Among the Three Kingdoms, Cao Wei was the strongest.
However, Cao Wei was the earliest one to "die".
Although he did not die until 265 in name, 2 years later than Shu Han, since the Gaopingling Rebellion in 249, the power has been returned to the Sima family, and it has already existed in name only.
A powerful nation is perishing so quickly, who is responsible?
Cao Dan
The factor for Cao Wei's demise was planted when Cao Wei was founded.
After Cao Pi came to power, he did several major things.
First of all, it is to re-borrow the power of the family.
Cao Pi adopted Chen Qun's advice and introduced the "Nine Grades Zhongzheng System", so that the selection power of the bureaucracy was completely transferred to the family.
In this way, the family gained more privileges politically and economically, and its power expanded rapidly.
The second thing is to ban the clan.
Probably because he was strongly challenged by Cao Zhi, Cao Zhang and other brothers before ascending to the throne, after Cao Pi ascended the throne, he began a policy of harsh ban on the clan.
In this way, on the one hand, capable clan members cannot hold real positions, and these real positions are naturally given to the family family;
On the other hand, not only could these clans not hold real power, but their economic and political influence was extremely small, and they could not fulfill the task of "screen the feudal domain";
At the same time, what is even more serious is that due to the lack of opportunities for young clan members to exercise, the clan members have no successors as they go to the back.
The third thing is that it is strictly forbidden for the harem to interfere in politics.
It is not uncommon for the harem to interfere in politics in the past dynasties.
However, Cao Wei's ban on harem politics is very comprehensive, thorough, and has no dead ends!
The queen mother can't interfere in politics in the court, and her relatives can't interfere in politics! Moreover, Cao Wei has been the son of heaven for several generations, and most of the queens he married did not have too strong family power.
In this way, if the Son of Heaven is young, he doesn't even have a "mother" who can help!
It can be said that Cao Pi's series of policies not only created conditions for the later Sima family to seize power, but also removed obstacles for them in advance...
Then again.
If Cao Pi is not so radical to win over the family and cannot get the support of the family, I am afraid that he will not only not be able to build Wei on behalf of the Han Dynasty, but it will also be even more difficult to keep the little family business laid by his father!
Therefore, Cao Pi wants to borrow from the family, which is a must and an inevitable thing.
However, the excessively strict prohibition of the clan and the harem from interfering in politics made the basic plate of imperial power unable to compete with the family, which was the way to self-destruction!
Cao Rui
Cao Pi made a system, and what he was most afraid of was that the young master was on top.
However, the emperor of Cao Wei, starting from Cao Pi, has gone earlier than the other.
Cao Pi only lived to be 40 years old and left.
His son Cao Rui ascended the throne.
When Cao Rui ascended the throne, Cao Pi left Cao Rui with a basically balanced auxiliary political team: Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Sima Yi, and Chen Qun.
Judging from the team left by Cao Pi to Cao Rui, at the beginning of Cao Rui's accession to the throne, the power structure was basically balanced: the two clan generals and the representatives of the two clans were basically balanced, and the clan generals still maintained certain advantages in terms of seniority, status, and military power.
However, since the time of Cao Rui, this balance has gradually been broken.
1, Sima Yi "dominant".
After Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen died one after another, there was no successor to the generals of the clan.
Sima Yi's power gradually grew.
What's even more deadly is that Sima Yi's influence in the army is also expanding rapidly!
In the Cao Pi era, although Sima Yi and Chen Qun were also in high power, the military power was still in the hands of Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu's clan generals.
However, after Cao Zhen's death, Sima Yi successively led the military in the Jingzhou region and the Yongliang region, and once commanded the northern military during the campaign against Gongsun Yuan.
At that time, Cao Wei's loyal ministers, Gao Tanglong and others pointed out that Sima Yi's excessive power was "a blessing for the country, but not necessarily for the community", which had already posed a threat to Cao Wei's world!
2. Early death + unbalanced auxiliary political team.
Cao Rui can't live even more than Cao Pi, and he can't live at the age of 36.
Therefore, the auxiliary political team is related to the survival of Cao Wei Jiangshan!
Although he hesitated, in the end, the team left by Cao Rui was: Cao Shuang + Sima Yi.
On the surface, it seems that this is another clan and a family, and it seems to be balanced.
However, in fact, Cao Shuang lacks experience, and he is not Sima Yi's opponent in terms of qualifications or ability.
The loss of power of the old Cao family is almost inevitable!
3. Personal evaluation.
With the lack of successors to Zhuxia Hou Cao, it is difficult to avoid the withering of the old Cao family.
However, unlike Romance, in the official history, with Cao Wei's strong national strength, Cao Rui really does not have to rely too much on Sima Gong.
To fight against Shu Han, Sima Yi must be used, and Gongsun Yuan of the Northern Expedition must also use Sima Yi, and Sima Yi is used for everything, which is actually unnecessary.
Perhaps, for Cao Rui, a person in his 30s, it seems that he doesn't have to worry about Sima Yi, who is in his 60s, threatening Cao Wei Jiangshan behind him!
However, Cao Rui, who is in his 30s, is really ahead of Sima Yi, and Cao Rui is leaving a big pit for future generations!
Sun Zi, Liu Fang
Sun Liu is Cao Wei's enemy.
To some extent, Cao Wei did die at the hands of Sun Liu.
This Sun Liu is Sun Zi and Liu Fang.
Sun Zi and Liu Fang, although they are not well-known, have been in charge of the same position for a long time.
Before Cao Rui died, he had a premonition of the threat of the family, especially Sima Yi, so he tried to leave an auxiliary political team composed of the princes of Xiahou Cao: Cao Yu, Xiahou Xian, Cao Zhao, Cao Shuang, and Qin Lang.
