Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 189 You only realize how few people you have when you need them most

Sima Yan felt that time flew by when he had a beautiful woman in his arms.

However, now that there is a risk of collapse, time is passing by in such a fragmented way that we crawl slower than a tortoise.

He waited and waited, and finally, just before midnight, Shi Shouxin arrived.

Sima You, on the other hand, was much calmer, remaining quiet and silent to the side.

The group took their seats in Sima Yan's study, and Yang Xiu spoke directly: "Sima Wang has strengthened the management of the imperial city. His Right Guard soldiers are now never leaving the emperor's bedroom!"

As expected, Sima Wang had already chosen sides, siding with his own father.

Yang Xiu looked rather unwell. He shouldn't have done that; Sima Zhao shouldn't have transferred Yang Hu to Shu!

Of course, Sima Wang didn't care whether he took sides or not, since nothing had happened yet.

Sima Wang intensified his surveillance of the puppet emperor Cao Huan; who can say he did something wrong?
He didn't send any troops to do anything to the Prince of Jin's residence.
Moreover, Sima Fu never said he wanted to stage a coup. All of this was just "guessing" by Sima Zhao, Sima Yan, and others.

This is exactly what's so frustrating!

“Nanpi Bo (Sima Zhou) is willing to step forward and clear the obstacles for the King of Jin.”

Shi Shouxin informed everyone of the other "reinforcements" he had invited!
"Really?"

Sima Yan's face lit up with joy. He was not without cunning, but Sima Zhou was not only a military commander, but also a capable leader! If he could bring him over, the chances of victory would increase considerably!

However, Shi Shouxin said:
"That's how it looks now, but I go to his place every day to check on things and discuss some details."

Meanwhile, try to discern from some clues whether he has betrayed the Prince of Jin. Sima Zhou needs to keep an eye on him; he has a way out.

If Sima Fu had proposed to kill the traitors on behalf of the Cao family, and only kill the direct descendants of the Prince of Jin, then Sima Zhou would not have suffered a loss.

If that were to happen, Sima Fu would likely succeed.

This highly respected and experienced elder of the Sima family stepped forward to call for the execution of the traitor on behalf of the Cao family, upholding righteousness even at the cost of family ties.

Its power should not be underestimated!
Moreover, the commotion was far less significant than Sima Yan had anticipated. Only Sima Zhao, Sima Yan, Sima You, and Sima Yan's sons were killed.

There aren't many people in total!

As for the others, will they really die alongside Sima Zhao at the crucial moment?
That might not be the case!
When Sima Fu becomes regent, he will still be acting under the banner of Cao Wei. After he dies a few years later, he will make arrangements and let his son take over, thus changing the dynasty.

It doesn't seem like it's impossible!

Sima Yan, Sima You, and Yang Xiu, who were sitting in the study, all looked grim. It wasn't because Shi Shouxin was talking nonsense, but because what he said was too feasible and unlikely to cause any major upheaval.

"Tao Fu, go to the Imperial Guard camp now and take control of the Left Guard. Although it's not fully staffed and has slightly fewer men than Sima Wang's forces, it's not without fighting power!"

Shi Shouxin instructed Sima You.

Although this might seem like a subordinate ordering a superior, neither Sima You nor Sima Yan raised any objections.

They were about to stir things up, and they knew Sima Zhao was faking illness. If he continued to put on an act in the Prince of Jin's residence, it wouldn't be very interesting.

Sima Fu's faction is about to attack! This isn't the time to put on an act! We need to quickly take control of the Imperial Guards!

"Alright, I'll head to the Imperial Guard camp right away."

Sima You nodded.

The Imperial Guards' main camp was not located within Luoyang City, but in the suburbs, and they would only enter the city during shifts.

It is now the Right Guard, which is Sima Wang's men, on duty.

Tomorrow, Sima You will go to Sima Wang to relieve him of his post. If Sima Wang refuses to relieve him, it will tell us something.

However, the possibility is very small, because Sima Fu hasn't made a move yet! Sima Fu is waiting for Sima Zhao's action; that old tortoise won't make a move easily!
After Sima You left, Shi Shouxin bowed to Sima Yan and said, "Your Highness, during these days, you must stay outside the Prince of Jin's bedroom and not enter easily. Play your part completely."

"Understood, I will stay by your side at all times."

Sima Yan nodded.

A strange thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Normally, Sima Yan had many people around him, including Shi Chong, and it seemed that he had grown quite powerful, with people he could use everywhere.

However, if something goes wrong, those people simply cannot use them, or dare not use them.

Sima Yan's only reliable support was his classmate and cousin, Yang Xiu!
Although Sima You had few powerful allies, Shi Shouxin by his side was worth ten advisors; he could step in and be ready to help in critical moments!

It's a sharp and effective knife!

This is not a legend, but a living, breathing fact right before our eyes.

"Zhishu, with so many advisors around me, how come you're the only one I can use right now?"
"Even a single Shi Shouxin under Tao Fu's command is capable of handling a major task."

After Shi Shouxin left, Sima Yan looked at Yang Xiu and asked, his heart filled with resentment.

“Anshi, it’s not that we don’t have people to use them, it’s that you don’t dare to use them.”

These people are either incompetent, might betray you, or might leak secrets without keeping it to themselves.

These people may not be able to get things done, but they are very good at making things go wrong.

