Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao (司馬昭) (
211-
264), courtesy name
Zishang (子上), was the son of chief military strategist Prime Minister
Sima Yi of
Cao Wei, during the
Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.
He maintained control of Cao Wei, seized by his father Sima Yi and maintained by his elder brother
Sima Shi, and had himself created the Lord of Jin -- the penultimate step before usurpation of the throne, although he would never actually take the throne. He took advantage of weakness in the
Shu Han (manifested predominantly in the form of the incompetent
Liu Shan) to the west and attacked it, forcing the surrender of
Shu. His military credit helped to set up the plot of overthrowing Cao Wei by his son,
Sima Yan, who usurped the Cao Wei throne proclaimed the
Jin Dynasty. After the establishment of Jin, Sima Yan posthumously honored him as
Emperor Wen of Jin (晉文帝), with the
temple name Taizu (太祖).
A Chinese idiom involving and inspired by Sima is one that states, "Even a pedestrian knows Sima Zhao's heart" (
Sīmǎ Zhāo zhī xīn, lùrén ji" zhī, 司馬昭之心, 路人皆知) meaning that a person's supposed hidden intention (in this case, usurping the throne) is so well known that it is not really hidden any more. It came from a quote said by Emperor
Cao Mao of Wei, who launched an unsuccessful uprising against Sima to try to take back imperial power.
Sima Zhao was born in
211, as the second-born son of
Sima Yi and his wife Lady Zhang Chunhua (張春華), younger only to
Sima Shi. As his father was an important Cao Wei official, Sima Shi himself climbed up the ranks of officials fairly rapidly. Due to his father's achievements (not his own) in destroying the warlord
Gongsun Yuan, he was created a marquess in
238.
Sima Zhao's involvement in his father's coup d'etat against the regent
Cao Shuang in
249 is unclear. According to
Jin Shu, he was not told about the plan, hatched by his father and his older brother, until the last minute -- a view disagreed with by other historians, who believed that he was intimately involved in the planning. In the aftermaths of the successful coup, however, his father became regent, and he himself became important in status. In
251, when his father suppressed the failed rebellion of Wang Ling (王淩), Sima Zhao served as deputy commander. During the next few years, he was involved in commanding forces in repelling invasions by
Shu Han's commander of the armed forces,
Jiang Wei.
In
254, while Sima Zhao was at the capital
Luoyang, advisors to the emperor
Cao Fang suggested that the emperor surprise Sima Zhao and kill him to seize his troops, and then use those troops against Sima Shi. Cao Fang, apprehensive, did not act on the suggestion, but the plot was still discovered, and Sima Zhao assisted his brother in deposing the emperor and replacing him with
Cao Mao. In the aftermaths of the removal of the emperor, the generals
Wuqiu Jian and Wen Qin (文欽) rebelled in
255 but were defeated by Sima Shi.
However, Sima Shi had a serious eye illness that was aggravated by the campaign, and he died less than a month later. At that time, Sima Zhao was with his brother at Xuchang (許昌, in modern
Xuchang,
Henan). The 14-year-old emperor Cao Mao made an effort to regain imperial power. He issued an edict which, under the rationale that Sima Shi had just defeated Wuqiu and Wen's rebellion and that the southeastern empire was still not complete pacified, ordered Sima Zhao to remain at Xuchang and that Sima Shi's assistant Fu Gu (傅嘏) return to Luoyang with the main troops. Under Fu and
Zhong Hui's advice, however, Sima Zhao returned to Luoyang anyway against edict, and was able to maintain control of the government. Indeed, from that point on, he would not let Cao Mao or
Empress Dowager Guo to be out of his control.
Consolidation of authority
During the next few years, Sima Zhao consolidated his authority further, leaving the emperor and empress dowager with little power. He further built up a series of events that were viewed as precipitations to usurpation of the Cao Wei throne. For example, in
256, he had the emperor grant him the privilege of wearing imperial robes, crowns, and boots. He further tested waters by having his close aides hinting to the generals around the empire as to his intentions. In
257, when he sent
Jia Chong to probe
Zhuge Dan's intentions, Zhuge rebuked Jia severely a step that put him closer to usurpation -- and then publicly declined them.
Death of Cao Mao and complete control of Cao Wei's government
In
260, Sima Zhao again forced the emperor
Cao Mao to issue an edict granting Sima Zhao the nine bestowments, which Sima declined again, but which drew Cao Mao's ire. He gathered his associates
Wang Chen (王沈),
Wang Jing (王"), and
Wang Ye (王業) and told them that, while he knew the chances of success were slight, he was going to act against Sima Zhao. He then led the imperial guards and servants and, arming himself with a sword, set out to head for Sima's mansion. Sima Zhao's brother
Sima Zhou (司馬伷) tried to resist, but after Cao Mao's attendants yelled loudly, Sima Zhou's forces deserted.
