Cao Shuang and others drove
Wei Shao Emperor Cao Fang Jiaping the first year (249 years), Sima Yi took advantage of the opportunity of Cao Shuang to support the emperor and hundreds of officials to worship the late emperor Gaoping Ling, and launched a coup in Luoyang City , which was known as Gaoping Ling in history. changes. Sima Yi killed the Cao Shuang clan and eliminated the power of the Cao Wei clan headed by Cao Shuang in the court, thereby controlling the political situation of Cao Wei. The Gaopingling coup was an important turning point in the history of Cao Wei and the beginning of the Sima clan's usurpation of Wei and Jin.
1. Tomb Tiger Dormant: Sima Yi’s layout
In the second year of Emperor Jingchu of Wei Ming (238 years), Emperor Wei Ming was seriously ill and was on his deathbed. Ji listened to the words of his favorite ministers Liu Fang and Sun Zi, and appointed Cao Shuang, the son of the general Cao Zhen, and Sima Yi to assist the government. Cao Shuang was the general and chief assistant minister; Sima Yi was the Taiwei, and they discussed the state affairs with Cao Shuang. Cao Shuang and Sima Yi each led three thousand soldiers to guard the inner palace. Cao Shuang still respected Sima Yi's opinions at the beginning and discussed everything with Sima Yi. But not long after, Cao Shuang became self-inflated and listened to the words of He Yan and Deng Yang . He asked the emperor to appoint Sima Yi as Tai Tu, and promoted him to the post, but in fact deprived Sima Yi of his real power. Sima Yi retreated in order to advance. On the surface, he did not care about political affairs, but in fact, he was secretly deploying a plan to counterattack and seize power.
The adopted son of Emperor Wei Ming Cao Rui, the Young Emperor Cao Fang
At the time of Emperor Wei Ming, Sima Yi was ordered to lead troops in Yongliang to fight against Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition army. Sima Yi has been the commander-in-chief of the army in the Yongliang area for a long time, and has a deep foundation. Most of the Guanlong generals are Sima Yi's old troops. After Cao Shuang came to power, he appointed his cousin Xiahou Xuan as the general to conquer the west, the governor of Yong and Liang during the holidays, and Xiahou Ba as the right general to protect the army against Shu. In exchange, Cao Shuang used Sima Shi as the central guard army and had the power to appoint, remove and command part of the imperial army. Although Cao Shuang also took corresponding measures to abolish the middle and strong camps of the Forbidden Army, Sima Division could still vigorously strengthen the consolidation and management of the Forbidden Army after serving as the Central Guard. Sima Shi had the right to elect military attachés, " is the method of selection, no merit is exceeded, and officials are selfless." Sima Shi made great efforts to rectify the past custom of bribing the Central Guards in order to obtain official positions (Taiwei Jiang Ji liked to accept bribes when he was a guard, so he was ridiculed by Sima Yi. Jiang Ji said "Buy in Luozhong City, if you don't have enough money, it won't work"), stipulating that the promotion of military attachés must rely on certain merits. Sima Shi clearly distinguished rewards and punishments, and established prestige among the officers and soldiers of the Forbidden Army. In addition to training the Forbidden Army soldiers, Sima Division also secretly raised three thousand well-trained dead soldiers, "scattered in the world". Once the three thousand dead soldiers gathered, they became an important force in Sima's coup.
Sima Shi
Sima Zhao’s role in the coup cannot be ignored. In the early years of Emperor Wei Shao's reign, Sima Zhao served as the general of the army in Luoyang, responsible for the management of the military and civilian villages around Luoyang. In the last years of the Wei Dynasty, Emperor Ming advocated luxury and glitz, and the burden of farming became heavier for the people. Sima Zhaojue eliminated the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes imposed on farming, and did not take away the farming time, which won the hearts of the people. Sima Zhao became the regular attendant of Sanqi and served as the emperor's adviser. In fact, he acted as Sima Yi's eyes and ears monitoring the empress dowager and the emperor's every move.
"Alliance of Military Advisors" by Sima Zhao
2. The changes in Luoyang City: Sima Yi's counterattack
In the first month of the first year of Jiaping (249 years), the Cao Shuang brothers and the emperor paid homage to the late emperor Gaoping Tomb. Sima Yi, who had been dormant for many years, launched a coup. Under the command of Sima Yi, more than a thousand soldiers from the palace of Taifu Sima Yi and his younger brother Sima Fu Shangshu Ling, two to three thousand soldiers from the fifth camp of the Forbidden Army, and the three thousand dead soldiers that Sima Division had raised earlier, quickly occupied Luoyang. All strategic locations in the city.
Three thousand dead soldiers rebelled against the capital.
