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Wei army · Sima (Wei)

Sima Yi

“The Tiger in the Tomb”

A deep-scheming minister of Wei. He beat back Zhuge Liang's repeated northern expeditions by refusing battle and waiting them out. At the Wuzhang Plains he cautiously let the Shu army withdraw, leaving the proverb "the dead Kongming put the living Zhongda to flight." Late in life he seized real power in the coup at the Gaoping tombs and laid the foundation for the Jin dynasty founded by his grandson Sima Yan.

Epithet
“The Tiger in the Tomb”
Rank / office
Grand Commandant / General-in-Chief
Domain / base
Wei
Side
Wei army
Lived
179–251 (aged 73)

The dead Kongming put the living Zhongda to flight.

A saying from the Three Kingdoms

Life

  1. Qinglong 2 Stand-off at the Wuzhang Plains Faced Zhuge Liang for more than a hundred days on the Wei River and refused a decisive battle to the end.
  2. Jiaping 1 Coup at the Gaoping Tombs Staged a coup, removed Cao Shuang and seized real power in Wei.
  3. Jiaping 3 Death Died of illness with the reins of Wei in his hands, the foundation of the Jin dynasty.

Battles in this archive1 battles

  1. Battle of Wuzhang Plains Autumn, 12th year of Jianxing (Shu) Wuzhang Plains, Yong Province The veteran Wei commander who refused a decisive battle, stuck to the defence and ignored Zhuge Liang's taunts. When he finally pursued, the statue deceived him into retreating. 8,000 troops · Commander-in-chief Watch ▸

Related sites

  • Wuzhang Plains (China)