Yang Tiao

Yang Tiao (170 – March 223), was a Chinese artist and military general under Cao Cao, and later Cao Pi, during the Late Eastern Han Dynasty. As an important general in Cao Cao’s army, Yang Tiao helped to set up the foundations of the Kingdom of Cao Wei and expand its influence and power and was posthumously honoured after his death with the title ‘Marquis Dragon of Gong’. Known for being a skilled warrior, and loyal servant to Cao Wei, Tiao was known to be a magnanimous man who won the hearts of many with his generous and kind nature within the kingdom. Tiao was also trained from a young age in the arts of poetry and painting by renowned Eastern Wu painter, Cao Buxing, skills which would serve him in later life.

Early life
Yang Tiao was born in Woyang County (present-day Bozhou, Anhui) in 170. His father Yang Bing was a peasant farmer in the Woyang County. Tiao’s mother died shortly after he was born, and his father and uncle Yang Ying subsequently raised him. In 179, at the age of 9, Tiao began to train under renowned Eastern Wu painter, Cao Buxing in the arts of poetry and painting. For the early years of Tiao’s life, his father worked tirelessly to give him a better life in the hope that his son would not become a farmer as he did. Seeing this, Cao Buxing agreed to make Tiao his apprentice as he saw in his great potential.

Tiao was known for his craftiness and mischief as an adolescent, once tricking his uncle into believing that he was having a seizure, after he complained that Tiao had misbehaved. Ying rushed to tell Bing about his son, who acted normally when confronted by his father. After this incident, Bing ceased to believe his brother regarding Tiao. At the age of 13 his father decided to introduce him to Taoism, its teachings and the Taoist way of life.



After becoming a master in the arts at such an early age, Tiao took up an interest in becoming a historian. However, internal conflict within China forced Tiao to abandon his interest for a number of years. Shortly after the breakout of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in early 184, in which rebel leaders led peasants to revolt against the harsh treatment in which they were subjected to, Tiao’s father Yang Bing was slain by Yellow Turban General, Bo Cai, after refusing to fight for the Yellow Turban Cause. As the rebellion continued to grow, Tiao escaped from Bozhou with his uncle and a number of refugees.

Whilst travelling along to road towards Luoyang, the refugees were attacked by a group of bandits. It was here that Tiao would encounter Cao Hong, a general under the warlord Cao Cao. Cao Hong repelled the attacking bandits and saved the refugees. Under the protection of Cao Hong, Tiao safely reached Luoyang and was taken under his wing.

Introduction to Cao Cao
Following his relocation to Luoyang, Tiao’s friendship with Cao Hong blossomed. Hong took it upon himself to ensure that Tiao remained protected, and begun to teach him in the martial arts. Cao Hong noting his potential to become a skilled warrior, noted to his cousin Cao Cao, a local warlord that Tiao was ‘capable of good things’.

Over the next four years Tiao would prove himself to be a capable warrior and a knowledgeable historian. The imperial courts caught wind of his talents and ushered him to serve to Emperor. It was here that Tiao would meet Cao Cao for the first time. Noting Tiao as a powerful ally through his knowledge and strength, Cao Cao enlisted him to join his militia. It was Cao Cao’s ambition to raise his own army through influence, fear and his wealth to unify the land and guide it through the increasing chaotic times. Soon becoming a general under Cao Cao, Tiao set off to help set the foundation of Cao Wei.

Alliance against Dong Zhuo


In the winter of 190, a punitive expedition initiated by a coalition of regional officials and warlords against the warlord Dong Zhuo begins. Cao Cao, arranging his troops approached Tiao to accompany him in battle and fight alongside him. This would be Tiao’s first battle and the start of his service to Cao Cao.

In Suanzao, Cao Cao, led his men westward in an attempt to attack Dong Zhuo’s forces. Dong Zhuo’s general Xu Rong led a contingent to surprise attack Cao Cao. Suffering heavy loses in the attack; Tiao offered his steed to Cao Cao, who became injured from a stray arrow, in order for him to escape. Staying to assist Cao Hong and Li Dian hold off the enemy attack so the rest of Cao Cao’s army could escape, the three eventually retreated strategically.

Upon the return to Luoyang, Tiao and Cao Hong were rewarded with the title of ‘Gentlemen of Suanzao’ (旋藻的绅士). Whilst Cao Cao rested from his injuries, he sent Tiao back to Suanzao to suggest that the coalition pursued Dong Zhuo’s retreating forces. The coalition was largely against the idea. Tiao pleaded that the coalition unite and attack as Cao Cao had suggested, but they remained adamant on moving through Dong Zhuo’s territories. Tiao returned once again to Cao Cao in the spring of 191 under much acclaim.

