In the second year of zhengyuan (255), in the leap month, the rebellion of Yuqiu Jian and Wen Qin failed, one was killed, and the other surrendered to Eastern Wu. However, the rebels did not achieve any results, and Wen Qin's eighteen-year-old son Wen Duan attacked Sima Shi's military camp at night, and if there was no man's land, it frightened Sima Shi's wounds to crack, his eyes burst, his wounds worsened, and he died.
Sima Shi's violent death put the supreme power of the State of Wei into a vacuum, so that the Wei emperor Cao Xian saw hope of escaping the control of the Sima family, and he ordered Sima Zhao not to return to Luoyang, but to stay in Xuchang to deal with post-war affairs, and instead the Sixth Army led by Shangshu Fu Gao returned to Luoyang.
Not long ago, Sima Zhao, who was guarding Luoyang, learned that Sima Shi's injuries had worsened, and left Luoyang to rush to Xuchang to see Sima Shi. Sima Shi had no sons, so he arranged for Sima Zhao to lead the army and inherit his own power before his death, but Sima Shi's last words did not have legal effect, and the order of The Wei Emperor Cao Xian was a justified appointment.
Fu Gao was a henchman of the Sima family, and the Wei emperor Cao Fu asked Fu Fu to lead an army back to the dynasty, with the intention of promoting Fu Gao in order to divide the Sima family's power and revive the declining imperial power. If Fu Gao accepted the appointment at this time, his political status would soon be elevated, and thus surpass the Sima family. However, Fu Gao had no ambition for power, preferring to give up this rare opportunity to continue to assist the Sima family.
Fu Gao and Zhong Hui advised Sima Zhao to personally lead an army back to Luoyang in violation of emperor Cao Zhao's orders to force emperor Cao Zhao of Wei to grant Sima Zhao the power to assist him. When Sima Zhao led his army back to Luoyang, the Wei emperor Cao Xian's plan failed, and he had to appoint Sima Zhao as a general, a governor of various Chinese and foreign militaries, and a recorder of Shangshu. From then on, the State of Wei entered the era of Sima Zhao's dictatorship.
<h1>Radically opposed to Zhuge Birthday</h1>
All along, Sima Zhao has been a supporting role in the political arena. When his father Sima Yi was in power, he served as the general of Anxi, the general of Chang'an, and the general of Jiedu Guanzhong. When his elder brother Sima Shi was in power, he served as the general of Andong, the town guard of Xuchang, and the general of Huaibei.
In the fourth year of Jiaping (252), Sima Shi's crusade against Eastern Wu failed, and he took Sima Zhao, who was serving as a scapegoat for the overseers, and stripped Sima Zhao of his title. Later, Sima Zhao was busy working like a diligent volunteer, and when Jiang Wei of the Shu Han Dynasty attacked Longyou, he led his troops to rescue Guanzhong; Sima Shidong invaded Qiu Jian and Wen Qin, and he replaced Sima Shi in defending Luoyang.
If Sima Shi could return to Luoyang unharmed, Sima Zhao might still be his brother's most trusted helper in the future. Unexpectedly, Sima Shi's violent death changed Sima Zhao's fate, and Sima Zhao took over the power in his brother's hands in a hurry and became a new vassal of the State of Wei.
Sima Zhao was now "under one man, above ten thousand people", but his heart was uneasy, because he did not know whether the team left by Sima Shi would support him. At this time, Sima Zhao's close confidant Jia Chong suggested that Sima Zhao send his staff to comfort the four marches to observe what the generals with heavy troops had toward them. The so-called four expeditions, namely, the generals who conquered the east, the west, the north, and the south, the generals who marched on the east, the generals who marched on the east, the generals, who guarded Huainan, guarded against Eastern Wu; the generals who marched on the west, tun, guanzhong, to guard against Shu Han; the generals who marched north, tun bing, and huan, to guard against Eastern Wu. As long as the Four Signs supported Sima Zhao, Sima Zhao had no internal worries.
