Compared with the incompetent Cao Fang, Cao Chao was much more active as the emperor of Wei, he once tried to take advantage of the death of Sima Shi to seize power, and then launched a manna coup d'état in desperation, but unfortunately failed and was killed.

【Young Emperor Cao Chao】

Cao Chao was the grandson of Emperor Wen of Wei Cao Pi, the son of Cao Lin, the king of the East China Sea, and was born in the winter of the second year of Zhengshi (241), almost ten years younger than Cao Fang. In the first year of Zhengyuan (254), Sima Shi abolished Cao Fang and renamed the young Cao Chao as emperor at the suggestion of Empress Dowager Guo.

Although Cao Chao is young, but the performance is very calm, he arrived at the Xuanwu Pavilion in the northern suburbs of Luoyang, Kyoto, the ministers invited him to live in the front hall, Cao Chao replied that the front hall is the first emperor's dormitory, dare not cross the courtesy, so temporarily live in the west wing. The ministers also asked him to welcome him into Beijing with the gift of the Son of Heaven, but he still did not agree.

After Cao Chao entered Luoyang, all the civil and military officials went to the south of Xiye Gate to greet him, and Cao Chao also hurriedly got out of the car to pay respects to the hundred officials. The celebrant said: "According to etiquette, you are the Son of Heaven, and you don't have to bow to your subordinates." Cao Chao replied: "Right now, I am also someone else's courtier!" Then he bowed to the ministers and returned the salute. Walking to the main gate of the palace, Cao Chao also had to get off the car and walk like the ministers. Both left and right discouraged: "As is customary, you can always ride in the car." He said: "I was recruited by the Queen Mother, and I am still unsure what I am arranged!" "Or get out of the car and walk to the Taiji East Hall like the ministers. The Empress Dowager met him there. On the same day, he officially ascended the throne and became the emperor in the front hall of Taiji, and all the officials in the court were very happy.

After Cao Chao succeeded to the throne, he sent a group of attendants and officials around him to inspect various parts of the country, on behalf of the Son of Heaven to understand the situation of people in various places, to express condolences to local officials and ordinary people, and to investigate whether there were unjust cases and official dereliction of duty. In the following year (255), Sima Shi died, and Cao Chao once planned to take the opportunity to seize power, not wanting Sima Zhao to return to Beijing, but unfortunately Sima Zhao saw through it, and in desperation, Cao Chao let Sima Zhao inherit Sima Shi's status and power.

In the first year of Ganlu (256), Cao Chao hosted a banquet for the ministers in the Taiji East Hall, and discussed with the Confucian scholars the superiority of Xia Shaokang and Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, and finally concluded that Shaokang was preferred. Later, he also discussed a lot with the ministers in Taixue. In history, Shaokang was the lord of Zhongxing in the Xia Dynasty, and Liu Bang was the founding monarch of the Han Dynasty.

In the third year of Ganlu (258), Cao Chao issued an edict to implement the indoctrination policy, and recommended the respected three elders and the five watches to give high honors, and finally decided to elect Wang Xiang as the three elders and Zheng Xiaotong as the five watches as a clear example. After the edict was issued, Cao Chao personally led the relevant courtiers to hold an appointment ceremony according to ancient customs.

At this time, Cao Chao was eighteen years old. Zhong Hui once privately commented on Sima Shi and Cao Chao said: "Cai is the same as Chen Si, the martial ancestor." ”

[Coup d'état]

After Sima Zhao pacified the rebellion of Huainan Zhuge Festival, his prestige was already extremely high, and he also refused the reward of the Jin Duke of the imperial court, Cao Chao knew very well in his heart that this was not far from the usurpation of the Sima family. However, Cao Chao himself had no choice but to sit back and wait.

In April of the fifth year of Ganlu (260), Emperor Cao Chao of Wei ordered the relevant departments to once again announce that the general Sima Zhao would be appointed as the prime minister of the state in accordance with the previous decision, and the title of Duke of Jin would be crowned with the gift of Jiuxi (Note 1), but this time Sima Zhao did not refuse. The usurpation of the Sima family officially entered the relevant process, Cao Chao couldn't bear it anymore, he didn't want to be the second Han Xian Emperor, and he didn't want to give up the Cao family, so Cao Chao decided to fight to the death.

In May of the same year, Cao Chao staged a coup d'état in Ganlu and was killed in failure.

According to the record of "Spring and Autumn of the Han Dynasty": Cao Chao saw that his power and prestige were weakening day by day, and felt resentful, so he ordered the redundant servants to shoot Li Zhao and the Huangmen servant Jiao Bo to deploy armor soldiers in Lingyuntai, and summoned the servant Wang Shen, Shangshu Wang Jing, and the scattered cavalry to serve Wang Ye, and said to them: "Sima Zhao's ambition is known even to the pedestrians on the road (Sima Zhao's heart, passers-by know it). I cannot sit back and wait for the disgrace of being deposed, and today I will personally go out with you against him. ”

Wang Jing said: "In ancient times, Lu Zhaogong ran away because he couldn't stand the dictatorship of the Ji clan and failed in the crusade, lost the country, and was ridiculed by the people of the world. Now that the power has been in the hands of Sima Zhao for a long time, it is not a day that the court and the ministers of the Quartet have served him regardless of the reason of obedience. Moreover, there is a vacancy in the palace guards, and the troops are very weak, what does Your Majesty rely on? And when you do this, don't you want to get rid of the disease, but make it worse? The scourge is likely to be unpredictable and should be re-examined in detail. ”

At this time, Cao Chao took out the yellow silk edict from his bosom and threw it on the ground and said: "This has already been decided, even if you die, what is so terrible, not to mention that you may not die!" After speaking, he entered the inner palace to tell the Empress Dowager Guo. Wang Shen and Wang Ye ran out to tell Sima Zhao, and Sima Zhao was able to take precautions after knowing about it.