Military career
Following Tiao’s return to Luoyang, he was given the task of focussing on the city’s internal affairs and conflicts. Tiao was given charge of 4000 troops, which he would utilise and spread around the Luoyang area to quash political unrest and to eliminate the now diluted Yellow Turban threat. After the threats in the region were nullified, Tiao returned to Cao Cao in Xuchang who rewarded him with the title ‘Marquis of Luoyang’ (洛阳侯爵) for restoring the peace. For the next 2 years, Tiao began using his skills as an artist and also as a historian to document the history of the Later Han Dynasty in texts and paintings. During March of 193, Tiao was rewarded for his services to Cao Cao, with 7000 soldiers of his own and was promoted further within Cao Cao’s army. Tiao would station his army in Youzhou to strengthen its defensive position and importance in the Kingdom of Cao Wei.

When the Battle of Yan Province broke out in 194, Tiao followed Cao Cao in a battle against ruthless belligerent Lü Bu for control of the province. It was in this battle that he would gain a reputation as a skilled warrior and a tactical leader. At the time, Cao Cao's advisor Chen Gong urged him to take assume control of Yan Province and secure it as a base for conquering other nearby territories. As a result, Tiao was sent out along with Chen Gong to persuade Liu Dai's followers to join forces with Cao Cao. While both sides were locked in a stalemate for atleast a hundred days, with Cao Cao’s army on the disadvantaged end, Lu Bu abandoned his position due to a famine outbreak. Cao Cao sent Li Dian and Tiao to defend Juancheng and Dong’e, but seeing no danger befalling either, Tiao left his position and joined the front line. Seeing how eager Tiao was to impress, Cao Cao ordered the young general to lay siege to Yonggiu, and after a number of months the city was captured. Imprisoning Zhang Chao and his generals, Tiao brought them before Cao Cao, and they were subsequently executed. After Cao Cao’s army later surrounded Lu Bu at Puyang, the Tian clan, who were initially on Lu Bu’s side, switches allegiance to Cao and opened up the gates for his army to siege the city. This time obeying orders, Tiao would remain at his post in Juancheng. Following the capture of Puyang, Tiao returned to Luoyang to yet another title ‘General of the Rear’ (後將軍) as Cao Cao’s forces captured the remaining cities in the Yan Province and defeated Lu Bu, forcing him to fled East to take refuge with Liu Bei.

Upon his return to Luoyang in 196, Cao Cao once again set Tiao out to counter small-scale conflicts and rebellions within Luoyang. In the spring, Cao Cao would formally move the Imperial Court and the Emperor Xian to modern day Xuchang. With this decision, Tiao was given orders to go on route to Xuchang. Along the way he encountered a wandering general by the name of Zhang Te. Impressed with his charm and stories of heroics, took him for a council with Cao Cao, who subsequently placed him within his army as an adviser. Between the summers of 197 and 199 Tiao once again set out to settle unrest with Cao Hong, this time however in the Yan Province. Whilst Cao Cao was facing a battle against the army of Lu Bu in the Battle of Xia Pi, Tiao requested to that he be able to help in the struggle. The request was turned down and Tiao was able to claim a number of key strategic bases and points for Cao Cao. In 199, Tiao faced yet another hero’s return to Xuchang, along with it the title ‘Counsellor Remonstrant’ (諫議大夫).

In 202 Tiao was asked by Cao Cao to join him against Liu Bei in the Battle of Bowang near the Jing Province's north border. Tiao was given charge of 5000 troops to lead into battle and was stationed alongside the eastern side of the river. Cao Cao’s camp, situated 15 miles from Tiao’s position was preparing an attack when it heard news that Liu Bei’s camp was ablaze. Assuming it to be an accident, Cao Cao led his men north to attack. Upon arriving, Liu Bei’s army were waiting to attack. Hearing that Liu Bei had set fire to his camp in order to escape, Cao Cao’s general, Xiahou Dun set off in pursuit. Both Li Dian and Tiao would voice their concern due to a belief he may be walking into an ambush. Xiahou Dun ignored their warning and subsequently fell into an ambush and suffered heavy loses. Tiao led over 2000 troops to assist Dun. This including a small calvary and archers. While Tiao and Dian both held a fear that their joint effort still lacked the strength to offer any real assistance, Liu Bei retreated with his army, having mistaken their numbers.

