Since the Coup d'état in Gaopingling, the Wei state of Cao surrendered, and the political situation of Sima Shi's dictatorship began to take shape.
During Sima Yi's dictatorship, no one had a prestige in the court, and although the Wei emperor Cao Fang was dissatisfied with the status quo, he did not dare to show it. After Sima Shi came to power, neither his merit nor prestige was comparable to that of his father, and Cao Fang's discontent began to erupt and he plotted to regain real power. In February of the sixth year of Jiaping (254), after Sima Shi killed Li Feng, Zhang Ji (Cao Fang's father-in-law), Xiahou Xuan, and other opponents, he lost his last patience with the restless Cao Fang, and in March, he deposed Empress Zhang, and in September, he deposed Cao Fang, kicking away the core figures who hindered his dictatorship.
Cao Fang's film and television drama image
As for the selection of the new emperor, Sima Shi's first thought was Cao Zhao, the king of Pengcheng. Cao Zhao was Cao Cao's son, and according to his generations, he was the uncle of the current Empress Guo. Empress Guo had no political status and had always been relatively cold about politics, but in this matter, she rarely expressed her resolute opposition.
Empress Guo had two reasons for opposing Cao's succession. First, after Cao Zhao succeeded to the throne, her empress dowager's name became a problem. Second, after Cao Zhao succeeded to the throne, she and her husband Emperor Ming of Wei would become extinct, and her empress dowager's name became even more problematic. Therefore, Empress Guo, in accordance with the principle that "Emperor Xiaozong has the righteousness of Emperor Hou dazong", recommended to Sima Shi the nephew of Emperor Ming of Wei, Gao Guixiang Gong Cao Xi.
Cao Xian was the eldest grandson of Emperor Wen of Wei and the eldest son of Cao Lin, the King of the Eastern Seas, and a "eldest" among his contemporaries. More importantly, Cao Is known for being studious and a "sage" among his peers. Whether it is "Li Chang" or "Li Xian", Cao Xian is undoubtedly the best candidate.
After consulting with the courtiers, Sima Shi adopted Empress Guo's advice. Cao Became the Fourth Emperor in the History of the State of Wei.
<h1>Puppet Tianzi</h1>
In October of the sixth year of Jiaping (254), the fourteen-year-old Cao Xian arrived at the XuanwuGuan on the outskirts of Luoyang, and he was greeted by a solemn ceremony.
The Qunchen invited Cao Xian to sleep in the front hall, and Cao Xian refused the proposal of the Qunchen on the grounds that the former hall was the residence of the former emperor and lived in the West Wing.
The courtiers also asked Cao Huan to ride (the emperor's car) into Luoyang City, but Cao Huan again refused.
The next day, Cao Entered Luoyang City. When the group of ministers greeted Cao Xi in the south of xiye gate, Cao Huan got out of the car and greeted the group of ministers with the etiquette of a human subject.
At the stop door, Cao Xian was asked to take a ride (also the emperor's car) to meet Empress Guo, but Cao Xi once again refused.
Then, Cao Xian walked to the Taiji East Hall with the etiquette of a courtier, met with Empress Guo, took the emperor's seal, held an enthronement ceremony in the taiji front hall, and became the emperor in a righteous way, changing the era name to Zhengyuan, announcing the advent of a new era.
In this way, Cao Xian came to the center of the political stage as a humble gentleman, and he behaved as not to draw on the throne, showing his courtiers his style of knowing the book.
After the meeting, Sima Shi couldn't wait to find Zhong Hui and asked, "What kind of person do you think the emperor is?" Zhong Hui replied, "Cai Tong Chen Si, Wu Class Taizu." After hearing Zhong Hui's words, Sima Shi couldn't help but laugh, "If it is as Qing said, the blessing of Zhenshe Ji is also." ”
"Chen Si" is Cao Zhi, the king of Chen Si, and "Taizu" is Cao Cao, the Taizu of Wei. Cao Zhi was known for his erudition and versatility, and Cao Cao was known for his resourcefulness and good fighting. Zhong Hui means that Cao Xi's talent is the same as Cao Zhi's, and Wu Luo is similar to Cao Cao.
