The Two Qiaos refer to two sisters who lived during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Their names were not recorded, so in later times they are referred to simply as Daqiao (literally: "older Qiao") and Xiaoqiao (literally: "younger Qiao"). They were from Wan County, Lujiang Commandery (present-day Qianshan County, Anhui). Daqiao married the warlord Sun Ce, who established the foundation of the state of Eastern Wu; while Xiaoqiao was married to the general Zhou Yu, who served Sun Ce and his successor Sun Quan.

In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the two Qiaos were said to be the daughters of Qiao Xuan. They were described to be famous beauties in the region south of the Yangtze River. They were said to be one of the causes of the Battle of Red Cliffs, because Cao Cao attacked Sun Quan's lands to take the sisters for himself. In chapter 44, in a conversation between Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, Zhuge said that he had a plan to cause Cao Cao's forces to retreat, by sending Cao the Two Qiaos. Zhuge pretended that he did not know who the Two Qiaos were married to. When Zhou asked Zhuge for evidence that Cao was after the Two Qiaos, Zhuge mentioned that he heard that Cao Cao asked his son Cao Zhi to write a poem titled Ode to the Bronze Sparrow Platform (銅雀臺賦). Zhuge recited the poem and pointed out that Cao Cao's desire to take the Two Qiaos for himself was evident in the poem. The enraged Zhou hardened his decision to ally with Liu Bei and fight Cao Cao.

Zhou Yu (175–210) was a military general and strategist who served his close friend, the warlord Sun Ce, during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. After the death of Sun Ce, another prominent warlord, Cao Cao, led a massive force southward with the intention to conquer the Jiangdong region, Zhou Yu was assigned by Sun Ce's brother and successor, Sun Quan, to be the naval commander for the defensive forces and he defeated Cao Cao's forces at the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs in 208. The subsequent Battle of Jiangling, which had Lieutenant General (偏將軍) Zhou Yu serving as the commander-in-chief of Sun Quan's forces, solidified the survivability of the future Eastern Wu regime. Thus, Zhou Yu was praised by Sun Quan to be the sole person who enabled him to become an emperor years after Zhou's death.

Zhou Yu was born in Lujiang Commandery in an influential family with many members who served in high ranking positions in the government. Zhou Jing (an elder cousin of Zhou Yu's father) and Zhou Jing's son Zhou Zhong both took the post of Grand Commandant in the Han imperial court. Zhou Yu's father, Zhou Yi, was the Chief of Luoyang, the capital. When the coalition against Dong Zhuo was formed, Zhou Yi led his family to migrate to Lujiang. There, Sun Jian's son Sun Ce and Zhou Yu studied together and became lifelong friends. Zhou Yu's uncle later became the governor of Danyang under the warlord Yuan Shu , Zhou went visit his uncle and stayed there, while his best friend, Sun Ce, was planning to establish independence over the soil of Jiangdong.

Cao Cao (Mandarin pronunciation: [tsʰɑ̌ʊ tsʰɑ́ʊ]; 155 – March 15, 220) was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled Emperor Wu of Wei. Although often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant, Cao Cao has also been praised as a brilliant ruler and military genius who treated his subordinates like his family. He was also skilled in poetry and martial arts and wrote many war journals.

Cao was born in the county of Qiao (present day Bozhou, Anhui) in 155. His father Cao Song was a foster son of Cao Teng, who in turn was one of the favorite eunuchs of Emperor Huan. Some historical records, including the Biography of Cao Man, claim that Cao Song's original family name was Xiahou.

Cao was known for his craftiness as an adolescent. According to the Biography of Cao Man, Cao's uncle complained to Cao Song about Cao Cao's indulgence in hunting and music with Yuan Shao. In retaliation, Cao Cao feigned a fit before his uncle, who immediately rushed to inform Cao Song. When Cao Song went to see his son, Cao Cao behaved normally. When asked, Cao Cao replied, "I have never had a fit, but I lost the love of my uncle, and therefore he deceived you." Afterwards, Cao Song ceased to believe his brother regarding Cao Cao, and thus Cao Cao became even more blatant and perseverant in his wayward pursuits.