Rather than cleaning up their messes, it's better not to do it at all, to avoid making things worse!

Yang Xiu sighed helplessly. He knew what Sima Yan was thinking, but often, it's better to keep things secret than to have incompetent allies helping you!

Take Shi Chong, for example. He seemed to be very popular, recommending talent with great skill and organizing banquets admirably, often ensuring a pleasant experience for both host and guests. However, when Sima Yan needed help and faced a life-or-death situation, Shi Chong proved completely useless.

We even have to guard against him leaking secrets!
Because Shi Chong was good at socializing, if his secrets were leaked, it's unimaginable how destructive it would be!

Of course, Shi Shouxin may not be entirely reliable, but he is currently the one who comes up with all the ideas and is busy running around taking on the main responsibility.

If you don't choose to believe him at this point, then you can only wait for things to go wrong.

Whether it was Yang Xiu or Sima Yan, they both felt the helplessness of "only realizing how few people there are when you need them".

……

Late at night, in Li Yin's study, his brother-in-law Li Gu put some sweet wine lees on the table, while Li Yin and Shi Shouxin were studying the city defense map of Luoyang.

Seeing that his father and brother-in-law ignored him, Li Gu had no choice but to leave the study dejectedly, closing the door behind him.

"The troops controlled by Sima Fu's lineage are already enough to do some things. Sima Wang should be determined to stand on his biological father's side."

Shi Shouxin took a charcoal pencil and drew a circle around the location of the palace on the map.

"You mean, Sima Wang won't lead the Imperial Guards to attack the Prince of Jin's residence? If he did, many people would rebel or disobey orders."

Li Yin muttered to himself thoughtfully.

There's a key point in what Shi Shouxin just said: Sima Wang might not, or rather, it's impossible for him to lead his Right Guard Imperial Army to attack the Prince of Jin's residence.

That's too straightforward!
But can't we do something else?

Not only can it, but there are many things it can do!
"According to your plan, you first announced that the Prince of Jin's condition had worsened, and then a few days later, you transferred the Emperor to Jinyong City and placed him under house arrest."

The final step was to convene a court assembly, where they would prepare to announce certain matters.

Li Yin explained Shi Shouxin's plan, a risky move to "lure the snake out of its hole."

If Sima Fu hadn't caused trouble, and if Sima Zhao hadn't feigned illness, the succession process would have been as follows:

The first step was to transfer the emperor to Jinyong City, north of Luoyang, and place him under house arrest. Emperor Cao Huan would then announce his abdication there.

The second step was for Sima Zhao to hold a court assembly in the Taiji Hall of the imperial palace and submit a memorial to the court, refusing to accept the abdication.

This is a case of resignation and concession.

In the third step, Cao Huan repeatedly announced the abdication in Jinyong City, while Sima Zhao repeatedly refused to accept the abdication in the Taiji Hall of the Imperial Palace, until he accepted it on the third occasion.

This completes the process of three resignations and three concessions.

During this process, Cao Huan was absolutely not allowed to leave Jinyong City, which was a measure taken to prevent the Cao Mao incident.

The fourth step was to hold the coronation ceremony, and Sima Zhao officially ascended the throne.

Now that Sima Zhao is "seriously ill" and it seems he will pass the throne to Sima Yan, the first step remains the same.

The second step is to make a slight change: simply have Cao Huan abdicate in favor of Sima Yan, and then have Sima Yan submit a memorial to the court.

If Sima Fu hadn't gone blind and could still walk, he would have interrupted the second step and personally escorted the emperor back to the palace!
And taking advantage of this momentum, he announced the "purging of the court of corrupt officials"!
In other words, Sima Fu's actions were contingent upon Cao Huan being forcibly sent to Jinyong City. Sima Zhao's move signified the true intentions being revealed!

Once the change of dynasty was complete, Sima Fu would have no reason to take action, and the aura of being a "loyal minister of Cao Wei" would disappear.

Since Cao Wei no longer exists, what kind of loyal minister are you to be? You'd be more like a martyr!
Therefore, Sima Fu would not take action before this, as it was not appropriate to do so.

After that, the change of dynasty was completed, and there was no longer any need to take action.

Shi Shouxin broke these things down and explained them to Li Yin, but his father-in-law looked at him like he was a monster.

"Your brain is a little too scary."

Li Yin said with lingering fear.

Fortunately, Shi Shouxin was on Sima Zhao's side. If he had been on Sima Fu's side, it would have been hard to predict what would have happened next.

"Therefore, a bloody battle is inevitable, either on Cao Huan's way to or from Jinyong City."

A mutiny will break out, won't it?

Li Yin looked at Shi Shouxin and asked.

"That's right. However, if the Prince of Jin wants to win, he still lacks a decisive force."

Shi Shouxin said in a deep voice.

His main force escorted Wang Yuanji to Mount Tai, but now they are too far away to help her in her immediate situation.

Who else can save lives?

An unreliable name popped into Shi Shouxin's mind: Sima Liang.

This man had a contingent of imperial guards in Guanzhong, which was one of the four armies in the front, rear, left, and right!

Are we really going to bring this person in?

Shi Shouxin had a question mark in his mind.

Sima Liang, this Sima Gong, belongs to the typical low-IQ group; he's not very reliable when it comes to getting things done.

Shi Shouxin was hesitant to use Sima Liang, even though he could easily persuade him to participate.

(End of this chapter)