Cao Jingzong

Biography

Family Background and Early Life

Cao Jingzong was born into a military family. His father Cao Xinzhi rose under Liu Song to the positions of General Who Conquers the Caitiffs and Inspector of Xu Province. Cao Jingzong was skilled at riding and archery from childhood and loved hunting. He often rode with dozens of young men in the marshes in pursuit of deer. While others feared accidentally shooting one another's horses as animals and riders mixed together, Cao Jingzong shot without hesitation and repeatedly brought down deer, taking great pleasure in the chase.

Before he was twenty, Cao Xinzhi once traveled outside the province on official business with only Cao Jingzong and a few attendants. Several hundred armed local tribesmen surrounded them. Cao Jingzong had more than one hundred arrows and rode back and forth shooting, killing an attacker with nearly every arrow. The attackers were frightened and fled. From then on he became famous for courage.

Cao Jingzong also enjoyed reading historical works. Whenever he read the biographies of Sima Rangju or Yue Yi, he would put down the book and sigh: “A man should be like this.” The source treats this as evidence of his early ambition and admiration for famous generals.

Entry into Office and Early Campaigns

Cao Jingzong was once summoned to serve in the western bureau but did not take the post. During the Yuanhui era of the deposed Liu Song emperor, he accompanied his father to the capital and served successively as Fengchaoqing, Yuanwai, and Left Civil Personnel Gentleman in the Secretariat. After Cao Xinzhi died, he returned home for mourning.

After completing mourning, Inspector Xiao Chifu appointed him central-army staff officer under the Champion General and concurrently Administrator of Tianshui. In the early Jianyuan era of Southern Qi, tribal unrest occurred in Tianshui and Cao Jingzong led repeated campaigns that achieved results. When Xiao Qiang, Prince of Poyang, became Inspector of Yong Province, he appointed Cao Jingzong central-army staff officer under the General Who Conquers the Caitiffs, Administrator of Fengyi, and supervisor of military affairs south of Xian, and Cao was later appointed Cavalry Commandant.

In 495, Northern Wei Emperor Xiaowen, Tuoba Hong, launched a major attack on Zheyang. Cao Jingzong, then serving as a subordinate general, repeatedly charged at the front and made numerous kills and captures. He was promoted to General of Roaming Cavalry.

Northern Campaign with Chen Xianda

In 497, Cao Jingzong followed Defender-in-chief Chen Xianda in a northern siege of Maquan in present-day Henan. With two thousand men he laid an ambush and defeated forty thousand Northern Wei reinforcements led by Yuan Ying, Prince of Zhongshan. After Maquan fell, Chen Xianda ranked Cao Jingzong relatively low in the distribution of merit, but Cao made no complaint. When Tuoba Hong later returned with a large army, Chen Xianda fled at night and lost his way. Cao Jingzong guided him and preserved Chen and his sons. The source presents the campaign as proof that Cao combined bravery with tactical ability, concern for the larger situation, and willingness to set aside personal grievance.

Following Xiao Yan and Founding Liang

In 498, Xiao Yan became Inspector of Yong Province. Cao Jingzong formed a close friendship with him and often invited him to drink and converse at his home. With the realm increasingly unstable, Xiao Yan valued Cao Jingzong highly. In 499 he recommended him as Administrator of Jingling and Champion General.

In 500 Xiao Yan rose against Xiao Baojuan, the Marquess of Donghun. Cao Jingzong gathered followers and joined him. He sent his confidant Du Sichong to advise Xiao Yan first to bring Xiao Baorong, Prince of Nankang, to Xiangyang and make him emperor before beginning the campaign, but Xiao Yan did not adopt the proposal. After reaching Jingling, Xiao Yan sent Cao Jingzong and Champion General Wang Mao across the river to besiege Yingcheng.

