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Sima Zhao's regicide of Cao Mao

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Regicide in state of Cao Wei (260)
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Sima Zhao's regicide of Cao Mao
Part of the wars of the Three Kingdoms
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Date2 June 260[a]
Location
Luoyang, China
Result Cao Mao murdered and Wang Jing's clan exterminated[b]
Belligerents
Cao Mao and conspirators Sima Zhao and various defenders
Commanders and leaders
Cao Mao †
Wang Chen (Defected)
Wang Jing
Wang Ye (Defected)		 Sima Zhao
Sima Zhou
Jia Chong
Cheng Ji
Wang Chen
Wang Ye
Strength
several hundred servants[2]
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Sima Zhao's regicide
Traditional Chinese司馬昭弒君
Simplified Chinese司马昭弑君
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Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinSīmǎ Zhāo shì jūn

Sima Zhao's regicide of Cao Mao, also known as the Ganlu Incident (Chinese: 甘露之變), occurred on 2 June 260[a] in Luoyang, the capital of the state of Cao Wei, during the Three Kingdoms period. Cao Mao, the nominal emperor of Wei, attempted to oust the regent Sima Zhao, who effectively controlled the Wei government. However, the plot concluded with Cao Mao's death and Sima Zhao retaining his status. Contrary to its intention, the coup actually increased the Sima clan's power and influence in Wei, albeit at the cost of Sima Zhao's personal standing, thus providing a foundation for the eventual usurpation of the Wei throne in February 266 by Sima Zhao's son Sima Yan, who founded the Western Jin dynasty.

The incident is also mentioned in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, which dramatises the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The events of the incident described in the novel are largely similar to that described in historical sources.

Background

The state of Cao Wei was established in December 220 by Cao Pi, which marked the start of the Three Kingdoms period in China. The authority of the Wei imperial family had been weakening since the death of the second Wei emperor, Cao Rui in January 239, and reached a nadir after the Incident at the Gaoping Tombs in February 249, when the Wei general Sima Yi seized power from the regent Cao Shuang. Sima Yi died in September 251 and was succeeded by his sons Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, who effectively controlled the Wei government.

In October 254, Sima Shi deposed the third Wei ruler, Cao Fang, and installed a 13-year-old Cao Mao on the throne in November. From the start of his reign, Cao Mao acted in defiance of the Simas, refusing to accept the imperial seal directly from Sima Shi, and, after Sima Shi's death in March 255, he attempted to order Sima Zhao to remain in Xuchang to keep watch over Shouchun (present-day Shou County, Anhui), where a rebellion led by Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin had just been suppressed. However, Sima Zhao ignored Cao Mao's edict and returned to the capital Luoyang. While Sima Zhao administered state affairs, Cao Mao attempted to gain the favour of the literati in the court through unremarkable meetings to discuss literature with some officials—Sima Zhao's cousin Sima Wang, Wang Chen, Pei Xiu, and Zhong Hui. Cao Mao also provided Sima Wang with a chariot and five imperial guardsmen as escorts because the latter lived further away from the palace than the others.

In c.July 258, Sima Zhao was offered the title of Duke of Jin and the nine bestowments a total of nine times, all of which he declined.[3] Discussion and debate over the matter allowed him to judge his level of support.

A few months later, in c.February 259, Cao Mao received sightings of yellow dragons in two wells;[4] he wrote a poem identifying the dragons as being trapped inside wells and likened himself to the dragons. Sima Zhao saw the poem and was angry.[5]

In c.May 260, Sima Zhao was again offered the title of Duke of Jin and the nine bestowments and did not immediately decline.[c]

The incident[d]

On 2 June 260, 19-year-old Cao Mao gathered his associates Wang Chen, Wang Jing, and Wang Ye, declaring his intention to make a last-ditch attempt to overthrow Sima Zhao, even at the cost of his life.[8]

Wang Jing advised the emperor against such an action, but Cao Mao ignored Wang Jing's advice and informed Empress Dowager Guo of his plan. In his absence, Wang Chen and Wang Ye secretly deserted Cao Mao and notified Sima Zhao about the plot.[e][f]

