Who is the real heroic figure in the Three Kingdoms?

Definitely Sima Yi!

Sima Yi, courtesy name Zhongda, lived from 179 AD to 251 AD, 72 years old, (Xiaojingli, Wen County, Hanoi (Zhaoxian Town, Wen County, Henan), Wei Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period) An outstanding statesman, military strategist and powerful official in the country, he led troops against Zhuge Liang many times and was granted the title of King Xuan due to his merits. After his grandson Sima Yan became emperor, he was named Emperor Xuan of Jin

Chongli, the son of Emperor Gaoyang, was Xia Guan Zhurong. He served in the Tang, Yu, Xia and Shang Dynasties. In the Zhou Dynasty, Xia Guan was appointed as Sima. Fang, Xi was an official clan, so he became a surname. During the Chu and Han Dynasties, Sima Yang was a general of Zhao, and he fought with the princes against Qin. After the death of Qin, he was established as the king of Yin, and the Han Dynasty made the land a county, and his descendants regarded it as their home. In the eighth generation of Emperor An of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Si Junjun, the general of Zhengxi, was born. Si Junjun was born to Si Junliang, the prefect of Yuzhang, and his courtesy name was Gongdu. Junjun was born in Jingzhao Yinsi Junfang, named Simafang, who was Sima Yi's father (the above contents are all taken from "Jin Shu·Xuandi Ji") in one of his edicts: "This Zhusheng family. , the propriety has been passed down for a long time" ("Book of Jin·Book of Rites").

Sima Yi is the second son of Sima Fang. History books call him "rarely eccentric, smart and sage, erudite and knowledgeable, and devoted to Confucianism." ("Book of Jin·Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos. Sima Yi was born in troubled times and "often felt worried about the world" ("Book of Jin·Chronicles of Emperor Xuan")

Nanyang Prefect Yang Junsu. He was known for his ability to know people and do his job well. Before Sima Yi was twenty years old, Yang Jun once met him and said that he was absolutely extraordinary. Cui Yan, the minister, had a good relationship with Sima Yi's brother Sima Lang and once said to Sima Lang: "My brother is smart and wise. He is so talented that no one can reach him" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan").

In the sixth year of Jian'an (201), the county elected him as the chief minister. At that time, Cao Cao was serving as Sikong. After hearing about his reputation, Sima Yi sent someone to summon him to serve in the government. Seeing that the fortunes of the Han Dynasty were declining and he did not want to be under Cao Cao, he excused himself as suffering from wind paralysis and was unable to live well. Cao Cao did not believe it and sent someone to spy on him at night. Sima Yi lay there motionless, as if he was really suffering from wind paralysis.

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208), after Cao Cao became prime minister, he began to use force to appoint Sima Yi as a literary official. "If Panhuan is restored, he will be taken over" ("Book of Jin: Records of Emperor Xuan"). Sima Yi was afraid of it, so he had to take office. Sima Yi served under Cao Cao, and he was cautious and diligent. "As for the husbandry and animal husbandry, he was always on duty."

In the 20th year of Jian'an (215 years), Cao Cao conquered Zhang Lu and Sima Yi. Follow the army. He said to Cao Cao: "Liu Bei captured Liu Zhang with deceitful force. The Shu people have not yet joined forces and are fighting for Jiangling. This opportunity cannot be missed. If Yaowei is powerful in Hanzhong and Yizhou is shaken and the army approaches, it will inevitably collapse. Therefore, the situation will , It is easy to gain power. A sage cannot go against the times, nor can he lose the times. "Cao Cao said: "People are suffering from hardships. Now that they have gained Longyou, they want to gain Shu again" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan")! He did not adopt his suggestion. .

In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Sun Quan expressed his vassalage to Cao Cao and encouraged Cao Cao to proclaim himself emperor. Cao Cao said: "This son wants to sit on the charcoal of my furnace!" Sima Yi said: "The fate of the Han Dynasty is coming to an end. Your Highness is worthy of the world and has nine of them to serve it. The right to call a minister is the intention of heaven and man. Yu, Those in the Xia, Yin, and Zhou Dynasties who did not show humility were afraid of heaven and knew their destiny." ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). At that time, many of the powerful bureaucrats under Cao Cao supported the Han Dynasty, and they were deeply tabooed by Cao Cao. However, Xun Yu, Cui Yan and other famous figures did not end well because they had objections to Cao's succession to the Han Dynasty. Probably Sima Yi had already expressed support for Cao Cao on this key issue, so Cao Cao gradually turned from suspicion to trust.

Cao Cao granted the title of Queen of Wei and promoted Sima Yi to the title of Crown Prince's bastard son, assisting Cao Pi. At that time, Sima Yi "always came up with strange strategies every time he had big plans" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). He was trusted and reused by Cao Pi, so the relationship has always been good. Sima Yi was also known as the Four Friends together with Chen Qun, Wu Zhi, and Zhu Shuo.

After that, Sima Yi often planned state affairs and came up with many strange strategies. Soon, Sima Yi became Prime Minister and Army Sima. He pointed out that Hu Xiu, the governor of Jingzhou, was rude, and Fu Fang, the governor of Nanxiang (governing Nanxiang, southeast of today's Xichuan, Henan Province), was arrogant and extravagant, and they should not be stationed at the border. Cao Cao did not pay attention to them.

