第64章 奋斗改变人生（14）

　　“The ruler of Wei， Cao Rui， was at court session when a personal attendant brought the news：‘FirstField Marshal Cao Zhen has suffered successive defeats in the Riverlands. His vanguards are lost， andthe Qiang have taken heavy losses， too. In dire straits， he petitions for aid and requests Your Majesty’sdecision.’In alarm， Cao Rui demanded a plan for driving back the Riverlands force. Imperial GuardianZhong Yao also addressed the sovereign，‘I will guarantee with the lives of my family members andhousehold servants the one man who can force back the Riverlands army. I wonder if Your Majesty in hissagely wisdom might approve my recommendation.’Cao Rui answered，‘If you know a man capableof repelling the foe， summon him at once so that he may share our burden.’Zhong Yao said to CaoRui：‘This is the man Zhuge Liang feared most when he planned to march across our borders， the manwhose loyalty Zhuge Liang induced Your Majesty to suspect by spreading rumors about his motives. YourMajesty removed him， and Zhuge Liang advanced in force. Summon this man back， and Zhuge Liang willretreat on his own.’Cao Rui asked the man’s name. Zhong Yao replied，‘Regent-Marshal and Generalof the Flying Cavalry Sima Yi.’ Cao Rui sighed.‘The incident was regrettable，’he said.‘Where is SimaYi now？’‘Idle in Wancheng， according to the latest report，’was the reply. Cao Rui issued an edictconferring general military authority on Sima Yi， restoring his former office， and adding the title of FieldMarshal Who Conquers the West， in which capacity he was immediately to march all troops in Nanyang toChang’an... The imperial envoy arrived. In accordance with the new edict， Sima Yi assigned several fieldarmies to Wancheng in the west. Suddenly he had report that a kinsman of Shen Yi， governor of Jincheng，was seeking audience on a secret matter. Sima Yi received the envoy in his chambers and learned from himthe details of Meng Da’s intended defection back to Shu... Sima Yi ordered the army to march double timeand to execute laggards. At the same time， to forestall Meng Da’s suspicions， Sima Yi dispatched MilitaryAdviser Liang Ji to Xincheng with orders for Meng Da to prepare to join the expedition. Liang Ji set out first；Sima Yi followed with the army... Sima Yi marched to Chang’an， pitched camp before its walls， and enteredthe city. On receiving him， the ruler of Wei said，‘For a time I was fooled by the enemy’s plot to turn meagainst you. But regrets are pointless now. Meng Da’s revolt could have cost us both capitals had you notbrought him under control.’Sima Yi said to the ruler，‘It was Shen Yi who secretly revealed Meng Da’splot. I had intended to petition Your Majesty before acting， but rather than lose time waiting for your sagelyinstruction， I decided to set out at once to deal with the traitor. Otherwise， I would have fallen into ZhugeLiang’s trap.’So saying， he handed up to Cao Rui Kongming’s secret letter of reply to Meng Da. Cao Ruiread it and said，‘You surpass the great strategists of ancient times， Sunzi and Wu Qi.’He bestowed onSima Yi a pair of gold-knobbed maces authorizing him to act on his own judgment in future curses withoutrecourse to imperial petition. He then ordered Sima Yi to march west through the passes to defeat the army ofShu.”(Chapter 94) Zhuge Liang， prime minister of Shu-Han， is Sima Yi’s rival. Zhuge Liang and Sima Yihave been fighting each other with commanders， with troops， with orders of battle. They have been fightingbattles of wits and forces. They are really like that—diamond cuts diamond.

