Author: Wen Boling Source: The Fireworks World of Wen Boling (ID: wenboling2020)
01
In December 219 AD, in the book “Guan Yu’s Defeat of Maicheng”, the three kingdoms became a final outcome. One month later, Cao Cao passed away in Luoyang and left the Han family and Wei state, which had been in operation for half of his life, to the Crown Prince Cao Pi.
The Cao Cao family is a wealthy family in Qiaoxian County, Peiguo. His father Cao Song served as a Han Dynasty lieutenant, but compared to those Confucian Confucian scholars, Cao Cao is still a “redundant eunuch and ugly” and does not belong to the orthodox upper class.
This background determined Cao Cao’s political line.
If we completely approach the Confucian Confucian Confucian family and integrate with them, the power of Cao Cao may melt and disintegrate, without the qualification to command them and the strength to claim the title of emperor and establish a country.
However, if we cultivate some political forces outside of the Confucian classics family, we can encourage them to check and balance with the Confucian classics family, and Cao Cao mediates in the middle, so as to reap the benefits.
This truth, Cao Cao cannot fail to understand.
So Cao Cao chose Legalism as his philosophy of governing the country, “using the magic of Shen Shang and the ingenious strategy of Han Bai”, and appointed the Cao and Xiahou clans as the general of the army. In terms of talent selection, only talent is required, “recognizing and extracting exceptional talents, not limited to lowliness, and using them as they can
The purpose of Cao Cao is to use a unified standard of Legalism to restrain the Confucian Confucian Confucian Confucian scholars who pursue the rule of man, to promote kinship and humble officials, and to balance officials from the Confucian Confucian Confucian Confucian Confucian scholars.
In the chaotic era of the late Han Dynasty, Cao Cao’s political line could not be said to be groundbreaking, at least it was also in line with the actual situation.
But after the death of Cao Cao Hong, Cao Pi quickly corrected Cao Cao’s line.
Because Cao Pi did not have decades of accumulated military achievements and prestige, he could not approach the Confucian Confucian Confucian family with a tough attitude. To secure his throne, he must compromise with them and yield benefits.
So as soon as Cao Pi succeeded the King of Wei, he, at the suggestion of Chen Qun, promulgated the Nine Rank Official Law, which states and counties were all established with the central authority to determine their selection. He chose the wise and knowledgeable individuals of the states and counties, distinguished them from others, and ranked them higher and lower
The original intention of the Nine Rank Official Personnel Law was definitely to consider setting standards for national talent selection, but from another perspective, under the Nine Rank Official Personnel Law, the evaluation criteria for talents are held by the middle and upright officials from the Confucian Confucian Confucian family background.
In this way, the right to select officials was transferred from the King of Wei to the Confucian classics family, and Chen Qun, Sima Yi and other Confucian classics family ministers also began to rise.
Moreover, Cao Pi inherited the throne of Wei King, so other brothers also had the right to inherit, especially Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang, whose strength was actually not inferior to Cao Pi. In order to confront his family brothers, Cao Pi chose to suppress his close relatives and reuse distant clans.
In 222 AD, Cao Pi, who had become emperor on behalf of the Han Dynasty, appointed his son Cao Rui as the Pyeongwon of Goguryeo, his son Cao Lin as the King of Hedong, his younger brother Cao Zhi as the King of Zhen City, and Cao Zhang as the King of Ren City.
These Cao feudal lords have titles, but each person only has over a hundred veteran soldiers as guards, with no military power or local administrative power, making their vassal status equivalent to imprisonment.
In contrast, Cao Pi highly valued Cao Ren, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, and other descendants of Cao Cao.
In addition, Cao Pi ordered that “the family of the Later Clan should not be appointed as a political assistant, nor should they be subjected to the lords of Maotu”, completely cutting off the Han family story of foreign relatives leading the government.
In this way, the political pattern of mutual checks and balances among Cao Cao’s Legalist, Patriarchal Clan, and Han Clan, as well as the Confucian Confucian Confucian family, was changed by Cao Pi to Confucianism
The political pattern of shared political power between distant clans and Confucian Confucian classics.
This deviated from Cao Cao’s line, but it was the most suitable for Cao Pi.