By the seventh month Yingcheng surrendered. Cao Jingzong led the advance to Nanzhou and commanded cavalry and infantry against Jiankang. In the ninth month Xiao Yan sent Cao Jingzong and others to Jiangning. Xiao Baojuan's commander Li Jushi held Xinting with a large force and brought one thousand elite cavalry to oppose Cao. Cao Jingzong had only just arrived, had not yet established camp, and his soldiers had marched a long distance with worn armor and weapons. Li Jushi became contemptuous and advanced with drums beating to challenge him. Cao Jingzong fought hard and routed Li's troops. Qi soldiers abandoned their armor and fled, leaving equipment behind. Cao pressed forward with drums, pursued them to Zaojia Bridge, and only then encamped. He later formed mutually supporting positions with Wang Mao and Lü Sengzhen and defeated Southern Qi general Wang Zhenguo at Dahang. After Jiankang fell, Cao was appointed Cavalier in Regular Attendance and General of the Right Guard, enfeoffed as Marquis of Xiangxi County with 1,600 households, and then given a tally and authority over military affairs in Ying and Si provinces as General of the Left and Inspector of Ying Province.

In 502 Xiao Yan became emperor and founded Liang. For his service, Cao Jingzong was promoted to General Who Pacifies the West and transferred to the title Marquis of Jingling County.

Defeat at Yiyang and Victory at Zhongli

In the tenth month of 503, Northern Wei attacked Si Province. The following second month Xiao Yan sent Cao Jingzong and Rear Army General Wang Sengbing with thirty thousand infantry and cavalry to relieve Yiyang. Wang Sengbing led twenty thousand to Zaoxian, south of present-day Xinyang, while Cao Jingzong followed with ten thousand. Yuan Ying sent Yuan Cheng and others to Fan City to block the relief force. In the third month Yuan Cheng defeated the Liang troops, killing or capturing more than four thousand. Cao Jingzong remained at Zaoxian, where the source says he largely displayed his army and hunted rather than advancing. In the eighth month, with no effective relief and the defenders exhausted, Cai Ling'en surrendered Yiyang. Northern Wei occupied the city and made it Ying Province. Censor-in-chief Ren Fang impeached Cao Jingzong, but Xiao Yan, remembering his earlier service, suppressed the case and instead recalled him to court as General of the Guard. Cao later again became Cavalier in Regular Attendance and General of the Right Guard.

In the ninth month of 506, Northern Wei Emperor Xuanwu, Yuan Ke, sought a decisive victory over Liang and ordered Yuan Ying to capture Matou west of Zhongli and move its stored grain north. Xiao Yan sent Chang Yizhi, Inspector of Xu Province, to garrison Zhongli. In the tenth month Yuan Ying and General Who Pacifies the East Xiao Baoyin besieged the city. In the eleventh month Xiao Yan ordered Cao Jingzong to command two hundred thousand troops to relieve Zhongli, with Wei Rui, Inspector of Yu Province, serving under his direction. Xiao Yan instructed Cao to camp first on Daoren Islet in the Huai northeast of present-day Fengyang and wait for all units before advancing together. Wanting sole credit, Cao advanced immediately; a sudden gale caused many soldiers to drown, and he had to return to Daoren Islet.

In the first month of 507, Yuan Ying and General Who Pacifies the East Yang Dayan attacked Zhongli with several hundred thousand troops. They built bridges and stockades on both banks of Shaoyang Islet west of Daoren Islet to create a crossing over the Huai. In the second month Wei Rui led reinforcements from Hefei and joined Cao Jingzong at Shaoyang Islet. At night Wei Rui dug a long trench and planted chevaux-de-frise twenty li in front of Cao's camp, cutting across the islet to form a fortified position scarcely more than a hundred paces from the Wei forts. At dawn Yuan Ying struck the ground with his staff and exclaimed at the speed of the work. Repeated Wei attacks failed and casualties reached roughly three-tenths of the force; the Wei army thereafter hesitated to attack. The Liang troops under Cao were well equipped and impressive in formation, and the source says the sight broke the morale of the Wei soldiers. Cao sent a swimmer into Zhongli with a letter so that Chang Yizhi knew relief had arrived; the defenders' morale rose sharply.

