Uncover the inside story of a mysterious rebellion during the Three Kingdoms period, why did Cao Wei officials keep it secret? A seemingly mundane rebellion hides a shocking inside story. What kind of conspiracy and power struggle does this Wei Wei conspiracy and rebellion that happened in Yecheng? Why is Cao Pi resolute and innocent, while Cao Cao is uncharacteristically magnanimous? Hundreds of years later, the truth has long been blurred, but through subtle clues, we can still get a glimpse of the inside story of that year. Is the gloomy clouds in Jingzhou really related to this matter? What will be the fate of Zhong Xuan? All the fog will be lifted in this article, so let's trace this deliberately obscured history.
The causes and consequences of Wei's conspiracy
In September 219, Yecheng suffered a sudden change. Previously, the celebrity Wei Wei conspired with Chen Yi, the captain of Changle, to launch a rebellion with the intention of overthrowing the Cao Wei regime. As soon as the news leaked, the situation was immediately alarming. Cao Pi, who stayed in Yecheng, made a decisive move, captured Wei Wei and his henchmen, and severely punished them.
Although the rebellion did not materialize, Cao Pi's reaction was too ruthless. It's just an attempted conspiracy, so why should it be punished so severely? This is because Wei Wei's identity is too sensitive. He was originally from Cao Cao's hometown Peiguo, and he was talented and served as Xiangguo Peng. Once he really succeeds, the consequences are unimaginable.
Although the historical records are brief, there are still clues remaining in the case. The source of the leak was Chen Yi's voluntary surrender, and he retreated at the last minute before the operation. In order to survive, he had to drag Wei Yan to the fire, which led to the latter's murder.
After the case was discovered, Cao Pi then adopted the means of punishment that was excessive. According to reports, thousands of people have been implicated in prisons, many of whom may have been unjustly convicted. In addition to Wei Wei, there were also Liu Hui, Liu Wei's brothers, Zhang Xiu's son Zhang Quan, Wang Cang's second son, Wen Qin, and Song Zhong's son.
Among these people, except for the son of Song Zhong, there is no empirical record of their participation in the rebellion. The reason why their fate fell so badly may be Cao Pi's selfish revenge. For example, Liu Hui was originally Cao Pi's confidant, but he fell into Cao Pi's mustard because of his friendship with Ding Yi. is also like Zhang Xiu's son, Cao Piyuan hated his father and took the opportunity to vent.
The conspiracy and power struggle hidden behind the events
Behind Wei's conspiracy and rebellion, there are unsettling conspiracies and power struggles. Why did Zhong Xuan, the prime minister of the country, recruit the talented Wei Wei into Cao Cao's camp? Is there a secret behind this?
It stands to reason that Wei Wei's rebellion was just an isolated case, but it was handled so decisively and cruelly by Cao Pi that it is really incomprehensible. Is it just to show his authority? Apparently more than that. Cao Pi took advantage of this large-scale punishment of the powerful out of a plan to kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, it is also a deterrent to Cao Cao.
Back then, Zhong Xuan recommended Wei Wei, and the motive behind it was actually very interesting. Wei Wei is a person from Cao Cao's hometown Peiguo, and he is highly respected, and his recommendation is loyal to Cao's family. But Zhong Xuan has always pursued a style of tending to be inflammatory, and what he does may not be sincere. He may also have a selfish desire to benefit himself and his children and nephews.
Moreover, Zhong Xuan's fate after Wei's rebellion took an unusual turn. It stands to reason that as a recommender, he should be punished by joint sitting. But in fact, Zhong Miao not only escaped being implicated, but was later appointed prime minister, and his status suddenly rose. There are all kinds of indications that there is indeed a cloud of conspiracy in this.
From another point of view, although Cao Pi was in the position of prince at that time, his relationship with Cao Cao was not harmonious. There is a gap between father and son, and there is no trust in each other. It is precisely because of this shadow that Cao Pi punished Wei Wei so severely, intending to show his authority and directly deter Cao Cao.
What's more, many people speculate that there may be a dark wind from Jingzhou hidden behind this case. At that time, Guan Yu was fighting in Hanzhong, and Cao Wei's situation was precarious. Once the Wei Wei Rebellion succeeds, it is very likely that it will cooperate with Guan Yu internally and externally, dealing a fatal blow to the Cao Wei regime. Although this is only speculation, the environment of the year did leave room for it to take advantage of.
There are many doubts in the case
Looking at the case of Wei's rebellion, there are many suspicions, and every detail is worth scrutinizing. Where did Wei Wei's life experience come from? Why did he collude with Chen Yi to rebel? And what kind of mystery does Chen Yi's identity hide?
First of all, there are two different records in the history books about Wei Wei's origin. One said that he was from Peiguo, and the other said that he was from Jiyin. The two theories are right and wrong, and later historians also have different opinions. However, all things considered, Wei Wei is likely to be born in Cao Cao's hometown Peiguo.