　　诸葛亮被称为“大智若仙”，而司马懿被称为“大智若怯”。在战场上，诸葛亮赢的次数比司马懿多，但赢到最后的是司马懿。怎么可能？！咱们去看看文本吧！“孔明自引一军屯于五丈原，累令人搦战，魏兵只不出。孔明乃取巾帼并妇人缟素之服，盛于大盒之内，修书一封，遣人送至魏寨……司马懿看毕，心中大怒，——乃佯笑曰：‘孔明视我为妇人耶！’即受之，令重待来使。懿问曰：‘孔明寝食及事之烦简若何？’使者曰；‘丞相夙兴夜寐，罚二十以上皆亲览焉。所啖之食，日不过数升。’懿顾谓诸将曰：‘孔明食少事烦，其能久乎？’……却说魏将皆知孔明以巾帼女衣辱司马懿，懿受之不战。众将不忿，入帐告曰：‘我等皆大国名将，安忍受蜀人如此之辱！即请出战，以决雌雄。’懿曰：‘吾非不敢出战，而甘心受辱也。奈天子明诏，令坚守勿动。今若轻出，有违君命矣。’众将俱忿怒不平。懿曰：‘汝等既要出战，待我准奏天子，同力赴敌，何如？’众皆允诺。懿乃写表遣使，直至合淝军前，奏闻魏主曹睿……司马懿接诏入账，辛毗宣谕曰：‘如再有敢言出战者，即以违旨论。’众将只得奉诏。懿暗谓辛毗曰：‘公真知我心也！’于是令军中传说：

　　魏主命辛毗持节，传谕司马懿勿得出战。蜀将闻知此事，报与孔明。孔明笑曰：‘此乃司马懿安三军之法也。’姜维曰：‘丞相何以知之？’孔明曰：‘彼本无战心；所以请战者，以示武于众耳。岂不闻——将在外，君命有所不受。安有千里而请战者乎？此乃司马懿因将士忿怒，故借曹睿之意，以制众人。今又播传此言，欲懈我军心也。’正论间……孔明叹曰：

　　‘吾心昏乱，旧病复发，恐不能生矣！’……次日，扶病理事，吐血不止”。（第一○三回）“孔明不答。众将近前视之，已薨矣。时建兴十二年”（234年），享年五十四岁。（第一○四回）尽管司马懿比诸葛亮大两岁，但他仍很健壮。

　　Zhuge Liang is called“the wisest man who is often celestial-looking”while Sima Yi is called“thewisest man whose wisdom often seems timid”. On the battlefield， Zhuge Liang has won more times than SimaYi. But it is Sima Yi who has the last laugh. How can that be？！ Let’s read the text.“After stationing himselfat Wuzhongyuan， Kongming sent soldiers to challenge the northerners， but none responded. Kongming thenplaced a maiden’s headdress and a mourning garment of white silk in a large box and sent it to the Wei campwith a letter enclosed... Rage welled up inside Sima Yi as he finished the letter. But feigning a smile， hesaid，‘So he takes me for a woman！’He took the gift and rewarded the bearer well； then he said，‘Tell mesomething about Kongming； how he eats and sleeps， how taxing his duties are.’The bearer answered，‘Theprime minister rises early and works late. He personally sees to any infraction punishable by more thantwenty strokes. He eats no more than a few pints of grain each day.’Sima Yi turned to his commanders andsaid，‘Eating too little and working too hard. How long can he last？’...It was soon widely known amongthe Wei commanders that Kongming had sent mourning garb and a woman’s headdress to humiliate Sima Yiand that after receiving them Sima Yi still refused to fight. The outraged commanders protested before SimaYi：‘How can the renowned commanders of a great kingdom bear this insult？ We request permission to takeon the enemy and show them who the rooster is， who the hen.’But Sima Yi responded，‘Don’t think I amafraid to take the field or content to bear this insult： the edict to defend our position and not give battle ties myhands. A rash move would violate the Emperor’s order.’Sima Yi’s commanders were not satisfied with thisanswer， so he added，‘If you wish me to attack， give me time to petition for the Emperor’s supproval to takethe battle to the enemy. Agreed？’The commanders agreed， and Sima Yi subsequently memorialized CaoRui， who was at army headquarters in Hefei... Sima Yi received the edict and entered the main tent with XinPi， who declared on behalf of the sovereign.‘The next man to argue for taking the field shall be considered inviolation of the imperial dictate.’The commanders had no choice but to accept the edict. Privately， Sima Yisaid to Xin Pi，‘You know my mind well.’Then he informed the army that Xin Pi had come to communicatethe ruler’s injunction against combat. The Riverlands commanders learned of the new edict and reported toKongming， who remarked with a simile，‘It’s only Sima Yi’s way of keeping his army quiet.’Jiang Weisaid，‘How does Your Excellency know？’‘He never meant to fight in the first place，’he replied，‘Hesought permission to fight only to show his men his militant spirit. Have you forgotten？ —No general in thefield is bound to obey an edict. Who ever heard of a general requesting permission to fight from a thouand liaway！ Sima Yi has to use Cao Rui to control his army， because the commanders and officers are seething. Andthey publicize it to weaken our resolve.’During this conference...‘My mind is confused，’Kongming said，sighing again.‘That old trouble again. The end may be near.’... The next day he forced himself to conductbusiness， but he spat blood all day. (Chapter 103)”“Kongming gave no answer. The commanders pressedcloser to the bed to study him， but he had died in the twelfth year of Jian Xing”(A.D.234) at the age of fifty-four (Chapter 104). Though Sima Yi is two years older than Zhuge Liang， he is still healthy and strong.