In 226 AD, Cao Pi was the assistant minister of Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Chen Qun, and Sima Yi, the former general of the imperial army, when he died. Among the four auxiliary ministers, two were from the distant branch of the Cao family and two were from the Confucian Confucian Confucian family. This means that the political structure of Cao Wei has officially been established.
The successor to the throne of Cao Pi was Cao Rui.
At that time, Cao Rui was only 21 years old and had no contact with the officials of the Wei state. Therefore, the officials did not understand what kind of person the new emperor was, so they decided to send their attendant Liu Ye as a representative to inspect the palace.
Liu Ye had a long talk with Cao Rui for a day. After leaving the palace, Liu Ye said, “The couple of the Qin Shi Huang Emperor and the Han Xiaowu Emperor are just a little inferior.” It means that Cao Rui and the Qin Emperor and the Han Wu Emperor are the same kind of people, but their ability is not as good as theirs.
In the turbulent times of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms, this evaluation was very remarkable.
The fact proves that what Liu Ye said is correct.
During Cao Rui’s reign, Zhuge, the prime minister of the Shu Han, made five northern expeditions, and Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty also made several northern expeditions. Cao Rui ordered Cao Xiu and Man Chong to defend against the Eastern Wu Dynasty. Cao Zhen and Sima Yi defended against the Shu Han Dynasty, and the dispatch and command were quite methodical.
Especially in AD 234, when Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty and Zhuge, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, made the Northern Expedition at the same time, Cao Rui, on the one hand, commanded the Chinese army and Man Chong to join forces to personally fight against Sun Quan’s 100000 troops, on the other hand, sent Qin Lang, the escort of the Shu Kingdom, with 20000 troops and horses, to help Sima Yi defend against the Shu Han Dynasty, and drew up a general plan for Sima Yi to fight:
But if we hold onto the wall and resist to defeat its edge, the other side will not have the will to advance, and retreat without fighting. If we pause for a long time, we will run out of food, and if we plunder without obtaining anything, we will go. If we pursue them, we will find the path to complete victory
It can be said that Cao Rui knows who to hit first, who to hit later, and how to hit.
After Cao Rui defeated Sun Quan, all the officials said that Sima Yi was fighting with Zhuge Liang. Now that the war in the East had ended, it would be better for the emperor to command the army in Chang’an and help Sima Yi. But Cao Rui refused, saying that Sun Quan had been defeated and Zhuge Liang was alone. Sima Yi had enough to deal with it, so I had no worries.
Subsequently, Cao Rui returned to Shouchun and rewarded the three armies.
The fact is as Cao Rui expected.
Sima Yi and Prime Minister Zhuge confronted each other for more than 100 days. Even if Prime Minister Zhuge gave Sima Yi women’s clothes, Sima Yi resolutely refused to go to war. Sima Yi did not pursue the Shuhan army until Prime Minister Zhuge died in Wuzhang Plains. As a result, he played a farce of “dying Zhuge and living in Zhongda”.
From this war, it can be seen that Cao Rui is a very capable person.
In his reign as emperor, he was able to suppress Sun Quan with his personal abilities, resist the Prime Minister of Zhuge with the national strength of Wei, and even the distant clans and aristocratic ministers of Wei were crushed to death by Cao Rui.
If you want to give Cao Rui an evaluation, the Young Hero is very suitable.
02
During the reign of Cao Rui, the power of Cao Wei was at its peak, but it was at this time that the inherent shortcomings of the Cao Wei regime also emerged.
The two pillars of the Cao Wei regime are the distant imperial clan and the aristocratic ministers. This Binary opposition pattern is very dependent on the male leader in the middle. Moreover, the distant imperial clan is an official, extremely testing personal ability. It is a far cry from the model of enfeoffment of vassals regardless of virtue or folly.
Once the emperor is mediocre or the distant clans cannot produce talents, the stable political structure of Cao Wei will collapse, and the Confucian Confucian Confucian family will inevitably dominate.
Cao Zhi recognized this issue and wrote to Cao Rui twice. One time, he requested himself to go to the capital to assist the court, and the other suggested enfeoffment of vassals and the establishment of the Rock Sect, just like in the early Han Dynasty.
But anyone can raise this question, but Cao Zhi cannot.