Sima Yi ordered his eldest son Sima Shi and his younger brother Sima Fu to occupy Sima Gate and cut off the connection between the inside and outside of Luoyang City. Simamen has been a veritable "Gate of the Emperor" since the Qin Dynasty. Only the emperor or the princes and envoys who met the emperor could enter and exit through Simamen.Pei Xiang said in "Annotation of Historical Records": " When it comes to Simamen, within the palace wall, where the soldiers and guards are, there are Sima on all sides, who are in charge of military affairs. In short, the outer gate is Simamen. " Simamen is huge in scale, " the provincial door of the palace is at the fifth or sixth level, and the Zhou guards are very cunning, and the ministers and servants are not allowed to seduce them into the room. ". Simamen can garrison troops. It is the main gathering place for the imperial palace's forbidden troops. It is the only way to enter the imperial city and an important gateway to guard the emperor. During the Cao Wei Dynasty, the system of two armies guarding and guarding the inside and outside of the imperial city was implemented, which further strengthened the function of Simamen in communicating with the inside and outside. Sima Yi's control of Sima Gate was equivalent to cutting off the connection between the inside and outside of the imperial city. The imperial army outside the imperial city did not know the specific situation inside the imperial city. After getting in touch, they had to sit back and watch the subsequent developments and let the coup army take control of Luoyang City.
Sima Fu
Sima Yi personally led the army to capture the Luoyang arsenal. The arsenal is a national weapons warehouse that stores ordnance and has important strategic value. During the Qin and Han dynasties, arsenals and Aocang were set up in Luoyang to store weapons and grain in order to control the East. By the time of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Luoyang Arsenal had become a symbol of political power and the establishment of a country. The full set of ceremonial guards of the emperor and the empress, as well as various rare treasures collected by the royal family are placed in the arsenal. As the saying goes, "the treasures of the emperor's majesty and control are also stored in the house."
Sima Yi led his army to capture the Luoyang Arsenal
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the imperial guards would keep chariots, horses, baggage, and siege equipment in the arsenal during non-war periods. The Forbidden Army usually patrols and guards the emperor when he goes on patrol, and only carries light weapons, such as swords, guns, swords and halberds. Ordinary soldiers of the Forbidden Army are not allowed to hold weapons in their hands at ordinary times. They will be issued weapons until war and return them to the arsenal after the war. If you violate the order and enter the arsenal without permission to take out weapons, you will be executed according to the law. Sima Yi's family soldiers cannot hold too many weapons, "The friendship of the Spring and Autumn period means that the family does not have Zang Jia, so suppressing the authority of the minister will harm personal interests." Only after quickly capturing the Luoyang arsenal was Sima Yi able to arm the more than 7,000 people who followed his coup. Once he controls the arsenal, it means that Sima Yi can mobilize the imperial army. Facts also show that after Sima Yi took control of the arsenal, he used the emperor's edict to order the imperial army not to act rashly, "According to the arsenal, the imperial edict must not act rashly."
Sima Yi
In addition, Sima Yi also ordered his second son Sima Zhao to lead troops to control Yongning Palace where Queen Mother Guo lived. After Sima Yi, Sima Fu and Jiang Ji entered the Yongning Palace, they recounted all the evil deeds of Cao Shuang during his reign in front of the Empress Dowager Guo. Then, Sima Yi asked the Empress Dowager Guo to deprive the Cao Shuang brothers of their military power and let the three brothers Cao Shuang, Cao Xi, and Cao Xun "Go to your destination when you are ready, and you are not allowed to stay and drive." Although the Queen Mother Guo was also aware of this coup that might threaten Cao Wei's country, the Queen Mother Guo had been living in the inner court for a long time and did not have much experience in political affairs, so she could only temporarily succumb to Sima Yi. Sima Yi took control of Empress Dowager Guo in time, used the name of Empress Dowager Guo to compete with Cao Shuang, turned passivity into initiative, and used the Empress Dowager's edicts to issue orders many times to promote the development of the coup. Sima Yi used the empress dowager's edict to pretend to be Situ Gaorou , and carried out military operations as a general. He led his troops to occupy Cao Shuang's camp. He ordered his servant Wang to watch and lead the army and occupied Cao Xi's camp. Sima Yi and Taiwei Jiang Ji led their troops out of the city and stationed themselves at the Luoshui floating bridge to welcome the Emperor's carriage.
The second empress of Wei Ming Emperor, Empress Guo of Ming Yuan
3. The Cao clan withdrew from the political core: Cao Shuang surrendered
The series of reforms implemented by Cao Shuang during his reign greatly damaged Cao Cao The vested interests of Wei veterans and Cao Wei elders regarded the coup launched by Sima Yi as Zhou Bo's move to eliminate Lu An and Liu Shi. They supported or sympathized with this coup to a large extent because they wanted to end the dictatorial and chaotic behavior of General Cao Shuang. , return to the previous situation of mutual restraint and balance between the clan and foreign ministers, restore the original order, and protect their own vested interests.Sima Yi took advantage of the dissatisfaction of the elders of Cao Wei and used "get rid of Lu An and Liu" as his spiritual call to attract the support of a large number of elders, who at least did not oppose his coup.