Cao Mao then led his forces from the palace, personally wielding a sword. Sima Zhao's younger half-brother Sima Zhou, then holding the position of a Colonel of the Garrison Cavalry (屯騎校尉), led his troops to stop Cao Mao. However, his men dispersed in fear when Cao Mao shouted at them.[12] Man Changwu (a grandson of Man Chong) was in charge of guarding one of the palace gates. Sima Zhao's younger full-brother Sima Gan led his men to the palace to assist Sima Zhao, but Man Changwu refused to let him pass and told him to enter through another gate instead. Later, when Sima Zhao asked Sima Gan why he was late, Sima Gan told him what happened.[13][g]

Sima Zhao's aide Jia Chong led another defence at the South Watchtower. When Cheng Ji (成濟), a military officer under Jia Chong, asked Jia what to do, Jia told him to defend the Sima clan regardless of the consequences. Cheng Ji then approached Cao Mao and killed the emperor with his spear.[h]

Aftermath

After Cao Mao's death, the public called for Jia Chong's execution on the grounds that he had committed regicide. Sima Zhao forced Empress Dowager Guo to posthumously demote Cao Mao to the status of a commoner, citing the precedent of the Prince of Changyi during the Western Han dynasty.[16] and then ordered Wang Jing and his clan to be executed. The following day (3 June 260), after pleas from his uncle Sima Fu and other senior officials such as Gao Rou and Zheng Chong, Sima Zhao asked Empress Dowager Guo to posthumously instate Cao Mao as the "Duke of Gaogui Village" (高貴鄉公) and bury Cao Mao with the ceremonies befitting that of a prince,[17] though this may not actually be carried out.[i] Cao Huang (later renamed to Cao Huan), the Duke of Changdao (常道鄉公), was chosen to succeed Cao Mao and was installed on the throne. 18 days later, Sima Zhao had Cheng Ji and his family executed to appease public anger,[j][k] but Jia Chong was spared.