　　司马懿看似“怯”，其实是他的韬略。他的“怯”含有韬晦之计。又如，“睿病渐危，急令使持节诏司马懿还朝……睿宣太子曹芳，大将军曹爽，侍中刘放、孙资等，皆至御榻之前。睿执司马懿之手曰：‘朕幼子曹芳，年才八岁，不堪掌理社稷。幸太尉及宗兄元勋旧臣，竭力相辅，无负朕心！’又唤芳曰：‘仲达与朕一体，尔宜敬礼之。’遂命懿携芳近前。芳抱懿颈不放。睿曰：‘太尉勿忘幼子今日相恋之情！’言讫，潸然泪下。懿顿首流涕。魏主昏沉，口不能言，只以手指太子，须臾而卒；在位十三年，寿三十六岁，时魏景初三年（239年）春正月下旬也。当下司马懿、曹爽，扶太子曹芳即皇位……司马懿与曹爽辅政……爽入奏魏主曹芳曰：‘司马懿功高德重，可加为太傅。’芳从之，自是兵权皆归于爽……曹爽一向专权，不知仲达虚实，适魏主除李胜为荆州刺史，即令李胜往辞仲达，就探消息。胜径到太傅府中，早有门吏报入。司马懿谓二子曰：‘此乃曹爽使来探吾病之虚实也。’乃去冠散发，上床拥被而坐，又令二婢扶策，方请李胜入府。胜至床前拜曰：‘一向不见太傅，谁想如此病重。今天子命某为荆州刺史，特来拜辞。’懿佯答曰：‘并州近朔方，好为之备。’胜曰：‘太傅如何病得这等了？’左右曰：‘太傅耳聋。’侍婢进汤，懿将口就之，汤流满襟，乃作哽噎之声曰：‘吾今衰老病笃，死在旦夕矣。二子不肖，望君教之。君若见大将军，千万看觑二子！’言讫，倒在床上，声嘶气喘。李胜拜辞仲达，回见曹爽，细言其事。爽大喜曰：‘此老若死，吾无忧矣！’”（第一○六回）”。“却说司马懿闻曹爽同弟曹羲、曹训、曹彦并心腹何晏、邓罥、丁谧、毕轨、李胜等及御林军，随魏主曹芳，出城谒明帝墓，就去畋猎。”司马懿大喜，立即发动政变，“引旧官入后宫奏郭太后，言爽背先帝托孤之恩，奸邪乱国，其罪当废……懿急令太尉蒋济、尚书令司马孚，一同写表，遣黄门赍出城外，径至帝前申奏。……表略曰：‘太尉臣济、尚书令臣孚等，皆以爽为有无君之心，兄弟不宜典兵宿卫，奏永宁宫；皇太后令，敕臣如奏施行。臣辄敕主者及黄门令，罢爽、羲、训吏兵，以侯就第，不得逗留，以稽车驾；敢有稽留，便以军法从事。臣辄力疾将兵，屯于洛水浮桥，伺察非常’……魏主曹芳听毕，乃唤曹爽曰：‘太傅之言若此，卿如何裁处？’爽手足失措，回顾二弟曰：‘为之奈何？’羲曰：‘劣弟亦曾谏兄，兄执迷不听，致有今日。司马懿谲诈无比，孔明尚不能胜，况我兄弟乎？不如自缚见之，以免一死。’……原来司马懿先将黄门张当捉下狱中问罪。当曰：‘非我一人，更有何晏、邓罥、李胜、毕轨、丁谧等五人，同谋篡逆。’懿取了张当供词，去捉何晏等勘问明白：皆称三月间欲反。懿用长枷钉了。城门守将司蕃告称：‘桓范矫诏出城，口称太傅谋反。’懿曰：