Jia Chong then arrived and intercepted the imperial troops. Cao Mao fought personally, and Jia Chong's troops, not daring to attack the emperor, were also deserting, when one of the officers under Jia's command,
Cheng Ji (成濟), after asking Jia what to do and was told by Jia to defend the Sima power regardless of the consequences, took a spear and killed Cao Mao with it.
After Cao Mao's death, public sentiments called for Jia's death, but what Sima Zhao did first was to force Empress Dowager Guo to posthumously demote Cao Mao to common citizen status and order that he be buried as such. He also executed Wang Jing and his clan. The next day, after pleas from his uncle
Sima Fu (司馬孚), Sima Zhao instead had Empress Dowager Guo order that Cao Mao be demoted back to duke but buried with the ceremonies of an imperial prince. Sima Zhao then summoned
Cao Huang (曹', whose name was later changed to
Cao Huan), the Duke of Changdaoxiang and a grandson of
Cao Cao to the capital to become the emperor; by now, Empress Dowager Guo was powerless to speak further. 19 days later, however, Sima Zhao publicly accused Cheng and his brothers of treason and had them and their clan executed, to appease public sentiment, while sparing Jia. No one dared to act against Sima even in the aftermaths of the emperor's death, however, for Sima was effectively the imperial authority by this point.
Campaign to destroy Shu Han
In
262, aggravated by Jiang Wei's incessant border attacks, Sima Zhao considered hiring assassins to murder Jiang, but this plan was opposed by his advisors
Zhong Hui and Xun Xu (荀勗). Rather, Zhong and Xun believed that Jiang had worn out his troops and that it would be an appropriate time to try to destroy Shu Han once and for all. Sima put Zhong and
Deng Ai in charge of the invasion forces (even though Deng initially opposed the campaign), and they set out in spring
263.
Zhong and Deng faced little opposition from Shu Han's forces, whose strategy was to draw the Cao Wei forces in and then close on them until Deng led his troops over a treacherous mountain pass, descending on Jiangyou (江油, in modern
Mianyang,
Sichuan), defeating
Zhuge Zhan and heading directly for the Shu Han capital
Chengdu. Surprised by Deng's quick advances and believing that Jiang would be unable to return fast enough to defend the capital against Deng, the Shu Han emperor
Liu Shan surrendered to Deng. (During the campaign, in light of the successes, Sima had the emperor Cao Huan bestow on him the title of the Duke of Jin and accepted the nine bestowments.)
Another turmoil quickly came after Shu Han's destruction, however. Deng, proud of his achievements, became arrogant in his correspondence with Sima, drawing Sima's suspicion. Zhong, who had plans to rebel himself, quickly forged letters that further damaged the relations between Sima and Deng beyond repair, and Sima ordered Deng arrested. Zhong did so, seizing Deng's troops and merging them with his own, and then, with Jiang as his assistant (but with Jiang's actual intentions to eventually kill Zhong and restore Shu Han), declared rebellion in
264, but his troops rebelled against him and killed both him and Jiang.
Death
After Zhong's rebellion was defeated, Sima Zhao was further created the Prince of Jin a gesture that was not reciprocated.
Also in 264, Sima Zhao considered whom to make his heir. He considered his talented younger son Sima You (司馬"), who had been adopted by Sima Shi because Sima Shi did not have sons of his own -- under the rationale that because Sima Shi had great achievement in the Simas' obtaining and retaining power, the succession should go back to his son. However, the majority of his advisors recommended his oldest son
Sima Yan instead, and Sima Zhao finally resolved to make Sima Yan his designated heir.
In the autumn of
265, Sima Zhao died, before he could receive actual imperial authority -- although, interestingly, he was buried with imperial honors. Four months later, however, Sima Yan would have the Cao Wei emperor Cao Huan abdicate in favor of him, ending Cao Wei and establishing
Jin Dynasty. After he did so, he posthumously honored Sima Zhao as Emperor Wen.
*
Father**
Sima Yi*
Mother** Lady Zhang Chunhua (張春華)
*
Wife**
Princess Wang Yuanji (d.
268), mother of Emperor Wu and Princes You, Zhao, Dingguo, and Guangde, and Princess Jingzhao
*
Children
**
Sima Yan (司馬炎), later
Emperor Wu of Jin** Sima You (司馬"), Prince Xian of Qi, adopted by
Sima Shi (created
265, d.
283)
** Sima Zhao (司馬兆), died in childhood, posthumously created Prince Ai of Chengyang
** Sima Dingguo (司馬定國), died in childhood, posthumously created Prince Daohui of Liaodong
** Sima Guangde (司馬廣德), died in childhood, posthumously created Prince Shang of Guanghan
** Sima Jian (司馬'), Prince Ping of Lean (created
265, d.
297)
** Sima Ji (司馬機), Prince of Yan (created
265)
** Sima Yongzuo (司馬永祚), died in childhood
** Sima Yanzuo (司馬延祚), Prince of Leping
** Princess Jingzhao