As long as people study diligently, they can have talents, but martial arts are not actually used in actual combat, and they are talked about on paper. Moreover, Cao Xi was only fourteen years old and had no political experience. If Sima Shi wanted to monopolize power, he had to find a young emperor who had no practical ability, and Cao Xian's "only with Chen Si, Wu Taizu" was exactly what he wanted, and his hanging heart was now finally on the ground.
Sima Shi's film and television drama image
With the announcement of the new year number, the storm over Sima Shi's deposing of the emperor was settled, and the State of Wei continued to maintain the political situation of Tianzi surrendering and Sima Shi's dictatorship. In order to express his gratitude to Sima Shi, Cao Xian allowed Sima Shi to enjoy the special right of "fake yellow qi, no tendency to enter the dynasty, no name for himself, and the sword on the temple", and the relationship between the Wei monarchs and subjects not only came out of the freezing point, but also warmed up.
In the following year (255), Wuqiu Jian and Wen Qin launched a rebellion in Huainan, and Sima Shi, who had just cut off an eye tumor, asked his younger brother Sima Zhaozhen to guard Luoyang and lead a large army to the east. Sima Shi did not take much effort to achieve victory, and the rebellion of Wuqiu Jian and Wen Qin lasted only more than a month before it was declared defeated. However, no one expected that at the end of the war, Wen Qin's son Wen Duan attacked Sima Shi's camp at night, causing Sima Shi to be frightened, his eyes bursting, his injuries worsened, and his life was in danger.
When Sima Zhao heard the news, he hurried from Luoyang to Xuchang to see his brother. Before his deathbed, Sima Shi explained the aftermath and asked his brother to take over the army after his death and continue to control the government, Sima Zhao, with tears in his eyes, nodded his head in agreement. Soon, Sima Shi died, and just as Sima Zhao was preparing to lead the army back to the dynasty, the imperial court sent a holy will, Sima Zhao originally thought that the imperial court was going to appoint him to succeed his brother, but unexpectedly the imperial court wanted him to stay in Xuchang to deal with post-war affairs, and as for the person who led the army back to the dynasty, it was Shangshu FuGao.
The clear-eyed people knew at a glance that the appointment of the imperial court had ulterior motives, which clearly meant that Sima Shi should stay away from the center of power and Cao Xian wanted to take back real power. Sima Zhao couldn't have imagined that Cao Zhao, who usually looked so polite and elegant, would come to such a hand! For a moment, Sima Zhao was a little confused.
At this time, Fu Gao gave up the opportunity to lead his army back to the dynasty, and he and Zhong Hui plotted to persuade Sima Zhao to disobey the edict and directly lead the army back to the dynasty, in order to force Cao Xi to grant Sima Zhao the power he deserved. Sima Zhao acted according to the plan, so that Cao Zhao's plan was aborted, Sima Zhao was given the status and power of his brother as he wished, and the politics of the State of Wei once again returned to the situation of the Son of Heaven and the dictatorship of Sima Shi.
Although the political situation in the State of Wei was restored to its original state, the relationship between the monarchs and subjects cooled down again. From then on, Sima Zhao changed his attitude toward Cao Huan, and his guard against Cao Xian gradually became tighter.
<h1>Infighting</h1>
In February of the first year of Ganlu (256), Cao Xi feasted on the courtiers in the East Hall of Taiji, during which Cao Xian and the Qunchen had a unique academic debate.