Sima Zhao's film and television drama image
Jia Chong's suggestion was in line with Sima Zhao's wishes, and Sima Zhao adopted it, so he sent Jia Chong to Huainan to investigate Zhuge Birthday. After Jia Chong arrived in Shouchun, he praised Zhuge Cheng's merits over the years, especially the performance of not participating in the rebellion in the rebellion of Yuqiu Jian and Wen Qin. The two were talking and laughing, and Jia Chong suddenly turned the topic around and asked in a half-joking tone: "The ministers of the DPRK and the Central Committee now want to take the throne of the son of the son of the day, what do you think?" ”
When Zhuge Shi heard this, his face changed drastically, and he loudly rebuked Jia Chong and said, "Aren't you Jia Yuzhou's son?" Your family has been blessed with Wei En, how can you give away the society! The "Jia Yu Prefecture" in Zhuge Xiang's mouth was Jia Kui, a famous minister during the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei and Emperor Ming of Wei, who had long served as the assassin of Yu Prefecture and devoted his life to the affairs of the state and had a good reputation. Then, Zhuge Zhi said, "If there is any difficulty in Luo, I will repay the country with death!" Zhuge Tian's words choked Jia Chong to have nothing to say, and could only remain silent, and the conversation dispersed unhappily.
In Jia Chong's view, although Zhuge Shi was born in the Cao Shuang Group, he had never done anything against the Sima family over the years, as if he had fallen to the Sima family and become a powerful helper for the success of the Sima family's business. When Wang Ling launched the rebellion, Zhuge Shi, who was the assassin of Yangzhou, did not cooperate with Wang Ling's actions; when Yuqiu Jian and Wen Qin launched a rebellion, Zhuge Zhi, who was the general of Zhennan and the military governor of Yuzhou, not only did not participate in the rebellion, but also led an army to occupy Shouchun, overturning the rebels' lair, and accelerating the rout of the rebels.
Zhuge Cheng's words surprised Jia Chong very much, which showed that Zhuge Shi did not have a good feeling for the Sima family in his heart, and everything he did was to fulfill his duties and serve the Cao family. What surprised Jia Chong even more was that the shouchun city was heavily guarded, and the soldiers multiplied, as if Zhuge Shi had some ulterior motives.
Jia Chong returned to Luoyang with suspicions about Zhuge Zhi and reported to Sima Zhao what he had seen and heard. Sima Zhao's other cronies also returned one after another and reported to Sima Zhao what they had seen and heard. According to Sima Zhao's comprehensive comparison, only Zhuge Zhi was the least trustworthy among the four marches, and Zhuge Zhi was the same hidden danger as Wang Ling, Yiqiu Jian, and Wen Qin.
Jia Chong's film and television drama image
Zhuge Xiang was indeed from the Cao Shuang clique, but after the Sima family came to power, his attitude was very ambiguous, but as the members of the Cao Shuang clique were eliminated in one conflict after another (Zhuge Shi also contributed a lot), Zhuge Shi's sense of crisis also intensified. When Zhuge Shi returned to Huainan again, the power of the Sima family was already all over the world, and he was now alone and no longer had a sense of security. Out of the habit of soldiers, as soon as Zhuge Shi took office, he used his power to raise relatives, recruit soldiers, and keep the number of troops at more than 100,000 to strengthen his own strength.
For Sima Zhao, Zhuge Birthday was undoubtedly a time bomb, so Jia Chong suggested that Sima Zhao recall Zhuge Birthday from Huainan to the central government, of course, this would provoke Zhuge Zhao, but it could eliminate hidden dangers in advance. After much thought, Sima Zhao decided to adopt Jia Chong's suggestion.
Zhong Hui, who was guarding filial piety for his mother, learned of Sima Zhao's decision and hurried to find Sima Zhao and persuade Sima Zhao not to take risks, so as not to provoke Zhuge Zhao. Sima Zhao's mind was already decided, and he refused Zhong Hui on the grounds that "things have been implemented and will not be pursued."
The reason why Sima Zhao adopted Jia Chong's suggestion was the same as when Sima Shi was in power to fight against Eastern Wu, all for the sake of establishing power. After five or six years of operation, the Sima family's strength is now very strong, Sima Zhao is very confident, and Zhuge Birthday will lose this battle!
In April of the second year of Ganlu (257), Sima Zhao formally instructed the imperial court to recall Zhuge Zhi and appoint Zhuge Shi as a Sikong without real power. Everything was as Sima Zhao had predicted, and Zhuge Shi was reluctant to accept the appointment, and he killed shi Leqiu of Yangzhou a month later, gathered hundreds of thousands of people, and launched a rebellion.
Le Qi was the son of the famous general Le Jin, and Zhuge Shi killed him only because he suspected that he had alienated himself from the imperial court. In this way, the third rebellion that took place in Huainan began with the unjust death of Le Qiang.
<h1>Decisive battle at Shouchun City</h1>
Zhuge Shi did not launch an offensive against Yuzhou like Yuqiu Jian and Wen Qin, he defended Shouchun City, concentrated all his forces, hoarded grain for a year, and asked for help from Eastern Wu's vassals, preparing for a protracted battle with Sima Zhao.