This is to pull out the slightly capable people in Zhuxiahou Cao to form a relatively stable auxiliary political team and maintain the pressure on the family.
However, Sun Zi and Liu Fang knew that Cao Zhao, Xiahou Xian and others were very dissatisfied with their long-term control, and if they took the position, they would definitely seize Sun Liu's power!
So, Sun Zi and Liu Fang tried their best to persuade and coax, and finally made Cao Rui change his doctrine and determined that Cao Shuang and Sima Yi would assist him...
Cao Wei, in the end, is going to die in Sun Liu!
Personal evaluation: Sun Zi and Liu Fang have been in power for a long time, shrewd and capable. With their ability and knowledge, it is impossible not to know what it means to let Cao Shuang come to confront Sima Yi alone!
Sun Zi and Liu Fang, without great merit, received the credit of several generations of kings of the old Cao family, and received great favors, but they deliberately put Cao Wei into an unbalanced crisis just because of their own selfish interests, and they should be blamed for losing the righteousness of the ministers!
Cao Shuang
Letting Cao Shuang come and Sima Yi "go head-to-head" was Cao Rui's mistake.
However, in fact, although Cao Shuang lacks experience, Cao Shuang doesn't have to be a genius, as long as he is a little more reliable, he doesn't have to be knocked down by Sima Yi.
Although Sima Yi is already strong and prestigious, with Sima Yi's personal strength, he does not have the ability to challenge the imperial power.
It was Cao Shuang's perverse behavior that made many old ministers (such as Jiang Ji and Gao Rou) who should have been neutral (such as Jiang Ji and Gao Rou), and even the old ministers of the old Cao family (such as Sun Li) who should have sided with Sima Yi!
Although Cao Shuang lacks experience and qualifications, Cao Shuang still has unique advantages: the identity of the clan and auxiliary minister (the surname Cao is different from whether the surname Cao is or not), the connections left by his father, and the rest of his life is theoretically far longer than Sima Yi.
Cao Shuang, but if he persists a little longer, there is no problem in boiling Sima Gong to death! Cao Shuang is a little bit "done", and he will not "lose the people with arrogance"; Cao Shuang was cautious, so he would not let Sima Yi take Luoyang by relying on "three thousand dead soldiers"; Cao Shuang has a little bloody fighting spirit, so he is not always willing to lay down his weapons and completely hand over his fate, and even the fate of the Cao Wei Empire, to Sima Yi'''
In the end, after three strokes and two blows, he was overturned by Sima Yi, and all the power of the old Cao family was handed over to Sima Yi.
Empress Dowager Guo
Empress Dowager Guo is the most easily ignored, but crucial responsible person.
It was Empress Dowager Guo who continuously provided "legitimacy" for the coup d'état of the Sima family.
With Cao Pi's will, the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics, and Empress Dowager Guo's act of granting "legitimacy" to anyone was itself illegal.
However, at every critical moment when the Sima family seized power, it was the Empress Dowager Guo who gave the Sima family "legitimacy".
In the coup d'état of Gao Pingling, although Sima Yi seized the arsenal and Sima Gate, the real "legitimate" power of Sima Yi was only a little strength dominated by 3,000 dead soldiers.
It was Empress Dowager Guo's decree to use Jiang Ji and Gao Rou to take charge of the forbidden army left in Luoyang by Cao Shuang's brothers, which enabled Sima Yi to control the Chinese army; The Empress Dowager Guo issued an order and announced Cao Shuang's guilt, which made Sima Yi's coup "legitimate"!
Subsequently, Sima Shi abolished Cao Fang, and it was carried out in the name of Empress Dowager Guo...
Cao Chao was killed by Sima Zhao, and it was Empress Dowager Guo who issued an order to abolish Cao Chao's throne and set up a new emperor!
Personal evaluation: Empress Dowager Guo is also a woman who cannot control her own fate.
The Sima family controlled the situation, and Empress Dowager Guo had to be a "tool man".
A man with strength can't protect the world of the old Cao family, what can Empress Dowager Guo, a woman who has never had strength, do?
Empress Dowager Guo provided "legitimacy" for the Sima family's seizure of power, but she should not be blamed too much and did not need to bear too much responsibility.
The old Cao family lost the world, as far as the direct cause is concerned, the first responsible person is Cao Shuang.
If it weren't for Cao Shuang being too rubbish, the old Cao family would not have let Sima Yi seize power.
However, fundamentally speaking, the biggest person responsible is none other than Cao Pi, the founder of Cao Wei.
If the old Cao family wants to defend the country, the key is to keep the balance between the Xiahou Cao and the family!
Even if Cao Shuang is a little more reliable and doesn't let the Sima family seize power, so what?
As far as the speed at which Xiahou Cao's talent withered, they couldn't hold back the scene after all, even if they could survive Sima Yi, they would be seized by other clans in the future!
And Cao Pi's system design not only strengthened the power of the family, but also greatly weakened his clan power and descendant power!
In this way, Cao Wei has no resistance to the imbalance of power.
At any time, as soon as the family is in power, the Cao Wei imperial power will lose all possible resistance, and its demise will be inevitable!
Cao Pi learned the lesson of the decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty, strictly banned the clan and restricted his relatives, and as a result, when the family seized power, the imperial power had no resistance.
Later, Sima Yan learned the lesson of Cao Wei's strict ban on the clan and the absence of the "Ping Domain", and the Dafeng clan went to various places to be the king, and as a result, the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" and Shenzhou sank into the land!
History always leaves all kinds of lessons.
But... Many times, learning a lesson is just avoiding one pit and falling into another!
It's always so difficult to learn the right lesson!