Cao Xian first raised a question: "There is a decline in Xia, and the later phase is destroyed, Shaokang collects Xia Zhong, Fu Yu's achievements, Gao Zu uproots Long Mu, drives out Shuai Haojun, Qian Yi Qin, Xiang, Bao Ju Yu Nei, Si Er Lord can be described as a special talent, and the great sage of the fate is also." Who should come first when considering his merits? ”
According to the traditional view, Qunchen believed that Han Gaozu Liu Bang was the king of entrepreneurship, while Xia Shaokang was the king of Zhongxing, and Liu Xiu, the emperor of Han Guangwu, was a kind of emperor, so Han Gaozu was superior to Xia Shaokang.
For the views of the Qunchen, Cao Xian clearly put forward an objection, holding that "since the ancient emperors, merit and deeds, there are mutual superiority, not necessarily entrepreneurs are superior, and Shao successors are also salty and inferior." Later, Cao Xian quoted the scriptures and believed that Xia Shaokang revived the country without any advantage, while Han Gaozu created the country in a situation where the world was already in chaos, and compared to the difficulty of the two succeeding, Xia Shaokang was obviously better than Han Gaozu. Subsequently, Cao Xian criticized Han Gaozu for "being a son of man is dangerous to his relatives, being a prince is imprisoned as a virtuous minister, and being a father cannot defend his son; after he is gone, the society is several tilts", and then believes that Han Gaozu "if he is with Shao Kang from time to time, or fail to restore The achievements of Dayu." ”
The next day, Cao Xian and Qunchen continued to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Han Gaozu and Xia Shaokang. In the end, Cao Xian used wonderful language to impress the group of ministers, so that the group of ministers recognized their own views.
Cao Xi supported Xia Shaokang so much because Xia Shaokang was the imperial idol in his heart. In Cao Xi's view, Xia Shaokang lived in the period of Han Hun usurping the throne, just as he was now living in the time of Sima Zhao's dictatorship; Xia Shaokang was able to kill Han Hun and revitalize the Xia Dynasty, just as he thought day and night about getting rid of Sima Zhao and reviving the Cao clan.
Cao's film and television drama image
After Sima Shi's death, Sima Zhao and his henchmen disobeyed the edict and threatened Cao Xi with force to grant Sima Zhao great power, and Cao Xian was forced to compromise with Sima Zhao, but he always took Xia Shaokang as a banner and never gave up his ideals.
However, the reality is always cruel, the longer Sima Zhao's dictatorship, the more constraints Cao Zhao received, in the second year of Ganlu (257), Zhuge Zhi launched a rebellion in Huainan, Sima Zhao led the army to the East, did not leave Cao Xi in Luoyang like Sima Shi, in order to prevent Cao Zhao from making small moves that were not detrimental to himself, Sima Zhao simply took Cao Xian with him on the Eastern Expedition in order to monitor Cao Xian at any time.
In the third year of Ganlu (258), on the grounds that Sima Zhao had quelled Zhuge Zhao's rebellion and established unparalleled merits for the State of Wei, the Qunchen asked Cao Xian to appoint Sima Zhao as the State of Xiang, Sima Zhao as the Duke of Jin, and Jiu Xi. Don't think too much, the mastermind behind this matter is Sima Zhao, cao xian even if he is reluctant, or have to do it, and Sima Zhao pretended to resign nine times, and finally did not accept Cao Xian's reward.
What does Cao Xian's reward for Sima Zhao mean? What happens next? Cao Xian knew better than anyone else. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, his great-grandfather Cao Cao first praised and worshipped the nameless, entered the dynasty, and the sword was on the temple; then he was the Duke of Wei, Jia Jiuxi; and finally the King of Wei. After his grandfather Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, Emperor Xian of Han gave the throne to Cao Pi, and the Cao clan replaced liu as the son of heaven, and the State of Wei was born.
Sima Zhao's refusal to accept the reward this time stemmed from the Confucian tradition of humility. However, sooner or later, Sima Zhao would accept the reward, and as long as Sima Zhao accepted the reward, he would follow the route of the Duke of Jin-King of Jin-Tianzi, so that Sima Zhao would replace the Cao clan and make Cao Xian, like Emperor Xian of Han, become a king of the subjugated country.