Sima Zhao, already ready, took emperor Cao Xian of Wei (saving Emperor Cao Of Wei from playing small maneuvers in Luoyang to add to his own chaos), led his army out of Luoyang, and launched the Eastern Crusade.
In June, Sima Zhao entered Yuzhou, left the Wei emperor Cao Xian in Xiang County, and himself led an army of 260,000 troops to garrison Qiutou, with the Zhennan general Wang Ji as the main general and the governor Andong general Chen Qian as the main general, besieging Shouchun. At this time, Eastern Wu had also sent two lines of soldiers and horses to support Shouchun, one was Led by Wen Qin and Quan Yi to lead 30,000 people to directly reinforce Shouchun; the other route was led by Zhu Yi with 30,000 people, Tun Bing Anfeng, to receive Wen Qin and Quan Yi outside Shouchun City.
Wen Qin, Quan Yi, and others seized the opportunity that Wang Ji had not yet completely surrounded Shouchun, successfully entered the city, successfully met with Zhuge Zhishi, and launched an attack on the Wei army, causing Great difficulties for Wang Ji to besiege Shouchun. Sima Zhao, seeing that the enemy was gaining momentum, ordered Wang Ji to temporarily abandon the siege and shift his position, but Wang Ji insisted on his own opinion, and finally Sima Zhao changed his mind and agreed to his own proposition. Through hard work, Wang Ji surrounded Shouchun on all sides and initially achieved his strategic goals.
The Wu army was menacing, and Sima Zhao, seeing the move, selected elite soldiers from Wang Ji's army, with the Fenwu general Shi Bao as the main general, and the governor of Yanzhou to assassinate Shi Zhoutai and Xuzhou to lead these elite soldiers as a ranger army to guard against the Wu army outside Shouchun City. Soon, Zhu Yi led his army to relieve the siege of Shouchun, and Zhou Tai repelled the Wu army at Yangyuan, and then, Zhou Tai took advantage of the victory to pursue, killing and wounding 2,000 Wu troops, successfully curbing Zhu Yi's offensive.
A month later, the Eastern Wu general Sun Qiang (Sun Jun's younger brother) personally led a large army of Troops to Rei and sent Zhu Yi to relieve the siege of Shouchun. Zhu Yi left The Heavy Force in Dulu and tuned the troops to Approach Shouchun with all his troops. Shi Bao, Zhou Tai, and others fought with all their might and defeated Zhu Yi again, at the same time, Taishan Taishou Hu Lie led 5,000 strange soldiers to sneak into Dulu, burning all the weight of the Wu army and completely cutting off the grain and grass of the Wu army. Zhu Yi could not win the battle, the grain and grass were lost, and the Wu army could only eat the fruit of the kudzu leaf and support it bitterly, in the end, Zhu Yi still gave up the battle and led the remnants of the army to flee back to Wok Li.
Sun Qi was not willing to accept defeat and once again sent Zhu Yi to relieve the siege of Shouchun, but Zhu Yi refused to send troops to fight on the grounds that the soldiers lacked food. Sun Qi was furious and disposed of Zhu Yi with military law and beheaded Zhu Yi for public display. Sun Qiao knew that there was no hope of breaking the siege of Shouchun, so he left, abandoning the Wu army in Shouchun City, returning to Jianye in September, and leaving the eastern Wu soldiers to fend for themselves in a foreign country.
Sun Qi's withdrawal turned Shouchun into an isolated city, but for the Wei army, the real battle had just begun. In the era of cold weapons, the most difficult battle was to attack the city, Sun Tzu said: "The upper soldiers cut the plot, the second cut the friendship, the second cut the soldiers, and the next attacked the city." Siege is a last resort. "There are more than 100,000 defenders in Shouchun City, and it is not easy for the Wei army to conquer Shouchun in a short period of time, if it is attacked, it will only increase the number of casualties, which will not only deplete the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, but also hit the morale of the whole army."
In order to reduce losses, Sima Zhao decided to "cut down the plot" and disintegrate the defenders of Shouchun City from within. He sent people to spread to Shouchun City the news that "the Wu army is coming, the Wei army is short of food, and will send troops to Huaibei to eat, so the situation cannot last long" to paralyze Zhuge Birthday and so on. Zhuge Shi and others believed that it was true, relaxed the control of grain, and the grain stored in Shouchun City was soon urgent, and the Eastern Wu rescue soldiers were delayed, and Zhuge Shi and others realized that they had made a plan.
