Let's start with the first thing.
Origin of the name
Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong's names of "Wolong and Phoenix" are indeed from the mouth of Pang Degong, and this is recorded in the history books. From the "Xiangyang Chronicle", Pei Songzhi also wrote that Sima Hui was called "Water Mirror" when he made the annotation, the original text is:
Zhuge Kongming (Zhuge Liang) is Wolong, Pang Shiyuan (Pang Tong) is Fengyan, and Sima Decao (Sima Hui) is a water mirror.
【Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong film and television images】
The "Xiangyang Chronicle" also says that Liu Bei visited Sima Hui, and Sima Hui recommended Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong to Liu Bei.
"Xiangyang Chronicle": Liu Bei visited the world to Sima Decao. De Cao said, "Confucian laymen, do you know current affairs?" The time keeper cares about Jie Jie. There are dragons and phoenix chicks here. To ask for whom, he said, "Zhuge Kongming, Pang Shiyuanye." ”
Why did Sima Hui recommend Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong?
Sima Hui was a native of Yingchuan, Yuzhou, Zhuge Liang was a native of Xuzhou, and Pang Tong was the nephew of Pang Degong, all of whom were natives of Xiangyang, Jingzhou.
Both Sima Hui and Zhuge Liang left their hometowns because of the war at the end of the Han Dynasty and went into exile in Jingzhou.
【Sima Hui film and television image】
When Liu Biao was in power in Jingzhou, he took in many famous people who had taken refuge and promoted them, such as Wang Cang, Fu Xun, and Song Zhong. Sima Hui was highly respected and talented, and Liu Biao once went to visit Sima Hui and wanted to promote him to be an official and do something for the local education cause, but Sima Hui politely refused.
Similarly, Pang Degong, as a local celebrity in Xiangyang, was also unwilling to serve Liu Biao, and the Book of Later Han said that Pang Degong refused to be an official, and when he was older, he personally went to the fields to work, and Liu Biao, in order to show his sincerity, invited him out of the mountains, and personally went to the field to talk to him.
Therefore, at that time, there was a group of famous men in Jingzhou, led by Pang Degong and Sima Hui, who refused to serve Liu Biao, and in addition to Pang Degong's son (Pang Shanmin) and nephew (Pang Tong), there were also Huang Chengyan, Zhuge Liang, Yingchuan Xushu, Yingchuan Shitao, Runan Mengjian, and Boling Cuizhou Pingren.
These people did not serve Liu Biao, so Sima Hui would recommend Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong to Liu Bei, the two descendants of Cai jun.
Why did Sima Hui not recommend Sima Yi
Some people may think that Sima Hui and Sima Yi have the same surname "Sima", thinking that the two of them are family. Not really.
Sima Yi was a native of Wen County, Hanoi, and his father Sima Fang worked in Shang Shutai during the Han Dynasty and participated in the appointment of Cao Cao as a lieutenant in northern Luoyang.
Therefore, after Cao Cao entered the Xu capital court, he went to recruit Sima Fang's eldest son Sima Lang to become an official in the dynasty, first entering his own Sikong Mansion, and then Qingyun went straight up, achieving the history of Yuzhou and sitting on the side. It can be seen that the Sima family and the Cao family have a good relationship.
【Sima Yi film and television image】
As Sima Yi's second son, although sima yi did not come out as an official like his eldest brother, his career was also very smooth, and Cao Hong also extended an olive branch to him, and as a result, Sima Yi refused to serve Cao Hong. Sima Yi waited until the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208) to enter Cao Cao's chancellor's mansion.
Sima Hui was a native of Yingchuan, and had nothing to do with the Sima Fang family in Hanoi, and Sima Yi was not in Xiangyang, Jingzhou, so it was impossible for Sima Hui to recommend Sima Yi to Liu Bei.