　　‘诬人反情，抵罪反坐。’亦将桓范等皆下狱，然后押曹爽兄弟三人并一干人犯，皆斩于市曹，灭其三族；其家产财务，尽抄入库……却说魏主曹芳封司马懿为丞相，加九锡。懿固辞不肯受。芳不准，令父子三人同领国事。”（第一○七回）

　　Sima Yi seems“timid”. But in essence， it’s his strategy. His“timidity”implies his stratagem ofconcealing his true intentions. For another instance，“Cao Rui’s condition was grave. He authorized a specialenvoy to summon Sima Yi back to court... Cao Rui had the heir apparent， Cao Fang， the regent， Cao Shuang，and the privy counselors， Liu Fang and Sun zi， called to the foot of his bed. Taking Sima Yi’s hand， Cao Ruisaid，‘Eight years old， our son， Cao Fang， is too young to govern the dynasty. It will be our good fortune if thegrand commandant， the clan elder Cao Shuang， and the veteran vassals who won merit in the founding reignsupport the boy fully and so fulfill our heartfelt hopes.’Next， Cao Rui called Cao Fang to his side.‘SimaYi and I are as one， in sacred union， and you should show him the utmost respect，’he said， and he orderedSima Yi to take Cao Fang’s hand and approached the bed. Cao Fang embraced Sima Yi’s neck and wouldnot release him. Cao Rui said，‘Grand Commandant， you must never forget the love he bears you.’Hiseyes filled with tears. Sima Yi touched his head to the ground and wept freely. The sovereign began losingconsciousness and spoke no more. Feebly he pointed toward the prince， and then， having reigned thirteenyears， he died at the age of thirty-six in the third years of Jing Chu (A.D.239). It was the last third of thefirst month of spring. Directly， Sima Yi and Cao Shuang assisted the heir apparent， Cao Fang， to ascend theimperial throne... Sima Yi and Cao Shuang jointly guided the administration... After gaining the agreement ofhis officials， Cao Shuang entered the imperial presence and said to Cao Fang，‘Sima Yi has the merit and thevirtue to be advanced to the position of imperial guardian.’Cao Fang approved and thus all military authoritypassed into the hands of Cao Shuang... Cao Shuang had monopolized power for ten years， but he had noinformation about Sima Yi’s condition. It so happened that the ruler had just promoted Li Sheng to imperialinspector of Jingzhou， so Cao Shuang ordered him to take formal leave of Sima Yi and at the same time tofind out about him whatever he could. Li Sheng proceeded to the official residence of the imperial guardian，where a gate attendant reported his arrival. Sima Yi said to his two sons，‘Cao Shuang is trying to find out ifI am really sick or not.’He removed his cap， loosened his hair， and， wrapped in a bedcover， seated himselfon his bed； he had two serving maids prop him up. He then invited Li Sheng into his chambers. Li Shengprostrated himself before the bed and said，‘It has been too long since I have seen the imperial guardian；I never imagined your condition could be so serious. The Son of Heaven has commanded me to serve asimperial inspector of Jingzhou， and I have come to take formal leave.’Feigning misunderstanding， SimaYi said，‘Bingzhou is near the northern border. Take good care！’Li Sheng said，‘How could the imperialguardian have become so ill？’An attendant replied，‘The imperial guardian is hard of hearing.’Anda serving woman brought him a drink. Sima Yi tried to suck it into his mouth， but it spilled over his front.