At that time, Cao Cao had always promoted and reused the young talents in his hometown of Pei County. For example, Ding Yi and Ding Hui brothers are examples. And Wei Wei, as a famous and well-known genius, naturally won the favor of Cao Cao and was recruited and appointed by Xiangguo Zhong Xuan. However, this bright future was completely buried by his own ambitions.
Looking at his collaborator Chen Yi again, this person's identity is even more confusing. The history books only record that his official position is "Changle Weiwei", but they do not say anything about the nature of this position. In fact, Changle Weiwei was originally the captain of the Empress Dowager's personal guard, and this position would only be set up when the Han Dynasty royal family had a Empress Dowager.
But back then, the Han family had already fallen, and the royal family had long been scattered. There is no queen mother, why do you have to set up this idle position? Thinking about it carefully, is it very scary, could it be that the Cao Wei Dynasty wants to make a difference and secretly restore the imperial system? In this way, Chen Yi's duty is likely to be to protect a certain "prince" who has not yet known his true body.
In this way, the collusion between Wei Wei and Chen Yi is not just an ordinary act of rebellion, but more likely a conspiracy against the Cao Wei regime. The goal of the two may have been to prepare for the overthrow of Cao Wei and the revival of the Han dynasty.
That's just a guess, though. After Cao Pi quickly suppressed the rebellion, innocent people such as Liu Hui's brothers and Zhang Xiu's son were implicated and imprisoned. This shows that there are indeed many doubts in the whole case, and many truths are still covered up to this day. However, judging from all indications, the conspiracy is not just against the Cao Wei regime.
The hidden reason for Cao Cao's abnormal handling
In the case of Wei's conspiracy, Cao Cao's handling of it is puzzling. As a wise monarch of the present generation, Cao Cao's reaction to such a major coup plot was surprisingly tolerant and gentle, and he was as thunderous as he had been in the past.
On the surface, Cao Pi's actions after discovering the rebellion were very decisive, and he wiped out all the rebels and exterminated them. However, Cao Cao's handling of the matter was surprisingly slow and hesitant, and it was not until months later that he made a heavy move. There is a hidden reason for this abnormality.
First of all, there is indeed a certain estrangement and suspicion between Cao Cao and his son Cao Pi. Although Cao Pi was a prince, he was young and vigorous, coupled with his domineering temperament, which made Cao Cao question his true talent. It was based on this suspicion that Cao Cao did not fully believe in Cao Pi's handling methods at first.
Secondly, Cao Cao, as the real power controller of the dynasty, naturally wanted to maintain the prestige of the dynasty's rule. In the event of a coup plot of this magnitude, a lack of decisiveness calls into question its control. Therefore, at first, Cao Cao deliberately or unintentionally covered up this matter in an attempt to suppress public opinion.
Moreover, as a generation of wise monarchs, Cao Cao is naturally well versed in the art of power. He couldn't help but suspect that there was something else hidden behind this rebellion case, and perhaps there were some higher-level conspiracies. Therefore, he was a little hesitant to deal with it, and secretly he may still be remotely controlling the direction of the whole thing.
In fact, even when the decision was finally made, Cao Cao did not punish Wei Wei and the others too much, but simply exiled them from the country. It can be speculated that Cao Cao actually knows the ins and outs of this matter, which is why he is so magnanimous.
The ultimate answer emerges
Looking at the case of Wei Wei's rebellion, there are many suspicions, and there seems to be a hint of a larger conspiracy. Who is behind this? Was it all just a coincidence? As more and more clues emerge, the ultimate answer is gradually revealed.
Looking back at the environment of that year, Cao Wei was in a difficult situation. Guan Yu is fighting in the Western Regions, and once he colludes with Wei Wei, he will definitely deal a fatal blow to the Cao Wei regime. It is speculated from this that Wei Wei may have colluded with Guan Yu's camp in order to clear the way for Guan Yu to enter the Central Plains.
Looking at the reversal of Zhong Xuan's fate, he should have been punished by joint sitting, but on the contrary, his official fortune was prosperous. After the Xuchang Rebellion, Zhong Miao was entrusted with an important task by Cao Cao and served as prime minister. This also confirms his suspicion of involvement in the whole matter from the side.
In the same year that the Wei rebellion broke out, a similar conspiracy was also reported in Cao Wei's army. At that time, some subordinates of Xiahou Yuan, the general of the expedition to the west, rebelled, but fortunately they were caught in time. If the two insurgent plots were to be linked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
What's more critical is that Cao Cao's treatment of Wei Wei and others is so gentle, which seems to hint at some deep reasons. It is incomprehensible that a grass folk can escape such severe punishment.
end
It can be seen from this that behind the entire Wei Wei conspiracy case, it is very likely that there is a larger political conspiracy hidden. Whether it is the potential relationship between Guan Yu and the army, or the hidden purpose of Cao Cao's personal expedition, or the mysterious role played by Zhong Xuan, all signs point to a startling conclusion: this rebellion plot is actually just the tip of the iceberg of an even bigger cloud.