Tongguan campaign
The man guarding Tongguan at that time was Zhong You. Because Ma Chao was too powerful, Zhong You was outnumbered. So he immediately told Cao Cao that Cao Cao saw that the situation was getting more and more flustered, and immediately sent Cao Hong to Tongguan to guard the support. And before Cao Hong went to war, Cao Cao also gave a death order, saying that if Tongguan was lost within 10 days, they would be sentenced to death according to military law. Because Ma Chao's army was really tough, Cao Hong finally failed to resist Ma Chao, and finally lost to Ma Chao within ten days.
Defend Cao Cao's reputation
At that time, because Cao Hong had been guarding the battle of Tongguan in the city, Ma Chao was also very helpless, so three generations of Cao Cao stayed at the gate, hoping that Cao Hong would come out to fight because of this anger. Originally, Cao Hong had been on hold, hoping to spend these nine days safely and fulfill Cao Cao's orders, but on the tenth day, Ma Chao kept cursing Cao Cao. Cao Hong was very angry after hearing this, so he sent troops to attack Ma Chao, which also safeguarded Cao Cao's reputation, so in a sense, Cao Cao was also able to forgive Cao Hong.
The mediation of the soldiers
After the defeat, Cao Hong also disobeyed orders. But back in the camp, the generals who fought alongside Cao Cao pleaded for Cao Hong. On the one hand, those generals thought that it was not Cao Hong's fault, on the other hand, they thought that Cao Hong was a rare talent. At the same time, Cao Cao is also an open-minded person and cherishes talents very much, so he finally spared Cao Hong.