Yang Dayan, renowned for bravery, built a fort on the north bank of the bridge to protect supplies and captured herders who crossed north of the Huai to cut grass. Cao Jingzong recruited more than one thousand brave men and built a fort several li south of Yang's camp, personally directing the work. Yang Dayan attacked but Cao defeated him, and the fort was completed. Cao assigned the officer Zhao Cao to guard it, so it became known as “Zhao Cao Fort.” Liang troops could thereafter cut grass and graze horses in the area, and Zhao repeatedly repelled Yang's attempts to interfere. Xiao Yan ordered Cao Jingzong to prepare tall warships at the height of the Wei floating bridges for a fire attack and directed Cao and Wei Rui to attack the northern and southern bridges respectively.

In the third month the Huai River rose by six or seven chi. Wei Rui sent naval forces in fighting ships against the Wei troops on the islet. Other boats were loaded with grass soaked in oil and set alight with the wind to burn the floating bridges, while picked men pulled up stockades and cut the bridges. The current was extremely swift, and in moments the bridges and stockades collapsed. Liang troops charged fiercely, the source saying each fought as though against a hundred. The Wei army broke. Yang Dayan burned his camp on the west bank and withdrew; Yuan Ying escaped from the east bank, and the fortifications collapsed one after another. Soldiers threw away arms and rushed into the water. The source records more than one hundred thousand drowned and more than one hundred thousand killed, to the point that the Huai was said to be blocked. Cao Jingzong ordered army commander Ma Guang to pursue Yang Dayan for more than forty li beyond Mieshui, where the enemy suffered heavy casualties and “corpses lay one upon another.” Chang Yizhi also left Zhongli and pursued Yuan Ying as far as Luokou. Yuan Ying escaped alone on horseback into Liang territory while his troops were destroyed, and corpses were said to line more than one hundred li of the Huai. Liang forces also captured fifty thousand Wei soldiers and immense quantities of provisions, equipment, cattle, horses, donkeys, and mules. Cao sent more than ten thousand prisoners and one thousand horses to court as trophies.

The Liang forces had coordinated closely, maintained unity, exploited Northern Wei weakness in water warfare, held firm until the enemy was exhausted, and then counterattacked. The source describes the victory as the first major southern victory over Northern Wei since the early Liu Song period and states that 250,000 enemy troops were destroyed, stabilizing the Huainan situation. Xiao Yan rewarded Cao Jingzong with another four hundred households, bringing his fief to two thousand, advanced him to Duke of Jingling, appointed him Palace Attendant and General of the Guard, and granted him a ceremonial music ensemble.

Later Years and Death

In 508, the seventh year of Tianjian, Cao Jingzong was transferred as Palace Attendant, General of the Central Guard, and Inspector of Jiangzhou. He died of illness while traveling to take office at the age of fifty-two. He was posthumously appointed General Who Conquers the North, Inspector of Yong Province, and Kaifu Yitong Sansi and received the posthumous name Zhuang.

Major Activities

Military Campaigns

Cao Jingzong fought throughout his career. In 497 he joined Chen Xianda in besieging Maquan and, with two thousand armored men in ambush, defeated forty thousand Northern Wei reinforcements under Yuan Ying. In 500 he followed Xiao Yan's uprising, helped take Jiankang, and became a founding meritorious official of Liang. In 507, at the Battle of Zhongli, he cooperated closely with Wei Rui in defeating the massive Northern Wei forces of Yuan Ying and Yang Dayan. The Chinese source gives enemy losses of 250,000 and describes the battle as the first major victory over Northern Wei since the early Liu Song period, important for stabilizing Huainan.

Literary Anecdote

Although a military man, Cao Jingzong enjoyed historical writing and admired Sima Rangju and Yue Yi. After returning victorious from Zhongli, Emperor Wu of Liang held a banquet at Guanghua Hall and ordered Shen Yue, Left Director of the Department of State Affairs, to assign rhyme words for court poetry. Because Cao Jingzong was a soldier, he initially received no rhyme and felt slighted. After repeated requests, he was given the rhymes jing and bing. After only a short pause he composed: “When I departed, my daughter wept; on my return, reed pipes and drums compete. Ask the travelers along the road: how do I compare with Huo Qubing?” The entire gathering reportedly admired the poem. Its bold tone and self-comparison with Huo Qubing reflected both his uninhibited personality and quick literary talent.

