Cao Mingzhu

Cao Mingzhu (: 曹明珠; born 12 April 1955) is a Kodeshi politician who is the current Minister of Defence of Kodeshia. After serving in the Kodeshi army for years, Cao rose to the rank of Major-General. She is a graduate of the Imperial Academy. After serving in the Kodeshi army for years, Cao rose to the rank of Major-General before being promoted to Lieutenant-General in 2017. She was also the former commander of the Kodeshi Armed Forces. On 14 August 2015, Cao was appointed Minister of Defense of Kodeshia after the retirement of her predecessor, Zhang Huo.

Early life and education
Cao Mingzhu was born in Zhengbaotun, Yanhe, in the province of Kodeshia on 12 April 1955. She was the only child of her parents, and the family lived a modest life. Her father was General Li Chenghu, who died in a military accident in the early 1970s, while her mother Cao Xueqin worked in a textile factory and was active in local politics.

After graduating from primary school, Cao began attending the National University of Science and Technology. When she was 17 years old, she enrolled in the Imperial Academy, where she studied the subjects of politics, military strategy, foreign relations, and international law. She graduated from the academy in 1977.

Military career
In 1978, Cao entered the Kodeshi army as an officer, rising through the ranks and eventually reaching the rank of major-general. During the 1980s, she served in the major operations against the Insurgency in the north-western regions of Kodeshia. In 1982, she was promoted to major and placed in charge of a unit defending the western region of Kodeshia. The following year, she was assigned to the border patrol units that were sent to fight the Insurgency in the northern parts of Kodeshia as part of Operation Menglong.

In 1987, she was made deputy chief of staff and given the command of a mechanised infantry regiment. Two years later, she was promoted to major-general and was made the commander of the 9th Mountain Armoured Division, based in the city of Dafeng. As the counter insurgency operations were being wound down as part of the Peaceful Reunification campaign, Cao was reassigned to serve as a member of the Kodeshi Defence Committee, under the leadership of then-Defence Minister Lin Fengjiao.

Political career
After retiring from the military, Cao entered politics and won a seat in the National Representative Assembly on 11 December 1994 representing the constituency of Yanhe. Where she succeeded the outgoing representative, Liu Zhenjing. In 1995, Cao was named assistant minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1998, she became the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of National Defence and held this position until 2001. In 22 July 2004, she was appointed the the Minister of the Ministry of Public Security replacing and she held this position until 2012 when she took over the role of Minister of the Interior from X a position she held until her appointment as the Minister of Defence in August 2015.

As a member of the Kodeshi government, Cao has been a strong proponent of economic growth. She has been credited for spearheading the development of the domestic tourism sector and the promotion of Kodehsia's rich heritage as a tourist destination. In addition, she has been instrumental in the expansion of Kodeshia's defence industry. She has also advocated for increased trade between Kodeshia and other nations, especially the Akitei Federation and Imperial State of Alva. She has also been vocal in support of Kodehshia's continued involvement in Sanqing and KTEC as well as other international organisations as a key underpinning the multilateral as a key underpinning the multilateral cooperation and integration in the region.

Cao's term as the Minister of the Interior was marred by a series of violent protests. This was due in large part to the increasing frequency of crimes committed against women. She was also responsible for implementing a number of controversial measures aimed at curbing crime, including the creation of special anti-crime police units, the use of private security forces, and the deployment of drones and other technological devices to aid the efforts of law enforcement officials. These initiatives have proven to be quite successful and have earned Cao accolades for her achievements.

However, there have been numerous reports of abuse and even torture within these special units. There have also been several cases of wrongful arrests, in which individuals were arrested on suspicion of crimes they did not commit. Some have claimed that these abuses are the result of Cao's policy of "zero tolerance" towards crime. Others argue that the real problem is the low pay and limited benefits associated with these positions. Still others have attributed the problems to Cao's own policies and actions, citing her lack of compassion for the plight of the poor. Cao has often been referred to as the "Stone General" (石將軍) or "Iron Lady" (鐵娘子) by both her supporters and detractors because of her strict military discipline and the fact that she is a tough negotiator, and is known for being both fair and harsh. Cao is seen as the architect of the economic liberalisation program that helped bring prosperity to Kodeshia.

Cao's term as Minister of the Interior was also marked by a number of scandals. These included allegations of corruption, embezzlement of public funds, the diversion of budgetary allocations, and an incident involving a massive stock market manipulation scheme. Cao has denied any wrongdoing and claims that the investigations will exonerate her.

Despite this she has received widespread praise from the Kodeshi people, as well as from many foreign governments and organisations. Cao has often been referred to as the "Iron Lady" of Kodeshia, due to her strong character and decisive leadership. She is a known advocate of women's rights and has received several awards for her efforts. Cao has been given an official letter of commendation from the Ministry of Public Security for her efforts to combat crime and promote public safety. She was also awarded the "Woman of the Year Award" at the Women's Empowerment Conference in 2018. The following day, the Ministry of Public Security announced that Cao had been awarded an official commendation for her work in combatting crime. In August, 2019, Cao announced a major overhaul of the Kodeshi military, which included a significant increase in spending on Kodeshi's army and air force.

Personal life
Cao's personal life is not well-documented, as she has never publicly disclosed much information about her romantic relationships or family. However it is reported that she is unmarried and has no children. Cao's personal history has often been linked to her career, but few concrete details have ever been released. According to the biography provided by the Kodeshi government, Cao was born in the rural village of Zhengbaotun, Yanhe province, Kodeshia. She grew up in a modest farming household and was reportedly a hard worker and studious child. She attended the provincial agricultural school and graduated with honours. Cao then enrolled at the National University of Science and Technology. She has a younger sister, Cao Mingjie (曹明介).