In June of the same year, after Liu Bei captured Hanzhong, he sent Meng Da and Liu Feng to capture Fangling, Shangyong and other places in the eastern part of Hanzhong County, and his power expanded. In July, Sun Quan wanted to attack Hefei, so most of the Wei army mobilized Huainan to defend against the Wu army.

Guan Yu, the former Shu general who was guarding Jingzhou, took this opportunity to stay in Nanjun (governing Jiangling, today's Jiangling, Hubei). , now Xinye, Henan; Xiangyang County governs Xiangyang, now Xiangfan, Hubei). Encircling Wei general Cao Ren, the water flooded the forbidden seven armies and killed Pang De. At that time, there were only a few thousand defenders in Fan City, and the city walls collapsed in many places due to flooding. Cao Ren considered abandoning Fan City, but was dissuaded by Man Chong, the prefect of Runan who assisted Cao Ren. Cao Ren was determined to resist bravely. As expected, Hu and Fu took the opportunity to descend to Shu. At this time, Sun Lang and others from Luhun (now northeast of Song County, Henan Province) also killed officials and raised troops to respond to Guan Yu. Guan Yu's momentum "shocked China" for a while ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Guan Yu").

At that time, the capital was in Xuchang, which was very close to Fancheng. Cao Cao felt threatened. In order to avoid Guan Yu's attack, he once prepared to move the capital to Hebei. Sima Yi, Cao Rong, and Jiang Ji promptly dissuaded him: "The ban was lost by the water, and it was not lost in battle. It did not harm the country's plan, so they moved the capital. This not only showed that the enemy was weak, but also made the people of Huaimian very uneasy." Sun Quan , Liu Bei, who is not close to the outside but is sparse at home, can be said to be in a position of power, and if he is ordered to follow him, then Fan Wei will be relieved." (Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan). Cao Cao followed his plan, and Sun Quan sent Lu Meng to attack Jiangling, and Guan Yu was captured and killed.

With the victory of this battle, Cao Cao took advantage of the conflict between Sun and Liu competing for Jingzhou, fully utilized diplomatic strategies, and reaped the benefits. He not only defeated Guan Yu's powerful offensive and lifted the siege of Fancheng, but also made Zhuge Liang's original plan The plan to hit Yuan with a double-sided pincer all the way to Wanluo and all the way out of Qinchuan could not be realized. More importantly, he destroyed the alliance between Sun and Liu, changed the strategic situation at that time, and took the initiative.

After Xu Huang defeated Guan Yu, Cao Cao disliked the people in Jingzhou and nearby and wanted to move them all away. Sima Yi believed: "Jingchu is easily escaped, and it is easy to move but difficult to secure. Guan Yu is newly broken, and all those who are evil are hiding and watching. Now that the good ones are moving away, it will hurt their intentions and make those who left dare not come back." ("Book of Jin· "Xuan Di Ji"). Since then, there have been no immigrants. As expected, all those who fled from hiding came back and became naturalized.

In the first year of Yankang (220), Cao Cao passed away, and the government and the public were in danger. Sima Yi managed the funeral affairs, and he was solemn both inside and outside.

In the same year, Cao Pi ascended the throne of Wei, and Sima Yi was granted the title of Marquis of Ting of Hejin and became the Prime Minister.

At that time, Sun Quan led his army to the west. The court officials believed that Fancheng and Xiangyang lacked food and could not resist the Wu army, so they asked Cao Ren to return to Wancheng. Sima Yi believed that the two cities should not be abandoned: "Sun Quan has recently defeated Guan Yu, and when he wants to make his own alliance, he must not dare to cause trouble. The rush of water and land in Xiangyang is a key point for the imperial invaders, so it cannot be abandoned." Cao Pi did not follow his advice and ordered Cao Ren to set fire to the two cities. Later, Sun Quan did not invade. Cao Pi regretted it.

In the same year, Cao Pi ascended the throne and was known as Emperor Wen of Wei in history. Because Sima Yi had done a lot for Cao Pi to "usurp the Han Dynasty", after he ascended the throne, Cao Pi appointed Sima Yi as Shangshu, and soon he was transferred to military governor, censor Zhongcheng, and was granted the title of Marquis of Anguo Township.

In the second year of Huangchu (221), he was removed from the post of governor and promoted to Shizhong and Shangshu Youpushe.

In the third year of Huangchu (222) and the fifth year of Huangchu (224), Cao Pi attacked Wu twice. In both cases, Sima Yi was appointed to guard Xuchang, and Sima Yi was granted the title of Xiangxiang Marquis. In the spring and February of the sixth year of the sixth year of Huangchu (225), he was transferred to the post of general of the Fu army, Jiajie, and led five thousand troops. He was also added to Shizhong and Lu Shangshushi. When Sima Yi resigned, Cao Pi said: "I am engaged in common affairs, night and day, without a moment's rest. This is not to take pride, but to share worries" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan").

In the same year, Cao Pi launched a large naval army to attack Wu, but still ordered Sima Yi to stay behind and "control the people internally and provide military supplies externally" ("Book of Jin·Xuan Emperor Ji"). Before leaving, he issued an edict to Sima Yi and said: "I am deeply concerned about the future, so I appoint you. Although Cao Shen has military exploits, Xiao He is the most important. It does not allow me to worry about going west." ("Book of Jin· Emperor Xuan Ji")! Later, Cao Pi returned to Luoyang from Guangling and issued an edict to Sima Yi: "To the east, the Fu army should be the chief of the west; to the west, the Fu army should be the chief of the east" ("Book of Jin Xuan Di Ji"). So Sima Yi stayed in Xuchang.

