Why does Cao Cao prefer young and beautiful women to widows?

Cao Cao likes young women only because they have both the youthful vitality of girls and the temperament charm of mature women. This is a matter of his personal taste, but Cao Cao delayed the military because of his love for the young woman, and more seriously caused the death of love, which directly contributed to the cooperation between Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu. For him, this is not a matter of hobbies.

There are many records about young women in Cao Cao's literature, which caused a quarrel between father and son. The most famous thing is that father and son robbed Zhen Fu. Zhen Fu was a famous beauty in the Three Kingdoms period and the daughter-in-law of Yuan Shao. After defeating Yuan Shao, Cao Cao saw Zhen Fu and was immediately attracted. Even his two children, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, have ideas about Zhen Fu. If it weren't for the courtiers' advice, Cao Cao might have accepted Zhen Fu.

Cao Cao likes young women and indulges in absurdity, even in wartime. On one occasion, he led troops to attack Zhang Xiu. It turned out that Zhang Xiu was defeated and surrendered, but Cao Cao took a fancy to his widow and aunt. Zhang Xiu thought it was insulting, so he led the troops to sneak attack, which led to the death of Cao Cao's camp, including his children. This shows the absurdity of Cao Cao. Shi Ding's heart finally cooled because of his adopted son's death. She made up her mind to leave Cao Cao, and even Cao Cao's home visit did not change her mind, which became a lifelong regret for Cao Cao.

Although this is a matter of personal preference, we can see now that if Cao Cao had not indulged in young women, Cao Jun would not have suffered so many failures, and even Battle of Red Cliffs was Zhuge Liang who took advantage of Cao Cao's weakness. Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu corrected Cao Zhi's poem, saying that if Cao Cao defeated you, he would kidnap your wife Xiao Qiao and take possession of her. Zhou Yu thinks it is true, which shows how wide this rumor is. Zhou Yu was furious and decided to cooperate with them, which led to Cao Cao's defeat. Although Cao Cao's preference is a matter of personal preference, it is not particularly rational as a ruler.