"Therefore Xiang Guoyi, Kuang Fu Wei Room, was loyal in history, and Emperor Liezu Ming gave him the task of sending a message. Yi worked hard to make peace in Huaxia. And the king of Qi is wise, and has no defilements, but is supplemented by diligence and loyalty, and the whole world depends on him. This is the evaluation of Sima Yi in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As an ambitious, city-based, and well-planned courtier, Sima Yi was able to receive such a high evaluation, which had a lot to do with his step-by-step approach. Although the views of later generations on Sima Yi are good and bad, it is undeniable that he was indeed a very legendary and forward-looking strategist.
After assisting Cao Cao and successfully gaining his trust, Sima Yi assisted Cao Pi in obtaining the throne, and then assisted the Wei Ming Emperor Cao Rui. Before Cao Pi's death, he once said to Cao Rui, who was still the crown prince at the time: "If there are three dukes, be careful not to doubt them." The "Three Dukes" refers to Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, and Sima Yi. However, Cao Rui obviously had his own ideas, and he was worried that these auxiliary ministers would empty him, so he did not trust Sima Yi as much as Cao Pi did.
Sima Yi himself saw this, as Cao Rui began to take over politics soon after he took the throne, and often transferred him to the border. It was not until after the Battle of Wei and Yan in 238 AD that Sima Yi finally gained all of Cao Rui's trust.
At that time, Gongsun Du occupied Liaodong, and his position was not very clear, so he was always regarded as a serious problem by Emperor Wei Ming, and his grandson Gongsun Yuan showed contempt for the Cao Wei regime after taking power, and also established himself as king, which greatly angered Emperor Wei Ming. In 238, Emperor Ming of Wei finally couldn't bear this and decided to send Sima Yi to pacify Liaodong.
Before Sima Yi, Youzhou Assassin Shi Wuqiu Jian had already had the experience of returning from Liaodong Province, so Sima Yi learned the lesson and used the method of attacking the east and the west to cross the river first. Later, he besieged Xiangping when the Liaoshui River was soaring, and began a strong attack on Xiangping City, and indeed broke Gongsun Yuan's defense and killed Gongsun Yuan on the bank of Liangshui.
Sima Yi was not particularly happy to have made such a great contribution, because he was worried that Emperor Wei Ming would be even more jealous of him. In order to make Emperor Wei Ming dispel his suspicions about him, Sima Yi also decided to make some indications, so when the soldiers asked him for a short jacket for winter, Sima Yi resolutely refused, and said: "The officials and goods of the people are selfless. ”
This means that these clothes were given by the monarch, and I, as a courtier, have no right to distribute them privately. When this matter reached Cao Rui's ears, he was really satisfied with Sima Yi's handling, believing that he did not have the ambition to win over the generals, nor did he act in a trespass, and he was not as defensive as before.
The following year, when Emperor Ming of Wei died, he entrusted the young emperor Cao Fang to Sima Yi and Cao Shuang, and said to Sima Yi: "I am very ill, and in the future things belong to Jun, Junqi and Shuangfu Shaozi." I have seen the King, and I have no hatred. It can be seen that in these years, Sima Yi had gained the highest trust of Emperor Wei Ming, and this treatment seemed to be equal to Zhuge Liang at that time.
After 11 years, Sima Yi's step-by-step camp finally came to fruition, and after the Gaopingling Rebellion, Sima Yi overshadowed the power of the Wei Chamber, and although he was a chancellor, he actually controlled the power of the imperial government. After his death, Sima Yan became Emperor Wu of Jin, and Sima Yi was revered as Emperor Xuan, and the Sima family finally took power from Cao Wei step by step.