Cao Mo: An Assassin 刺客曹沫

In the Records of the Grand Historian, the author Sima Qian devoted a full chapter on ‘The Assassins’, which outlined a number of notable assassins from the Warring States period who were entrusted with (the usually noble) task of carrying out political assassinations on aristocrats and nobles. This following is the first of several assassin tales. The assassin Cao Mo was a general of Lu during the Zhou dynasty. He target victim was the Duke Huan of Qi. It’s interesting that in this story, dubbed Cao Mo was dubbed as an assassin when he didn’t even attempt to kill Qi Huan Gong. However, he is regarded as the most effective assassin.

Cao Mo, a resident of the state of Lu, was powerfully built and brave. He served the Duke Duke Zhuang Gong of Lu, who admired physical strength. As a general of Lu, Cao Mo fought with the state of Qi three times and lost all the battles. Duke Zhuang Gong was fearful, so he gave Lu’s territory Suiyi to Qi to make peace. However, Zhuang Gong still kept Cao Mo as his general.

Duke Huan Gong of Qi agreed to meet with the Duke of Lu at Ke to conclude a treaty. After Huan Gong and Zhuang Gong had signed the treaty on the ceremonial stage, Cao Mo suddenly produced a dagger and seized Duke Huan Gong. Duke Huan Gong and his advisors didn’t dare move. Duke Huan Gong asked, ‘What do you want?’

Cao Mo replied, ‘Qi is strong and Lu is tiny, and yet your state have taken so much of our land. If a wall collapses in the capital of Lu, it will fall in Qi’s territory! Please act accordingly!’ Duke Huan Gong agreed to return all the land wrested from Lu. On hearing this, Cao Mo threw aside his dagger, left the ceremonial stage to join the other attendants respectfully facing rulers north; he behaved and spoke as usual, as if nothing had happened.

Huan Gong was infuriated and wanted to destroy the treaty.

Guan Zhong said, ‘You shouldn’t! If we do this now to quickly satisfy our desire, the dukes of other states will hear of this and we will lose the trust of all of them. It is better to let Lu have the land, rather them losing the support of other states.’

So Duke Huan returned all Lu’s land as promised. All the territory Cao Mo had lost through the three battles was given back to the state of Lu.

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司马迁在《史记》中以整个篇章《刺客列传》来讲述一些著名刺客在战国时期被委任以刺杀王族与贵族的可敬重任。下面是所记载的这些刺客中的第一个刺客。刺客曹沫是东周鲁国的将军。他的目标是齐桓公。有趣的是，这个被称为刺客的曹沫却没有刺杀齐桓公的意图。但是，他却被认为是最有绩效的刺客。

曹沫者，鲁人也，以勇力事鲁庄公。庄公好力。曹沫为鲁将，与齐战，三败北。鲁庄公惧，乃献遂邑之地以和。犹复以为将。

齐桓公许与鲁会于柯而盟。桓公与庄公既盟於坛上，曹沫执匕首劫齐桓公，桓公左右莫敢动，而问曰：“子将何欲？”

曹沫曰：“齐强鲁弱，而大国侵鲁亦甚矣。今鲁城坏即压齐境，君其图之。”桓公乃许尽归鲁之侵地。既已言，曹沫投其匕首，下坛，北面就群臣之位，颜色不变，辞令如故。

桓公怒，欲倍其约。

管仲曰：“不可。夫贪小利以自快，弃信於诸侯，失天下之援，不如与之。”

於是桓公乃遂割鲁侵地，曹沫三战所亡地尽复予鲁。