The Real Sima Yi Was a Very Cruel Man

@CoastYiping: Teacher Wei shaped a charismatic Sima Yi.

The real Sima Yi was a very cruel man.

1. Cruel to the common people.

When he conquered Gongsun Yuan, he not only killed all the officials in Liaodong down to the rank of nobles, but also massacred all males over the age of 15 in Xiangping (present-day Liaoyang), more than 7,000 civilians, and built a mound of their severed heads.

2. Cruel to political enemies.

The Oath of the Luo River, which everyone knows about. The Cao Shuang brothers, He Yan, Ding Mi, Deng Yang, Bi Gui, Li Sheng, Huan Fan, and later Wang Ling and Linghu Yu, all had their three familial branches exterminated.

Don't think that the extermination of three branches was lighter than the later extermination of nine branches; in fact, the scope of the three-branch extermination was more uncertain, entirely depending on the leader's preference.

When encountering someone like Sima Yi, even female family members who had already married out, as well as infants less than a year old, were all killed together.

At the time of executing Cao Shuang, his affiliated factions were all exterminated along with their three branches, men and women regardless of age, and even married aunts and sisters were all killed,

making it even more cruel than the extermination of nine branches.

3. Cruel to friends and the emperor.

Sima Yi was one of the Four Friends of Crown Prince Cao Pi. When he was young, Sima Yi was suspected by Cao Cao, who believed he had the look of a wolf glancing back, and it was Cao Pi who protected and saved him each time, allowing him to keep his life.

Sima Yi was also the regent appointed by both Emperor Wen and Emperor Ming of Wei. The earth on the former emperor's tomb was not yet dry when he raised an army to seize power.

Emperor Taizong of Tang scolded him in Sima Yi's imperial biography:

The Son of Heaven is away, and he raises troops within; the tomb's earth is not yet dry, and he hastily engages in slaughter. Is this the conduct of a loyal minister!

4. Cruel to his own wife.

In the "Biographies of Empresses and Consorts" in the Book of Jin, there is a detail: after Sima Yi's first wife Zhang Chunhua grew old and lost her beauty, he began to favor his concubine Lady Bai, and Zhang Chunhua could barely even see him.

Once, when Sima Yi was ill, Zhang Chunhua went to visit him. Unexpectedly, Sima Yi said with disgust: "This old creature is detestable, why did you even bother coming out?"

Zhang Chunhua was also a strong-willed woman; humiliated by her husband, she actually planned to starve herself to death.

Seeing their mother wanting to die to prove her resolve, Sima Shi and Sima Zhao also joined the hunger strike, which finally made Sima Yi fearful.

His attitude took a 180-degree turn, and he actually bowed his head to apologize.

However, Sima Yi's action was not sincere. He privately spoke his true thoughts:

"The old creature is not worth pitying; I'm just worried about my good sons."

If it weren't for his sons, the death of his first wife (the old creature) wouldn't matter at all.

A cruel and ruthless Sima Yi.