When Cao Cao was alive, Cao Zhi was Cao Pi’s competitor, and the two had a fierce struggle to compete for the position of the prince. When Cao Rui saw Cao Zhi’s petition, he couldn’t help but think, ‘You’re going to go to Beijing to assist in politics later, and you’re going to be enfeoffed later. Do you still have ambitions?’?
So, Cao Rui refused Cao Zhi.
Gaotang Long, Cao Rui’s teacher, also found this problem, and suggested that Cao Rui: “It is better to guard against hawkish officials within the Xiaoqiang, choose kings, use the king’s national standard soldiers, often play chess, pacify the emperor’s neighborhood, and light up the imperial family.” Similarly, Cao Rui was suggested to reuse the imperial family and enfeoff vassals.
Cao Rui comforted Gaotang Long, either because of historical inertia or because he was too confident to listen to Gaotang Long’s suggestions.
At this point, the Cao Wei regime lost the best opportunity for political system reform.
If Cao Rui’s lifespan could be longer, or if the talent of distant clans continued to decline, the Cao Wei regime could continue for a longer time. After the destruction of Wu and Shu, Cao Wei would have natural legitimacy.
Unfortunately, both issues have erupted simultaneously.
The death of Cao Ren, the great general, in 223 AD, Cao Xiu, the great general, in 228 AD, Cao Zhen, the great general, in 231 AD, and Cao Hong, the General of Agile Cavalry, in 232 AD, meant that after the suppression of the close relatives, there was no one in the distant clans who could challenge the great general.
As for the Xiahou family, as early as after the death of Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, there was no talent who could pick up Liang.
In 239 AD, Cao Rui died at the age of 34, and the throne passed to Cao Fang, the 8-year-old king of Qi, who was appointed as the assistant minister. One was Cao Shuang, a general representing a distant clan, and the other was Sima Yi, a senior official representing the Confucian classics family.
Cao Shuang is the eldest son of Da Sima Cao Zhen. With his family’s blood relationship, he has had a particularly good relationship with Cao Rui since childhood. After Cao Rui succeeded to the throne, he appointed Cao Shuang as a cavalry attendant, a city gate colonel, a cavalry attendant, and a military general, with a clear intention of cultivating them.
But Cao Shuang has a problem – without leading troops in battle, he has no military achievements.
In the chaotic era of the late Han and Three Kingdoms, those general positions were all empty. Only by leading the troops and achieving military achievements can we truly establish prestige in the army and gradually become a major general with numerous old officials throughout the army.
Such a great general is the true general who commands the three armies to bow down, and can truly defend the rivers and mountains of Cao Wei.
Without military achievements, Cao Shuang lacked the power foundation to command all the troops and horses of Cao Wei.
Sima Yi was different.
In 224 AD, Cao Pi attacked Sun Quan in the south and left the minister to guard Xuchang, Sima Yi.
In 225 AD, Cao Pi patrolled the four directions, promoted Sima Yi to be the general of the Fujun, and continued to guard Xuchang.
In 226 AD, Cao Rui ordered Sima Yi to send troops to Xiangyang to defeat Zhuge Jin, the general of Wu Guozuo.
In 227 AD, Sima Yi was promoted to the rank of Commander of all military forces in Jingyuzhou, guarding Wancheng.
In the same year, Sima Yi used eight days to attack 1200 li to conquer Shangyong and pacify the rebellion in Menda.
In 228 AD, Sima Yi attacked Jiangling from Wancheng to resist the northern expedition of Wu.
In 231 AD, Cao Zhen, the great Sima, died of illness. Cao Rui ordered Sima Yi to guard Chang’an. Zhang He, Guo Huai and other veteran generals worked under Sima Yi’s command. Later, they fought with Prime Minister Zhuge several times.
In 235 AD, Sima Yi was promoted to the rank of Taiwei.
In 238 AD, Cao Rui ordered Sima Yi to lead 40000 troops to Gongsun Yuan, and successfully recovered four prefectures in Liaodong, Daifang, Lelang and Xuantu within one year.
This long resume means that Sima Yi has been in the power center of the Cao Wei Dynasty for 20 years, becoming a respected Sangong and Grand General, and personally led the army for 15 years. His disciples, old officials, and old troops were all over the army.
Where is this simply a deputy minister?
This is Sima Gong, the pillar of the Heavenly Support in Cao Wei, the invincible General of Sima in Cao Wei, and the highest representative of the Confucian Confucian Confucian family in the court.