　　Then， as if choking， he said，‘I am failing， and my symptoms worsen. Death awaits me. My sons are useless；I look to you to instruct them. If you see the regent， I beg you to have him see after them.’With those wordshe toppled over on the bed， his breathing labored. Li Sheng took leave and went back to inform Cao Shuangof his visit.‘If the old one dies， my worries are over，’Cao Shuang said with great satisfaction.”(Chapter106)“The ruler of Wei， Cao Fang， left the city to pay his respects at the grave of his father， Emperor Ming.

　　Afterward， he took his position at the head of the royal hunt. Accompanying the Emperor were Cao Shuang；Shuang’s three younger brothers， Cao Xi， Cao Xun， and Cao Yan； Shuang’s confidants He Yan， Deng Yang，Ding Mi， Bi Gui， Li Sheng， and others. The Royal Guard was attending. The details of the excursion wereknown to Sima Yi.”Delighted by the opportunity of an emptied court， Sima Yi staged a coup at once andconducted the officials of the former reign into the rear chambers and declared before Queen Mother Guo thatCao Shuang had committed a crime deserving impeachment； trusted with the orphan sovereign by the lateEmperor， he had betrayed that trust and had thus treacherously undermined the dynasty. Moving swiftly， SimaYi ordered the grand commandant， Jiang Ji， and the chief of the Secretariat， Sima Fu， to draft petitions， whichhe sent to the Inner Bureau for delivery to the Emperor outside the city. It reads：‘Grand Commandant JiangJi and Secretary Sima Fu are both convinced that Cao Shuang has no thought for his sovereign and that hisbrothers should not control the policing of the palace. The queen mother in Yongning Palace has sanctionedmy petition to her， thereby authorizing my actions. I have summarily ordered those in authority and the chiefof the Inner Bureau to divest Cao Shuang， Cao Xi and Cao Xun of their officials and officers and return themto the status of simple lords to prevent any coercion against Your Majesty. Resort to any such means willbe dealt with under military law. Despite my physical weakness， I have taken up military command andstationed forces at the floating bridge by the River Luo to watch for any irregularity.’... The ruler of Wei，Cao Fang， heard Sima Yi’s petition and said to Cao Shuang，‘The imperial guardian has made his statement.

　　How will you cope with them？’Dumbfounded， Cao Shuang turned to his two brothers and asked，‘Whatshall we do？’Cao Xi replied，‘I， your worthless younger brother， once reproached you on this matter. Youclung to your illusions， refusing to listen—until now！ No one is craftier than Sima Yi. Even Kongming couldnot get the better of him—how much less could we！ My advice is to humble yourself before him and avoidcertain death.’...Earlier Sima Yi had imprisoned Zhang Dang of the Inner Bureau to answer for his crimes.

　　During the questioning Zhang Dang said，‘I did not act alone. My co-conspirators in the usurpation wereHe Yan， Deng Yang， Li Sheng， Bi Gui， and Ding Mi， these five.’On this evidence， Sima Yi arrested HeYan and the others and subjected them to interrogation. They all confessed that a revolt was to have takenplace within three months. Sima Yi had long wooden cangues fitted around the necks of all five. Next Si Fan，one of the city gate commanders， came forward with an accusation，‘Huan Fan forged an edict and left thecity， accusing the imperial guardian of plotting a revolt.’Sima Yi said，‘Those who accuse falsely must bepunished for the crime alleged.’So saying， he threw Huan Fan into prison with the others. Finally， SimaYi had Cao Shuang and his brothers executed in the public market along with their co-conspirators. Theirclans were exterminated， and their wealth confiscated for the treasury... Meanwhile， the ruler of Wei， CaoFang， appointed Sima Yi as his prime minister， conferring upon him the Nine Dignitas. Sima Yi protestedstrenuously， but Cao Fang prevailed， requiring Sima Yi and his two sons to manage jointly the affairs ofstate.”(Chpter 107)

