about 1,000 men from his own militia. He asked for troops from Chen Wen, who provided him with 2,000 of his best soldiers. Cao Hong then went to Danyang Commandery (丹楊郡) and managed to recruit about another 1,000 men with help from the commandery's Administrator, Zhou Xin. He brought along his 4,000 troops to meet Cao Cao at Longkang (龍亢; in present-day Huaiyuan County, Anhui) and became one of Cao Cao's most loyal followers since then.

Service under Cao Cao

Battles against Lü Bu in Yan Province

In 194, when Cao Cao was away on a campaign in Xu Province, his subordinates Zhang Miao and Chen Gong started a rebellion in his base, Yan Province, and defected to a rival warlord, Lü Bu. Around the time, a famine had broken out in Yan Province. Cao Hong led a vanguard force to retake Dongping (東平) and Fan (范) counties from Lü Bu and stockpile grain to feed the troops. After that, Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu at Puyang County (濮陽縣; west of present-day Puyang County, Henan) and defeated him. Cao Cao subsequently attacked and retook Dong'e (東阿), Jiyin (濟陰), Shanyang (山陽), Zhongmu (中牟), Yangwu (陽武), Jing (京), Mi (密) and other counties from Lü Bu. For his contributions in the Battle of Yan Province against Lü Bu, Cao Hong was first commissioned as Soaring Eagle Colonel (鷹揚校尉) and later promoted to General of the Household Who Spreads Martial Might (揚武中郎將).

Joining Cao Cao in receiving Emperor Xian

In February 196, acting on the advice of Xun Yu and Cheng Yu, Cao Cao sent Cao Hong west to fetch Emperor Xian but was blocked by Dong Cheng and Yuan Shu's subordinate Chang Nu (萇奴). In August 196, Cao Cao led his forces into Luoyang and received Emperor Xian. Two months later, he relocated the emperor to his own base in Xu (許; present-day Xuchang, Henan), where the new imperial capital was established. Emperor Xian appointed Cao Hong as a Counsellor Remonstrant (諫議大夫).

Incident with Man Chong

When Man Chong was serving as the Prefect (令) of Xu County (許縣; present-day Xuchang, Henan), he arrested some of Cao Hong's retainers who broke the law. When Cao Hong heard about it, he wrote to Man Chong, asking for their release, but Man Chong refused. Cao Hong then brought up the issue to Cao Cao, who summoned the official who was overall in charge to come and see him. Man Chong thought that Cao Cao wanted to pardon Cao Hong's retainers, so he immediately ordered their execution. Cao Cao was pleased and he remarked, "Isn't this what an officeholder should do?"

Battles against Zhang Xiu

In 197, Cao Cao lost the Battle of Wancheng against a rival warlord Zhang Xiu and retreated to Wuyin County (舞陰縣; southeast of present-day Sheqi County, Henan). After Cao Cao left Wuyin County and returned to Xu (許; present-day Xuchang, Henan), the officials in Nanyang (南陽), Zhangling (章陵) and other counties who had surrendered to him earlier rebelled and defected to Zhang Xiu's side. Cao Cao sent Cao Hong to lead troops to recapture those counties but Cao Hong failed and was forced to retreat to a garrison at Ye County (葉縣; southwest of present-day Ye County, Henan). The garrison came under multiple attacks by Zhang Xiu and his ally Liu Biao.

Battle of Guandu

In the year 200, Cao Hong participated in the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and the northern warlord Yuan Shao. When both sides were locked in a stalemate around winter, Cao Cao heeded the advice of Xu You, a defector from Yuan Shao's side, and personally led 5,000 riders to raid Yuan's supply depot at Wuchao (烏巢; southeast of present-day Yanjin County, Henan), which was guarded by Chunyu Qiong. Cao Hong was ordered to remain behind to guard Cao Cao's main camp during the raid. Cao Cao succeeded in destroying Yuan Shao's supplies in the raid and killed Chunyu Qiong in battle.

When Yuan Shao heard that Wuchao was under attack, he sent his generals Zhang He and Gao Lan (高覽) to attack Cao Cao's main camp in the hope of diverting Cao's attention away from Wuchao. However, Zhang He and Gao Lan, already frustrated with Yuan Shao, ended up defecting to Cao Cao's side instead. They destroyed their own camps and led their men to Cao Cao's main camp to surrender. Cao Hong was initially suspicious about Zhang He and Gao Lan, but Xun You managed to convince him to accept their surrender.

Battles against Liu Biao and promotions

Cao Hong participated in the campaign against the warlord Liu Biao in Jing Province and defeated Liu's subordinates in battles at Wuyang (舞陽), Yinye (陰葉), Duyang (堵陽) and Bowang (博望). For his achievements, he was promoted to General of Sharp Edge (厲鋒將軍) and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Guoming Village (國明亭侯). Later, as he made more contributions in battles, he was further promoted to Protector-General (都護將軍).

