Three Generations Bring Disaster to Wei

After Zhuge Liang died at Wuzhang Plain, Shu Han lost the man who held its court, army, and northern strategy together.

But the next great change did not begin in Chengdu.

It began inside Wei.

Cao Rui's Last Years

Cao Rui, the emperor of Wei, had real ability.

He had stopped Shu's northern pressure, watched over the court, and kept powerful ministers under control. But in his later years, he became increasingly absorbed in palace building and pleasure.

The burden on the people grew heavier.

At the same time, the succession problem returned.

Cao Rui's sons died young. He eventually adopted Cao Fang, a child from the Cao clan, and made him heir.

When Cao Rui became gravely ill in 239, the empire needed a regency.

The men chosen were Cao Shuang and Sima Yi.

Cao Shuang came from the imperial clan. His father, Cao Zhen, had been one of Wei's great commanders. Sima Yi was older, experienced, and had spent years fighting Zhuge Liang.

On paper, the arrangement balanced clan authority and administrative experience.

In reality, it planted two powers in the same court.

Cao Shuang Takes the Lead

After Cao Rui died, Cao Fang became emperor.

He was still a child.

Cao Shuang quickly moved to control the government. At first he treated Sima Yi with outward respect, but the real decisions increasingly passed through Cao Shuang's circle.

His brothers and followers received high positions.

They wanted to reshape Wei politics and push aside older ministers who did not belong to their group.

Sima Yi was not removed at once. He was too famous and too deeply rooted. But Cao Shuang gradually reduced his influence and surrounded the young emperor with his own people.

The Cao clan still held the throne.

Yet the court no longer felt secure.

A Failed Campaign Against Shu

Cao Shuang wanted military glory.

In 244, he launched a campaign against Shu through the mountains toward Hanzhong.

It was a dangerous idea.

The routes into Shu were narrow, difficult, and costly. Wei had learned this before. Shu might be smaller, but mountain defense could turn size into a trap.

The campaign quickly ran into supply problems.

Shu forces held the passes. Wei soldiers struggled in the terrain, and the army gained little.

Cao Shuang eventually withdrew.

The defeat damaged his reputation. It showed that he could dominate the court, but not necessarily command the frontier.

For Sima Yi, it was another lesson.

Cao Shuang was ambitious, careless, and increasingly exposed.

Sima Yi Pretends to Withdraw

Cao Shuang and his men knew Sima Yi was dangerous.

So Sima Yi stepped back.

He claimed illness and withdrew from daily government. When Cao Shuang sent Li Sheng to visit him, Sima Yi performed weakness. He looked old, confused, and unable to manage himself.

Li Sheng reported that Sima Yi was near death.

Cao Shuang relaxed.

That was the point.

Sima Yi had spent a lifetime surviving court suspicion, battlefield stalemate, and imperial politics. He knew how to wait until an enemy stopped being afraid.

The young emperor was in Cao Shuang's hands. The court offices were in Cao Shuang's hands. But the capital still contained men who disliked Cao Shuang's arrogance and trusted Sima Yi's steadiness.

The trap was not ready yet.

But Cao Shuang was walking toward it.

Three Generations of Trouble

Wei had been built by Cao Cao, made imperial by Cao Pi, and carried forward by Cao Rui.

Each generation solved one crisis and left another.

Cao Cao created the power that overshadowed the Han. Cao Pi turned that power into a dynasty. Cao Rui held the dynasty together, but left a child emperor behind.

Now the Cao family depended on regents.

That was where the danger lay.

If a child emperor could not rule, whoever controlled the regency could control the state.

Cao Shuang thought that man was himself.

Sima Yi had other plans.

Next, illness becomes a weapon, and Wei's government changes hands in a single coup.