In May of the seventh year of Huangchu (226 years), Cao Pi passed away. Before his death, he ordered Sima Yi, together with Cao Zhen, the general of the Chinese army, Chen Qun, the general of the Zhenjun army, and Cao Xiu, the general of the Zhengdong army, to serve as auxiliary ministers. Cao Pi said to the prince: "If there are any of these three princes, be careful not to doubt them" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). Emperor Ming ascended the throne and renamed Sima Yi the Marquis of Wuyang.

After Sun Quan learned of the death of Emperor Wen of Wei, he sent troops to attack Wei in August. He ordered General Zhuge Jin of Wu Zuo to attack Xiangyang (now Xiangfan, Hubei) in two groups, and personally led the army to attack Jiangxia County (Zhi'an Lu, southwest of today's Yunmeng, Hubei).

Sun Quan was defeated by the Wei army along the way, so he withdrew his troops and left. Zhuge Jin was defeated by Sima Yi and killed Wu general Zhang Ba, beheading more than a thousand people. In December, he was promoted to General of Hussars.

In June of the first year of Taihe (227), Emperor Ming ordered Sima Yi to station himself in Wancheng and supervise the military affairs of Jing and Hezhou.

When the Shu general Meng Da surrendered to the Wei Dynasty, the Wei Dynasty treated him very well. Sima Yi thought that his words and deeds were very clever and could not be trusted. But the emperor refused to listen and appointed Meng Da as the governor of the new city, granted him the title of marquis, and took the holidays. After the death of Emperor Wen of Wei, Mengda fell out of favor, and Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang secretly communicated with him, plotting to rebel against Wei. Zhuge Liang was afraid that he would be erratic in his words and deeds, and wanted to urge him to rebel quickly. Knowing that Shen Yi, the prefect of Wei Xing, had a conflict with him, he sent Guo Mo to Shen Yi to pretend to surrender, intending to leak the story. Mengda heard this leak and was ready to raise troops immediately.

After Shen Yi reported the matter to Sima Yi, Sima Yi was afraid that he would suddenly attack, so he sent him a letter with details of his condolences. The letter said: "The general abandoned Liu Bei in the past and committed himself to the country. The general of the State Commission used the It can be said that the people of Shu are stupid and wise, and they want to defeat each other, but what Muzhi said is not a trivial matter. It is easy to tell if it is revealed lightly." ("Book of Jin: Records of Emperor Xuan").

Meng Da was overjoyed but hesitant. Sima Yi secretly led his army to attack. When the generals saw Meng Da handing over to Wu Shu, they advised Sima Yi to observe first and then take action. Sima Yi said: "Da has no faith. When he is in doubt, he should rush to a decision before he has made a decision" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). Sima Yi personally led his army to attack Mengda day and night, and arrived at the gate of Xincheng eight days later. Wu and Shu sent reinforcements to rescue Mengda, but were blocked by Sima Yi's troops at Anqiao, Mulansai and other places in Xicheng. Previously, Zhuge Liang had warned Mengda to be more careful and not to be fooled. Mengda wrote to Zhuge Liang, thinking: "Wan went to Luo for eight hundred miles, and I went to me for one thousand two hundred miles. If you heard about my actions, you should show your respect to the emperor, and compare yourself with others." , in one month, our city will be strong and our troops will be able to handle it. Then my place is in deep danger, and Lord Sima will not come by himself; in the future, I will have no trouble." ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). When the troops came to the city, Meng Da wrote another letter to Zhuge Liang, exclaiming: "I took action, and the troops arrived at the city in eight days, how fast it was" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan")!

Shangyong City is surrounded by water on three sides. Mengda built a wooden fence outside the city to strengthen the city defense. Sima Yi sent his troops across the water, destroyed the wooden fence, and advanced directly to the city. In the first month of the second year of Taihe (228), Sima Yi divided his troops into eight groups and attacked the city for sixteen days. Meng Da's nephew Deng Xian and his general Li Fu surrendered in Kaicheng. The Wei army entered the city, captured and beheaded Meng Da, and sent him to the capital, capturing more than 10,000 people. Sima Yi returned to the army and remained stationed in Wancheng, rewarding farmers and mulberry trees, and prohibiting excessive fees. The officials and people in the south were convinced.

At the beginning of the previous year, Shen Yijiu was in Weixing County, where he exercised authority and used the emperor's name to engrave a seal without authorization and grant it privately. After Meng Da was killed, Shen Yi had doubts. At that time, the governors of various counties saw that Sima Yi had defeated the enemy and congratulated him one after another. Sima Yi let it go and asked someone to give Shen Yi a hint. Shen Yi had no choice but to come to congratulate. Sima Yi took the opportunity to arrest him and send him to the capital.

Sima Yi also moved more than 7,000 Mengda families to Youzhou. Soon Shu generals Yao Jing, Zheng Ta and others led more than 7,000 of their subordinates to surrender.