In the time leading upto the Battle of Red Cliffs in the winter of 208 between Cao Cao’s forces and the allied forces of Southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan, Tiao devoted most of his time traveling around China focussing on writing. Aside from his documenting of the Later Han Dynasty, he begun to write war journals and started painting Imperials and the high classes. He gained much recognition from this and managed to secure the respect of many regional leaders. A link between local warlords and Cao Cao meant that when the time of battle arose, Cao Cao would be able to secure an increased number of troops to join him in battle. Cao Cao soon grew to become one of the most influential and powerful men in the whole of China, and Tiao could be credited with helping him set the foundations for the Kingdom of Cao Wei for future generations.

The Battle of Redcliff’s marked a decisive turning point in the Later Han Dynasty. The battle unfolded in three stages: the initial skirmish at Red Cliffs, which was followed by a retreat to the Wulin (烏林) battlefields situated on the north-western bank of the Yangtze and the large scale naval battle along Huarong. The allied forces sailed from Fankou up to Red Cliffs where they encountered Cao Cao’s vanguard force. Plagued by disease, famine and poor moral due to a series of long marches from the southern campaign, Cao Cao was unable to gain a foothold in the skirmish that ensued. Cao Cao’s army retreated to the north, whilst the allies retreated to the south. Tiao advised Cao Cao that if they were to execute a surprise attack against Liu Bei’s supply depot, they would be able to gain a foothold along the river, which would allow for victory in the naval battle. Deemed too risky to pull off, Cao Cao instead moored his vast naval fleet together. This would lead to his downfall in the Battle of Redcliff’s.

Cao Cao led 220,000 troops, 20,000 of which were issues to Tiao. Coming up against a force, which was believed to be fewer than 50,000 (as low as 15,000 by some accounts), Cao Cao assumed he would control the battle. The allied forces executed a naval fire attack whilst Cao Cao was under the assumption that Huang Gai was defecting. Huang Gai led small naval ships, which were converted, into fire ships after addressing a letter to Cao Cao detailing a falling out and banishment from his master Sun Quan. The unmanned ships, which were carried by the southeastern wind, sped towards Cao Cao’s fleet, setting it ablaze. Within a short time nearly all of the fleet was lost. Following the devastating effect of the fire attack, Tiao rallied his master and all remaining troops and assisted them in retreating, fighting off the allied forces as best as he could. Cao Cao’s army, depleted by the fire attacks returned back to Xuchang. Humiliated, he enlisted a council of advisers who would assist Cao Cao’s main strategist Sima Yi in proposing the best course of action in future battles. Tiao was enlisted on this council, but due to internal political unrest in the region, was often unable to attend the court.

A year after the battle of Red Cliffs, Tiao made his intentions to Cao Cao clear to retire from military service. It was his intention to remain on Cao Cao’s advisory council and remain a key part in the imperial court. During the summer, Tiao took a young apprentice under his wing, to teach the arts to, as Cao Buxing had done with him.

In October 218, Hou Yin (侯音) and his deputy Wei Kai (衛開) rose in rebellion with several thousand troops from the command of Tiao and called on Guan Yu for assistance. After 4 months of fighting Tiao’s army was successfully able to repel the rebellion and kill both Hou Yin and Wei Kai. During this time Liu Bei's army was busy in taking Hanzhong by defeating Cao Ren's army. Liu Bei looked to further expand his gains in the summer of 219 by sending 15,000 troops to Shangyong (上庸; north of present-day Zhushan County, Hubei). It was at this time that Cao Cao was temporarily forced to ensure that his defensive line could not concede defeat, after continuous setbacks in his attempted Invasions of Jiangdong. Whilst Cao Cao was regrouping his army, he planned to launch a preemptive strike against the Jing Province (荊州; covering present-day Hubei and Hunan), lying alongside the eastern part of Liu Bei’s territory, which was being held by Guan Yu. Before the plan could be executed, Tiao fell ill. In his place, Cao Ren oversaw the attack on Guan Yu.

Even though he had fallen ill, Tiao still made himself available as a strategist in the Battle of Fan Cheng. Tiao, as he had done throughout his military service split his time between the battlefield and his barracks to detail the outcome of the battle as well as painting the scenes of it. He had already written out and drawn a detailed guide of the previous 31 years of the Later Han period, and it was his intention to release it to the imperial court once the chaos had ended, or to pass along his life’s work to his young apprentice. After the victory at Fancheng, Tiao went into recluse at the base of Mount Tianzhu for 2 years to focus on his accounts. In this time he would come to write hundreds of scrolls detailing the history and rise of Wu, Shu and Wei aswell as key battles.

