The different choices after wielding the emperor to command the princes: Why does the Cao family’s reputation far surpass that of the Sima family?

The same change of dynasties, the same method of seizing the emperor to command the princes and seize power, but the Cao family and the Sima family took completely different paths. One has been praised as a hero in turbulent times for a thousand years, while the other has left a moral stain. Why is there such a huge gap in their reputations? The root cause is not the usurpation itself, but the attitude and actual governance after the usurpation.

Same reliance on the emperor, attitude determines everything

After Cao Cao seized the emperor to command the princes, he did not abuse this advantage to recklessly extort wealth or slaughter. On the contrary, he genuinely unified the north, implemented the tuntian system to restore agricultural production, and repaired water conservancy projects to give farmers land to cultivate. These policies gradually revitalized the north from chaos, allowing the people to rest and recover. After Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate and established Cao Wei, he not only did not eradicate Liu Xie completely but also enfeoffed Liu Xie as the Shanyang Duke, granted him ten thousand households, allowed him to continue using the Han calendar, and worshiped ancestors with the emperor’s rites. When writing to him, Liu Xie even did not need to call himself a subject. Liu Xie thus lived peacefully for fourteen years, and upon his death, Emperor Ming of Wei personally came to mourn, buried him with imperial rites, and the Shanyang State was inherited for three generations. These measures may seem like expedients, but they truly maintained the moral bottom line.

In contrast, the Sima family chose a completely opposite path. Sima Yi was originally a trusted and senior official of the Cao family for three generations, but in his later years, taking advantage of Cao Shuang accompanying the emperor to pay respects, he launched the Incident at Gaoping Tombs to eliminate Cao Shuang and his faction in one stroke, then executed the three clans, leaving no one spared, including the elderly, women, and children. Later, Sima Shi deposed Emperor Cao Fang, and Sima Zhao even allowed his subordinates to assassinate Emperor Cao Mao. Afterwards, he sent people to kill the brothers Cheng Ji to cover up, and slandered Cao Mao for disloyalty. To consolidate power, the Sima family suppressed the Three Rebellions of Huainan three times, slaughtered loyal officials like Xiahou Xuan and Zhuge Dan, and the entire court was soaked in blood.

The ruthless path of the Sima family

These actions may seem to be for stability, but in fact, they reveal the Sima family’s extreme desire for power and their ruthless attitude towards opponents. Every bloody political struggle tore open a wound in the empire’s body, cultivating a group of ruthless and cunning forces that followed them. This blood-soaked foundation of rule doomed the chaos after the establishment of the Western Jin.

Different origins of the world, naturally different qualities

A deeper difference lies in the fact that these two families have completely different understandings of the world. Cao Cao started from nothing, fought against Dong Zhuo, defeated Yuan Shao, and carved out a northern territory. At that time, the Han Dynasty was already a shadow of its former self; Cao’s unification was merely a response to the tide of history. The Sima family, on the other hand, depended on the power structure of Cao Wei, secretly cultivating influence and hollowing out the foundation of Cao Wei, without any achievements in restoring order to turbulent times. In the end, they turned against their former benefactors without mercy, wielding the butcher’s knife against old allies and colleagues. How can such treachery be compared to Cao’s uprightness and integrity?

The quality of governance determines the fate of the nation

The actual governance after usurpation further widened the gap in reputation. After the establishment of Cao Wei, not only was the northern situation stabilized, but it also resisted invasions from foreign tribes, allowing the northern people to live and work in peace, and the social economy to develop steadily. But after the founding of Western Jin? Sima Yan indulged in pleasure, and officials competed for extravagance. The Nine Ranks system became a tool for the aristocracy to monopolize official positions, and the enfeoffment of princes triggered the War of the Eight Princes, leading the dynasty into decline. Ultimately, it even caused the Five Barbarians to invade China, plunging the Central Plains into centuries of chaos.

The former left behind relative stability and prosperity, while the latter left chaos and suffering.

The true evaluation in the eyes of the common people

Ultimately, the common people care not about the legitimacy of the throne, but about whether they can live in peace. The Cao family achieved this, even while seizing the emperor to command the princes, they did not forget to govern well and benefit the people with good policies. The Sima family, on the other hand, seized power through violence and maintained rule through violence, and in the end, they were also punished by the violence of history.

Reputation—good or bad—is actually gradually distinguished through these choices, one after another.