Sima Yi began his career as a low-ranking clerk in the Eastern Han dynasty. He later answered Cao Cao’s summons and became a literary attendant, then served as the crown prince’s tutor. He assisted three generations of rulers: Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui. He eventually rose to the highest rank in Cao Wei and became the kingdom’s de facto ruler. In many ways, he was the ultimate winner of the Three Kingdoms era. Yet Sima Yi did not achieve all this through battlefield victories. He had his own distinctive way of getting things done, which is why he has often been misinterpreted and misunderstood. This book traces Sima Yi’s life, telling how he rose from a Confucian scholar to a trusted minister charged with safeguarding the state, and finally to the most powerful man in the land.
