Original Text
Outside the city of Xuchang there flowed a great river, its waters surging violently, and near the cliffs the current ran deep and black. In the height of summer, a man who went to bathe in the river was suddenly cut apart as if by blades, his body severed and floating to the surface. Later, another man met the same fate. Word spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and all were struck with astonishment and dread. When the district magistrate heard of this, he dispatched many men to build a sluice and dam the upper reaches; after the waters were drained, they discovered a deep cavern beneath the cliff, within which was installed a revolving wheel, its spokes lined with gleaming, sharp blades. They dismantled the wheel and entered the cave, where they found a small stone tablet inscribed with characters in the seal script of the Han dynasty. Upon close examination, it proved to be the tomb of Cao Cao. The men broke open the coffin, scattered the bones, and took all the gold, silver, and precious jewels that had been buried with the dead.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: Later generations once composed a verse: 'Dig up all seventy-two suspected tombs, one must surely hold your corpse.' Who would have imagined that the true grave of Cao Cao lay beyond those seventy-two mounds? How cunning was Cao Man! Yet after a thousand years, even his decayed bones could not be preserved—what use was such deceit? Alas, Cao Man's cunning was precisely the root of his folly!
Commentary
This is a legendary tale concerning the burial site of Cao Cao, written with an eerie and gloomy atmosphere, the author's tone brimming with contempt and scorn.
Based on existing historical records and archaeological discoveries, Cao Cao did not conduct a secret burial, nor did he set up decoy tombs; he merely advocated for a simple funeral. According to historical texts such as the "Records of the Three Kingdoms," in the year 220 AD, Cao Cao died in Luoyang, and his coffin was transported to Yecheng, where he was buried in the hills west of the Ximen Bao Temple, west of the city. There was no raised tomb or mausoleum, no burial of gold or jade artifacts, and no construction of a grand and sturdy sacrificial hall. Several hundred years later, Cao Cao's tomb faded into the relics of history. After the Song Dynasty, Cao Cao was regarded as a treacherous hero, and the unknown location of his tomb became further proof of his cunning. Tales of "seventy-two decoy tombs" spread widely in folklore and literary works, leading many to believe them as truth.
Taking the lines from "Cao Cao's Tomb" that speak of a deep cavern beneath a cliff where "there was a small stele, its characters all in Han seal script. Upon close inspection, it was the tomb of Cao Mengde," there are many flaws: As an emperor, Cao Cao could not have had a "small stele." The stele styles popular during the Wei and Jin dynasties could never have been "all in Han seal script," and the phrase "tomb of Cao Mengde" does not match Cao Cao's proper titles. These errors stem from Pu Songling's excessive hatred of Cao Cao and his lack of archaeological knowledge.