Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: People, Volume 7

Cao Bin, whose courtesy name original: "zi," a name given at adulthood to be used by peers out of respect was Guohua, was a native of Lingshou in Zhending modern-day Hebei Province. When Emperor Taizu The founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, r. 960–976 accepted the abdication of the previous throne and founded the dynasty, Cao was promoted to the position of Commissioner of the Guest Council.

In the early years of the Qiande era roughly 963 CE, he was reassigned as the General of the Left Divine Martial Army and concurrently served as a Recipient of Edicts in the Bureau of Military Affairs. For his distinguished service in the pacification of the Shu region the conquest of the Later Shu kingdom in modern Sichuan, he was granted the titles of Commissioner of the South Palace of the Bureau of Ceremonies and Military Governor of the Yicheng Army.

Following his military success in the pacification of Le, he was promoted to the rank of Acting Grand Preceptor. After successfully pacifying the Jiangnan region the Southern Tang state and securing the surrender of Li Yu the last ruler of the Southern Tang, renowned as a master of classical poetry, he was rewarded with 200,000 strings of cash and appointed as the Commissioner of Military Affairs.

He served through the successive reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong. Upon his death, he was posthumously honored with the title of Prince of Jiyang Commandery and granted the supreme honor of being worshipped alongside Emperor Taizu in the imperial ancestral temple.