　　“至嘉平三年秋八月，司马懿染病，渐渐沉重，乃唤二子至榻前嘱曰：‘吾事魏历年，官授太傅，人臣之位极矣；人皆疑吾有异志，吾尝怀恐惧。吾死之后，汝二人善理国政，慎之！慎之！’言讫而亡。长子司马师，次子司马昭，二人申奏魏主曹芳。芳厚加祭葬，优锡赠谥；封师为大将军，总领尚书机密大事，昭为骠骑大将军。”（第一○八回）

　　“In autumn， the eighth month of the third year of Jia Ping (A.D. 251)， Sima Yi fell gravely ill. Hecalled his two sons to his bedside and instructed them： After years of service to the Wei， I was made imperialguardian， the highest civil office a vassal can hold. Many suspected my fidelity， to my great sadness. After mydeath， the two of you will have to manage the government well. Take care， great care！’So saying， he passedaway. His sons， Sima Shi and Sima Zhao， officially informed the Wei ruler， Cao Fang. Cao Fang provided fora grand funeral service and bestowed posthumous honors on the imperial guardian. He appointed Sima Shihis regent-marshal and authorized him to supervise the Secretariat’s most sensitive decisions； Sima Zhao wasmade superior general of the Flying Cavalry.”(Chapter 108)

　　司马懿有个相比而言较长的人生（179—251），享年七十二岁。他效劳过曹氏四代帝王——曹操、曹丕、曹睿、曹芳，立下了卓着的功勋，抵御了蜀—汉反魏的多次战役——孔明的六出祁山伐中原；粉碎了公孙渊对魏的军事进攻和孟达欲反的阴谋。“司马懿诈病赚曹爽”，“魏主政归司马氏”，从而，他为国家的统一打下了基础。

　　Sima Yi has， comparatively speaking， a long life (A.D.179-A.D.251)， having lived seventy-two years.

　　He has served the Cao’s four kings or emperors of four generations—Cao Cao， Cao Pi， Cao Rui and Cao Fang.

　　He has performed outstanding exploits—has resisted the Shu-Han campaigns against the Wei Dynasty—Kongming’s“Six offensives from the Mount Qi”； has shattered Gongsun Yuan’s military attack on thekingdom of Wei and has smashed the scheme of Meng Da’s intended defection back to Shu.“Feigningillness， Sima Yi deceives Cao Shuang”.“Wei’s rule is transferred to the house of Sima”. As a result， hehas laid the foundation for a united realm.

　　司马炎：其父司马昭。“朝中大臣因昭收川有功，遂尊之为王，表奏魏主曹奂。时奂名为天子，实不能主张，政皆由司马氏，不敢不从，遂封晋公司马昭为晋王，谥父司马懿为宣王，兄司马师为景王。昭妻乃王肃之女，生二子：长曰司马炎，人物魁伟，立发垂地，两手过膝，聪明英武，胆量过人……昭遂立长子司马炎为世子……昭心中暗喜；回到宫中，正欲饮食，忽中风不语。次日，病危，太尉王祥、司徒何曾、司马荀觊及诸大臣入宫问安，昭不能言，以手指太子司马炎而死。时八月辛卯日也。何曾曰：‘天下大事，皆在晋王；可立太子为晋王，然后祭葬。’是日，司马炎即晋王位……谥父为文王。安葬已毕，炎召贾充、裴秀入宫问曰：‘孤父王比曹操何如？’充曰：‘操虽功盖华夏，下民畏其威而不怀其德。子丕继业，差役甚重，东西驱驰，未有宁岁。后我宣王、景王，累建大功，布恩施德，天下归心久矣。文王并吞西蜀，功盖寰宇，又岂操之可比乎？’炎曰：‘曹丕尚绍汉统，孤岂不可绍魏统耶？’贾充、裴秀二人再拜而奏曰：‘殿下正当法曹丕绍汉故事，复筑受禅坛，布告天下，以即大位。’……奂从之，遂令贾充筑受禅坛。以十二月甲子日（265年），奂亲捧传国玺，立于坛上，大会文武。请晋王司马炎登坛，授与大礼。炎绍魏统，国号大晋。魏遂亡。晋帝司马炎，追谥司马懿为宣帝，伯父司马师为景帝，父司马昭为文帝，立七庙以光祖宗。”（第一一九回）

