Is “Repeatedly defeated by Zhuge Liang and eventually died of anger from a letter” true?
According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Biography of Cao Zhen, Cao Zhen repeatedly repelled the Shu army and achieved many military exploits; in the novel, his death from anger after receiving a letter from Zhuge Liang is pure fiction, as Cao Zhen actually died of illness in Luoyang. (Original text: 「曹真看毕，恨气填胸，至晚死于军中。司马懿用兵车装载，差人送赴洛阳安葬。魏主闻知曹真已死，即下诏催司马懿出战。懿提大军来与孔明交锋，隔日先下战书。」——Source: data/raw/sanguo-yanyi/Chapter 100.txt)
In official history, he was a Grand Marshal of Wei who skillfully commanded troops and repeatedly defeated Shu forces, but in the novel he is reduced to a foil who is infuriated to death.
Other claims about Cao Zhen
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