Hanzhong Campaign

In the winter of 217, the warlord Liu Bei sent Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Wu Lan (吳蘭) and others to garrison at Xiabian County (下辯縣; northwest of present-day Cheng County, Gansu) in preparation for an invasion of Hanzhong Commandery, which Cao Cao had seized from the warlord Zhang Lu after the Battle of Yangping in 215. Cao Cao ordered Cao Hong to lead forces to resist the enemy, with Cao Xiu serving as Cao Hong's adviser. Cao Cao had told Cao Xiu, "You may be an adviser, but you're actually the commander." When Cao Hong received the order, he delegated his command to Cao Xiu. Cao Hong heeded Cao Xiu's advice and defeated Wu Lan in the spring of 218 and killed Wu's deputy, Ren Kui (任夔). Wu Lan was slain by Qiangduan (強端), a Di chieftain from Yinping (陰平). Zhang Fei was forced to retreat.

Cao Hong then threw a party to celebrate his victory. He ordered some prostitutes to dress scantily and dance on drums to entertain everyone. Yang Fu, one of Cao Cao's advisers, openly reprimanded Cao Hong for the indecency of the performance, and then stormed out. Cao Hong immediately called off the performance and invited Yang Fu to return to his seat.

Service in the state of Cao Wei

Cao Cao died in 220. Later that year, his son and successor Cao Pi ended the Eastern Han dynasty and established the state of Cao Wei with himself as the emperor. Cao Pi appointed Cao Hong as General of the Guards (衞將軍) and promoted him to General of Agile Cavalry (驃騎將軍). He also made Cao Hong the Marquis of Yewang (野王侯) and gave him an additional 1,000 taxable households for his marquisate, making it 2,100 households in total. Cao Hong's marquis title was later renamed to "Marquis of Duyang" (都陽侯).

Cao Hong was wealthy but was also known for being stingy with his wealth. When Cao Cao was still the Minister of Works, he set an example by getting the county offices to keep records of the accounts of officials, including his. When he heard that his personal wealth was equivalent to Cao Hong's, he remarked, "How can my personal wealth be the same as Zilian's?"

Fall from grace

In the past, when Cao Pi was still a youth, he once asked Cao Hong for a loan, but the stingy Cao Hong rejected him. Later, when Cao Pi was Cao Cao's heir apparent, he once asked Cao Hong to donate 100 rolls of silk but Cao Hong refused. Cao Pi bore a grudge against Cao Hong because of this. After Cao Pi became emperor, he found an opportunity to take revenge against Cao Hong. In one incident, when Cao Hong's retainers committed crimes, Cao Pi used the incident as an excuse to accuse Cao Hong of negligence and had him imprisoned to await execution. When his ministers tried to persuade him to spare Cao Hong, Cao Pi refused to listen.

Apparently, Cao Hong had previously offended Cao Zhen, another relative of Cao Cao who also served as a general in Wei. In 224, when Cao Zhen returned from a campaign, Cao Pi ordered Wu Zhi to host a banquet in his residence in Cao Zhen's honour. During the banquet, Wu Zhi instructed actors to put up a skit to make fun of Cao Zhen and Zhu Shuo (朱鑠), who were fat and thin respectively. Cao Zhen was enraged and he shouted at Wu Zhi, "Are you and your men seeking a fight with me and my men?" Cao Hong and Wang Zhong egged Wu Zhi on by saying, "If you want to make the General (Cao Zhen) admit that he is fat, you have to show that you're thin." Cao Zhen drew his sword, glared at them and said, "I'll kill whoever dares to mock me." When Cao Hong got into trouble later, Cao Zhen told Cao Pi, "If Cao Hong is to be executed, he'll definitely say something nasty about me." Cao Pi replied, "I'll deal with him myself. Why do you need to worry?"

Cao Pi's mother, Empress Dowager Bian, intervened and scolded her son, "If not for what Zilian did at Liang (梁) and Pei (沛), you wouldn't have made it to where you are today." She also told Cao Pi's empress, Guo Nüwang, "If Cao Hong dies today, tomorrow I'll make the Emperor remove you from your position as Empress." The empress then tearfully pleaded with Cao Pi several times to spare Cao Hong. Cao Pi finally agreed to spare Cao Hong, but stripped him of his appointments and titles and confiscated his properties. After Empress Dowager Bian intervened again, Cao Pi reluctantly returned Cao Hong his properties but did not restore him to his former positions. Upon learning that Cao Pi had pardoned him, Cao Hong was so overjoyed that he wrote a memorial to the emperor to express his remorse and said he would spend the rest of his life behind the walls of his home.