At that time, the border county was newly attached and the household registration was false. The imperial court wanted to verify it and invited Sima Yi to Beijing to seek his opinion. Sima Yi believed: "The thieves tied them up with a dense net, so they abandoned them. It is better to use an outline, and then there will be peace and happiness naturally" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). Emperor Ming also ordered him to attack both Wu and Shu. Where should he start first? Sima Yi replied: "Wu thinks that China is not used to water warfare, so he dares to live in Dongguan. Anyone who attacks the enemy must grab his throat and rip his heart out." Kou and Dongguan are the heart and throat of thieves. If the army moves towards Wancheng and leads eastward, and the water war army moves towards Xiakou and takes advantage of its weakness, it will be destroyed by the magic soldiers falling from the sky. "("Jin Shu·Xuan Emperor Ji"). Emperor Ming agreed with him and ordered him to remain stationed in Wancheng.

In May of the second year of Taihe (228), Wu Poyang Governor Zhou Li sent a personal letter to Cao Xiu, falsely claiming that he had been criticized by the King of Wu and planned to abandon Wu and surrender to Wei, and requested to send troops to support him. Without distinguishing the authenticity, Cao Xiu led 100,000 infantry and cavalry troops to Wancheng (now Qianshan, Anhui) to respond. Emperor Ming Ye (who governed Jinyang, now southwest of Taiyuan) ordered Sima Yi to lead his army to Jiangling (now Jiangling, Hubei) to coordinate with Cao Xiu. In August, Cao Xiu was defeated by the Wu army. Fortunately, Jia Kui rescued the remaining troops and survived.

In the third year of Taihe (227), Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang sent troops to attack Wei for the third time and occupied Wudu and Yinping counties. In the fourth year of Taihe (230), Emperor Wei Ming decided to launch an army to attack Shu. Sima Yi was promoted to general, governor, and fake Huangyue, and he and Cao Zhen, the great Sima, conquered Shu.

In August, Emperor Wei Ming ordered Cao Zhen to lead the main force from Chang'an into the Ziwu Valley, General Zhang He of the left left the Xie Valley, and Sima Yi followed the Han River from Jingzhou out of Xicheng (now northwest of Ankang, Shaanxi), and divided his troops into three groups to attack. Hanzhong. Sima Yi opened up a road from Xicheng, advanced by land and water, and went upstream along the Mian River to Quji. He captured Xinfeng County and garrisoned Dankou.

In February of the fifth year of Taihe (231), Zhuge Liang, Prime Minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, led his fourth army to attack Wei, surrounded Jia Si and Wei Ping in Qishan (now the mountains of southeastern Gansu), and used wooden oxen and flowing horses to transport grain and grass. Emperor Ming said to Sima Yi: "There is trouble in the west, and no one but the emperor can take care of it" ("Book of Jin: Emperor Xuan Ji"), so he sent him to the west to station in Chang'an, with the commander-in-chief of the left general Zhang He, the governor of Yongzhou Guo Huai and others to defend the Shu army. Sima Yi left his generals Fei Yao and Dai Ling to guard Gui (now Tianshui, Gansu) with 4,000 men, and led the main force west to rescue Qishan. Zhang He persuaded Sima Yi to divide his troops and station them in Yong and Yi to serve as backstops for the army. Sima Yi disagreed. He said: "It is expected that the front army can only take the lead. The general said so. If it cannot take the lead and is divided into the front and rear, then the three armies of Chu will be tattooed." So he advanced towards Yu Mi.

When Zhuge Liang heard that the Wei army was approaching, he also divided his troops to attack Qishan and led the main force to attack Sima Yi. Guo Huai, Fei Yao and other troops attacked the Shu army, but were defeated by Zhuge Liang. He personally led the Shu army to take advantage of the situation to harvest ripe wheat first and obtain military rations.

At this point, there are two completely different records of future battles in the history books.

The "Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan" records as follows: ... When Liang heard that the army was coming, he ordered his generals to harvest the wheat from Gui. All the generals were afraid, and the emperor said: "I am tired of the road. This is what those who know how to fight are greedy for. Liang does not dare to occupy the Wei River, so it is easy for him." When he entered Hanyang, he met Liang, and the emperor formed a formation to wait for him. He sent Niu Jin Qingqing to bait him, and the soldiers then retreated and pursued them to Qishan. Liangtun Lucheng (now south of Tianshui, Gansu Province) was surrounded by two mountains in the north and south, and was cut off from water. The emperor attacked the siege and escaped at dawn. Pursue them, defeat them, capture and kill them all.

"Zi Zhi Tong Jian·Volume 72" records as follows:...Guo Huai, Fei Yao and others went to Liang, Liang broke it, because the big scorpion was cutting the wheat, and they met Yi in Shanggui. to the east. Yi Lian's army was in danger, and the soldiers could not be handed over, so Liang led them back. Yi waited for Liang and arrived at Lucheng. Zhang He said: "He came from afar to rebel against me, but he could not fight. He said that our advantage was not in fighting, so we wanted to control him with a long-term plan. Qishan also knew that the army was approaching, and the human situation was solid, so he could stop here and divide himself into strange troops to show his strength. After leaving, it is not advisable to advance and not dare to push, otherwise you will lose the hope of the people. Now Liang's army has little food, so he will go. "Yi refused, so he sought Liang. When they arrived, they climbed mountains and dug camps, refusing to fight. Jia Xu and Wei Ping asked for a battle several times, because they said: "The public is as afraid of Shu as a tiger, but the world will laugh at it!" Yi Bingzhi. The generals are eager to fight. In the fifth month of Xia Dynasty, at the end of Xin Dynasty, Yi Nai sent Zhang He to attack He Ping, the prisoner who was not in charge, in Nanwei, and committed suicide in the middle of the road to Xiang Liang. Liang sent Wei Yan, Gao Xiang, and Wu Ban to fight against the enemy, and the Wei army was defeated. The Han people received three thousand soldiers, and Yi returned to the camp. In June, Liang withdrew his army after running out of food, and Sima Yi sent Zhang He to pursue him. He entered Mumen (southwest of today's Tianshui, Gansu Province) and fought with Liang. The Shu people were lying on high ground, their bows and crossbows fired wildly, and flying arrows hit He's right knee and he died.