The match between Cao Shuang and Sima Yi continued the political pattern established by Cao Pi, but Cao Shuang, the representative of the far flung imperial family, who was absent from the throne, had no combat merit. In the political balance of the Cao Wei regime, their weight was obviously too small.
So Cao Rui and Sima Yi asked, “My future belongs to the monarch, and the monarch and Cao Shuangfu’s youngest son”. Then they pointed to Cao Fang, the king of Qi, and said, “This is the right thing. You should look at it and don’t mistake it.” They asked Cao Fang, the king of Qi, to hold Sima Yi’s neck, and Sima Yi “burst into tears.”
This action shows that Cao Rui has felt the structural problem of the Cao Wei regime, but there is no time to solve it. He can only rely on Sima Yi’s loyalty for the rise and fall of the regime.
For a chaotic regime, this sustenance itself is very fragile.
The later events completely exceeded Cao Rui’s expectations. The intensity and depth of the struggle between Cao Shuang and Sima Yi were unexpected.
03
According to official history, Cao Shuang was a mediocre and incompetent person who pursued pleasure after becoming an assistant minister, but was ultimately overthrown by just ministers.
In fact, this is an outrageous statement, and it may even be a history that has been artificially modified after the “Gaopingling coup”.
The true Cao Shuang is a Cao family with ideals and aspirations.
After serving as an assistant general, Cao Shuang discovered the weak foundation of the Cao Wei regime, the isolation and helplessness of the Cao clan, the irrationality of the Nine Rank Official Law, and the entanglement of Confucian Confucian classics in the counties.
Faced with such a phenomenon of national subjugation, Cao Shuang decided to eliminate accumulated shortcomings, save the Cao Wei regime, and find a way out for the chaotic times since the end of Han and the Three Kingdoms.
But reform requires the formation of a stable team, and Cao Shuang’s sudden rise to high positions lacks a foundation. Where did the team come from?
The answer is that the “flashy partisans” that Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, cracked down on, combined deeply with Cao Shuang to jointly promote the political reforms that saved Cao Wei.
The so-called flashy party members refer to a group of young people who came from official families, but did not belong to the Confucian classics family, and did not succeed in the Cao Wei regime, including He Yan, the emperor’s son-in-law riding the captains, Xiahou Xuan, the minister in charge, Deng Yang, the secretary in chief, Zhuge Dan, Ding Mi, Huang Men Lang Bigui, Li Feng, and others.
When they first started their career, they were about 20 or 30 years old and held idle positions in the Cao Wei regime. However, they had newly refined Ideology#Political ideologies (metaphysics), hoping to use their new ideas to transform the old world of Cao Wei, and then overthrow the dying Confucian classics family, creating a new era that would lead the way.
In this context, He Yan and Xia Hou Xuan and others spontaneously joined forces to criticize and incite public opinion, not only gaining the high reputation of the Four Cong, Eight Da, and Three Yu, but also influencing the position of court ministers. Even the selection of officials in the ninth rank of prefectures and counties had to listen to their opinions.
So in just a few short years, they became a highly vibrant youth political group.
But their failure to follow established rules seriously harms the interests of vested interests.
For aristocratic ministers, the political activities of these young people have affected their status in the court and the authority of the family to control local elected officials, and they must be beaten to death with a stick.
For Cao Rui, there is a risk of these idle officials forming political groups outside the system and starting anew. Moreover, the party members in the late Eastern Han Dynasty joined forces to oppose the eunuch. In fact, the spearhead was directed at the two emperors Huanling. Now, He Yan and Xiahou Xuan are commenting on the figures and pointing out the country. Is it possible to point the spearhead at themselves?
So the aristocratic ministers and Cao Rui reached a consensus that this young political group was too flashy and unworthy, and they dismissed He Yan, Xiahou Xuan, Deng Yang and other officials in AD 230.
This is the “flashy case” of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period
These young people inherited the legacy of the late Han dynasty party members and attempted to eradicate corrupt politics with public opinion and new ideas. Although they were severely hit, their appearance meant that the Confucian Confucian Confucian Confucian family, as the victors of the late Han dynasty party struggle, had younger challengers after gaining rich benefits in the turbulent times.
When dragon slayers become evil dragons, new dragon slayers appear.
