Chapter 33 Chapter 32 Ming Emperor Cao Rui

Cao Rui (205-209 AD), the son of Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei, and the second emperor of Cao Wei.In the seventh year of Huangchu (226 A.D.), Cao Pi succeeded to the throne after his death. In the first month of the first year of Han Yankang (AD 220), Cao Cao died, and Cao Pi succeeded to the throne as King Wei.At this time, Emperor Ming was 15 years old, handsome and unrestrained, and was quite loved by his father Cao Pi.Due to the relatively superior conditions in the palace, the young Emperor Ming was smart and studious, capable of both literature and martial arts, especially in horseback riding and archery.One day in the early spring of this year, although the weather in Luoyang, the capital, was still a bit chilly, it was the season of recovery of all things. Looking at the bright spring outside, Cao Pi couldn't sit still anymore. He ordered his servants to get ready to go hunting , and then took his son Cao Rui straight to the mountains.Not long after, I saw two deer, a mother and a child, rushing out of the mountain dock. Cao Pi, who was walking in front, shot the mother deer to death with an arrow. When he turned around and saw the deer running in front of Emperor Ming's horse, Cao Pi shouted: "Shoot it to death!" Cao Rui But he was sobbing immediately, and said softly: "Your Majesty has shot the mother deer, how can I have the heart to kill the deer again?" After hearing this, Cao Pi was shocked, threw down the bow and arrow in his hand, and said emotionally: "My son is really benevolent!" Lord of Virtue!" So he stopped hunting and returned to the palace.Cao Pi was greatly moved by Cao Rui's actions during the hunt. He thought that such a young child has such a kind heart. When he grows up, he will be able to treat others generously and rule the country well.So Cao Rui was made the king of Pingyuan, and he planned to make him the prince.

Cao Rui's biological mother, Zhen, was originally the wife of Yuan Shao's second son, Yuan Xi. When Cao Pi followed Cao Cao to attack Yecheng (now north of Anyang, Henan), he saw Zhen's beauty, so she married her and gave birth to Emperor Ming.Cao Rui was smart since he was a child, and was loved by Cao Pi.However, shortly thereafter, Cao Pi accepted the daughter of Guo Yong, a native of Anping, as his noble concubine. Guo Guifei was smart and won Cao Pi's love and affection, and the Zhen family gradually fell out of favor.In particular, when Cao Pi succeeded to the throne as Queen of Wei, Concubine Guo Gui wanted to seek the throne, and excluded the Zhen family, and even explained that the emperor was not Cao Pi's son, but the Zhen family and Yuan Xisheng. Cao Pi believed it, and often reprimanded the Zhen family, making Zhen Her life was extremely sad, and she was finally framed by Concubine Guo Guifei and strangled to death by Cao Pi's order, and Guo Shi was established as the queen.Although Cao Rui was still young at this time, he had already begun to pay attention to the affairs of the palace. He felt that with his mother falling out of favor, some people's attitudes towards him had also changed.Thanks to this hunt with Cao Pi, his status in the palace has improved, but Cao Pi has been hesitating, so he has not established a prince for a long time.Fortunately, Empress Guo never gave birth to a child, so he was finally able to stand.

In order to avoid causing trouble, Cao Rui kept studying hard and pretended not to hear anything outside the window, so he survived safely.In the summer of the seventh year of Huangchu (AD 226), Cao Pi suffered from typhoid fever. Although he was treated in many ways, it still didn't work. He knew that he would die soon, so he had to start thinking about heirs.Five or six years ago, the hunting with Cao Rui was unforgettable for him for a long time.Thinking that there is such a benevolent lord ruling the country, he is relieved.So he made up his mind to make him the prince, and asked Cao Zhen, the general of the Chinese army, Chen Qun, the general of the town army, and Sima Yi, the general of the Fu army, to assist him.Soon, Cao Pi died, and Cao Rui succeeded to the throne as Emperor Ming, changing Yuan Taihe.

After Emperor Ming came to power, he made a sober estimate of the situation in the court at that time. He thought that before he succeeded to the throne, he did not care about politics, did not know the situation of civil and military officials, and had no one to trust. It was very difficult to ensure the stability of the ruling order.After getting a preliminary understanding of the officials of the court, Emperor Ming decided: the first step is to give preferential treatment to the ministers of the previous court. Only when he wins their support can his rule go smoothly.After he has mastered the power of the central government and his ruling position has been consolidated, he will proceed to the second step, which is to investigate officials, appoint capable ones, and dismiss vanity, because he knows that only with the help of talented officials can his rule last.

