Chapter 794: How disgusting people can be!

justice!

How can such magnificent words, such brilliant statements not make people's emotions surge, how can they not make people convinced?

The crown of justice.

Banner of justice.

Sima Zhongda, a veteran minister who served four dynasties and was highly respected throughout the country, was willing to fight for the Wei state. At this moment, some people in Chang'an city were already shedding tears.

It works!

Sima Yi reacted immediately, his mind racing, and he said fiercely: "Everyone, since the death of Emperor Ming, how many storms has our Great Wei gone through?

I am old and frail, and I can hardly remember clearly. When the Ming Emperor handed the hand of the present Majesty to me, my heart was full of lofty ambitions. I said that I wanted to learn from the two Dukes Wen and Xuan, Prince Luo Wen, and Huo Guang.

The Ming Emperor trusted me and made me one of the three highest officials in the country. To me, if it was simply for the so-called glory and wealth, it would be an insult.

Because what I pursued was never to be a prominent official, but to pursue the ideal in my heart.

Cao Shuang has forced me into my current situation. No matter how weak I have shown myself, he is still unwilling to let me go. You can imagine how he treats other ministers, just like his servants.

The evil of human nature is as deep as this!

Am I standing here today just for myself?

I am doing this for the Great Wei, the nobles, and the people of the city. I am willing to do what others are unwilling to do, and I am not afraid of what others are afraid to do, simply because I have justice in my heart!"

The hall was filled with the aristocratic families of Wei State, and even the Cao clan. Chen Shuo of Yingchuan, a close friend of Sima Yi and also a family friend of the Sima family, walked out and said loudly to everyone, "Mr. Zhongda's words are really heartbreaking. The world is in turmoil now, and all countries are fighting each other frequently. Yan State has been attacking frequently, and it is ambitious to swallow up the world.

Only our Wei State was actually controlled by this man Cao Shuang. He was unable to capture the tiny area of ​​Hedong, even though he had gathered Guanzhong, Liangzhou and Shu. His incompetence was simply appalling. Isn't it ridiculous to let him be in power?

"Mr. Zhongda has served four dynasties, and he is both civil and military. Today, he is doing something righteous for the world. If you don't help, can you really feel at ease? If Cao Shuang wants to usurp the throne from Your Majesty one day, how can you be worthy of the spirit of the late emperor in heaven?"

Having said that, a coup is something that is beyond the acceptance of most people, especially those present, no one wants to be involved in such a thing.

To be more specific, if Sima Yi was not opposing Cao Shuang, the situation would not be so calm now. Cao Shuang aroused public anger, and except for his followers, almost all the ministers of Wei wanted him dead.

But many people were still hesitating. Sima Yi controlled Chang'an and the surrounding arsenals, closed the city gates, and occupied Cao Shuang's military camp, and had the upper hand.

A minister stepped out and asked loudly, "Grand Marshal, Lord Zhongda, the country is in turmoil right now. Cao Shuang is leading his army outside, and even Your Majesty is in his hands. What if he takes Your Majesty hostage and flees to Luoyang?

Isn't it true that our Great Wei is going to split and go into civil war? In today's world, if a civil war breaks out between Chang'an and Luoyang, the Chu, Han, and Yan states will not give up, and our Great Wei will be doomed!"

These words touched everyone's heart. This was exactly what most people hesitated about. No one wanted to watch the State of Wei perish like this.

Because the rise and fall of a family is accompanied by the change of dynasties.

Looking at the families since ancient times, the nobles of the Xia Dynasty were marginalized in the Shang Dynasty, and the rest of the nobles were hard to see. The royal family of the Shang Dynasty was discriminated against. In the first half of "A Collection of Humors", the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty was exterminated, and only the Luo and Lu families were left to rebuild the nobles of the Zhou Dynasty.

There is no need to say much about the Qin Dynasty, as it had already wiped out the clan. The Han Dynasty rose, and now the Duke of Longxi only has status but no power at all. The Five Surnames and Seven Families have fallen apart.

Looking at the princely families that fought for hegemony back then, the major families in the Yuan and Zhao states are now only second-rate. The rising ones are the new families that supported Cao Wei and Liu Bei. Needless to say, the Chu state is full of southern gentry that were once looked down upon by the Central Plains, but are now thriving.