Cao Shuang had a very good relationship with the flashy party members when they traveled around. After Cao Shuang became the assistant minister, he overthrew Cao Rui’s “flashy resolution” and called back He Yan, Xiahou Xuan, Deng Yang and other comrades to important posts——
(He) Yan, (Deng) Yang, and (Ding) Mi were appointed as ministers. (He) Yan Dian was elected, and (Bi) Gui was appointed as a military officer. (Li) won over Henan Yin
The flashy party members gained the power to handle the daily work of the court, personnel power, supervisory power, and administrative power in the capital region.
At the same time, there were also Cao Shuang’s close brothers who were promoted – “Shuang’s younger brother Xi was the leader of the middle army, training as a general of martial arts and defense, and Yan was a regular attendant on scattered cavalry. The other younger brothers were all vassals and attendants, and entry and exit were prohibited. Your esteemed pet Mo Shengyan
The Cao Shuang brothers gained the power to command the Forbidden Army.
After the personnel arrangements were completed, Cao Shuang and the new team began the pace of reform, preparing to clean up the accumulated shortcomings left by the Confucian Confucian Confucian family and complete the unfinished business ten years ago.
Due to the lack of historical data, only a question and answer about Xiahou Xuan and Sima Yi has been retained in the Records of the Three Kingdoms · Wei Shu · Biography of Xia Hou Cao. From this, we can see that the reform of Cao Shuang and the new team mainly includes three aspects.
First, the Nine Rank Official Law has become a tool for the Confucian Confucian classics to control the election of aristocratic families, which has led to the expansion of the clan. It is necessary to reform the system of selecting officials, weaken the authority of the middle and senior officials, return the power of selecting officials and employing people to the official department, and re-establish Centralisation power.
Only officials can appoint people, and the handle of the country is also. Therefore, Zhuan Heng is specialized in the Taiwan Pavilion, which is divided into upper levels. Filial piety is preserved in Lu Lane, and the quality of the local people is entrusted to the lower level. In the Ming Dynasty, the classification is not related to it
Once the power of selecting officials and appointing personnel is transferred to the Ministry of Officials, the Confucian Confucian Confucian family cannot develop their family power arbitrarily, and the inheritance of generations of officials also loses institutional guarantee.
Moreover, the selection of officials by the Ministry of Personnel does not need to be based solely on family status, and ability can also be an important reference factor. Therefore, the reform of the selection system by Cao Shuang and the new team basically conforms to Cao Cao’s meritocracy line.
Secondly, during the chaotic period of the Three Kingdoms in the late Han Dynasty, the power of the counties was too heavy, which damaged the authority of the court. Therefore, the county level government should be abolished and the counties should be directly managed by the states.
The current chief officials are all officials, officials, and people. They are appointed as prefects and appointed as governors. If the prefect is the only one in charge, it will be the same as the state, and nothing will be more important. It is appropriate to appoint prefects as governors, but they will serve as governors
In this way, the strength of each county is too small and will inevitably be scattered. Without the help of county level governments, each state cannot organize the counties. As a result, the states and counties were unable to resist the court, and the court’s control over the local areas was strengthened.
Third, aristocratic families and local giants are rich and powerful. They advocate extravagance in daily life and wear gorgeous clothes, which is in sharp contrast with the people. So Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuan and others want to reform the dress etiquette.
Prohibit the use of vulgar and luxurious things, so that in the home of the Gan Dynasty, there is no room for position, no longer adorned with brocade or exquisite clothing, no more delicate objects, from top to bottom. As for the difference in simplicity, it is only a matter of rank, and do not let it exceed one or two senses
Reforming the dress and etiquette system may seem meaningless, but in the end, it can reshape the simple atmosphere, suppress the status of aristocratic families and local powers, and eliminate the dissatisfaction of the people with the wealth gap. It is simply killing three birds with one stone.
The reform of Cao Shuang and the flashy party members, in the final analysis, is to reshape Centralisation, curb local forces, disintegrate the Confucian classics family, combine the Cao Cao line with the reality of Cao Wei, and explore a path of sustainable development.
From this point of view, Cao Shuang and the flashy party members are young reformers, while Sima Yi and the Confucian classics family are old fogies.
Therefore, the contradiction between Cao Shuang and Sima Yi is not only the power struggle of the assistant ministers, but also the idea of “where Cao Wei is going” and even “where the world is going after the fall of the Han Dynasty”.
