Fallen in Vain
"I came here... to activate the one hope we have of defeating them... And you killed me for it. Heh, heh... Duran is your enemy, Gerard... Finish our operation... Let my death have at least some meaning." (Alexi Stukov, from Starcraft)
It is a man's dream in life that his death would not be in vain.
It is his dream that the cause he fought for and the pain and suffering he went through meant something, that his sacrifice saved many lives, or his end paved the way for a great victory...
But I am denied even that.
My brother, Cao Pi, took the throne for himself, spitting on a long tradition of the Cao family rightfully serving the Emperor. Master Cao Shen of old served both the people and the Imperial family, doing whatever he could to mend the wounds of the war with Qin and restore the nation to its glory.
But my brother spat on our glorious ancestor's name.
He listened to the words of lying men and corrupt fleabags out for power and prestige, while forgetting that Emperor Liu Xian had committed no crimes and no misdeeds. If anything his sole mistake was forcing father to take all the burdens of leadership. But still, that does not warrant seizing the throne and shattering the balance of heaven and earth!
But I'm here, in the nine golden springs. There is nothing I can do to change the course of events on Earth. I look back at all those who fought for Han, and sigh at their defeat. Their wars were in vain. Their deaths were in vain. I die before I can save my country.
Oh, dear brother, what have you done?
Author's Note:
I really can't say too much more about this guy. This fic was mostly written as speculation. Since the only record we have about Cao Ang is "he was incorrupt and loyal to his family," I don't see why anyone would put him on a pedestal. Heroes like Zhou Yu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao pretty much fit the standard "we will fulfill our honor and protect the people entrusted to our care" trope. Cao Ang died before he could do anything. Even Pang De has a better track record in terms of things done in life.
If Cao Chong is the "potential mastermind" son of Cao Cao, Cao Ang is the "throw your hands in the air and totally warp the timeline" son of Cao Cao, had he lived. We barely know who he is, so I frankly don't know how you can glorify him.
Thus I decided to fit the mentality of the "loyal Han official," since Ang was known to be loyal. Hell, he died to protect his father.
Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe Ang is applauding Cao Pi's decisiveness, but we just don't know.