Xuchang (許昌) was a city in Yingchuan commandery. When Cao Cao gained control of the emperor in 196, he moved Emperor Xian and the court to Xuchang and ruled in the emperor’s name.
From that point Xuchang served as the political centre of north China. Many of Cao Cao’s major campaigns, reforms, and appointments were directed from there, before the court later shifted focus to Ye and to Luoyang under Cao Pi.