Cao Pi

"My hosts of troops are no use against such warriors. We can do nothing against those talents of the South Land."

- Cao Pi.

"Not even fit to share the battlefield with me."

- Cao Pi's victory quote.

Cao Pi (in Chinese: 曹丕), also known as Emperor Wen of Wei (in Chinese: 魏文帝), is one of the major protagonists in the 14th-century Chinese classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by the late Luo Guanzhong, and its multiple adaptations. He is Cao Cao's second son and successor and Lady Zhen's second husband.

History
Upon the death of his half brother Cao Ang, he was became the heir of Cao Cao. He accompanied his father during the invasion of Ji province and when he was the named is the emperor of Wei, he also waged a war of succession with his brother Cao Zhi. Cao Pi, astute man, ended up succeeding his father proclaiming himself as the prime minister of Han, king of Wei and Imperial Protector of Ji province. Shortly after his succession, Cao Pi formed the Wei kingdom dethroning Emperor Xian and becoming the first Wei emperor. Cao Pi was gave Sun Quan the title king of Wu whose kingdom he would later order invasion, shortly before ordering the invasion of the Shu kingdom. He was failed in both the invasions.

While Cao Pi suspected that his brother Cao Zhang wanted to usurp the throne and made him poison when they played the Weiqi. After his failures of the conquest, Cao Pi persisted in returning to assault the Wu and personally participated in the invasion, but it was again defeated. After reigning for seven years, he became ill and summoned Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Cao Zhen, and Cao Xiu to his bedside, to whom he requested support for his heir Cao Rui.

But later on, Cao Pi died at the age of 40, leaving an important imprint in history as a poet despite his famous military failures.

Personality
Cao Pi is a son who closely follows his father's expectations. He is the only character who Cao Cao addresses by their style name in the overseas script. Unlike his father, he can speaks in a bitter tone and is more condescending. Though a loyal and respectful son, he is determined to surpass his father's image and realize his own dreams. To this end, he was remains apathetic to the other two kingdoms and is unimpressed by their final efforts to oppose him. However, he shares an affinity with Sima Yi, as their combined efforts soundly unite Wei's army after his father's death. At the same time, however, he loosely trusts the strategist's loyalty.

Trivia

 * Cao Pi is a playable character in the Dynasty Warriors video game series.