Short answers, pulled from the story.
Cao Cao (c. 155-220 AD), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese warlord, statesman, and poet who rose to dominance during the collapse of the Eastern Han dynasty. He took effective control of the Han central government, laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei, and unified much of northern China under his rule.
The Battle of Guandu in 200 AD was Cao Cao's decisive victory over Yuan Shao, at the time the most powerful warlord in northern China. Cao Cao raided Yuan Shao's supply depot at Wuchao with 5,000 riders, destroying the enemy's supplies and triggering a collapse in morale that ended Yuan Shao's challenge to Cao Cao's power.
Cao Cao was defeated at Red Cliffs in late 208 AD by the allied forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan. An epidemic disease had broken out within his army and many soldiers had died before the engagement. His subsequent retreat through the muddy Huarong Trail resulted in further heavy losses.
Cao Cao was appointed Imperial Chancellor in July 208 AD. In 213, Emperor Xian created him Duke of Wei. In 216, he was elevated to vassal King of Wei and awarded ceremonial privileges previously reserved for emperors. He never formally claimed the throne himself.
Cao Cao died in Luoyang in March 220 AD. His son Cao Pi accepted the abdication of Emperor Xian in November 220 AD and established the state of Cao Wei, replacing the Eastern Han dynasty. Cao Pi then granted his father the posthumous title Emperor Wu, meaning Martial Emperor, and the temple name Taizu, meaning Grand Ancestor.
The authoritative source is Cao Cao's official biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, written by Chen Shou in the third century. In the fifth century, Pei Songzhi annotated this work with material from numerous additional sources, including the official Book of Wei and the hostile anonymous collection known as the Cao Man zhuan.