Sima Zhao's film and television drama image
Perhaps by coincidence, but more like man-made, since Cao Xian rewarded Sima Zhao, Xiangrui began to appear frequently, and according to reports from local officials, dragon traces repeatedly appeared in the wells of Dunqiu, Champion, Yangxia, and Ningling Counties. The appearance of the dragon is the supreme auspicious rui of ancient China, a sign of the peace of the world, and a sign of the sages in the world. The Qunchen congratulated Cao Xian for this, but Cao Xian was not happy at all, and he said in a complaining tone: "Dragon, Jundeye." The upper is not in the sky, the lower is not in the field, and the number is subservient to the well, not Jia Zhaoye. ”
Cao Xian knew very well in his heart that XiangRui did not appear for him, the puppet Tianzi, but for Sima Zhao, an ambitious courtier. The fact that wei guo was able to appear in the world of peace was all due to Sima Zhao's "efforts" alone, and he actually had no effect at all. Subsequently, Cao Xian composed the "Hidden Dragon Poem" to dispel the depression in his heart, writing:
The wounded dragon is trapped and cannot cross the abyss.
The upper does not fly in the sky, and the lower does not appear in the field.
The cockroach dwells at the bottom of the well, and the loach dances in front of it.
Hidden teeth and claw armor, so do I!
The meaning of the poem is that the dragon is trapped in a well, and even the lowly loach and eel dare to bully it. But the dragon did not give in, it "hidden fangs and claws", looking for an opportunity to defeat loach and eels, soaring into the sky! As a puppet Tianzi, like the Hidden Dragon, sooner or later I will have to turn over!
Cao Xian's "Hidden Dragon Poem" is equivalent to publicly scolding Sima Zhao as a loach and eel, and clearly expressing his desire to regain real power. If Cao Xi's strong admiration for Xia Shaokang to the Qunchen was still a state of stoicism, then his current "Hidden Dragon Poem" was a state of declaration of war.
Cao Xian's "Hidden Dragon Poem" undoubtedly intensified the contradiction between himself and Sima Zhao, and reduced the relationship between the monarch and the subject to a freezing point. From then on, Cao Xian and Sima Zhaohe no longer had room for relaxation.
<h1>Decisive battle</h1>
In April of the fifth year of Ganlu (260), Cao Xian, at the urging of Sima Zhao's henchmen, reappointed Sima Zhao as Xiangguo, made Sima Zhao the Duke of Jin, and added Jiu Xi. This time, Sima Zhao did not pretend to resign, he unceremoniously accepted the reward, and from then on he regarded himself as the Duke of Jin.
Cao Xian was furious, he knew that Sima Zhao was going to speed up the pace of usurpation. A month later, Cao Xian summoned Wang Shen of Shizhong, Wang Jing of Shangshu, and Wang Ye of The Scattered Horse, and said indignantly to the three of them: "Sima Zhao's heart, passers-by know it!" I can't sit back and be humiliated, and today I should consult with the secretary of state and so on! ”
When the three of them heard Cao Xi's words, their hearts were all shocked, Wang Shen and Wang Ye were silent, and Wang Jing vigorously dissuaded Cao Zhao, saying that Sima Zhao had been in power for a long time, and the Manchu Dynasty was his henchmen, and that Cao Zhao was "a weak guard and a weak soldier", and that there was no chance of victory in the crusade against Sima Zhao. However, Cao Xian's attitude was resolute, and he threw the edict in his arms to the ground and said loudly: "That's it!" Isn't it death? There's nothing to be afraid of! After saying that, he entered the inner palace and went to meet Empress Guo.
Wang Shen and Wang Ye saw that things were not good, and hurriedly reported Cao Zhao's actions to Sima Zhaoyu, and before leaving, they asked Wang Jing to follow them to see Sima Zhao, but Wang Jing did not agree, and he chose to stay.
