In the fifth year of Wei Ganlu (260 AD), Sima Shi's loyal and favorite minister Jia Chong instructed Cheng Ji to publicly kill Wei Juncao, and originally wanted Sima Shi to further control the court, but he did not expect that this rebellious and evil act made Sima Shi lose public opinion and people's support even more. At this moment, Sima Zhao urgently needed a great achievement to wash away the stains, and at the same time accumulate capital for the usurpation.
After analyzing the general situation in the world, Sima Zhao decided to destroy Shu first and then Wu, thus unifying the world. However, this strategic policy was opposed by the courtiers, especially Deng Ai's several speeches about shu had not yet arrived. Only Zhong Hui fully supported and worked with Sima Zhao to "plan the terrain and consider the situation".
In August 263, the 180,000 Wei army marched south in three ways: the Western Route Army, led by more than 30,000 people led by Deng Ai, went out of Di Dao to directly attack Jiang Wei at Gansong and Puzhong; the Middle Route Army, led by Zhuge Xu, led more than 30,000 horses, cut off Jiang Wei's rear road from Qishan to Wujie and Yinping Bridge; and the Eastern Route Army, led by Zhong Hui, led by more than 100,000 people, marched into Hanzhong from Xiegu, Luogu, and Meridian Valley in three ways.
Zhong Hui's army was blocked by Jiang Weishu's army from advancing outside the Jianmen Pass, and because the Wei army was alone and it was inconvenient to transport grain, Zhong Hui discussed retreating. At this critical moment, Deng Ai offered a plan: the Wei army attacked Fucheng from Yinping around the trail, and if Jiang Wei returned from the Sword Pavilion to help, the Sword Pavilion would be vulnerable and the Zhong Hui army would be able to advance; if the Shu army did not aid Fu, the Wei army would be able to cut off Jiang Wei's back road and point directly to Chengdu. This strategy was accepted by zhong hui and executed by Deng Ai.
Deng Ai successively captured Fucheng and Mianzhu, and immediately marched into Chengdu, and in November Liu Chan surrendered Kaesong and Shu Han fell, deng Ai made an immortal contribution; however, at this time, Zhong Hui, the main army of Shu, still confronted Jiang Wei at Jiang Pavilion, and Jiang Wei subsequently surrendered.
In December, Sima Zhao sent an edict to the Wei Yuan Emperor Cao Yi to praise Deng Ai, to make Deng Ai a lieutenant, to increase the number of households, and to make his two sons the Marquis of Ting, each with the title of Marquis of Yi, and the commander of the Shu Dynasty, Zhong Hui, also took the throne of Situ, the Marquis of Fengxian County, and zengyi Wanhu, and both of his sons were also given the title of Marquis of Ting.
However, on the fifteenth day of the first month of the following year, Deng Ai's father and son were escorted to Beijing by Sima Zhao's overseer Wei Wan, and the rest of the sons were also killed, and his wife and grandson were sent to the Western Regions. It's so jaw-dropping that things are taking such a sharp turn, and we have to ask, why?
First, the family background is not hard enough
According to the "Three Kingdoms Chronicle", Deng Ai's ancestor was Deng Yu, the founding hero of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and after that, the Deng clan was once a large clan in the Xinye area of Nanyang, but in the middle and late Period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which paid attention to scripture, the Deng clan gradually declined. Deng Ai lost his father at an early age and had no one to rely on, relying on his own talents and opportunities to be appreciated and reused by Sima Yi, and then rose step by step.