Soon he assigned those powerful officials to various places, with Cao Xiu guarding Huainan, Cao Zhen guarding Guanzhong, and Sima Yi guarding Nanyang, allowing them to be alone.In doing so, it not only gave them a certain amount of power and made them happy, but also dispersed the power to various places, which was beneficial to his ruling in the central government.Through these methods, Emperor Ming firmly grasped the power of the central government in his own hands.After that, he began to rectify the official system, appointing people with practical spirit to be officials, and dismissing hypocritical and flashy officials.

In September of the second year of Taihe (AD 228), Cao Xiu, who guarded Huainan, died.Emperor Ming appointed General Man Chong to replace Cao Xiu and guard Huainan.Soon, Wang Ling, the governor of Yangzhou, wrote a letter accusing Man Chong, saying that he was old and liked to drink, so he was not suitable to be a senior official.Emperor Ming decided to conduct an inspection in person. He recalled Man Chong to Luoyang and found that he was in good health and full of energy, so he comforted him and let him continue to serve. Soochow's offensive ensured the security of the frontier. When Zhuge Liang continued his northern expeditions and when there was a crisis in the northwest, Emperor Ming used Sima Yi to fight against Shu, and then ordered him to conquer Liaodong, eliminating hidden dangers and rebellions on the eastern frontier.In addition to reusing talented bureaucrats, Emperor Ming also paid attention to inspecting officials and using laws to supervise them.In the winter of the third year of Taihe (AD 229), Emperor Ming ordered Sikong Chen Qun and others to revise the laws and regulations of the Han Dynasty, and formulated more than 180 "New Laws", requiring officials to abide by them carefully and not violate them.

Emperor Ming also often issued edicts, requiring officials to be pragmatic and willing to work.Officials who are found to be exaggerated and hypocritical will be dismissed.In the sixth year of Taihe (232 A.D.), Emperor Ming expelled Liu Ye, a servant who did not tell the truth and only blindly catered to himself, from the central government.Liu Ye was originally very close and respected by Emperor Ming, and he often discussed issues and made decisions with him.Emperor Ming planned to attack Shu, but government officials unanimously opposed it.When Liu Yejin met Emperor Ming, he agreed.However, when discussing with civil and military officials after leaving the palace, they agreed with everyone's position and expressed their opposition.An official reported to Emperor Ming: "Liu Ye is not really loyal. He just observes your majesty's intentions and caters to the situation. If your majesty doesn't believe it, you can try it. Tell Liu Hua what you oppose as something you agree with, and ask him If he disagrees, it means that his views are indeed consistent with your majesty's, and if he agrees with everything, it will be revealed." Emperor Ming used this method to verify, and he found out that Liu Ye was dishonest, and he distanced himself from him.Soon, Liu Ye was expelled.

It is precisely because Emperor Ming reused unpretentious officials that the internal situation in Cao Wei was relatively stable, and agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce all developed.There are a lot of reclaimed fields in Luoyang area, and the number of reclaimed fields in the surrounding counties has also increased greatly.There is already a surplus of grain in the Guanzhong area.Iron smelting and tool manufacturing also developed.Commodity exchange has taken a new turn.After discussion among the officials, the five baht coin that was abolished during Emperor Wen's reign was reissued, which changed the previous situation of basically bartering.The stability of the domestic situation and the recovery and development of production provided a guarantee for the victory of foreign wars.

In the spring of the first year of Taihe (227 A.D.), Zhuge Liang decided to take advantage of Cao Pi's death and Emperor Ming's succession to the throne to send troops to the Northern Expedition.Before leaving, he gave Liu Chan a "List of Teachers", showing his ambition to unify the Central Plains.Then lead troops to station in Hanzhong (now Nanzheng, Shaanxi), waiting for an opportunity to attack.When Emperor Ming learned that Zhuge Liang had arrived in Hanzhong, he planned to preemptively attack Shu, so he asked Sun Zi, the regular servant of Sanqi, what countermeasures he should take. 150,000 to 60,000 people must be recruited to participate in the war; in addition, I am afraid that more troops will be recruited. As a result, the world will be in chaos, and the cost will increase accordingly. Your Majesty must think carefully. It is better to use the current troops and order the generals Guarding the dangerous points separately is enough to scare the powerful enemy and make the battlefield safe. In just a few years, we will become stronger and stronger, and the Eastern Wu and Shuhan will be exhausted and decline." After hearing this, Emperor Ming felt that it made sense, so he stopped taking action , just adopt a defensive strategy.