It can be seen that the former said that Sima Yi was victorious, while the latter said that Sima Yi was defeated. The biographies of Zhuge Liang, Zhang He, Guo Huai and others in "Three Kingdoms" all mention this in passing. Moreover, the former avoided talking about Sima Yi asking Zhang He to pursue Shu. Relatively speaking, the latter is more credible. Current military reference books are also based on the latter records.

After the Shu army retreated, military advisor Du Xi and warlord Xue Ti both estimated that Zhuge Liang would invade again next year when the wheat was ripe, and suggested that grain should be transported in winter to solve the problem of lack of grain in Longyou. Sima Yi thought: "Liang came out of Qishan again and attacked Chencang. He was defeated and turned back. Even if he goes out later and does not attack the city again, he should seek field battles, which must be in the east of Longxi, not in the west. Every time Liang hated the lack of food, he returned home There will be accumulation of grain, and according to my predictions, it cannot be moved unless it is Sanmin." ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan").

In February of the second year of Qinglong (234), Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang led 100,000 troops out of Xiegu to attack Wei. In April, Zhuge Liang arrived at Yi County (now north of Mei County, Shaanxi Province) and stationed south of the Weishui River. Wei General Sima Yi led his army across the Wei River and built a fortress behind the water to stop them. The generals wanted to stalemate Zhuge Liang across the water in Weibei, but Sima Yi said: "The people are all gathered in Weinan, and this is a must-win place" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). Then he crossed the Wei River and set up camp on his back. After Sima Yi analyzed the situation, he said to the generals: "If you are as bright as a brave man, you should use your martial arts to follow the mountains to the east. If you go west to Wuzhangyuan (southwest of Meixian County, Shaanxi Province today), then the troops will be fine." ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan" ).

As expected, Zhuge Liang went to Wuzhangyuan.

All the generals in Wei were happy, but Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, was worried. He said: "The Northern Plains will be fought for when the light is bright, so it is better to occupy it first" ("Zi Zhi Tong Jian, Volume 72"), but many generals disagreed. Guo Huai said: "If Liang crosses the Wei River and climbs the plains, and joins the troops in the northern mountains, cutting off the Long Road and destabilizing the people and barbarians, this will not benefit the country" ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Biography of Guo Huai"). Only then did Sima Yi realize the importance of Beiyuan, and ordered Guo Huai and others to lead his troops to move to Beiyuan. Before the barrier was completed, the Shu army arrived but failed to attack, and the two armies became in a confrontation.

In May, the Wu army attacked Wei in three directions with 100,000 troops to cooperate with the Shu army. Emperor Wei Ming sent Qin Lang to lead 20,000 people to aid Sima Yi, and he led the main force to counterattack the Wu army. In July, the Wu army withdrew.

Zhuge Liang's eastward advance was blocked by Sima Yi. He advanced from the Wei River and was blocked by Guo Huai, so he moved his army to attack Sanguan, Longcheng and other places, and then returned to attack Sima Yi.

In August, Sima Yi followed Emperor Ming's instructions to "refuse to defend the wall and wait for work at ease" and stayed with Zhuge Liang for more than a hundred days. Zhuge Liang challenged him several times, but Sima Yi refused to get out. He wanted to wait for the Shu army to run out of food before he could counterattack. Zhuge Liang sent people to send Sima Yi "women's ornaments" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan") to humiliate him, in order to provoke Sima Yi to fight, but Sima Yi still did not fight. In order to calm the dissatisfaction of his subordinates, he deliberately pretended to be angry and asked for a fight. Emperor Ming did not allow it, and sent his minister Xinpi Zhangjie to be Sima Yi's military adviser to control his actions. As soon as Zhuge Liang came to challenge him, Sima Yi would lead his troops to attack. Xinpi's staff was placed at the military gate, so Sima Yi did not send troops.

When Xinpi arrived, Shu general Jiang Wei said to Zhuge Liang: "Xinpi's staff has arrived, and the thief will never come back." Zhuge Liang said: "He has no fighting spirit, so if you insist on asking, To show force to everyone. When the general is in the army and the emperor's orders are not accepted, how can he control me even though he has traveled thousands of miles to fight against evil?" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan")! Zhuge Liang then divided his troops to garrison the fields and made preparations for a long-term garrison.

Sima Yi’s younger brother Sima Fu wrote to ask about the military situation on the front line. Sima Yi wrote back: "Liang Liang has great ambitions but does not see opportunities. He has many plans but few decisions. He is a good soldier but has no authority. Although he has raised 100,000 soldiers, he has fallen into my trap." In the painting, it must be broken" ("Jin Shu·Xuan Emperor Ji").

