Cao Shuang

Cao Shuang (rōmaji: Sō Shō) was the son of Cao Zhen. After the death of Cao Rui, he and Sima Yi became regents of the child emperor Cao Fang. However, Cao Shuang tried to claim power for himself and temporarily eliminated Sima Yi from the government. After having suffered a great loss against Shu, Sima Yi deemed Cao Shuang to be too incompetent to lead Wei and staged a coup. Cao Shuang was forced to turn all of his power to Sima Yi and was executed shortly afterwards.

Roles in Games
In Dynasty Warriors 7, Cao Shuang is shown as an incompetent man who spends most of his time with drinking and hunting, while probably being aware of his own inability. He and Sima Yi become regents of Cao Fang after Cao Rui's death, but Sima Yi decides to leave the public, making Cao Shuang the lone regent. Cao Shuang attempts an attack on Shu in order to restore Wei to its former glory. At Mt. Xingshi, he ignores the advice of Deng Ai and Sima Zhao to watch out for an enemy surprise attack and instead orders the two to attack Shu's supply depot. Once they arrive there, the Wei main camp is ambushed and Cao Shuang, admitting his fault, only escapes thanks to the efforts of his generals. Later, during one of his hunting trips, Sima Yi stages a coup d'etat and corners Cao Shuang in Luoyang. In the throne room, Cao Shuang is defeated and says that what he did was right and that the generals would only unite under him. Sima Yi calls him an imbecile and Cao Shuang is slain by Sima Shi.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms games have Cao Shuang appear as a late Wei general. Although he is above average in politics, his other abilities leave much to be desired, indicating his supposed incompetence.

Quotes

 * "All my drinking, hunting, carousing - it is all for the future of Wei! You understand, I have to be seen as a strong leader!"
 * "What I understand is that you have proven yourself to be a most unworthy leader. For the future of Wei, I must eliminate such an incompetent ruler."
 * Cao Shuang and Sima Yi; Dynasty Warriors 7