Travels and Campaign Routes

Cao Jingzong traveled widely across north and south. He was born in Xinye and hunted in the surrounding marshes in youth. He later accompanied his father to Jiankang and served in the central administration. After mourning his father at home, he became Administrator of Tianshui and suppressed local unrest. He campaigned under Chen Xianda around Maquan in the Henan region, followed Xiao Yan's uprising through Yingcheng and Jiangning, and in later life commanded the relief of Zhongli northeast of present-day Fengyang, where he defeated Northern Wei on the Huai. He died while traveling to take up the governorship of Jiangzhou.

Relations with Contemporaries

Cao Jingzong had a close relationship with Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang. They became friends while Xiao Yan was Inspector of Yong Province, and Cao later joined his uprising and became a founding general of Liang. At Zhongli he fought side by side with Wei Rui, Inspector of Yu Province, in close coordination. He also campaigned with Wang Mao and Lü Sengzhen, with whom he defeated Southern Qi commander Wang Zhenguo at Dahang.

Personal Relations

Family

• Father: Cao Xinzhi, Liu Song General Who Conquers the Caitiffs and Inspector of Xu Province
• Son: Cao Jiao, who inherited the title

Ruler

• Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang: Cao Jingzong followed his uprising, helped him take the throne, and became a trusted founding general

Colleagues

• Wei Rui: fought alongside Cao Jingzong at Zhongli
• Wang Mao: joined him in besieging Yingcheng and defeating Wang Zhenguo
• Lü Sengzhen: joined him in defeating Wang Zhenguo
• Chen Xianda: commander whom Cao Jingzong followed in the northern campaign against Maquan
• Chang Yizhi: Liang commander whom Cao Jingzong was sent to relieve at Zhongli

Adversaries

• Yuan Ying: Prince of Zhongshan of Northern Wei; repeatedly fought Cao Jingzong and was defeated at Zhongli
• Yang Dayan: Northern Wei general defeated by Cao Jingzong at Zhongli
• Li Jushi: Southern Qi commander defeated by Cao Jingzong at Jiangning

Historical Assessment

Northern and Southern Dynasties / Contemporary

• The Book of Liang records that Cao Jingzong relied on his great achievements and was often unrestrained. He wanted the curtains of his carriage raised while traveling, but attendants warned that a man of his rank was watched by all and should not behave so freely. Cao then reminisced to close companions about his youth: riding swift horses “like dragons,” drawing bows whose strings sounded like thunder, shooting deer on open plains, drinking their blood when thirsty and eating their meat when hungry, feeling wind behind his ears and fire at his nose. He contrasted that joy with the confinement of being a high official in Yangzhou, enclosed in a carriage “like a bride of three days.” The passage vividly conveys his rough, freedom-loving personality.
• Emperor Wu of Liang showed him considerable indulgence. After the failure at Yiyang, Xiao Yan suppressed Ren Fang's impeachment rather than punish him, reflecting the value placed on his earlier service.

Tang Period

• Yao Silian's Book of Liang recorded both Cao Jingzong's achievements and faults but gave full credit for his role at Zhongli, describing how he and Wei Rui advanced to Shaoyang Islet and how Northern Wei forces were catastrophically defeated along the Huai.

Song and Yuan Periods

• Sima Guang's Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance gives a detailed account of Zhongli and presents the cooperation between Cao Jingzong and Wei Rui positively, stating that their equipment was excellent and their formations imposing, so that the Wei troops lost heart at the sight.

Ming and Qing Periods

• Wang Fuzhi, in Du Tongjian Lun, praised the Liang victory at Zhongli, arguing that since the Liu Song period there had been no comparable destruction of a Northern Wei army and recognizing the military ability of Cao Jingzong and Wei Rui.

Modern Assessments

• Lü Simian, in History of the Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, treated Zhongli as a major southern victory and emphasized the cooperation between Cao Jingzong and Wei Rui as central to success.
• The source states that Tian Yuqing and other modern scholars likewise regard Zhongli as an important battle in southern military history and recognize Cao Jingzong as one of its principal commanders.