Death
In 222, Tiao was visited by Cao Pi, and asked to act as an advisor during the Invasion on Eastern Wu. Tiao agreed, as he believed he owed a debt of gratitude to Pi’s late father. In the winter of 222, Tiao fell ill as Cao Pi’s army progressed along the Yangtze River. His condition grew worse, but Tiao insisted that he stay close to both Cao Pi and the battlefront. An Imperial healer was summoned to see Tiao, however Tiao refused and said “If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words”. Subsequently, Tiao’s plan of a surprise attack on enemy forces was a success.

Tiao’s condition further worsened as Cao Pi’s army continued its march to claim Eastern Wu. In the spring of 223, Tiao died in Ruxu, Yang Province on the Eastern side of present day Anhui as the result of an unknown illness. News of his death quickly spread through Cao Wei, and Cao Pi announced that Tiao would be posthumously honoured with the title the ‘Marquis Dragon of Gong’. Tiao was buried beside the graves of his mother and father in Bozhu, Anhui. As a promise to his fallen friend, Cao Hong would attend the funeral of Tiao and honour his wishes by preserving his life’s work.

Personal life
Yang Tiao was described to have handsome good looks as well as a strong physique. Noted as a skilled warrior, he excelled in the arts of poetry and painting and even wrote a number of books on war and strategy.

When Cao Hong saved Tiao from attacking bandits at the age of 14, they would become close friends, swearing themselves to brotherhood. Throughout the rest of Tiao’s life, both he and Hong would be inseparable, often fighting beside each other in battle.

At the age of 18, after Tiao was issued into Cao Cao’s army, he began to document the history of the Late Eastern Han Dynasty and eventually would record the Early Three Kingdoms Dynasty, until his death in 223 of an unknown illness. He would document the histories both in the camps on the battlefield and when his time was spent outside of battle.

During the summer of 209, Tiao took on a young apprentice, whom he would teach the arts to as Cao Buxing done with him. Not only would he be teaching him in the ways of poetry and painting, but also in Taoist belief and practices, but also in the conservation and continuation of the documentation of the Late Eastern and Three Kingdom Dynasty’s.

Throughout his life, Tiao held the reputation of a gentleman for his kind nature to the people during such turbulent times of war and chaos. Having lived the early part of his life in relative poverty, Tiao felt a great deal of sympathy with the peasants. As Tiao’s wealth grew from his military and artistic ventures, he and Cao Hong looked to distribute the money he earned out between peasant farmers in the Luoyang and Xuchang regions.

Legacy
After Tiao’s death, Cao Hong ensured the continuation of Tiao’s life work. He entrusted Tiao’s writings of the Later Han Dynasty and the Early Three Kingdoms period to the Imperial Court in hope that it would one day chronicle the eras in Chinese history. A large collection of artworks including ceramics, paintings and woodblocks were found alongside poetry and books. In the years following Tiao’s death, many of his original artworks were being sold on the Silk Road both around central Asia aswell as into Europe. Many art historians have cited the Han period art that was being sold along the Silk Road at this time to be influential to the development of artistic style in India, Korea and Thailand.

Arguably, Tiao’s longest lasting legacy was compiled into the Records of the Three Kingdoms or Sanguozhi, which is a compiled document of Chinese historical text, which covers the history of the late Eastern Han Dynasty (c. 184-220) and the Three Kingdoms period (c. 220-280). Written by Chen Shou in the third century, the work combines the smaller histories of the rival states of Cao Wei, Shu Han and Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period into a single text. Large portions of the Cao Wei text, from 190-221 were documented by Tiao, with the remainder documented by several other military generals and historians.

Tiao’s legacy was further extended midway through 2013 when Koei announced that he would be included as a playable character in the upcoming instalment of highly successful video-game series Dynasty Warriors 9. This would be the first time that Tiao would appear in the series.

Art and Artworks
Despite being raised on a peasant farm, Tiao was trained by renowned Eastern Wu painter, Cao Buxing. Tiao showed huge potential in his training and soon became a master in both painting and poetry. This training would come to serve him throughout his life as it helped him to gain a substantial amount of wealth and recognition around China and central Asia.

Much has been said about Tiao’s painting style and technique. He typically fits into the traditional Chinese style of paintings. His most frequent technique was the Gongbi (工笔), meaning “meticulous”, which uses highly detailed brushstrokes that delimits details very precisely. Gongbi required drawing with very fine lines in order to exaggerate the likeness of an object, then adding washes of ink and colour layer by layer, so as to approach the perfection of exquisiteness and fine art. Although it is an often highly coloured technique, Tiao tended to interchange between colours and harsh blacks.



