Even if Cao Shuang resisted, the number of troops he could mobilize was very limited. Coupled with the gap in his command ability and Sima Yi's, this battle Cao Shuang was bound to lose.
When the Wei Ming Emperor Cao Rui was dying, because the crown prince Cao Fang was young, he appointed the general Cao Shuang and the taiwei Sima Yi as auxiliary ministers to assist Cao Fang. When Cao Fang first succeeded to the throne, Cao Shuang still respected Sima Yi, and the two cooperated well. However, cao Shuang later promoted Sima Yi to taifu under the influence of his close associate Ding Mi and others, and took away his real power by means of a bright ascension and a dark surrender.
After that, Cao Shuang took control of the military power of the State of Wei as a general, and appointed his younger brothers Cao Xi and Cao Xun as the leaders of the Central Army and the General of Wu Wei, in charge of the forbidden army in the palace, and focused on his confidants He Yan, Deng Biao, Li Sheng, Ding Mi, Xiahou Xuan, and others to control the government of the State of Wei.
The ostracized Sima Yi remained silent, pretending to be unwell and paralyzing Cao Shuang, and secretly contacting other ministers who were dissatisfied with Cao Shuang and waiting for the opportunity to fight back. Finally, in the first decade (249 AD), Cao Shuang and his brothers and cronies accompanied Cao Fang to gaoping tombs. Sima Yi seized the opportunity to stage a coup d'état and took control of Luoyang.
Cao Shuang was overwhelmed when he learned about it. Sima Yi sent someone to tell Cao Shuang that as long as he surrendered, then his life would be saved. Cao Shuang believed it to be true and surrendered his military power, but was eventually killed by Sima Yi.
Before Cao Shuang surrendered, The Great Si Nong Huan Fan had advised him to go to Xuchang and mobilize his army to confront Sima Yi. Some people think that Cao Shuang has military power in his hands, and there is still a great chance of winning by doing so. However, in fact, Cao Shuang's chances are not great.
The main reason for Cao Shuang's surrender was that he had limited ability and was indecisive in his work, and he credulously trusted Sima Yi. However, from the strength of the two at that time, he did not have the possibility of competing with Sima Yi. Although Cao Shuang was a general, he was nominally able to mobilize the armies of the Wei state, and Cao Xi and Cao Xun were in charge of the Chinese army, controlling the main military strength near Luoyang, which was not small on the surface. However, when the Gaopingling Rebellion occurred, Cao Shuang and others were not in Luoyang, and there were not many troops around. This can be proved by the fact that after Sima Yi's coup d'état, Cao Shuang had to temporarily recruit thousands of Soldiers.
Shuang stayed in Yishuinan, cut wood for antlers, and sent thousands of soldiers to guard them.
In contrast, Sima Yi co-opted the lieutenant Jiang Ji. Jiang Ji served as a general in the Central Guard Army and a General in the Middle Guard Army, and had many old departments in the Chinese Army. In this way, Sima Yi took advantage of the absence of Cao Xi and Cao Xun in the army, controlled the Chinese army with the help of Jiang Ji, and then sent people to take over the arsenal and control the main military forces near Luoyang. Therefore, Sima Yi was also able to garrison the Luoshui Pontoon Bridge to prevent Cao Shuang from fleeing west and going to Guanzhong to join his confidant Xiahou Xuan.
Therefore, it is obvious that at this time, near Luoyang, Sima Yi actually had an absolute advantage. The reason why he was not in a hurry to solve it by force was only because Cao Fang was by Cao Shuang's side at this time, and Sima Yi knew Cao Shuang's personality and could solve it politically, and he was not in a hurry to do it.
But if Cao Shuang really planned to flee to Xuchang and confront Sima Yi, then Sima Yi would certainly not be polite. According to the comparison of the strengths of the two sides, Cao Shuang had no chance to escape to Xuchang.
Moreover, even if Cao Shuang was lucky and could successfully escape to Xuchang, it would be difficult to compete with Sima Yi. Although Cao Shuang was a great general, he theoretically held the military power of the State of Wei, and Emperor Cao Fang was also under his control. However, Cao Shuang's nepotism during the wei dynasty, acting absurdly, and the war against Shu and Wu ended in failure, which greatly disappointed the people, so most of the ministers in the court were very disgusted with him.
In addition, Cao Fang was not pro-government, and even if Cao Shuang issued an edict in the name of Cao Fang, everyone knew that this was actually Cao Shuang's meaning. Therefore, Cao Shuang's real appeal is very limited.
However, Sima Yi raised an army in the name of rectifying the chaos, and received widespread support, such as Taiwei Jiang Ji, Situ Gaorou, Taifu Wangguan, Shangshu Chen Tai, Shizhong Xuyun and other ministers chose to help Sima Yi, and even Empress Guo sided with him. In contrast, Sima Yi's influence was obviously much higher than that of Cao Shuang.
Therefore, even if Cao Shuang fled to Xuchang, he could not mobilize many people to fight Against Sima Yi, and it was still difficult to escape a defeat.
Of course, from the perspective of the horse's hindsight, Cao Shuang's surrender is definitely certain to die, and it is not impossible to work hard. Unfortunately, Cao Shuang was really mud and couldn't support the wall, and he didn't even dare to take risks, so naturally he could only wait for death.