The so-called power of the aristocracy was too weak in front of the country. Cao Shuang, a fool who was totally useless in politics and military affairs, could push Sima Yi, who was crowned by the aristocracy, into a desperate situation despite everyone's dissatisfaction.

If the State of Wei was destroyed, those present could not imagine what their families would fall into. They would become second-rate or third-rate families, or even disappear completely.

That's right. No one wants to see civil war in Wei, and this is also what Sima Yi is worried about, but he will not show it. He wants to demonstrate his firm will so that others will stand on his side and try to solve the problem.

Cao Shuang had troops in his hands, but these people thought he was more likely to withdraw rather than attack Chang'an. There were naturally reasons for this. There were many reasons, two of which could not be ignored.

Cao Shuang only had soldiers but lacked food. He went there to offer sacrifices, not to fight, and was originally planning to return the next day. The army had only enough food for no more than three days. Once it was cut off, the consequences would be disastrous.

The second is a system that has always existed. The families of the soldiers were generally in Sima Yi's hands. This made it difficult for the soldiers to attack Chang'an. During the fighting, the heads of their elderly parents, wives and children were thrown out of the city. The morale collapsed directly. Sima Yi's prestige in the Wei State and in the army was also real.

Cao Shuang must have had some concerns. Unless he was desperate and determined to fight Sima Yi to the death with the intention of dying together, Cao Shuang would be at an absolute disadvantage.

This is why Sima Yi dared to launch a coup with only a few thousand people, and was not particularly worried. As for whether Cao Shuang would do something desperate, he was sure that Cao Shuang would not.

He was really too smart. Even in the entire late Han Dynasty, he was one of the smartest people. Especially when almost all other top strategists died, he became even more dazzling. Sima Yi thought about it and could only describe his so-called opponent with four words: stupid as a pig, and a son of a tiger father.

Sima Yi continued to speak with righteousness: "Cao Shuang is an important official of the state. He is a relative of the Cao clan. I believe he will take care of the overall situation. I have already written to the emperor, requesting that Cao Shuang be relieved of his official duties and removed from his position."

…

At Gaoping Mausoleum, Cao Shuang had intercepted Sima Yi's letter to Cao Fang. He flipped through the letter and was shocked. Sima Yi said to Cao Fang in the letter: "Your Majesty, the late emperor entrusted you to me and Cao Shuang because you were young and asked us to help the country. But I didn't expect that people's hearts would change so quickly. Cao Shuang actually did something to bully his superiors for power.

He appointed his own cronies inside and outside the court, placed his own spies in the palace, and prevented Your Majesty from seeing the Queen Mother. This was an attempt to alienate the blood relationship between you and the Queen Mother, and he wanted to do something bad to Your Majesty. Everything he did went beyond what a minister should do and was shocking and unheard of.

Is this what the late emperor entrusted to us?

I don’t think so.

If this continues, can your throne still be secure?

I think it is impossible.

If Cao Shuang was allowed to continue to be domineering, could the Wei Kingdom survive for long?

I don’t think it’s possible.

Therefore, I obeyed the will of the late emperor, punished the disloyal Cao Shuang, and eliminated the treacherous officials around the king. I earnestly request you to dismiss Cao Shuang and his accomplices from their official positions, force Cao Shuang to leave the central court of our Great Wei, and only allow him to retire as a marquis.

This must be a better ending for the Wei Dynasty.

Your humble servant Sima Yi bows his head and bows again! "

While Cao Shuang was reading the letter, Sima Yi in Chang'an City also estimated that he had almost read the letter. This letter was not written to Emperor Cao Fang, but to Cao Shuang. Sima Yi knew that his letter would definitely not reach Cao Fang. All the insults to Cao Shuang in the beginning of the letter were not important. The important thing was that the end of the letter allowed Cao Shuang to live out his retirement as a marquis.

This was a psychological hint that Sima Yi gave to Cao Shuang. He did not really want to fight Cao Shuang to the death. He did all this not really for the country, but only to save his own life. Only with this psychological hint could he try to persuade Cao Shuang to surrender.

After reading Sima Yi's letter, Cao Shuang was filled with fear, which was totally unlike that of a general commanding a large army.