Rehabilitation and death

As Cao Hong was highly regarded for having made great contributions in the past, many people were upset over his demotion and fall from grace. Cao Pi died in 226 and was succeeded by his son, Cao Rui, as the emperor of Wei. Cao Rui rehabilitated Cao Hong by appointing him as General of the Rear (後將軍) and enfeoffing him as the Marquis of Lecheng (樂城侯) with 1,000 taxable households as his marquisate. Later, he promoted Cao Hong to General of Agile Cavalry (驃騎將軍).

Cao Hong died in 232 and was given the posthumous title "Marquis Gong" (恭侯), which means "humble(d) marquis". His title, Marquis of Lecheng (樂城侯), was passed on to his son, Cao Fu (曹馥). Cao Zhen (曹震), another son of Cao Hong, had already previously been enfeoffed as a marquis. Cao Yu (曹瑜), an older relative of Cao Hong, was known for being conscientious and respectful, and had served as General of the Guards (衞將軍) and been enfeoffed as a marquis as well. Cao Hong's daughter, who was known for her beautiful looks, married Xun Can, a son of Xun Yu. She died a few years after their marriage, and Xun Can was so grieved by her death that he also died a few years later.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Cao Hong appears as a minor character in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticises the events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. In chapter 58, Cao Hong had a rather prominent role at the Battle of Tong Pass between Cao Cao and a coalition of northwestern warlords led by Ma Chao and Han Sui. Cao Cao had instructed Cao Hong to guard Tong Pass for ten days at all costs and not leave his post. However, after hearing taunts from the enemy for nine days, Cao Hong finally gave in to his anger and led his troops out of the pass to engage the enemy. He not only lost the battle but also lost the pass as well. Cao Cao was so angry with Cao Hong that he wanted to execute him for disobeying orders, but his subordinates stopped him. Later on, Cao Hong redeemed himself by risking his life to save Cao Cao, who was fleeing from the battlefield after being defeated by Ma Chao. Cao Hong blocked Ma Chao from chasing Cao Cao and duelled with him for about 100 rounds until Ma gave up and retreated. Cao Cao pardoned Cao Hong for his earlier mistake after taking into consideration how Cao Hong saved his life. There is no mention of these incidents in historical records.

生平

君之左右

曹洪在曹操起兵參加討董卓聯軍時，已經加入曹操軍。軍到滎陽時，曹軍為董卓將領徐榮所敗，敵軍一路追殺，曹操失去坐騎，曹洪趕至，立刻下馬讓給曹操，曹操推辭，曹洪說：「天下可無洪，不可無公。」便徒步跟隨到汴水，因水過深不能渡，曹洪得來一艘船，與曹操過河，歸還奔譙。揚州刺史陳溫與曹洪有深厚交情，曹洪帶千多名家兵到陳溫處募兵，在廬江募得上等甲士千餘人，東到丹楊又募得數千人，與曹操會師龍亢。

各處轉戰

193年，呂布乘曹操東征徐州，偷襲兗州，曹操立即還擊呂布，相方對峙，時值大饑荒，曹洪列兵在前，先佔據東平、范，聚於劤谷以補給軍隊。曹操成功打敗呂布，曹洪屯兵於東阿，再轉戰濟陰、山陽、中牟、陽武、京、密等十多縣，皆攻克，以前後軍功拜為鷹揚校尉，再升為揚武中郎將。196年，迎漢獻帝至許昌，再拜為諫議大夫。

200年官渡之戰，與徐晃出擊，後火燒烏巢事件，聽從荀攸的勸告，收納了袁紹舊將張郃。

後南征劉表，破舞陽、陰葉、堵陽、博望的劉表軍，數有戰功，升為厲鋒將軍，封國明亭侯。屢屢征伐有功，拜為都護將軍。

215年參與討伐張魯，並與留守鄴城的曹丕互打筆仗。

217年參與討伐劉備將領吳蘭的下辨之戰，當時吳蘭駐扎在隴西郡下辨，劉備派遣張飛援救吳蘭，最終曹軍擊敗吳蘭，張飛逃走。

219年參與漢中之戰，與曹真、張既等人配合。

晚年

曹丕稱帝，任曹洪為衛將軍，再升驃騎將軍，封野王侯，增食邑千戶，並前共二千一百戶，後再轉封都陽侯。

曹丕年少時向他借錢被拒絕，曹丕懷恨在心。曹丕為太子時，又向曹洪借絹百匹，曹洪再次無法讓曹丕滿意。曹丕稱帝後，藉口曹洪的食客犯法，將曹洪收監，等候處死。群臣進諫求情，曹丕都不聽，曹丕之母卞太后盛怒之下對郭皇后說：「令曹洪今日死，吾明日敕帝廢后矣。（如果曹洪今日被處死，我明日便讓陛下廢了你的后座。）」郭皇后急忙去盡力周旋，於是曹丕才饒過曹洪性命，但仍要削官職、封邑，免為庶人，時卻是黃初七年（226年）正月。