Sima Zhao successfully retained his power during the incident and eliminated his opponents in the Wei court, leaving only the young Cao Huan as a puppet emperor under his control. He did not take the Wei throne, even until his death.[l] Instead, he was first granted the title of a vassal duke —"Duke of Jin" (晉公) and the nine bestowments in December 263, after the successful campaign against Shu. A few months later, he was made a vassal king—"King of Jin" (晉王)—by Cao Huan in May 264. Sima Zhao died in September 265 and was succeeded by his son Sima Yan, who forced Cao Huan to abdicate in his favour in February 266 and established the Western Jin dynasty. In 280, Sima Yan would order the conquest of Jin's rival state Wu, ending the Three Kingdoms period and unifying China after nearly a century.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Cao Mao's biography in the Sanguozhi recorded that he died on the jichou day of the 5th month of the 5th year of the Ganlu era of his reign.[1] This date corresponds to 2 June 260 in the Gregorian calendar.
  2. ^ Both Cheng Ji and his brother died in the aftermath of the incident, but the manner of their deaths and the fate of their families differ across various sources.
  3. ^ Cao Mao's biography in Sanguozhi did not record Sima Zhao's rejection;[6] his biography in Book of Jin did record that he declined to accept the honours.[7] The month corresponds to 28 Apr to 26 May 260 in the Julian calendar.
  4. ^ Probably due to his status as a Jin official, Chen Shou did not record any details of how the incident occurred in the Sanguozhi. The details indicated in the wiki article largely come from Pei Songzhi's annotations of the Sanguozhi, Sima Zhao's biography in the Tang-era Jin Shu, and Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian.
  5. ^ The Wei Jin Shiyu recorded that before Wang Chen and Wang Ye went to Sima Zhao, they revealed their intentions to Wang Jing; Jing refused to join them due to his uprightness.[9] The Jin Zhugong Zan had a different account: it recorded that as Chen and Ye were about to leave Jing, they called out to the latter. Jing refused to join them, saying, "You two should be on your way!"[10] In vol.03 of Zizhi Tongjian Kaoyi, Sima Guang indicated that Tongjian adopted the account found in Jin Zhugong Zan.
  6. ^ In his annotations to Zizhi Tongjian, Hu Sanxing lamented the fact that despite Cao Mao's respectful treatment of Wang Chen, and calling the latter "Master of Literature", Wang still betrayed Cao to Sima Zhao.[11]
  7. ^ Another version of this anecdote was recorded in Xun Xu's biography in Book of Jin. In this account, Sima Gan was denied entry by Sun You (孫佑), who was also an officer guarding the main gate, so he had to enter the palace through another gate. When Sima Zhao found out why Sima Gan showed up late, he wanted to execute Sun You and his family. However, Xun Xu advised him against it by pointing out that it would be unfair and unjust to punish Sun You's family as well, given that the family of Cheng Ji's brother Cheng Cui was not implicated. Sima Zhao heeded Xun Xu's advice and punished Sun You only, by demoting him to the status of a commoner.[14] It is possible that both Man Changwu and Sun You were involved in the anecdote.
  8. ^ The Wei Mo Zhuan recorded that Jia gave explicit orders to Cheng Ji and his brother to kill the emperor.[15] However, most other records' accounts, such as Xi Zuochi's Han Jin Chun Qiu and Gan Bao's Jin Ji (both cited by Pei Songzhi in his annotations to Cao Mao's biography in Sanguozhi), and Sima Zhao's and Jia Chong's biographies in Book of Jin, was that Jia's orders were ambiguous.
  9. ^ Xi Zuochi's Hanjin Chunqiu recorded that Cao Mao's funeral procession consisted of only a few chariots and did not carry the customary banners used in funerals. Pei Songzhi was skeptical of this account; he felt that Xi was deliberately downplaying the scale of Cao Mao's funeral due to his bias.[18]
  10. ^ Cao Mao's biography in Sanguozhi, and the Zizhi Tongjian both recorded that Sima Zhao gave orders to execute Cheng Ji, his brother and their immediate families on 21 Jun 260.[19][20] However, Sima Zhao's biography in Book of Jin recorded the punishment as "executing (Cheng's) three clans.[21] Xun Xu's biography in the same work also recorded that only Cheng Cui was executed (and thus implied that his family was spared).[22]
  11. ^ Sun Sheng's Wei Shi Chunqiu recorded that Cheng Ji and his brother refused to surrender themselves for punishment. Instead, they bared their chests and climbed to the rooftop of their homes, while uttering curses and slanders. They were then killed by arrows shot at them.[23]
  12. ^ Due to Cao Mao's death in public, Sima Zhao's standing was weakened, and was partially restored after the successful campaign against Shu in late 263.