On the other hand, Zhong Hui, the main force of the Shu Dynasty, has a family background that is hard enough and iron. Zhong Hui was born from the Yingchuan Zhong clan, one of the "Four Chiefs of Yingchuan". Zhong Hui's grandfather, Zhong Hao, taught more than a thousand disciples poetry, and the DPRK repeatedly recruited him to be an official, but he refused. Because of his noble virtue and profound knowledge, Zhong Hao, together with Chen Yi, Xun Shu, and Han Shao, was known as the "Four Chiefs of Yingchuan", and was admired by the scholars at that time. Zhong Hui's father, Zhong Xuan, was even more distraught, and Zhong Xuan successively held the posts of Shangshulang and Huangmen Shilang, and was awarded the title of Marquis of Dongwuting for his meritorious service in assisting Emperor Xian of Han to return to Donggui; later he was entrusted by Cao Cao with a heavy responsibility as a lieutenant of the division, and he was appointed to the rank of lieutenant of the division, and he was promoted to a former military division with meritorious service; after the establishment of Cao Wei, he successively served as a court lieutenant, a taiwei, and a taifu, and was awarded the title of Marquis of Dingling; during the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei, Zhong Xuan was ranked as the third duke alongside Hua Xin and Wang Lang. Zhong Hui's brother Zhong Yu (钟毓) served successively as Huangmen Shilang (黄門侍郎), Shanqi Changshi (散骑常侍), Wei Commandery (魏郡太守), Shizhong (侍中), Yushi Zhongcheng (御史中丞), and Wei Weiqing (衛尉卿), and for his merits in the Huainan rebellion with Zhuge Ping, he was honored as the Assassin of Qingzhou and the Later General, and was the military governor of Xuzhou and Jingzhou.
Second, the political routine is not understood
Deng Ai thought that as long as his ability was outstanding enough and his achievements were excellent enough, he could show his ambitions on a fair and just political platform, but he never wanted to understand that politics is also a routine.
Zhong Wei, the main force of Shu, would be blocked by Jiang Wei in the Sword Pavilion and unable to advance, while his deputy Deng Ai dared to preemptively seize the great merit of destroying Shu; Zhong would enter Situ and Zengyi Wanhu, but Deng Ai would calmly enter the position of Taiwei and Zengyi twenty thousand households. What would Zhong think? What does the Zhong family think? What did all the old nobles in the DPRK think?
In this regard, we can look at how Liu Bang, who has high emotional intelligence, did. In the context of the agreement of "the first to enter the pass" and the background of his own first attack into the pass, he retreated to the hegemony and waited for Xiang Yu.
And in the subsequent battle to destroy Wu, Wang Hun waited for du pre, the main force of Wu, after making meritorious contributions, and as a result, Wang Hun (jun) did not understand things and entered Jiankang, so Wang Hun sued Wang Hun.
Third, people are unstable in the world
After Deng Ai made the immortal merits, he drifted away. In the face of great victories, Deng Ai imitated the Eastern Han general Deng Yu and appointed a large number of officials in the name of Tianzi, with Liu Chan as the general of the Hussars, the prince of Shu Han as the lieutenant of Fengche, and the kings as the lieutenants of the horses; for the Shu Han subjects, according to their status, they were either appointed as court officials or let them receive the positions of their subordinates.
He also sent people to bury the dead of the Shu and Wei armies together in Mianzhu and built a high platform as a jingguan to publicize his martial arts.
Ai Shen said to Shu Shi Dafu: "The kings have suffered from so-and-so, so they must have today's ears." If you encounter the disciples of Wu Han, you have perished. He also said: "Jiang Wei has been a male child since he was a time, and he is worth a certain time, so he is poor." The wise laughed. - Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Deng Ai also has a great flaw in personality, Deng Ai is too upright, and this personality is a fatal flaw for a politician.
Ai is rigid, petty offenders, and cannot cooperate with friends, so Mo ken is reasonable. --Duan Zhuo of the Western Jin Dynasty
Deng Aijik is cunning and narrow-minded, and the obedient are said to see things, and the outspoken are called touching. Although the long Sima Shi, the counselor of the tooth gate, replied correctly and lost his finger, and saw the insult. Being rude and losing hearts. And good to perform the ministry, and count the laborers. Long Right suffered greatly, and he liked to hear about it and refused to use it. - Tang Bin, a general of the Western Jin Dynasty
Whether in the present world or in later generations, some people often compare Deng Ai with the famous general Bai Qi of the Qin State, and his outstanding military achievements have been tragically killed. However, under careful consideration, the white up did not float, but Deng Ai was not an ordinary drift.
We should be thankful that this is not the decadent era when family background determines everything, but a truly fair and just era, where everyone has the right and opportunity to determine their own destiny, but remember: don't drift.