Soon, Zhuge Liang sent an envoy to ask for war. Sima Yi did not talk about military affairs, but asked the envoy: "How is Duke Zhuge's daily life? How many meters can he eat?" The envoy said: "Three or four liters." Then he asked about political affairs, and the envoy said: "Twenty punishments have been handed down, so I can reflect on myself." After some casual questioning, Sima Yi said to people: "How long has Zhuge Kongming been able to do this" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan")! Sure enough, Zhuge Liang died of illness in the Wuzhangyuan Army that month.

The Shu general did not announce his mourning secretly, and the whole army retreated. When the local people saw the Shu army withdrawing, they reported to Sima Yi, who sent troops to pursue them. Yang Yi, the general of Shu, returned with flags and drums, pretending to fight back. Sima Yi thought he had fallen into a trap and hurriedly gathered his troops and retreated. The next day, Sima Yi visited Zhuge Liang's camp and "viewed his remains and obtained many of his books and grains" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). Based on this, Sima Yi concluded that Zhuge Liang was dead and praised Zhuge Liang as "a genius in the world" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan").

Xinpi believed that it was still unknown whether Zhuge Liang was dead. Sima Yi said: "The most important things in the military family, including military secrets and plans, and grain and grain for soldiers and horses, are all abandoned now. How can anyone donate his five treasures and survive?" Huh? We should pursue him urgently" ("Jin Shu·Xuan Di Ji"). So he led his troops to pursue him. There are many thorns in Guanzhong, so Sima Yi sent three thousand soldiers to wear flat wooden clogs made of soft materials and walk in front of the army. The thorns were all stuck on the wooden clogs, and then the army marched forward on horseback. After chasing him all the way to Chi'an, he got the exact news of Zhuge Liang's death. There was a proverb at that time: "Zhuge died and Zhongda was born." Sima Yi smiled and said: "It is convenient for me to predict life, but it is not convenient to predict death" ("Book of Jin·Xuan Emperor Ji").

This is the end of Zhuge Liang's seven-year campaign to attack Wei. Regardless of his strategic missteps, Zhuge Liang used a single state to attack Wei in the Central Plains. Even though he tried his best to be loyal and wise, he was unable to achieve his strategic goals due to the disparity in strength. Under the correct command of Sima Yi and others, the Wei State adopted a defensive strategy with superior force, and finally won the final victory by not retreating the Shu army without fighting.

Shu generals Yang Yi and Wei Yan fought for power after withdrawing their troops, and Yang Yi killed Wei Yan. Sima Yi wanted to take the opportunity to attack Shu, but Emperor Ming did not approve it, so he gave up.

In the third year of Qinglong (235), Sima Yi was promoted to Taiwei.

When the warlords fought in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Gongsun Du occupied Liaodong. This separatist force was submissive to the Cao Wei regime, sometimes rebelling and sometimes surrendering, maintaining a semi-independent status. After Gongsun Yuan became the governor of Liaodong, he became even more unkind to Wei. In the first year of Jingchu (237), Gongsun Yuan, the former prefect of Wei and Liaodong, betrayed Wei and established himself as King of Yan. He appointed hundreds of officials and made his capital Xiangping (today's Liaoyang, Liaoning).

In the first month of the second year of Jingchu (238), Emperor Wei Ming summoned Sima Yi back to Beijing and ordered him to lead an army to attack. Emperor Ming said: "This is not enough to trouble the king. The desire to do things must be suppressed, so it is annoying to the ears. What is the king's plan to do it?" Sima Yi said: "Abandoning the city and moving forward is the first plan. According to the Liao River to distance the army, the second plan is Ye. Sitting in Xiangping, this is a good idea." Emperor Ming asked again: "What's the plan?" Sima Yi replied: "Only those who are wise can go deep into the enemy's territory, and this is beyond his reach. The army's expedition will not last long, so we must first move away from the Liao River and then defend. This is a trick. " Emperor Ming asked: "How long will it take to return?" Sima Yi said: "A hundred days to go, a hundred days to return, a hundred days to attack, and six days to go. Ten days is for rest, and one year is enough” (Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan).

At that time, the imperial court overhauled the palaces and added military supplies, which resulted in the people being starved. Before Sima Yi went on an expedition, he dissuaded Emperor Ming, saying: "In the past, the Duke of Zhou controlled Luoyi, and Xiao He built Weiyang. Now the palace is not prepared, and it is the responsibility of the minister. However, from the north of the river, the people are poor, and there are wars outside and inside. The situation is not prosperous at the same time. It is appropriate to He pretended to be in charge of internal affairs in order to save himself from emergencies" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan").

In the first month of the first month, Sima Yi led Niu Jin, Hu Zun and others with 40,000 cavalry, starting from the capital, passing through Guzhu, crossing Jieshi, and in the sixth month, they entered Liao River. Sure enough, Gongsun Yuan urgently ordered the generals Bei Yan, Yang Zuo and others to lead tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry to encircle the trench for more than 20 miles along the Liao River and build strong walls and high bases to block the Wei army.

