三國演義 第七十八回：曹操病逝洛陽，亂世梟雄走完一生 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms Chapter 78: Cao Cao Dies in Luoyang, the End of a Legendary Warlord
關羽殞命後，天下局勢再次劇變。雄踞北方多年的曹操，雖統一中原、奠定曹魏根基，卻因宿疾日益加重，最終病逝洛陽。一代梟雄走完波瀾壯闊的一生，也象徵三國時代正式邁入新的篇章，而曹魏的命運，則交到了曹丕手中。
Following Guan Yu’s death, the political landscape shifted once again. Cao Cao, the brilliant strategist who had unified northern China and laid the foundation for the Kingdom of Wei, was increasingly weakened by illness. His passing in Luoyang marked the end of one of history’s greatest warlords and opened a new chapter in the struggle for power across the Three Kingdoms.
中文
洛陽皇宮之外，寒風蕭瑟。
北方霸主曹操端坐榻前，望著案上的天下地圖，久久沒有說話。
數十年來，他征戰四方，從討伐黃巾，到迎奉漢獻帝；從官渡大破袁紹，到赤壁兵敗，再到平定北方，一生幾乎都在戰場上度過。
如今，昔日縱橫天下的英雄，卻敵不過歲月與病痛。
近年來，曹操頭風病愈發嚴重。
劇烈的頭痛時常令他夜不能寐，群醫雖遍施良方，始終未能根治。
有人提議請神醫華佗前來醫治。
華佗診視後認為，若要徹底解除病根，唯有開顱施術。
曹操聞言，臉色驟變。
他忽然想起當年華佗曾與關羽交往，又聯想到昔日董承等人的密謀，不禁疑心大起。
「莫非欲藉機害我？」
一怒之下，曹操將華佗下獄。
不久，這位一代神醫含冤而死。
然而，曹操的病情並未因此好轉，反而日益沉重。
每當頭痛發作，他常夢見無數昔日戰死沙場的人物。
有呂伯奢一家，有袁紹、袁術，也有關羽那張威嚴而沉靜的面容。
夢醒之時，冷汗早已濕透衣襟。
一天深夜，曹操忽然驚醒。
他望向窗外月色，長嘆一聲。
「天下……終究未能一統。」
這一句話，道盡他畢生最大的遺憾。
不久，群臣與諸子齊聚病榻之前。
曹丕、曹彰、曹植等人皆守候左右。
曹操環視眾人。
「吾平生用兵，只求安天下。」
他叮囑諸子兄弟和睦，不可因權位相爭而自亂根基。
又命厚待將士家屬，不可忘記多年征戰之功。
最後，他緩緩閉上雙眼。
建安二十五年，一代梟雄曹操病逝於洛陽，享年六十六歲。
消息迅速傳遍天下。
魏國文武百官無不哀痛。
許多曾追隨曹操南征北戰的老將，更是伏地痛哭。
因為他們知道，沒有曹操，就沒有今日穩固的北方。
遠在成都，劉備聽聞消息後，也沉默良久。
這位一生最大的對手終於離世。
兩人雖然兵戎相見數十年，卻同樣都是亂世之中的英雄。
孫權收到消息後，立即密切關注曹魏動向。
他明白，新的權力交替，往往伴隨新的風暴。
後世對曹操的評價，始終眾說紛紜。
有人說他是篡漢逆臣。
有人稱他為亂世奸雄。
也有人讚揚他是卓越的政治家、軍事家與文學家。
他善於識人，用人唯才，不問出身；他重視屯田，恢復生產，使戰亂多年的北方逐漸重現生機。
《短歌行》《觀滄海》等詩篇，更流傳千古。
無論世人如何評價，都無法否認，他深深改變了中國歷史的走向。
靈車緩緩駛出洛陽。
百官跪送。
北風掠過蒼茫大地，也帶走了一位結束漢末群雄時代的重要人物。
然而，曹操的離去並沒有終結亂世。
真正改變天下命運的新時代，才正要開始。
English Version
Silence filled the palace in Luoyang.
Seated before a map of the empire, Cao Cao reflected upon a lifetime shaped by endless campaigns. From suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion to welcoming Emperor Xian into his protection, from the decisive victory at Guandu to the bitter defeat at Red Cliffs, every triumph and setback had forged the foundation of northern China.
Yet even the greatest conqueror could not defeat time.
For years, Cao Cao had suffered from severe headaches that grew increasingly unbearable. Physicians from across the realm attempted every known treatment without success.
Among them arrived the renowned physician Hua Tuo.
After examining his patient, Hua Tuo proposed a bold operation that required opening the skull to remove the source of the illness.
The suggestion immediately awakened Cao Cao’s suspicions.
Surrounded by conspiracies throughout his career, he feared assassination more than disease itself.
Believing Hua Tuo intended to murder him, Cao Cao ordered the physician imprisoned.
Before long, the famous doctor died in captivity.
But Cao Cao’s suffering only worsened.
His illness grew more severe, and restless nights brought disturbing dreams. Faces from decades of warfare appeared before him—fallen rivals, former allies, and countless soldiers whose lives had ended amid the chaos of civil war.
One quiet evening, Cao Cao gazed toward the moonlit sky.
“The empire… remains unfinished.”
Those simple words revealed the deepest ambition that had guided his entire life.
As his condition declined, his sons gathered at his bedside.
Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Zhi waited silently while ministers stood nearby.
Cao Cao spoke calmly.
He urged his sons to preserve unity rather than fight over power. He reminded them to honor loyal officers and care for the families of those who had sacrificed everything for Wei.
Soon afterward, the great statesman quietly breathed his last.
At the age of sixty-six, Cao Cao died in Luoyang.
News spread rapidly throughout the empire.
Officials across Wei mourned the loss of the man who had restored order to northern China after decades of chaos.
In Chengdu, Liu Bei received the report in silence.
His greatest rival was gone.
Though they had spent much of their lives opposing one another, both men had become defining figures of their generation.
Sun Quan also recognized that Cao Cao’s death would transform the political balance of the Three Kingdoms.
History has never reached a single conclusion about Cao Cao.
Some remembered him as a ruthless usurper.
Others celebrated him as one of China’s greatest military commanders, administrators, and poets.
His reforms revived agriculture through the tuntian system, his ability to recognize talent strengthened his government, and his literary works continued to inspire generations long after his death.
Whatever judgment history may offer, few individuals have influenced the course of China as profoundly as Cao Cao.
As the funeral procession departed Luoyang, ministers bowed in farewell beneath the cold northern wind.
The life of a remarkable warlord had ended.
But the struggle for the empire was far from over.