Cao Xian saw Empress Guo, drew his sword, got on the rut, and led hundreds of soldiers and slaves out of the palace and launched an attack on Sima Zhao's Xiang Mansion. After Sima Zhao received the information, he was surprised, but he did not dare to be sloppy, and he hurriedly dispatched troops to guard against Cao Xian.
Cao Huan's film and television drama portrait of Sima Zhao
At the East Gate, Cao Xian met Sima Zhao's younger brother Sima Ling, a lieutenant of the Tun Riding School, and he loudly rebuked Sima Ling's soldiers, who did not dare to fight and scattered away. At Nanque, Cao Xian again met Jia Chong, a defender of the Middle Guard, who was armed with a sword to meet Jia Chong's soldiers, and Jia Chong's soldiers did not dare to meet the battle, so they wanted to retreat. The crown prince Cheng Ji was overwhelmed, so he asked Jia Chong what to do, and Jia Chong looked at Cheng Ji and said coldly: "Sima Gong raised you and so on, just for today." Don't ask much about today's events. ”
After Jia Chong finished speaking, Cheng Jixin understood the spirit and went out to meet Cao Xian, and Yi Ge pierced Cao Xi's chest. In this way, the twenty-year-old Cao Xian, full of regrets, fell under the car covered in blood, and died as the Emperor of Great Wei in the way that Ning was jade shattered and not for Waquan.
When Sima Zhao heard the news, he pretended to be alarmed and threw himself to the ground. His uncle Sima Fu hurried to the scene, wept bitterly on Cao Xi's leg, and said: "Whoever kills His Majesty is also guilty of the crime of his subjects." Of course, Sima Zhao did not cure his uncle's sins when dealing with the aftermath, he cured the sins of chengji, the "king-killer", destroyed the three clans of Chengji, and made Chengji his own scapegoat.
Wang Jing did not report Cao Xian's actions to Sima Zhaoyu, and naturally became Cao Xian's henchmen. When the officials arrested Wang Jing and his family, Wang Jing apologized to his mother, who was calm and relaxed, and said with a smile: "Whoever does not die is afraid of not being able to do so." With this and life, what a hate! Wang Jing's mother did not have any complaints about Wang Jing, and she accompanied her son to the execution ground and walked with her son to the end of her life.
Afterwards, Empress Guo ordered Cao Huan to be deposed as a shuren and buried cao fu with civil rites. When Cao Xian held the funeral, he got off the car for a few times, and there was no beauty, and many people gathered together to look at it and said, "This is the Son of Heaven who was killed the day before!" Some people thought of Cao Xian's appearance before he was born, and not only covered their faces and wept, but also felt overwhelmed with sorrow.
Although Cao Xi ended his life in a tragic way, he did not die in vain. When his uncle Cao Huan (曹奂), the governor of Changdao, succeeded to the throne, Sima Zhao, because he was carrying a heavy ideological burden, had to curb his arrogance and slow down the process of usurpation. In a sense, Cao Huan used his own death to save Cao's crisis and prolong the Wei state. If Cao Xian knew about it, he would be pleased, right?
【History of the Two Jin Dynasties, Serialized】
Why did Sima Yi succeed in seizing power in the "Two Jins"? Cao Shuang's violation of public anger is the root cause
The "two Jin" Wang Ling plotted rebellion, and Sima Yi skillfully used a strategy to quell the civil unrest without moving his troops
The "two Jin" Sima Shi was in power, and the Sima family was in crisis, how did he turn the danger into a disaster?
The "Two Jins" Huainan Rebellion, the Last Rebellion of Cao Shuang's Remnants (Part 1)
The "Two Jins" Zhuge Rebellion, Sima Zhao's Eastern Crusade, and the longest-running civil war in the history of the State of Wei