Sima Yi adopted the strategy of seizing the east and attacking the west. He first set up multiple flags on the southern front to pretend to attack the siege, attracting the main force of the enemy army, and then used the main force to covertly cross the Liao River and push into the enemy camp. Then, instead of attacking the enemy camp, he sent his troops directly to Xiangping, Gongsun Yuan's base (Liaodong County Administrative Office, today's Liaoyang, Liaoning Province). The general did not understand what he meant and said: "We do not attack the thieves but encircle them. This is not the reason for showing off to the public." Sima Yi explained: "The thieves have established a strong camp and want to use my soldiers. Attacking them is in line with their plan. This is This is why Wang Yi was ashamed to cross Kunyang. The ancients said that although the enemy has a high base, if he has to fight with me, he must attack it. If the thieves are here, their nest will be empty, and I will attack Xiangping. If you harbor inner fear and seek battle out of fear, you will surely defeat it" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). Therefore, the enemy was forced to abandon the encirclement and return to rescue Xiangping. Sima Yi's commander turned back to the mountain (today's southwest of Liaoyang, Liaoning Province) to meet the enemy's reinforcements, and said to the generals: "That's why I won't attack his camp. I'm going to do this, so I can't lose it" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). The Wei army attacked and won all three battles, so they took advantage of the victory and marched into Xiangping.

When Gongsun Yuan heard that the Wei army was attacking, he asked for help from Sun Quan. Sun Quan also sent troops to support him and wrote a letter to Gongsun Yuan: "Sima Gong is good at using troops, his transformation is like a god, he is indomitable, and he is deeply moved. My brother is worried about it" ("Jin Shu·Xuan Emperor Ji").

Coincidentally, it rained continuously, the Liao River surged, and the ground was several feet flat. The Wei army was afraid, and the generals wanted to move their camps. Sima Yi ordered that anyone who dared to move the camp be killed. The governor Shi Zhangjing disobeyed the order and was beheaded, and the morale of the army was restored. Gongsun Yuan's army took advantage of the rain to leave the city, collecting firewood and herding horses, feeling at ease. General Wei asked for an attack, but Sima Yi refused. Sima Chen Gui asked Sima Yi: "In the past, when we attacked Shangyong, eight armies advanced side by side, day and night, so we were able to overthrow the strong city and kill Mengda in half a decade. Now that we are far away, we are calmer, and we are foolish and confused." "Sima Yi said: "The emperor said: "The Mengda army is small and they can only eat for a year. My soldiers are four times as large as they are and the food is not enough for a month. How can I use one month to calculate a year? Isn't it fast?" With four strikes and one, the correct order is half understood, and it is still appropriate to do it. Therefore, regardless of casualties, it competes with food. Today, there are many thieves and I am few, the thieves are hungry and I am full, the water and rain are weak, and I have no strength. Although I should rush it, why should I do it? If you go to the capital on your own initiative, you don't have to worry about the thieves attacking, but you are afraid that the thieves will escape. Now the thieves have run out of food and have not closed the siege. They have plundered their cattle and horses, taken their firewood and harvested wood, so they are driving them away. A soldier is crafty and good at changing circumstances. The thieves relied on the rain, so even though they were hungry and sleepy, they refused to tie up their hands, which should show that they were unable to calm them down. It is not a plan to take small profits to scare them" ("Jin Shu·Xuan Emperor Ji").

Then, Sima Yi also used the plan to deliberately show weakness. The court heard that Yu was a strong enemy, and many people asked to summon him. Return to Sima Yi, but Emperor Ming said: "Sima Gong made a change in time and planned to capture him" ("Book of Jin·Xuan Emperor")

After more than a month, the rain stopped and the water gradually receded. They surrounded the city flatly, raised earthen hills, dug tunnels, built buildings, carts, hooks and ladders and other siege equipment, and attacked the city day and night. The food in the city was exhausted, and there were many dead. When they surrendered, Yang Zuo and others occasionally saw meteors passing from the southwest to the northeast of the city. , fell near Liangshui, and the city became more and more frightened. In August, he sent his prime minister Wang Jian and the imperial censor Liu Fu to ask for relief, and then surrendered with his hands tied behind his back and his face facing forward. . Sima Yi killed the envoy and issued a stern statement: "In the past, Chu and Zheng were among the countries, but Zheng Bo was still leading a sheep with his flesh naked to welcome him. I am a king, my throne is the Duke, but Jian and others want to save the siege and retreat, how can Chu and Zheng call it evil! The two old men must have heard that they had failed to fulfill their purpose and had killed each other.

If you are still interested, you can send more young people who have clear decisions." ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan"). Gongsun Yuan also sent his servant Wei Yan to ask for a date to deliver the hostages. Sima Yi said to Wei: "There are five reasons for a great military show. , if you can fight, fight, if you can't fight, defend, if you can't defend, leave. The other two things can only be surrendered to the dead ear. If you don't want to be tied face to face, you will die as a result of this decision, and there is no need to be sent to office" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan").

Gongsun Yuan wanted to break out from the south of the city, but Sima Yi sent troops to defeat his army. Gongsun Yuan Yuan died at Xingluo on the edge of Liangshui (today's Taizi River). After entering the city, Sima Yi slaughtered more than 7,000 men over the age of 15, collected their corpses, and built Jingguan. Showing off his martial arts, he collected the corpses of his enemies and sealed them into high tombs. He beheaded all the ministers and ministers appointed by Gongsun Yuan and killed more than 2,000 people including General Bi Sheng.

