Guo Huai, whose name is Boji, is a native of Taiyuan Yangqu (now Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province). He was a well-known figure in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, emerging as a filial piety, and successively served as the Pingyuan County Cheng, the Prime Minister and the Soldier Cao Yiling Shi, and the General Sima of the Western Expedition.
In the battle of Dingjun Mountain, he was not afraid of difficulties, gathered the remaining troops, and jointly elected Zhang He as the main general with Du Xi, thus quickly stabilizing the situation. His bravery and resourcefulness were highly praised by the people of the time.
After the establishment of Cao Wei, Guo Huai, with his excellent strategic vision and precise combat strategy, was promoted to the Yongzhou Assassin and Sheyang Pavilion Marquis, and later promoted to the Changshi of Zhenxi General (Cao Zhen), who stopped Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition and established outstanding military exploits.
Guo Huai successfully defeated Jiang Wei of Shu in the first year of Zhengshi (240), and was repeatedly promoted to the general of the expedition to the west in his subsequent career, becoming Cao Wei's meritorious general.
However, many people were puzzled by his inability to sit idly by when Sima Yi launched the Gaopingling Rebellion. In this regard, the author believes that there are three main reasons. First of all, Guo Huai's strength was not enough to challenge Sima Yi's authority.
Although Guo Huai achieved a good record in the contest with Shu Han, he was not the only real power figure in the Cao Wei Longyou region, and there were also generals such as Wang Jing, Chen Tai, Deng Ai and Fei Yao.
Especially Chen Tai and Deng Ai, they are the confidants of the Sima Yi family.
Guo Huai's fate was deeply controlled by Sima Yi, and his strength and resistance were insufficient, because he had been Sima Yi's subordinate for a long time, and his wife was also exterminated by Sima Yi.
In addition, Guo Huai was born in a big family, and his decision-making needs to take into account the future of the family, and he can't act rashly.
After the Gaopingling Incident, Guo Huai faced double pressure from inside and outside. The external pressure came from the powerful Sima Yi family, and the internal pressure came from the Guo family.
If Guo Huai is lucky enough to defeat Sima Yi, the Taiyuan Guo clan will rise to a higher level, but if the army fails, the entire family will face annihilation. The huge risk forced Guo Huai to consider the future and interests of the family, and finally chose to remain silent and accept Sima Yi's usurpation of Cao Wei's power.
This choice can be compared to Xun Yu's accession to the Duke of Wei when Cao Wei ascended to the throne of Wei, although he opposed it, but in order to avoid bringing disaster to the Yingchuan Xun clan, he chose to commit suicide, which was also to protect his family.
Cao Shuang insisted on his own opinion, which caused the dissatisfaction of the family. In 220 AD, after Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi ascended the throne, and he used Chen Qun to create the Jiupin Zhongzheng System, a system that was mainly aimed at the great families and allowed them to get more opportunities for promotion.
Therefore, Guo Huai's family also expressed support. However, when Cao Fang ascended the throne, Cao Shuang first squeezed out Sima Yi, and then vigorously promoted the Cao clan to important positions, such as Xiahou Xuan, who took the post of general of Zhengxi, which suppressed Guo Huai.
At the same time, Cao Shuang also promoted Ding Mi, He Yan, Deng Yang and other henchmen to be scholars, which was considered to replace the family. In the eyes of many historians, Cao Shuang's sabotage of the Jiupin Zhongzheng system seriously damaged the fundamental interests of the family, leading them to express their opposition.
If Cao Shuang continues to be in power, the Guo clan in Taiyuan, where Guo Huai is located, will also be damaged, and its strength will be weakened.
Thus, in 249 AD, Sima Yi rebelled and executed Cao Shuang and his followers. At this time, Guo Huai's Guo family in Taiyuan chose to side with Sima Yi, who also enjoyed a noble status, and adopted a bystander attitude, thus acquiescing to Sima Yi's actions.
In addition, Guo Huai's choice has also brought rich returns to the family. For example, on February 23, the first month of the second year of Zhengyuan (255), Guo Huai was posthumously awarded the title of general after his death, and his son Guo Tong inherited the title.
After Guo Tong's death, his son Guo Zheng inherited the title. After the establishment of the Western Jin Dynasty, taking into account Guo Huai's merits, Guo Zheng was renamed the son of Fenyang County.