04
To be honest, Cao Shuang and the reformists have achieved good political performance, and there are some commendatory records in official history only for the reform of selecting officials and appointing personnel.
In the Book of Jin, Biography, Chapter 17, Biography of Fu Xuan, it is written: “In the Zhengshi period, any Yan was elected, and each of the internal and external positions had their own talents. The beauty of his charm is remarkable.” It is said that He Yan presided over the selection of officials and personnel, promoting many outstanding talents.
There is a note in the Records of the Three Kingdoms · Wei Shu · Biography of Xiahou Cao: “Xuanshi is a famous and knowledgeable person, and he is the middle guard. He draws military officers, and takes part in halberds and Yamen. He is nothing but a hero, and he has many prefectures and prefectures. He legislates to teach, and today all of them are the latter.” It is said that Xiahou Xuan, the middle guard, is responsible for selecting military officers, and all of them are heroes.
This indicates that the reform has been effective.
In order to continue to promote reform, Cao Shuanghe and the reformers must exclude Sima Yi and the Confucian classics family from the court, take full control of the government, implement reform policies with absolute power, and destroy the deep-rooted conservative sect and the tangled Confucian classics family.
In order to exclude Sima Yi and Confucian classics families, Cao Shuang must make military contributions and accumulate great prestige.
So, Cao Shuang prepared to conquer Shu Han.
Sima Yi knew that Cao Shuang sent troops to the Shu Han to fight for himself, and the Confucian classics learned that once Cao Shuang succeeded, the family business accumulated over a hundred years would be finished. Therefore, as a representative of the Confucian classics family and the Yuan and Lao schools, Sima Yi has always advised Cao Shuang not to send troops.
Cao Shuang knew what Sima Yi meant, and was unmoved. He had to fight against all the pressure.
It can be said that the success or failure of the conquest of Shu Han determined the success or failure of Cao Shuang and Sima Yi, as well as the success or failure of the reform and the direction of Cao Wei.
In 244 AD, Cao Shuang transferred Xiahou Xuan as the general of the west expedition and the governor of the fake festival Yongliang to control the troops and horses in Guanlong. Subsequently, Cao Shuang personally led 70000 troops to Chang’an, preparing to annihilate Shu Han in one fell swoop and establish military achievements second only to Cao Cao.
Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuan had planned very well. The prime minister Zhuge was no longer there. There was no general in Shuhan, and the State of Wei could easily destroy Shu by virtue of its strong national strength. As a result, after the war began, Cao Shuang found a problem, and there was no supply of logistics food and grass——
At that time, Guanzhong and Di Qiang were unable to provide transportation, and many cattle, horses, mules, and donkeys died. The people and barbarians cried on the road
Sima Yi has fought with Prime Minister Zhuge for many years, and there has never been a problem with the logistics food. Why did the logistics food go wrong when Cao Shuang went to the front to lead the battle and Sima Yi was in the rear?
If Sima Yi is not involved in this, ghosts will not believe it.
Moreover, Sima Yi had been guarding Guanzhong for many years, and the soldiers and horses in Guanlong were his former headquarters. Cao Shuang commanded Guan Long’s troops to destroy Shu Han, which gave Sima Yi a lot of room to operate in the dark.
The Records of the Three Kingdoms · Wei Shu · Biography of Man Tian Leading Guo wrote: “In the first five years, the army under the command of the Huai River was in the vanguard when the Shu River was attacked. Huai River was in a bad situation, so it was not defeated.”
Guo Huai was a trusted general of Sima Yi. He was the pioneer of Cao Shuang’s expedition to Shu this time. As a result, every time he found that the battle was not good, he commanded his troops to leave the battlefield.
From the perspective of maintaining the legitimacy of the Jin Dynasty, Guo Huai preserved his living power and was a great hero of the country. But from the perspective of Cao Wei, what is the difference between Guo Huai’s approach of fleeing from the battlefield and the Nationalist Army? Maybe before the war, Sima Yi and Guo Huai secretly communicated a song and made an agreement.
In addition to Guo Huai, Sima Zhao also became the deputy general of Xiahou Xuan.