At that time, some soldiers in Sima Yi's army were wearing cold clothes and begged him for jackets, but Sima Yi refused to give them. "Sima Yi said: "Ru is an official property, and the ministers give selflessly" ("Book of Jin: Emperor Xuan Ji"). So he reported to the court and dismissed more than a thousand soldiers over sixty years old from military service and sent them back to their hometowns. Then, Within the original one-year period, Emperor Ming sent envoys to Ji to reward the troops, and sent Sima Yi to Kunyang County, and then invaded two counties. The imperial court asked him to go to Zhenguanzhong, but when he arrived at Baiwu, there was an edict calling him to return to the capital quickly. In three days, the edict was written in the handwriting of Emperor Ming: "When you see it, you will go straight to the pavilion." Look at my face" ("Jin Shu·Xuan Emperor Ji").

It is said that when Sima Yi was in Xiangping, he once dreamed that Emperor Ming was pillowing on his lap and said: "Look at my face. "He looked down and saw a strange look on Emperor Ming's face. Now he was shocked when he saw this sentence in the imperial edict. He rode a pursuit car day and night, from Baiwu to the capital, more than four hundred miles, and arrived overnight. When he arrived, he walked into Jiafu Hall. Beside the imperial bed, with tears in his eyes, Emperor Ming took his hand, looked at Prince Qi and said, "I'll take care of the future." Death can be tolerated again. I will endure death to wait for you. I will see you again and have no regrets.” , Jun Qi and Shuang Fu are the youngest sons. I can see you and have nothing to hate?") On that day, Emperor Ming died. It was the first month of the third year of Jing Chu (239).

King Cao Fang of Qi was only eight years old. , Sima Yi and General Cao Shuang accepted the imperial edict to assist the young master. King Qi came to the throne. Sima Yi served as Shizhong, Chijie, Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese and foreign armies, and Lu Shangshu. Each of him and Cao Shuang commanded 3,000 elite troops to govern the government. p>

Cao Shuang wanted to exclude Sima Yi and wanted the minister to approve him in advance, so that he could monopolize power and advise the emperor, so he appointed Sima Yi as Grand Sima. The courtiers believed that many of the previous great Sima had died in office, which was unlucky, so they appointed him. Sima Yi was a Taifu without real power. Like Xiao He in the Han Dynasty, he did not rush into the palace, paid no respects, and only went to the palace with swords.

In April of the second year of Zhengshi (241), Emperor Wu Sun Quan divided his troops into four. Attacking Wei on the road: Wei general Quan Cong led tens of thousands of troops out of Huainan to defeat the water of Shaopi (south of today's Shouxian County, Anhui Province), Weibei general Zhuge Ke attacked Liu'an (now northeast of Liu'an, Anhui Province), and former general Zhu Ran attacked Fancheng (now south of Shouxian County, Anhui Province). In today's Xiangfan, Hubei), General Zhuge Jin attacked Zuzhong (now in the Man River Basin of Nanzhang, Hubei).

In May, Wu general Quan Cong invaded Shaopi. Zhu Ran and Sun Lun besieged Fancheng. , Bu Zhi invaded and plundered Tiaozhong, and Sima Yi asked to send troops to fight against it. The court officials believed that the enemy troops came from far away to attack the fort, and they should wait for it to be defeated. Sima Yi said: "The border city is attacked by the enemy and sits in the temple. The battlefield is turbulent and the people are confused. This is the state of the country." "It's a big worry" ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan").

In June, Sima Yi led the army to reinforce the army. Sima Yi knew that the heat and humidity in the south meant that the army could not stay here for a long time, so he first sent Qingqi to challenge, but Zhu Ran did not dare Then, they rested their soldiers, recruited elite soldiers, and issued orders to attack the city. The Wu army was frightened and retreated overnight at Sanzhoukou (the junction of Jing, Yu, and Yangzhou). The Wu army was pursued by the Wei army, and more than 10,000 people were wiped out, and the Wu army suffered heavy losses in ships and materials. The Wu army attacked Lu'an and Pizhong but failed.

In July, Sima Yi and Lin Ying were added. , there are four counties, ten thousand households, and eleven of his sons are princes.

Previously, the state of Wu sent Zhuge Ke to garrison in Wancheng, and the people around him felt that Sima Yi wanted to lead him. When the army attacked, the deputies thought that Zhuge Ke had occupied a strong city with a wide range of grain and grain. He could attack alone from afar and reinforcements would arrive. At that time, he was unable to advance and retreat. Sima Yi said: "The leader of the thieves is the water. Now we attack it." city ??to watch its changes. If you use your strengths and abandon the city and run away, this will be the victory of the temple.

If we dare to hold on, the lake will be shallow in winter and the boats will not be able to move, so we will inevitably abandon the water to rescue each other. It will be to our advantage if we are short-changed." ("Book of Jin: Records of Emperor Xuan"). Therefore, Sima Yi was killed in the fourth year of Zhengshi (243). In September, he led his army to attack. When the army arrived at Shu City, Zhuge Ke burned the troops and abandoned the city.

In the spring of the fifth year of Zhengshi (244), the general Cao Shuang wanted to make a name for himself in the world, but he failed. Heeding the dissuasion of Grand Tutor Sima Yi, he pushed for an attack on Shu, and Emperor Wei followed suit. As a result, Wang Ping, the former supervisor of the Shu army and the general in charge of Zhenbei, was defeated. The Wei army was hindered from gaining momentum, and the rear was also short of food supplies. A large number of cattle, horses, mules and donkeys died.