The situation in Shouchun City was deteriorating day by day, and the generals in the city were also divided on how to get out of the predicament. Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi were Zhuge Ban's confidants, and they advocated fighting to break through, while Wen Qin advocated continuing to hold out; the dispute between the two sides became more and more fierce, and Zhuge Tian, who agreed with Wen Qin, became more and more dissatisfied with Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi, and even had the idea of killing Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi. Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi had no choice but to surrender to the Wei army in order to avoid trouble.
Soon, Wu's nephew Quan Yi surrendered to Wei with his mother due to a dispute with his clan. Sima Zhao adopted Zhong Hui's strategy and had Quan Yi's nephew spread eastern Wu's dissatisfaction with Quan Yi and other generals, hoping to disturb the hearts of Wu's generals. Quan Yi and others did not have any information from the outside world, and naturally believed it to be true, so they led thousands of Wu troops to open the door and surrender to the Wei army at the end of the year.
Zhong Hui's film and television drama image
The successive surrenders in Shouchun City showed that the defenders in the city had already collapsed, and as the war situation became more and more unfavorable to Shouchun, the defenders in the city again fought among themselves.
In the following year (258), Zhuge Zhi and Wen Qin failed to break through, and the two had a fierce dispute over how to fight in the future. Wen Qin advocated driving out all the northerners in Shouchun City and sticking with the Wu army to save grain, but Zhuge Zhi was firmly opposed. Zhuge Chen and Wen Qin originally had contradictions, in Zhuge Chen's view, Wen Qin's proposal was clearly to empty his military power, so Zhuge Chen's suspicion of Wen Qin became deeper and deeper, and later he simply killed Wen Qin and eliminated the hidden dangers around him.
After Wen Qin's death, his two sons Wen Duan and Wen Hu were forced to surrender to Sima Zhao. Sima Zhao pardoned Wen Qin's brothers for treason and asked them to lead their troops around the city in Shouchun, and Wen Duan shouted to the defenders in the city: "Wen Qin's son has not yet been killed, what else do you have to worry about?" The defenders saw the situation and knew that they still had a way to live, so they gradually gave up resistance.
In February of the third year of Ganlu (258), Sima Zhao, seeing that the best time to attack the city had arrived, personally visited Shouchun and commanded the Wei army to attack the city. The Wei army marched on all sides, and the defenders did not make any resistance, so the Wei army successfully attacked the city of Shouchun. Emperor Zhuge Fled in a hurry and encountered a counterattack by the great general Sima Hu Fen, who was defeated and killed on the spot by Hu Fen, and his three clans were also killed.
The other defenders in Shouchun City saw that the general situation had gone, and led their soldiers to surrender to the Wei army on their own initiative, but Zhuge Shi's hundreds of relatives were unwilling to surrender, and when they were killed, they did not have the slightest fear, and only said one sentence before dying: "Die for Zhuge Gong, do not hate!" ”
With the Wei army conquering Shouchun, the eight-month Zhuge Birthday Rebellion failed. Sima Zhao achieved a comprehensive victory at the lowest cost, eliminated the last powerful faction opposed to the Sima family, and established his prestige.
On the surface, the three rebellions in Huainan were a struggle between the Sima family and the opposition. In fact, this reflects the contradiction between the local military towns and the central authorities, just like the "Seven Kingdoms Rebellion" in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty and the "Anshi Rebellion" in the middle of the Tang Dynasty, after the strength of the local military towns has grown in a special environment, as long as there is a slight dissatisfaction with the central authorities, they will use the army to confront the central authorities, which is caused by historical inertia. The Three Rebellions in Huainan occurred when Sima and Cao were fiercely vying for power, which caused the nature of the Three Rebellions in Huainan to be different from the "Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms" and the "Rebellion of Anshi", so that the Three Rebellions of Huainan contained contradictions in all aspects. It was also mixed with the individual desires and ambitions of the rebels.
After Sima Zhao quelled Zhuge Shi's rebellion, he divided the governor of Yangzhou into yangzhou and huaibei to weaken the threat of the governor of Yangzhou to the central government. In the other capitals of the State of Wei, Sima Zhao did the same. From then on, the local military towns could no longer threaten the central government, and the status of the Sima family could no longer be shaken.
【History of the Two Jin Dynasties, Serialized】
Why did Sima Yi succeed in seizing power in the "Two Jins"? Cao Shuang's violation of public anger is the root cause
The "two Jin" Wang Ling plotted rebellion, and Sima Yi skillfully used a strategy to quell the civil unrest without moving his troops
The "two Jin" Sima Shi was in power, and the Sima family was in crisis, how did he turn the danger into a disaster?
The "Two Jins" Huainan Rebellion, the Last Rebellion of Cao Shuang's Remnants (Part 1)