The purpose of letting Sima Zhao participate in the expedition to Shu was to facilitate the command of Sima Yi’s old headquarters. As a result, Sima Zhao not only did not fight actively, but also kept making sarcastic remarks to persuade Xiahou Xuan to withdraw.
In this way, against the backdrop of Sima Yi cutting off the supply of grain and grass, and Guo Huai and Sima Zhao not cooperating, Cao Shuang’s war to attack Shu was defeated, and Sima Yi was excluded by his military exploits, and his dream of promoting reform was also dashed.
It can be said that the failure of the war against Shu was a huge defeat for Cao Shuang and other reformers, but a huge victory for Sima Yi and other old conservatives.
Since then, Cao Shuang’s reform has lost the possibility of steady progress. The only choice for Cao Shuang and the reformers is to take advantage of the advantages they already have before Sima Yi and the Yuan Laopai counter attack and eliminate all obstacles to advance the reform quickly.
So, in the history books, there appeared a crazy Cao Shuang:
The Grand General Shuang used the strategies of He Yan, Deng Yang, and Ding Mi to relocate the Empress Dowager to Yongning Palace. He was skilled in court politics, had many pro party members, and repeatedly reformed the system. The Grand Fu Yi could not restrain him, and there was a gap between him and Shuang
There are only twelve words for ‘being proficient in court politics, cultivating pro party relationships, and repeatedly reforming the system’, but behind it is a restless Cao Shuang who is unscrupulous and restless.
However, Cao Shuang and the reformers’ unscrupulous practices thoroughly aroused the sense of crisis of the Confucian classics family and the senior officials of the Yuan Dynasty. In order to protect their vested interests and save their lives, they automatically united under the leadership of Sima Yi, the senior official of the four dynasties.
At this point, the two forces of Cao Wei completely parted ways and there was no possibility of unity and cooperation anymore.
It may be at this time that Sima Yi, who is deeply rooted in the historical torrent, saw the change of people’s minds, found further opportunities, and had the ambition to dominate the imperial court and dominate the world.
In 247 AD, Sima Yi declared himself ill and did not ask about politics. At the same time, Sima Yi’s eldest son, Sima Shi, served as the middle guard, promoted a large number of officers loyal to Sima, and raised 3000 dead soldiers, scattered among the people.
Cao Shuang and Sima Yi are preparing for the final battle.
05
Cao Shuang knew that a decisive battle would break out with Sima Yi one day, so he did not believe that Sima Yi was really retiring. Li Sheng was appointed as the prehistoric Jingzhou Stab, and Cao Shuang also asked Li Sheng to visit Sima Yi’s residence.
After all, Sima Yi is an experienced official. Through a feign of illness, Li Sheng believes in the bottom of his heart that the old man’s life is not long.
Li Sheng went back to report to Cao Shuang, who also believed him.
Because Sima Yi was 70 years old at that time, and the loess was buried on his forehead. According to normal conditions, Sima Yi must not have a long time. In addition, 70 year old people’s deafness and drooling are normal reactions, so in Cao Shuang and Li Sheng’s opinion, Sima Yi’s illness is very normal.
However, it was these seemingly “normal” behaviors that became the last straw to overwhelm Cao Shuang.
In January 249 AD, Emperor Cao Fang of Wei went out of the city to pay respects to Gaoping Mausoleum. General Cao Shuang, Commander Cao Xi, General Wu Wei Cao Xun, and Cavalry Attendant Cao Yan accompanied him out of the city, leaving no trusted soldiers or horses in Luoyang.
After Cao’s capital left the city, Sima’s three thousand dead men gathered and quickly closed the city gate to occupy the armory. Then they obtained the imperial edict of the Empress dowager and the legitimate right to “beg for thieves”. They led the troops and horses to garrison the Luoyang pontoon bridge, blocking Cao Shuang’s return.
At the same time, Sima Yi issued an imperial edict in the name of the Empress dowager, ordering Situ Gaorou to act as the general to control Cao Shuang’s troops and horses, and ordering the eunuch Wang Guan to act as the leader of the army and control Cao Xi’s troops and horses.
After receiving the imperial edict, they immediately announced to exercise their powers and complete the tasks assigned by Sima Yi.
The close cooperation between inside and outside Luoyang shows that Sima Yi, Gao Rou, Wang Guan and others have planned and assigned their tasks.
Besides, it’s difficult to explain all of this.