明帝曹叡即位，拜後將軍，更封樂城侯，再增食邑千戶，再次拜為驃騎將軍。232年曹洪病逝，謚為恭侯。243年，受到曹操祖廟連同祭祀。

特徵

曹洪家裡很富有，曹操任司空時，親自帶頭將每次月調儲在縣，曹洪所儲之款連曹操也自認不及。但是為人吝嗇小氣，因為早年打死不借錢給曹丕，才遭到牢獄之苦，最終在卞太后強迫郭皇后求情之下才可被赦免。之後曹丕接著要沒收曹洪家產，在卞太后的要求下作罷。

又在漢中之戰擊退張飛、馬超等大辦慶功宴，期間令歌女跳脫衣舞，引起當地士人楊阜的譴責；此時曹操譏諷曹洪，說曹洪的貪財好色如同劉邦，辛毗和曹休如同張良、陳平匡正他的過失。

又早在曹操的豫州時期，其門客有少數「數犯法」，先後被長社縣令楊沛和許縣令滿寵懲治。不久任都護將軍的期間，曾強迫建安七子的阮瑀任其書記，但被婉拒。

《魏略》記載曹洪藉著自身才疏為由，想讓才學的司馬懿去幫助自己，司馬懿恥於和曹洪來往，藉口病到拄拐杖的地步無法去見曹洪。因此曹洪記恨司馬懿，去跟曹操打小報告，司馬懿在曹操徵召下才丟掉拐杖入仕。

據《三國志·司馬芝傳》載，明帝時期（226～232），由於曹洪的乳母與臨汾公主的僕人一起淫祀無澗神，而被司馬芝下獄。

另詳見陳琳的《為曹洪與魏文帝書》，此書信收錄於《文選卷四十一·書上》。

家庭

父輩

• 曹鼎，曹洪伯父，尚書令

• 曹瑜，曹洪族父，衛將軍，封列侯

子女

• 曹馥，曹洪之子，繼承曹洪爵位

• 曹震，曹洪之子，封列侯

• 曹氏，曹洪之女，荀粲妻，有美色，早亡

評價

• 陳壽：「夏侯、曹氏，世為婚姻，故惇、淵、仁、洪、休、尚、真等並以親舊肺腑，貴重于時，左右勳業，咸有效勞。」

• 卞太后：「梁、沛之間，非子廉無有今日。」

• 曹操：「我家貲那得如子廉耶！」

• 王嘉：「曹洪忠烈為心，愛親憂國。」

• 李贄：「曹洪者，操之忠，漢之賊也。」

藝術形象

三國演義

初始與曹仁共同為曹操舉兵，多活躍於曹操軍為主的大型戰役，在南郡之戰單挑敗給韓當。

潼關之戰以先鋒身份與徐晃守潼關時，被馬超軍士挑釁辱罵曹家三代。曹洪因此大怒，不顧徐晃阻攔去應戰馬超，潼關失守後與徐晃被擊退並得曹仁援救，差點被曹操命令處斬，不過之後因援護曹操而受其感激並被重賞。

漢中之戰時張郃中張飛計謀而失守瓦口關，曹洪氣得將張郃處斬，不過在郭淮的請求下赦免張郃。曹丕篡漢時，與曹休領軍入宮，將辱罵自身的符寶郎祖弼殺害並奪走玉璽，此後再無曹洪墨跡。

戲劇

中國傳統戲曲中曹洪的角色，臉譜勾成紅色碎花臉，表示其忠勇。

電視劇及電影

• 1994年電視劇《三國演義》：分別由馬奉年、霍爾查、巴拉珠爾、全力平、王捷飾演曹洪

• 1994年電視劇《東方小故事之滿寵執法》：李京飾演曹洪

• 1996年電視劇《三國英雄傳之關公》：張至成飾演曹洪

• 1999年電視劇《曹操》：羅永東飾演曹洪

• 2008年電影《赤壁》及《赤壁2：決戰天下》：王輝飾演曹洪

• 2010年電視劇《三國》：李代慶飾演曹洪

• 2013年電視劇《曹操》：韓涵飾演曹洪

• 2017年電視劇《軍師聯盟》：陳之輝飾演曹洪

動漫遊戲

• 《橫山光輝三國志》（橫山光輝）

• 《蒼天航路》（王欣太）

• 《火鳳燎原》（陳某）