Cao Chao immediately drew his sword and led the guards and servants in the palace to shout out of the palace. Sima Zhao's younger brother, Tuncai Captain Sima Ling, encountered Cao Chao's army at the Dongzhi Gate, and the people around Cao Chao angrily scolded them, and Sima Ling's soldiers fled in fright. Jia Chong, the middle protector, entered from the outside and fought with Cao Chao head-on under the southern palace, and Cao Chao personally fought with a sword. Everyone wanted to retreat, Jia Chong's army was about to be defeated, and the crown prince Chengji, the younger brother of the cavalry governor, asked Jia Chong: "The matter is urgent, what do you say?" Jia Chong said: "Sima Gong raised you people for today. There is nothing to ask about today's affairs! So Cheng Ji immediately took out Changge and stepped forward to assassinate Cao Chao and kill him under the car. Sima Zhao was shocked when he heard the news, fell to his knees, and said, "What do the people of the world think of me now!" ”。 Taifu Sima Fu ran over, put Cao Chao's head on his lap and cried very sadly, crying and saying, "It is my sin that Your Majesty was killed!" (Note 2)

[After the fact]

After Cao Chao was killed, Sima Zhao entered the palace and convened the ministers to discuss. Shang Shu's left servant shot Chen Tai and didn't come, Sima Zhao asked Chen Tai's uncle Shang Shu Xun to call him, Chen Tai said: "People talk about me Chen Tai can be compared with you, today it seems that you are not as good as me Chen Tai." But the disciples forced Chen Tai to go inside and out, so they had to enter the palace, and when they saw Sima Zhao, they were overwhelmed with grief, and Sima Zhao also cried at him, saying: "Uncle Xuan, what will you do to me?" Chen Tai said: "Only by killing Jia Chong can we apologize to the world a little." Sima Zhao thought about it for a long time before saying, "You can think of other ways." Chen Tai said: "I can only say this, I don't know anything else." Sima Zhao stopped talking.

Immediately, Sima Zhao coerced the Empress Dowager Guo to issue an order, deprived Cao Chao of the emperor's title, and buried him with the power of a commoner, so the years during his reign were all the years of the noble townsman. Later, Taifu Sima Fu, the general Sima Zhao, Taiwei Gao Rou and others were sparse and replaced with a royal funeral.

According to the record of "Wei's Spring and Autumn Period", Sima Zhao was angry because of the crowd, let Chengji and others take the blame, and killed the three clans of Chengji, and the Chengji brothers did not admit their guilt, ran to the roof naked, scolded Sima Zhao, and were shot by the sergeant from the bottom with arrows.

After Cao Chao's death, Sima Zhao set up Cao Huang, the son of Cao Yu, the king of Yan, as the son of Changdao Township as the son of heaven and changed the Yuan Jingyuan. After the Ganlu coup, Sima Zhao was forced to resign the Duke of Jin, Xiangguo and Jiuxi again because of Cao Chao's death.

【Impact】

Cao Chao's coup d'état is indeed very untechnical, and failure is inevitable, but after all, Sima Zhao has become the Duke of Jin and started the process of usurping the throne, Cao Chao's time is running out, he is enduring it, although his own life should be saved, but his country is 100% unable to be saved, as for waiting for the opportunity, with Cao Chao's strength at that time, there is actually no chance in the future.

Although Cao Chao failed, he died vigorously, he did not be weak, humiliated and retreated, but dared to face it, fight hard, and see death as home. As an emperor, he has rare courage, and Cao Chao's death is not for nothing, in a sense, Cao Chao's death Sima Zhao's reputation was completely ruined.

Normally, as the third-generation leader of the Sima family, Sima Zhao has almost met all the conditions for usurpation, and can only be replaced by the queen of Jin, but Cao Chao made such a fuss, Sima Zhao lost his innate righteousness, and soon after the coup, he had to give up the position of Jin Duke and Xiangguo, and the highest in his life was only the king of Jin, and it was his eldest son Sima Yan who completed the dynasty change of Jin Dynasty Wei.

Note 1: There is no record of this incident in the Book of Jin and Emperor Wen, because after Sima Zhao was really crowned, Cao Chao immediately went desperately with him, and this incident was actually the direct fuse of the Manna coup. Afterwards, Sima Zhao also had to give up the position of duke and Xiangguo, so it was not written by the Tang Dynasty, but it is clearly recorded in the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms".

Note 2: The coup d'état is recorded in many sources, but it is more comprehensive in the Spring and Autumn Period of the Han Dynasty, and the content is basically the same.