Then, Sima Yi “swore by Luoshui” to persuade Cao Shuang to surrender, promising that he would only be relieved of his official position and would never harm Cao Shuang’s life.
Huan Fan advised Cao Shuang not to listen to Sima Yi’s words, and immediately went to Xuchang to enlist troops and fight with Sima Yi. But Cao Shuang thought for a night, chose to believe Sima Yi’s words, said “I will not lose my fortune”, surrendered to Sima Yi, and then returned to Luoyang with Cao Fang, the Emperor of Wei.
Huan Fan cursed loudly, “Heroes of Cao Zidan I, how did you give birth to these pig and dog sons?” He didn’t understand why Cao Shuang had to surrender.
Actually, only Cao Shuang knew that there were no other options left.
The reforms implemented by Cao Shuang offended all Confucian Confucian Confucian scholars and senior officials, and the intricately intertwined families in various regions were almost all their disciples and followers. Cao Shuang
There was no strong support for conscription in Xuchang.
In this case, it’s better to choose to trust Sima Yi, or maybe have a new life.
Sima Yi accepted Cao Shuang’s surrender, but violated his pledge by the bank of Luoshui River. Soon after, he arrested Cao Shuang, Cao Xi, Cao Xun, He Yan, Deng Yang, Ding Mi, Bi Gui, Li Sheng, and Huan Fan, all of the three ethnic groups. Sima Yi, the former political enemy, killed all but one of them.
Because Sima Yi had no other choice.
The Confucian Confucian Confucian Confucian family and the Cao Wei clan are already on par, and the Yuan Lao faction and the reformist faction are no longer dead. If Cao Shuang and the reformist faction do not die, the ministers of the Confucian Confucian Confucian Confucian family will be expelled from the three ethnic groups. They are the Yuan Lao faction that has been a center of power for decades.
Moreover, after Cao Shuang and the three reformist ethnic groups, Sima Yi must go further to prepare for the change of dynasties, for the simple reason that there are still people in the Cao family.
If we cannot change dynasties and completely remove the Cao family, then in a few years, when the descendants of the Cao family grow up, we will inevitably seek revenge for the coup in Gaopingling and regain the lost power.
The spearhead of Cao’s descendants must be Sima Yi.
At that time, the Confucian clans and senior officials who launched the coup with Sima Yi probably won’t continue to support Sima Yi’s descendants, but will throw out Sima Yi’s descendants as their vote for the Cao Wei clan.
In this way, Sima Yi’s lifelong achievements will be denied, and future generations will be slaughtered. The Gaopingling coup launched by himself is nothing but making wedding clothes for others.
So Sima Yi had no way out. He had to take the opportunity of Gaopingling’s coup to prepare for the change of dynasties. The loyal minister of Cao Wei, Sima Gong, was officially blackened out as the usurped King of Sima Xuan.
06
Since the rise of the Confucian Confucian Confucian family in the Eastern Han Dynasty, many people have attempted to suppress this historical process, but have repeatedly failed.
Emperor Huan of Han and Emperor Ling of Han severely suppressed the party members and were branded as “pro villains and far more virtuous officials”. Dong Zhuo attempted to cooperate with the Confucian Confucian Confucian family through the model of external relatives leading politics, but was boycotted by the 18th Route lords.
Cao Cao used Legalism, royal family, and humble family to balance the Confucian Confucian Confucian Confucian family, and as a result, it was adjusted and revised in the second generation.
The reform led by Cao Shuang can be said to be the last effort since the Eastern Han Dynasty to suppress the Confucian Confucian Confucian family, and they have new ideas, clear guidelines, and specific policies. If successful, it can to some extent change the direction of history.
However, Cao Shuang, He Yan, and Xiahou Xuan failed, completely.
This reform failed, and the Confucian Confucian Confucian family completely broke free from constraints and became the most powerful political force on the land of China.
Sima Yi, Jieli Douwu, Yuan Shao, Xun Yu and others, in order to unite the Confucian classics family and consolidate their achievements, implemented the policy of “using merit to benefit the people, being lenient, and building the heart of the world”, which directly led to the explosive growth of the Confucian classics family until the end.
When they no longer have checks and balances and can do whatever they want, the land of China will usher in the darkest period.
The impact of the Gaopingling coup goes far beyond just one coup.