I remember a story about Cao Cao that he was with his army marching, and said that anyone that stops will be executed, but later on he himself stopped to drink some water. He orders his soldiers to execute him, but they refuse so they just cut his hair. Is that thing true? I have been trying to find it on the Internet, but nothing seems to pop up. I would appreciate the help, thanks!
This is a story that typically takes place when Cao Cao's forces are marching to attack Zhang Xiu's forces. Cao Cao sees that the farmers are afraid his army will plunder or destroy their fields, so he orders all his troops to avoid trampling crops under pain of death. Then one day his horse is startled and bolts into a field, trampling crops. But instead of taking his own life, Cao Cao's advisors convince him not to and he cuts off his hair instead.
As far as I know, there's no historical basis for this story. There's no mention of it in sanguozhi and I couldn't find any other historical source for it in after a quick search, either.