#sima fu

[zhoudadudugongjin]

sima yi: cao cao gave me a job...

sima fu: oh nice one er-ge break a leg!

sima yi: ... u know what that's not a bad idea

[fishylife]

I admit Bai Lingyun coming into the family makes me pretty uncomfortable because it reminds me how patriarchal society was back then.

But I also have to acknowledge that we’ve gotten to see a ton of comedy over the past few episodes.

And I’m loving the peanut gallery here who is both defensive and outraged at Sima Yi but are all equally surprised at every development in the story. And Zhao’er looks so pleased when they find out Sima Yi is trying to trick Bai Lingyun into leaving.

In the next scene we have Zhao’er getting all strategic on Shi’er and saying that their dad could use her as a pawn too. We’re totally seeing the early stages of Zhao’er’s cunning.

[the-art-of-phwoar]

It’s almost as if Koei reads my mind... and then chooses to ignore what they find in there entirely.

They’re probably trying to save their sanity.

[natstarbuck]

The Simas in the ads :D

[simayeeet]

this one is just for myself

[natstarbuck]

[the-archlich]

Sima Lang is the only Sima besides Fu I know minimal about. All I know is he refused to take medicine when he was ill so it could be distributed to his soldiers which caused his death. What can you tell me about Lang and Fu?

Sima Lang is, like, my 6th favorite Sima. But he’s a good one. Sima Fu is the best Sima.

From a young age, Sima Lang was known for his intelligence and propriety. He once refused to allow a man into their home because he referred to their father (the terrifying Sima Fang) improperly. When he was 12 years old (in 182) he passed the imperial examinations - but he was so tall and mature that at first, people didn’t believe him when he said he was only 12. His success earned him a cadet appointment at court.

When Dong Zhuo seized the capital, Sima Lang escaped. He was arrested for being a deserter but bribed his way free. He collected his family and led them to safety in Wei commandery, where they stayed with relatives. In time, he led them back to Henei. They persisted in farming and studying even through war and famine.

Around 194, Cao Cao made Sima Lang one of his officers. He spent time at various posts, serving as a county and commandery head. Wherever he went, he was known for his benevolent and fair rule. He always dressed humble and at common food. He was greatly loved by all. Sima Lang was also an influential policy adviser who gave Cao Cao many suggestions on how to govern his state. He was extremely respected.

Sima Lang accompanied Cao Cao to the Battle of Ruxu in 217 but died of illness, along with many other senior figures in Cao Cao’s administration. He was greatly missed, and his nephew Sima Wang (son of Sima Fu) was adopted posthumously to be his heir.

Sima Fu was the best Sima.

Even when the family was moving around and struggling to feed itself, Sima Fu always kept to his studies and was as admired as his two older brothers for his academic talents. He eventually became a tutor to Cao Zhi, though after he criticized Cao Zhi’s conduct he was shifted to be one of Cao Pi’s advisers instead. After Cao Cao’s death, he helped organize Cao Cao’s funeral and Cao Pi’s ascension. He gave Cao Pi a great deal of policy advice and helped moderate his behavior.

Sima Fu held a number of commandery appointments under Cao Pi and Cao Rui before being made a member of the secretariat. He was occasionally a general and led reinforcements to his brother at Wuzhang in 234. By the time of Cao Rui’s death, he was the director of the secretariat. Sima Fu was always known for his sagely advice and was held in the utmost esteem by all of his colleagues.

Although Sima Yi didn’t tell Sima Fu about his coup against Cao Shuang in 248, Sima Fu rallied men and joined his brother as soon as the operation commenced. He was later made Minister of Works, then Grand Commandant. Sima Yi relied on his brother heavily, and after his passing Sima Shi did the same.

In 253, Sima Fu was put in charge of a massive army to counter Zhuge Ke’s invasion, and he successfully defended Hefei. Sima Fu was so beloved that when Guanqiu Jian revolted against Sima Shi, his proclamation absolved Sima Fu of any wrongdoing. Nevertheless, Sima Fu led soldiers in the campaign to suppress the rebels and was fully successful.

After Sima Zhao took over, Sima Fu was made Grand Tutor to Cao Mao, with whom he grew very close. When Cao Mao tried to kill Sima Zhao, Sima Fu tried to intervene but arrived too late. He wept while he held Cao Mao’s corpse. He continued on as Grand Tutor to Cao Huan. When Cao Huan abdicated the throne in Sima Yan’s favor, Sima Fu personally escorted him away and wept with him.

Under Sima Yan, Sima Fu was made Grand Governor (a new title) and a prince. He remained as a key adviser to his family’s regime until his death in 272, at the age of 93. In his final writing, he proclaimed that he was always a loyal subject of Wei and regretted that he could not mediate between the Cao and Sima as he hoped.

Sima Fu was a brilliant scholar, a skilled general, and an exceptional human being. He personally served under every single Cao ruler and was intimately trusted by all of them. He is without question one of the most extraordinary statesmen of his era.

[the-archlich]

Who served the longest for each faction? I'd think Liao Hua for Shu, Ding Feng or Han Dang for Wu and maybe Sima Yi for Wei?

It can be a little hard to say, since in a lot of cases the year when some people joined a given kingdom aren’t recorded. You’re probably pretty close, though.

Shu would probably be Zong Yu. He served Shu as early as 213 (and possibly earlier) and survived until the state’s destruction in 263, for a total service of 50+ years. While Zhang Yi (Bogong) and Liao Hua might have served longer, the earliest they can be confirmed as officers under Liu Bei is 214 and 219, respectively. So the crown has to go to Zong Yu.

Ding Feng probably was Wu’s longest serving commander. He was an officer under Gan Ning, who died in 216, so Ding Feng must have served from at least 216-271 (and probably longer) for a total of 55 years. No one else can be confirmed as having served Wu for this long.

Wei gets a little tricky, due to the Wei-Jin split. If you count people who only served the Cao family, that would probably be either Man Chong or Guo Huai. Man Chong served from 192-242, while Guo Huai fought for the Cao family from 205-255; 50 years for each of them. Runners up include Zhao Yan and Sima Yi (48 years each) and Deng Ai (45). If you include those who survived to serve under Jin, though, that has to be the incomparable Sima Fu. It is unclear exactly when he joined the Cao family, but he served as one of Cao Zhi’s tutors before Cao Pi was named heir, so he served from at least 216-271, for a service of 55 years. Even using 265 as a cutoff, Sima Fu might still take the crown, since he can be solidly confirmed as an officer of Wei for 49 years and probably served for a few years before 216 (which would put him ahead of even Man Chong and Guo Huai).