At this time, Meng Da, the Shu general who surrendered to Cao Wei, got in touch with Zhuge Liang and prepared to rebel. Emperor Ming appointed Sima Yi as the governor of Pingxi, and ordered him to use various troops from Nanyang to fight the rebellion.After Sima Yi received the edict, he immediately set out to kill Meng Da in Shangyong (now southwest of Zhushan, Hubei). In the spring of the second year of Taihe (228 A.D.), Zhuge Liang led his troops to the north and made a strategy of taking Longyou first and then Guanzhong.Xia Houmao, the guard general of Cao Wei, went to Guanzhong to meet the enemy. Because he was impatient and stingy and had no combat experience, he lost to the Shu army. The three counties of Longxi) and Anding (now Zhenyuan, Gansu) were quickly occupied by the Shu army, and Guanzhong was shaken.Emperor Ming summoned the ministers of civil and military affairs to discuss strategies, and then ordered the right general Zhang Yun to lead 50,000 people and the general Cao Zhen to block the Shu Kingdom.I personally drove to Chang'an to boost morale.

The right general Zhang He led his army to Jieting (now northeast of Qin'an, Gansu Province), and met Ma Di, the forward of the Shu army.Zhang He cut off the water reinforcements of the Shu army, and then the warlords attacked on a large scale. The Shu army was defeated, Ma Di fled, and Jieting fell.The defeat of Jieting caused Zhuge Liang to lose his offensive stronghold and favorable situation, so he had to lead his troops back to Hanzhong.On April 8, Emperor Ming returned to the capital Luoyang from Chang'an. Then, Zhuge Liang launched two more Northern Expeditions, but there was no major progress.In the spring of the fifth year of Taihe (AD 231), Zhuge Liang carried out the fourth Northern Expedition.At this time Cao Zhen was dead.Emperor Ming sent Sima Yi, who used soldiers like gods, to lead the army to fight against Zhuge Liang.Sima Yi took the method of holding on to the danger and refusing to fight, holding back the Shu army until Zhuge Liang died of illness in Wuzhangyuan, and the Shu army withdrew, and the war between Shu and Wei came to an end.Because Sima Yi made great achievements in blocking the Shu army.In the third year of Qinglong (235 A.D.), he was promoted to Taiwei, and has since mastered the military power of Cao Wei. In response to Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, Soochow also sent troops to attack Cao Wei's southern area several times.Emperor Ming took corresponding measures according to different situations. In August of the seventh year of Huangchu (226 A.D.), after Sun Quan heard the news of Cao Pi's death, he personally marched and attacked Cao Wei's Jiangxia County (now north of Anlu, Hubei), and Wei Jiang Wenpin occupied the city.After the news reached Luoyang, some officials of the Cao Wei government asked to send troops to rescue, but Emperor Ming said: "Sun Quan's advantage is to fight on the water, but now he has left the water and attacked the city wall on land, just hoping that the defenders will not be prepared. Now, Wenpin defended the city, indicating that Sun Quan's assault was unsuccessful. So Sun Quan will not stay for long." A few days later, the news of Sun Quan's retreat came, and the civil and military officials were very impressed by the new emperor's judgment. In the second year of Jingchu (AD 238), Gongsun Yuan, the prefect of Liaodong, rebelled. Emperor Ming immediately recalled Sima Yi to Luoyang and ordered him to lead an army of 40,000 to crusade against Gongsun Yuan. After Sima Yi arrived in Liaodong, he avoided Gongsun Yuan's blocking, went straight to Xiangping, his old nest, and surrounded Xiangping City.At this time, it was raining heavily for several days, and the water depth on the flat ground was three feet deep. Wei Jun was very panicked.After the news reached the imperial court, some officials asked Sima Yi to return to his teacher. Emperor Ming said: "Sima Yi will naturally find ways to overcome difficulties when he encounters difficulties. The arrest of Gongsun Yuan is just around the corner. Why do you worry?" Soon, the rain stopped and the water receded, Wei Jun surrounded Xiangping City, attacked day and night, finally killed Gongsun Yuan, and occupied Xiangping City.The situation in Liaodong area has stabilized again. After succeeding to the throne, Emperor Ming has made some achievements in governing the country and the world, but he also has obvious shortcomings as an emperor, which is the pursuit of pleasure, especially a kind of mania for building palaces.As soon as he ascended the throne, he built a cemetery for his mother Zhen's family in Yecheng (now Linzhang, Hebei).Later, he ordered the construction of other palaces, and ordered Situ Wang Lang to inspect the progress of the project many times. Seeing that the people were living in poverty and wasting money, Wang Lang wrote to dissuade him, saying: "If you have lofty ambitions, you must omit immediate enjoyment; When you are abroad, you must pay attention to domestic frugality. Today, the front of Jianshi Hall is enough to accommodate civil and military officials during the court meeting; the back of Chonghua Hall is enough to accommodate court concubines; Banquet. Now we should concentrate on persuading farming, focus on the watch industry, and strengthen police training, so that the people will be rich, the army will be strong, and the enemy will naturally submit." Emperor Ming didn't take it seriously, not only stopped the original project, but also ordered Luoyang built a