Since ancient times, those who can be appointed as generals are those who have thunder in their hearts and calm faces, and remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses in front of them. Such people are extraordinary and outstanding. But Cao Shuang is a pig and a dog, a coward. Even when wearing armor and holding a sharp weapon, he is still like a monkey in the mountains. He does not have the courage to fight Sima Yi to the death. Many people in Chang'an City are still worried that Cao Shuang will take the emperor hostage and escape to Luoyang to fight a civil war. If he really has such courage, Sima Yi would not be alive now.

Faced with the current situation, Cao Shuang was completely confused. He didn't know why Sima Yi would resist. This was not within his expectations. He thought that he had completely gained the upper hand now, and Sima Yi should be the one waiting to be killed. How could he still resist? Why would he still resist and even force himself into a desperate situation?

Yes.

Cao Shuang now feels that he is in a desperate situation. He believes that if he is not careful, he will die and his family will be destroyed. He doesn't know what to do now.

It is really sad. If the heroes at the end of the Han Dynasty were faced with Cao Shuang's current situation, they would probably laugh out loud. This is simply a ridiculous start. They have ten thousand ways to kill Sima Yi, but the one facing all this at the moment is Cao Shuang. It is like a child holding gold in a busy market, hurting others and himself.

While Cao Shuang was still in extreme shock, Sima Yi in Chang'an City had already started his second round of performance. He once again gathered his friends and the famous scholars in the whole Wei State. In front of these people, Sima Yi began to perform. His wrinkled face was full of tears, his hair was messy, and he looked extremely haggard. He sighed and said: "Everyone, the situation has come to this point. Cao Shuang has built fortifications outside the city. The Great Wei is about to fall into civil strife. This is our fault. This is something we cannot stop. What should we do now?

You are all famous scholars. If you come forward to mediate between me and Cao Shuang, it will be feasible. As long as Cao Shuang surrenders, I promise not to harm his life. I will let him enjoy his old age in peace and all his wealth and glory will remain the same as before. This is my promise. I, Sima Yi, will end my life's reputation here."

Sima Yi's statement excited everyone. The people here were all high-ranking officials or leading scholars, and they were all well-known figures. What they feared most was that Sima Yi and Cao Shuang would not back down and would fight to the death. Seeing Sima Yi willing to make peace, they became excited. Chen Tai said directly, "Zhongda, if you are willing to make peace with Cao Shuang, I will still have a good reputation in my life and a little face in front of some people. I will risk my face to talk to you."

Several other people had the same idea. They had no psychological burden in guaranteeing Sima Yi.

If Sima Yi was described as a collateral, he was indeed a very high-quality collateral. He was loyal and capable throughout his life and had excellent character. He could be said to be both capable and virtuous. They had never thought that Sima Yi might break his promise.

Because this is unreasonable and illogical.

Now Sima Yi's reputation in Wei State has basically reached the highest level. He is a moral role model among all countries, and Sima Yi is the moral role model of Wei State and a model of a famous minister.

Such people are only death away from leaving their names in history. Only a fool would do such a thing as destroying their integrity in their later years. Moreover, it is too high a price to pay for sacrificing a lifetime reputation just to gain power. How many people are willing to even die for a reputation.

This is quite correct logic. Even though Sima Yi secretly raised assassins, which made many people feel uncomfortable, they still believed that he did this to deal with Cao Shuang's coercion. Of course, there was prejudice against Cao Shuang among the people, but more of it was trust in logic.

Sima Yi nodded again and said firmly: "Then I will trouble you all. For the sake of our great Wei, for the justice of the world, for your majesty and the people, go to Cao Shuang and ask him to lay down his weapons, stop starting a bloody massacre, and be a rich man in peace. This will be good for everyone."

After saying this, he and everyone else high-fived to swear an oath. The crisp sound of the high-fives resounded in everyone's heart. It was a solid promise. Having received Sima Yi's promise, everyone hurriedly left the army and prepared to go to Cao Shuang's camp to persuade Cao Shuang to surrender. This was not an easy task and they had to be fully prepared.

Sima Yi looked at the figures of the people leaving. He looked at the azure blue sky, which was still as bright and clear as glass. When the last person left the mansion, Sima Yi's eyes were dark. He calculated all the outcomes. His eyes were full of entanglement and a hint of fear, as well as a hint of confusion about the future. He muttered something in his mouth, and finally his eyes became firm.

(End of this chapter)