　　Sima Yan： His father is Sima Zhao.“At the Wei court the great vassals petitioned the ruler Cao Huanto honor Sima Zhao as king in recognition of his achievement in conquering the Riverlands. Huan， Sonof Heaven in name alone， had no influence at all and dared not oppose Sima Zhao， who held all power ofdecision. Huan therefore enfeoffed Sima Zhao， Lord Patriarch of Jin， as king of Jin and posthumously honoredZhao’s father， Sima Yi， as King Xuan. Zhao’s elder brother Sima Shi was honored as King Jing. Sima Zhao’swife was the daughter of Wang Su； she had borne Zhao two sons. The elder， Sima Yan， was a man of imposingstature， with hair so long that it touched the ground and arms so long that they hung below his knees. He wasa man of quick mind and a brilliant warrior of surpassing courage... Sima Zhao established his elder son， SimaYan， as heir apparent... Secretly gratified by this counsel， Sima Zhao returned to his palace. When he waspreparing to partake of his dinner， however， he suffered a severe stroke and as a consequence lost his powerof speech. The next day his conditions worsened. Grand Commandant Wang Xiang， Minister of the InteriorHe Zeng， and Military Counselor Xun Kai， joined by various high officials， entered the palace to inquire ofthe king’s condition. Sima Zhao， still unable to speak， pointed to the crown prince， Sima Yan； then he died.

　　It was the eighth month of the year (A.D.265)， twenty-eighth day of the cycle. He Zeng said，‘The fate ofthe empire now rests with the king of Jin. Let the first son be established as the new king； the sacrifices andinterment can then be performed.’That day Sima Yan assumed the position of king of Jin... Sima Yan’sfather， Zhao， was posthumously titled King Wen. The burial complete， Sima Yan summoned Jia Chong andPei Xiu to his palace and asked，‘How does my father， the late king， compare with Cao Cao？’Jia Chongreplied，‘Cao’s accomplishments were known throughout the northern heartland. The masses feared himfor his power more than they loved him for his virtue. But after his son Pi succeeded to power， his punishingcorvee and military service requirements drove the people hither and yon without respite. Subsequently， KingXuan and King Jing both compiled records of great achievements， and the benefits thereof spread through therealm， so that early on they won the love of the people of the empire. And King Wen incorporated Riverlandsterritory into our realm—a towering achievement that surpasses all that Cao Cao did.’Sima Yan said，‘CaoPi made the rule of Wei continuous with that of Han by receiving its last emperor’s abdication. How couldI not similarly preserve the continuity with the rule of Wei？’Jia Chong and Pei Xiu prostrated themselvesover and over before offering this petition：‘That indeed is a precedent Your Lordship could properly follow：

　　building another altar to receive the abdication of the Emperor and announcing to the world your assumptionof the throne.’... Cao Huan accepted this advice and ordered Jia Chong to construct the altar. On the firstcyclical day in the twelfth month (A.D.265) Cao Huan， the seal of state held high in both hands， ascended thealtar in front of a grand congregation of civil and military officials. Next， Sima Yan， king of Jin， was requestedto ascend the altar and accept the abdication. After the transfer was completed， Sima Yan named the newdynasty Great Jin. Sima Yan， Emperor of Jin， posthumously honored Sima Yi as Emperor Xuan； his uncle，Sima Shi， as Emperor Jing； and his father， Sima Zhao， as Emperor Wen. He built seven ancestral temples toglorify his line back to its founder.”(Chapter 119)“