Is “Expedition against the Wuhuan and sudden death in the capital” true?
based on fact
Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Biography of Cao Zhang records his bravery in battle, his great victory over the Wuhuan, and his death from a sudden illness in the fourth year of Huangchu in Luoyang; novels and folklore add the drama of stabbing Wu Lan to death and being poisoned by Cao Pi.
Cao Zhang
In official history, he bravely defeated the Wuhuan and died suddenly in Luoyang; in fiction, he kills Wu Lan in battle and is rumored to be poisoned by Cao Pi.