Taiwei Jiang Ji wrote to Cao Shuang, hoping that he would voluntarily give up military power and still become a wealthy man. At the same time, out of the need to maintain political balance, Jiang Ji asked Sima Yi not to kill Cao Shuang after the coup was successful, so as to continue Cao Zhen's bloodline. In addition, Xu Yun and Yin Damu also helped Sima Yi persuade Cao Shuang to give up resistance and surrender voluntarily.
Taiwei Jiang Ji
In fact, the family properties of the Cao Shuang brothers and the Forbidden Army soldiers who left the city were all in the city at that time. Without knowing the specific situation in the city, the combat effectiveness of the Forbidden Army had collapsed. The few forbidden troops around Cao Shuang and the temporarily recruited Luoyang Diannong soldiers did not have a few decent weapons in their hands. They could only obtain weapons from the Xuchang Supplementary Treasury. Cao Shuang and his party traveled in a hurry and did not prepare enough warm clothing and food. Although Huanfan could recruit troops from all over the country with the help of Da Si Nong Seal, it was difficult to solve the current problem. After Cao Shuang left the city, the imperial troops in the city quickly turned against him, and Cao Shuang no longer had any power to rely on. When the Gaopingling coup occurred, the response from local military towns was mediocre. Although there were generals who conquered the east and governors of Yangzhou and other military Wang Ling who had heavy troops and were stationed in Huainan, Sima Yi had been using troops for many years, and in his later years he even used the art of war. He was so superb that he was already the most outstanding strategist and military strategist in the post-Three Kingdoms period. The local army was definitely no match for Sima Yi.
Huan Fan suggested that Cao Shuang coerce the emperor to order the princes, support Emperor Cao Fang to Xuchang, and summon the soldiers and horses from all over the world to attack Sima Yi. This is indeed a wonderful move. In the era of imperial autocratic power, the king is the highest symbol of the country and has supreme power. authority. But Sima Yi had controlled Cao Fang's adoptive mother, Empress Dowager Guo, in advance. During the Han and Wei dynasties when filial piety ruled the world, Empress Dowager Guo, as the empress of Emperor Wei Ming and Cao Fang's adoptive mother, even had higher authority than the emperor. From the perspective of feudal moral principles, the mother of the emperor has the power to depose the immoral emperor. Later, the powerful minister Sima Shi used the edict of Queen Mother Guo to depose Cao Fang. This is an example.
Cao Shuang essentially has no talent and is still a dandy. Because of Sun Zi and Liu Fang, he unexpectedly got the opportunity to serve as a general to assist the government. Sima Yi quickly launched the Gao Pingling coup, which took Cao Shuang beyond his expectation. The above unfavorable conditions made the mediocre Cao Shuang helpless. In addition, Jiang Ji and others made a beautiful promise to him that he would "become a rich man". Cao Shuang finally chose to hand over the big man. General military power.
Cao Shuang was defeated by the Yi clan
Wen Shijun said
The Gaopingling coup launched by Sima Yi was essentially a power-seizing coup launched with the support or acquiescence of Cao Wei elders Cao Wei elders hoped to restore the original political order and safeguard themselves. vested interests. Sima Yi was cunning and well-planned, using retreat as advance. At the beginning of the coup, he quickly captured the arsenal and Sima Gate, cutting off the connection between the inside and outside of Luoyang City; he controlled the Empress Dowager Guo of Yongning Palace, and gained a political advantage over Cao Shuang. Cao Shuang is still essentially a playboy without much talent. His final choice to hand over military power was not only due to the situation, but also due to his own personality. Shortly after Cao Shuang handed over his military power, three clans were exterminated for rebellion, and the Cao clan finally lost the power to resist.
Modern people’s evaluation of the Sima family is often influenced by some historical “orthodox theories”. But if we jump out of these and do not regard the rights and wrongs of the Cao family as right and wrong, we may be able to evaluate the coup d'etat of the Sima family more objectively. In a good situation where power, means and even personal abilities are completely suppressed, why can't we choose to take a step closer? Moreover, from the perspective of those who come after us, the process of power transfer was certainly bloody, but the decades after Sima came to power did indeed push history forward. How can this be compared to the declining Cao family?
References
[Tang Dynasty] Fang Xuanling and others, "Book of Jin", Zhonghua Book Company, 1996.
Written by Chen Shou [Jin Dynasty], annotated by Pei Songzhi [Song Dynasty], "Three Kingdoms", Zhonghua Book Company, 2006.
Qiu Luming, "Political Power and Family Networks in the Wei and Jin Dynasties", Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2015.
(Author: Haoran Literature and History·Shenqi)
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