Is “Cutting his hair as a substitute for punishment and kneeling to beg for mercy at Huarong Trail” true?
based on fact
The Records of the Three Kingdoms has no record of 'cutting his hair as a substitute for punishment'; the Records of Shanyang Gong records that Cao Cao, passing Huarong Trail, mocked himself for Liu Bei's slow thinking, and there was absolutely no kneeling to beg Guan Yu to let him go.
Cao Cao
In official histories, he is an outstanding statesman, military strategist, and writer, while in novels, he is portrayed as a treacherous and cruel usurper.