royal temple. In July of the sixth year of Taihe (AD 232), Emperor Ming renovated Xuchang Palace and built Jingfu Hall and Chengguang Hall.Later, Luoyang Palace was built in Luoyang, Zhaoyang Hall, Taiji Hall, and Zongzhang Temple were built.He also ordered Ma Jun to supervise the construction of Chonghua Hall, Qingxiao Pavilion, Phoenix Tower and Jiulongchi.Many civilians were conscripted to serve in Luoyang, leaving the land uncultivated and barren.Sikong and Chen Qun wrote to dissuade them, but Emperor Ming said: "The career of the emperor and the palace of the emperor should go hand in hand. After the enemy is eliminated, the project will be completed, and the world will be truly peaceful." Therefore, the construction of the palace continued.The common people worked hard and complained a lot.Yang Fu of the Shaofu wrote a letter saying: "Your Majesty only cares about his own happiness and comfort, and only cares about his own palace and towers, which will inevitably lead to disasters such as the overthrow of the court and the destruction of the country." fierce.Although Emperor Ming could not completely obey these honest remarks, he was tolerant and tolerant.He once issued an edict and said: "What I am most concerned about is whether the palace can be completed on time. The officials who supervise this matter must do their best." Sometimes, because the palace project was not completed within the time limit, Emperor Ming personally summoned the officials who supervised the palace project. After questioning, the officials were hacked to death by the guards before they could finish explaining the reasons.It can be seen that Emperor Ming regarded the construction of the palace as the most important event. For the convenience of traveling, he ordered Ma Jun to build a guide car. He traveled freely in the car, and when he met a beautiful woman he liked, he called to get in the car and took him back to the palace. As a result, there were thousands of beauties in the palace.The cost of the harem is almost equal to that of the military.Emperor Ming was obsessed with beauties.Six literate beauties were selected as female ministers, and they were authorized to handle the memorials submitted by government officials. If they thought it was feasible, they would replace the emperor's approval.After he doted on Mrs. Guo, they had fun together all day long.Empress Mao had a complaint and was given death by him immediately. Because of his promiscuity, even in his prime, he has not yet had a child.Tingwei Gao Rou wrote: "I am afraid that this has something to do with the number of concubines and concubines in the palace. I foolishly think that only a few dignified and virtuous beauties need to be selected to stay in the palace, and the rest should be sent home. This will allow His Majesty to rest Rest in peace, with a pure mind and few desires. Only in this way can you have many children and grandchildren." Emperor Ming replied, "You have analyzed it very clearly, and I hope you can speak on other matters!" However, he did not follow Gao Rou's advice.In order to make someone take over the throne.In the third year of Qinglong, he adopted two sons from the clan, one named Fang, who was established as the king of Qi, and the other named Xun, who was established as the king of Qin. Due to Emperor Ming's licentiousness, although he was only in his 30s, he was already skinny and sick.One night in December of the second year of Jingchu (AD 238), Emperor Ming, who was seriously ill, felt a burst of fear when he heard the bitter north wind outside his house.Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew out the palace lantern. Since then, his condition has worsened and he has been bedridden.At this time, Emperor Ming thought that Cao Fang and Cao Xun were still young and unable to manage politics, and was very worried about what happened behind them.He thinks that only by relying on reliable people to assist the government can he leave with peace of mind.After a night of consideration, Emperor Ming decided to order Cao Shuang and Sima Yi to assist the government together. Emperor Ming ordered his servants to take the warrant and go to recruit Sima Yi.At this time, Sima Yi was on his way to Guanzhong.Yan Wang Cao Yu believed that the defense of Guanzhong was extremely important, and ordered Sima Yi to pacify Liaodong before returning to Chang'an.Sima Yi received two different orders one after another. He suspected that a coup d'état had taken place in the capital, so he rushed back to Luoyang on the road, day and night. When he entered the palace to meet, Emperor Ming was already dying.He held Sima Yi's hand and said, "I will not die by force. I just wait for you. I will entrust you with the funeral affairs, and you and Cao Shuang will assist the children. If we can meet each other, we will die without hatred." Then, Cao Fang, Cao Xun Calling to the bed, he dragged Cao Fang and said to Sima Yi, "It's him, you have to see clearly, don't make any mistakes." Sima Yi stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, didn't the late Emperor (Cao Pi) also entrust His Majesty to me?" After hearing this, Emperor Ming said with confidence: "It's enough if you are willing to help him." So he asked Cao Fang to go up and hug Sima Yi's neck tightly.This touching scene of Tuogu made all the officials present shed tears.On the same day, Emperor Ming passed away. Emperor Ming reigned for 13 years and was 35 years old.After his death, he was posthumously named Emperor Lie Zuming and buried in Gaoping Mausoleum.