After being given the status as Cao Cao’s court artist in 194, Tiao expanded and increased his production of ceramics and paintings. He would come to paint the portraits of high-ranking generals and ally’s. Among the most famous of these was a portrait of Cao Cao, which would subsequently appear in the book Sancai Tuhui.

As his reputation grew, he began to be commissioned by regional warlords and the high classes to paint for them. Many of his most famous pieces, usually depicted figural or narrative subjects. Tiao, using his skills as a painter and experiences of war, often would paint his subject in a heroic setting. When Tiao was sent on a peace keeping mission in the Luoyang region in 196, he is said to have ceased a battle after painting a portrait of the warlord who was causing the problems within the region. He was able to subsequently convince him join into Cao Cao’s army. After Cao Cao heard the news of Tiao’s success, he concluded that Tiao was able to use his charisma and artistic talents to win over the favour of other warlords both in and around the region. Tiao would usually gift his portraits, which he painted on the battlefield, to generals within Cao Cao’s army whom he fought alongside to show a sign of respect. His blending and use of colours, most prominently blues, purples and reds helped to set his work aside from other artists of the time, and almost gave it a sense of urgency and fantasy. Chinese art historians believe some of Tiao’s work could be seen as an early influence of some Japanese Edo art, which is usually seen as the inspiration for manga forms of art.

Being able to effectively utilise his artistic talents, Tiao would frequently paint in the Chinese style of shui-mo also loosely termed watercolour or brush painting. The style is commonly referred to as “xie yi” or freehand style. Landscape painting was often closely associated with the “xie yi” style and was at the time regarded as the highest form of Chinese painting, As Tiao would spend large portions of his time travelling across China, he was able to pick up the regional hallmarks of landscape painting. In the North, painted pictures were typically of towering mountains, using strong black lines as well as ink and sharp dotted brushstrokes. In the South, the style leaned more towards painting the rolling hills and rivers in the countryside in peaceful scenes done with softer brushwork. These two kinds of scenes and techniques became the classical styles of Chinese landscape painting.

During his time travelling between battles, and even on the battlefield itself, Tiao could often be found in or around the barracks. Often painting the landscapes, generals in the camp or scenes of the battle itself, Tiao would document all he could through artistic means. When painting scenes of battle Tiao would either use harsh blacks to show how vicious it was to be at war, or he would glorify it with strong colours. Some of Tiao’s most celebrated pieces of work are those done during battles and skirmishes.Using the chaos around him as inspiration, Tiao would often paint a calm landscape, with a fierce battle ensuing in the foreground using harsh colouring. Tiao developed his very own style by mixing the techniques used in the North and South landscapes styles in the background with scenes of violent and bloody skirmishes in the foreground.

A vast majority of Tiao’s paintings and ceramics ended up being passed along the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a series of trade routes and cultural transmission routes that were central to the cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent. The road helped to connect the East to the West by linking traders, merchants and soldiers from China to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods. Extending over 4000 miles (6437 kilometres), the Silk Road gained its name from the lucrative Chinese silk trader that was often carried out along the length of the route. The road began during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the civilisation of China and other Asian countries. Although through the Silk Road China was able to exported ideas of Taoism and social control and status, the most significant import that it brought in was artistic. Chinese art of the time was ever changing, as was Tiao. Moving between paintings and ceramics to mosaics and woodblocks.

The Silk Road gave Tiao an opportunity to use his talents as an artist and explore and develop his own style by using other cultures arts to adapt on his own. At this time Tiao’s art was allowed to thrive due to exposure to art styles from Japan and Korea. He moved from more traditional styles of painting portraits and towering mountains, to begin focussing heavily upon the inclusion of natural elements in his paintings. Some of the main themes in Han art, which Tiao explored deeply, given his Taoist beliefs, were that of paradise and immortality. After his death, his paintings become more commonly sought along the Silk Road. Many of Tiao’s paintings and ceramics are still being discovered in Chinese mausoleums and temples and are often donated to national museums around China.



Appointments and Titles Held
Marquis of Luoyang (洛阳侯爵)

General of the Rear (後將軍)

Minister of Culture (文化部长)

Marquis Dragon of Gong (侯龙的锣)

Counsellor Remonstrant (諫議大夫)

Gentleman of Suanzao (旋藻的绅士)

Appraisal
Even though he was a military serviceman, Yang Tiao led a frugal and simple lifestyle. He used his excess wealth to help peasant farmers and the needy. One written account of Tiao’s generosity detailed how he used his vast wealth to pay off the taxes of a poor village, thus saving the peasant farmers from losing their land. Tiao was also well known for the use of his wealth to pay for tutors to come into camps during battles and teach those who could not read or write.