Ling Cao
Encyclopedia
Ling Cao was a military officer serving under the warlord Sun Ce
during the late Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
. He was the father of Ling Tong
.
valley, and held some influence in his hometown in Yuhuan. When Sun Ce first raised his banner in 194, Ling Cao joined him and participated in the conquests in Jiangdong. Ling Cao's valiant effort and extraordinary skill on the field had earned the appraisal by Sun Ce that he should be appointed as the vanguard should there be a battle. It was said that whenever he was fighting the enemies, he would always charge ahead of all other men as if he was ready to sacrifice himself for his lord.
tribe, who used to plunder and harass the Han Chinese
citizens living in the south, were not easily dealt with. Thus, Sun Ce appointed Ling Cao as the Chief of Yongping to face off the Shanyue. As soon as Ling Cao arrived his post, he led the long oppressed local residents to deal a major blow to the leader of the Shanyue confederation, Yan Baihu
, which resulted in a complete victory and forced Yan to flee to the deep hills.
Ling Cao also helped Sun Ce establishing his governance as a brilliant civil officer by administering fairly and setting up policies that during his tenure, "the crafty tricksters dared not to cheat, and the violent Shanyue
dared not to invade."
, was killed by Liu Biao
's general Huang Zu
in 191, so Sun Ce and his brother and successor, Sun Quan
, had launched several vengeful campaigns against Huang, but none of their attempts succeed. During the Battle of Xiakou
, which was aimed to exterminate Huang Zu, Ling Cao again acted as the vanguard for Sun Quan's force. Upon arrival at the battlefield, Ling Cao ordered a charge aimed at the enemy commanding unit. The defense line was immediately broken by Ling Cao's uninterrupted dash, and Huang Zu's army was thrown into confusion by such a sudden incident. Seeing the opportunity to finish off Huang Zu once and for all, Ling Cao penetrated into the thick of enemy troops to pursue the commander; however, as Ling Cao was close to capturing Huang, he was killed by a stray arrow shot by Gan Ning
from a distance. Ling Cao's son, Ling Tong
, who was at the age of 14, fought bravely amongst arrows and fire, and retrieved his father's corpse back to his camp. To honor Ling Cao for his sacrifice, Sun Quan decided to give Ling Cao's forces to Ling Tong, who would go on to successfully subdue Huang Zu, and serve the Sun family for another 30 years.
Sun Ce
Sun Ce was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the oldest of the children of Sun Jian who was killed during the Battle of Xiangyang when Sun Ce was only 16. Sun Ce then broke away from his father's overlord, Yuan Shu, and headed to...
during the late Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. He was the father of Ling Tong
Ling Tong
Ling Tong was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He started his service to the Sun family since his childhood, and throughout his entire life, he had been contributing to the foundation and solidification of Eastern Wu...
.
Early life
During his youth, Ling Cao was a gallant gentleman who devoted himself to errantry; he was well regarded by people around the Huai RiverHuai River
The Huai River is a major river in China. The Huai River is located about mid-way between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two largest rivers in China, and like them runs from west to east...
valley, and held some influence in his hometown in Yuhuan. When Sun Ce first raised his banner in 194, Ling Cao joined him and participated in the conquests in Jiangdong. Ling Cao's valiant effort and extraordinary skill on the field had earned the appraisal by Sun Ce that he should be appointed as the vanguard should there be a battle. It was said that whenever he was fighting the enemies, he would always charge ahead of all other men as if he was ready to sacrifice himself for his lord.
Solidifying the governance of the Sun family
Within a few years, Sun Ce had completed the conquest of all of Yang Province; however, the barbarians of ShanyueShanyue
Shanyue was a tribe that was resided in the Yue area of ancient China during Han Dynasty. Since the Southern part of China was not yet controlled by the Han ethnicity , the Shanyue people would performe regular raids against Han citizens to gather living essentials...
tribe, who used to plunder and harass the Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
citizens living in the south, were not easily dealt with. Thus, Sun Ce appointed Ling Cao as the Chief of Yongping to face off the Shanyue. As soon as Ling Cao arrived his post, he led the long oppressed local residents to deal a major blow to the leader of the Shanyue confederation, Yan Baihu
Yan Baihu
Yan Baihu was a bandit leader active in the Wu region during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.-The White Tiger among bandits:Baihu was not Yan's real name, but a nickname given to him due to his physical prowess or skin color; thus his name should be translated to "White Tiger Yan"...
, which resulted in a complete victory and forced Yan to flee to the deep hills.
Ling Cao also helped Sun Ce establishing his governance as a brilliant civil officer by administering fairly and setting up policies that during his tenure, "the crafty tricksters dared not to cheat, and the violent Shanyue
Shanyue
Shanyue was a tribe that was resided in the Yue area of ancient China during Han Dynasty. Since the Southern part of China was not yet controlled by the Han ethnicity , the Shanyue people would performe regular raids against Han citizens to gather living essentials...
dared not to invade."
Battle of Xiakou
The father of Sun Ce, Sun JianSun Jian
Sun Jian was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian in his power...
, was killed by Liu Biao
Liu Biao
Liu Biao , style name Jingsheng , was a warlord and the governor of Jing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a member of the extended family of the Han Dynasty emperors...
's general Huang Zu
Huang Zu
Huang Zu was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Biao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was an experienced naval commander, and was most famous for having skillful warriors like Sun Jian and Ling Cao killed in battle.-Background:Huang was born in an influential...
in 191, so Sun Ce and his brother and successor, Sun Quan
Sun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
, had launched several vengeful campaigns against Huang, but none of their attempts succeed. During the Battle of Xiakou
Battle of Xiakou
The Battle of Xiakou was a battle fought between the warlords Sun Quan and Liu Biao in 203 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Sun Quan's forces attempted to conquer Jiangxia Commandery , which was defended by Liu Biao's general Huang Zu...
, which was aimed to exterminate Huang Zu, Ling Cao again acted as the vanguard for Sun Quan's force. Upon arrival at the battlefield, Ling Cao ordered a charge aimed at the enemy commanding unit. The defense line was immediately broken by Ling Cao's uninterrupted dash, and Huang Zu's army was thrown into confusion by such a sudden incident. Seeing the opportunity to finish off Huang Zu once and for all, Ling Cao penetrated into the thick of enemy troops to pursue the commander; however, as Ling Cao was close to capturing Huang, he was killed by a stray arrow shot by Gan Ning
Gan Ning
Gan Ning was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was born in Linjiang, Ba Commandery .-Early life as a pirate:...
from a distance. Ling Cao's son, Ling Tong
Ling Tong
Ling Tong was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He started his service to the Sun family since his childhood, and throughout his entire life, he had been contributing to the foundation and solidification of Eastern Wu...
, who was at the age of 14, fought bravely amongst arrows and fire, and retrieved his father's corpse back to his camp. To honor Ling Cao for his sacrifice, Sun Quan decided to give Ling Cao's forces to Ling Tong, who would go on to successfully subdue Huang Zu, and serve the Sun family for another 30 years.