References

  1. ^ ([甘露五年]五月己丑，高貴鄉公卒， ...) Sanguozhi vol. 4.
  2. ^ (帝遂帅僮仆数百...) Han Jin Chun Qiu annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.04
  3. ^ ([甘露三年]夏五月，命大將軍司馬文王為相國，封晉公，食邑八郡，加之九錫，文王前後九讓乃止。) Sanguozhi, vol.04. The month corresponds to 18 Jun to 17 Jul 258 in the Julian calendar.
  4. ^ ([甘露]四年春正月，黃龍二，見寧陵縣界井中。)Sanguozhi, vol.04. The month corresponds to 10 Feb to 10 March 259 in the Julian calendar.
  5. ^ (〈《漢晉春秋》曰：是時龍仍見，咸以為吉祥。帝曰：「龍者，君德也。上不在天，下不在田，而數屈於井，非嘉兆也。」仍作潛龍之詩以自諷，司馬文王見而惡之。) Han Jin Chun Qiu annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.04
  6. ^ ([甘露]五年....夏四月，詔有司率遵前命，復進大將軍司馬文王位為相國，封晉公，加九錫。) Sanguozhi, vol.04
  7. ^ (景元元年夏四月，天子復命帝爵秩如前，又讓不受。) Jin Shu, vol.02. Jingyuan was the first era name of Cao Huan's reign.
  8. ^ (帝见威权日去，不胜其忿。[景元元年]五月，己丑，召侍中王沈、尚书王经、散骑常侍王业，谓曰：“司马昭之心，路人所知也。吾不能坐受废辱，今日当与卿自出讨之。”) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.77
  9. ^ (《世语》曰：王沈、王业驰告文王，尚书王经以正直不出，因沈、业申意。) Shiyu annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.04
  10. ^ (《晋诸公赞》曰：沈、业将出，呼王经。经不从，曰：“吾子行矣！) Jin Zhugong Zan annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.04
  11. ^ (帝礼遇王沈，呼为文籍先生，而临变乃尔，吁！) Hu Sanxing's annotation in Zizhi Tongjian, vol.77
  12. ^ (文王弟屯骑校尉伷入，遇帝于东止车门，左右呵之，伷众奔走。) Hanjin Chunqiu annotation in Sanguozhi vol.04
  13. ^ (高貴鄉公之難，以掾守閶闔掖門，司馬文王弟安陽亭侯幹欲入。 ... 長武謂幹曰：「此門近，公且來，無有入者，可從東掖門。」幹遂從之。文王問幹入何遲，幹言其故。) Shiyu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 26.
  14. ^ (高貴鄉公欲為變時，大將軍掾孫佑等守閶闔門。帝弟安陽侯幹聞難欲入，佑謂幹曰：「未有入者，可從東掖門。」及幹至，帝遲之，幹以狀白，帝欲族誅佑。勖諫曰：「孫佑不納安陽，誠宜深責。然事有逆順，用刑不可以喜怒為輕重。今成倅刑止其身，佑乃族誅，恐義士私議。」乃免佑為庶人。) Jin Shu vol. 39.
  15. ^ (魏末传曰：贾充呼帐下督成济谓曰：“司马家事若败，汝等岂复有种乎？何不出击！”倅兄弟二人乃帅帐下人出，顾曰：“当杀邪？执邪？”充曰：“杀之。”兵交，帝曰：“放仗！”大将军士皆放仗。济兄弟因前刺帝，帝倒车下。) Wei Mo Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.04
  16. ^ (昔汉昌邑王以罪废为庶人，此儿亦宜以民礼葬之，当令内外咸知此儿所行。) Sanguozhi, vol.04
  17. ^ ([甘露五年五月]庚寅，太傅孚、大将军文王、太尉柔、司徒冲稽首言：“伏见中令，故高贵乡公悖逆不道，自陷大祸，依汉昌邑王罪废故事，以民礼葬。臣等备位，不能匡救祸乱，式遏奸逆，奉令震悚，肝心悼栗。春秋之义，王者无外，而书‘襄王出居于郑’，不能事母，故绝之于位也。今高贵乡公肆行不轨，几危社稷，自取倾覆，人神所绝，葬以民礼，诚当旧典。然臣等伏惟殿下仁慈过隆，虽存大义，犹垂哀矜，臣等之心实有不忍，以为可加恩以王礼葬之。”太后从之。) Sanguozhi, vol.04
  18. ^ (〈《汉晋春秋》曰：丁卯，葬高贵乡公于洛阳西北三十里瀍涧之滨。下车数乘，不设旌旐，百姓相聚而观之，曰：“是前日所杀天子也。”或掩面而泣，悲不自胜。臣松之以为若但下车数乘，不设旌旐，何以为王礼葬乎？斯盖恶之过言，所谓不如是之甚者。) Hanjin Chunqiu annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.04, with Pei Songzhi's commentary.
  19. ^ ([甘露五年五月]戊申，大将军文王上言：....骑督成倅弟太子舍人济，横入兵阵伤公，遂至陨命；....父母妻子同产皆斩。) Sanguozhi, vol.04. The Sanguozhi identified Cheng Ji as the younger brother of Cheng Cui (成倅), and the execution targets were specified to be their parents, wives, children and full siblings.
  20. ^ ([景元元年五月]戊申，昭上言：“成济兄弟大逆不道，夷其族。”) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.77
  21. ^ (夷济三族。) Jin Shu, vol.02
  22. ^ (今成倅刑止其身，...) Jin Shu, vol.39
  23. ^ (〈《魏氏春秋》曰：成济兄弟不即伏罪，袒而升屋，丑言悖慢；自下射之，乃殪。〉) Wei Shi Chun Qiu annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.04
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