The most successful life achiever of the Three Kingdoms era (for those who look for it superficially)

What kind of person was Sima Yi? We can say with certainty that Sima Yi was a very 'capable' person—both competent, extremely capable, and also enduring, with exceptional stamina. He could even wait in front of juniors, in front of weaklings like Cao Shuang who were incapable of resisting, and he was good at waiting, enduring humiliation, pretending to be insane and foolish, letting others do whatever they wanted with him, but ultimately achieving his own goals. As the saying goes: whoever laughs last laughs best. I am not in a hurry to laugh, but in the end, I shall laugh—the last laugh will undoubtedly be mine. That is Sima Yi.\ After eliminating Cao Shuang, Sima Yi could act as he wished. Emperor Cao Fang of Wei appointed Sima Yi as Chancellor and granted him nine honors, equivalent to the position of Cao Cao under Emperor Xian of Han, and allowed Sima Yi and his two sons to jointly manage state affairs.\ At this point, Sima Yi reached the peak of his career. Two years later, he died of old age. In the novel, Sima Yi's death is described very simply. On his deathbed, he said to his two sons: 'People say that I have unusual ambitions, and how dare I? After I die, you two must serve the ruler well, not harbor other intentions, and preserve my good reputation. Those who do otherwise are truly unfilial!' (Volume 22, 'The Battle of Xutang between Wu and Wei') He instructed his sons: after my death, never rebel, never seize power, and definitely maintain your positions.\ Sima Shi and Sima Zhao did not go against his instructions; they kept their promise and never usurped power. Although it is said that 'Sima Zhao's ambitions were well known to all,' knowing it, they still didn't seize power. However, when it came to Sima Yi's grandson, Sima Yan, he could not be so restrained; in the end, he forced Emperor Cao Huan of Wei to abdicate and took the imperial throne himself, establishing the Jin Dynasty.\ In short, the reason the Jin Dynasty was able to unify the realm—after the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu fought for so long, the Jin Dynasty eventually took control—was largely thanks to the efforts of this old Sima Yi.\ Overall, Sima Yi was indeed a person with deep schemes who was skilled at concealing them. 'The Book of Jin', Volume 1, 'Annals of Emperor Xuan', praises him: 'He harmonizes light with dust, moves with the times, restrains his fins and wings, and thinks in accordance with wind and clouds.'"In China, in the most dangerous political game of succession and inheritance, he was always able to navigate with ease. In Wei, he served under four rulers over three reigns. Although he was sidelined and had his military power stripped several times, he was always able to turn political turmoil into safety, to "rise from the ashes," ultimately reaching a high position and standing at the peak of power. It can be said that Sima Yi was truly the most outstanding politician in the late Three Kingdoms period.\
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When later generations evaluate Sima Yi, they often compare him with Cao Cao, thinking that Sima Yi is very similar to Cao Cao, or that Sima Yi and Cao Cao are the same type of person. Some even believe that both Cao Cao and Sima Yi were shameless; as real men, they used the power in their hands to bully vulnerable orphans and widows.\
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In Wei with Sima Yi, and in Han with Cao Cao, their outward appearances were largely similar: as ministers their status was supreme, and their mastery of political strategy was unmatched. But the two men's personalities still had significant differences. Simply put, Cao Cao was relatively ruthless, while Sima Yi was relatively cunning.\
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In the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," Cao Cao dominates all, acts decisively, and handles any matter with ease. He has not the slightest fear or hesitation; he neither fears being praised nor criticized. In his mind, "I am who I am; this is who I am; I do whatever I want; I act on my desires; no one can stop me." He does not care about others' views or thoughts, acting at will and with complete freedom. Cao Cao possessed such relentless, forward-driving courage, whether as the boldness of a hero or the guile of a cunning man, he indeed had that kind of force, burning like fire and consuming all around.\
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Sima Yi, however, is different. If we use a metaphor, he is like water: even if he floods you, you might not sense it at all. Fire can be felt, but water flooding you goes unnoticed because water is gentle and soft. Seeing fire, no one dares rush forward; seeing water, anything can happen. On hot summer days, anyone would want to dive into water. Thus, while "fire and water are both ruthless," water is more dangerous than fire, or rather, its danger is more concealed.\
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The book "Laozi" teaches that softness and weakness overcome hardness and strength, stating: "Nothing in the world is softer or weaker than water, yet for attacking what is solid and strong, none can overcome it. Weakness conquers strength, softness overcomes hardness; everyone knows this, yet few can practice it." People like Sima Yi are like water, skilled at overcoming hardness with softness. This embodies a profound principle of Chinese philosophy.Sima Yi harbored great ambitions, but he was unfathomable and extremely skilled at hiding himself; you could never guess what he was thinking. He was always aiming to achieve a certain goal, but to reach that goal, he could endure and wait over and over again, without any sense of urgency at all. He would wait until your patience ran out, until you could no longer bear the wait, and then, with one final blow, he could strike you down. That is Sima Yi. Therefore, no matter how much Sima Yi was demoted, ignored, or defeated, he was never worried, never fearful, and never intimidated. Because he knew he could wait, he could endure, endure to the very end—and of course, laugh to the very end as well.

It can be said that Cao Cao essentially had a personality characterized by self-expansion, while Sima Yi essentially had a personality of self-restraint. If Cao Cao was the kind of person who was enthusiastic and showy, then Sima Yi was the kind of person who was calm and steady. Due to his self-expansion, Cao Cao's strengths and weaknesses were both particularly prominent, so we could feel that he was a real, complete person; we could understand him and see through him. Sima Yi, due to his self-restraint, seemed consistent inside and out, and to us, he felt more like a shadow, a concept. Although he could leave a deep impression, he was difficult to see through and hard to understand.

Both Cao Cao and Sima Yi excelled on the political battlefield, but their ways of excelling were completely different: one excelled through constant advancement, the other through constant withdrawal. Yet, in the end, the greatest winner in the history of the Three Kingdoms was precisely Sima Yi. Because he was good at waiting, waiting until the fruits were ripe to seize them—this was the case for Zhuge Liang and even more so for the Wei dynasty; what he desired, he ultimately obtained.

Even just considering lifespan, Sima Yi was also a winner. I have done some statistics: Cao Cao lived to 66, Liu Bei 63, Sun Quan 72, Zhuge Liang a short 54, while Sima Yi lived 73, longer than Sun Quan. Sun Quan was also a very patient and gentle person. There may indeed be some vague connection between a person's character and their lifespan.

Therefore, in the political game of the Three Kingdoms, the most successful player was undoubtedly Sima Yi.In political games, his "wait to laugh last" strategy was indeed extraordinary. During the period of the Three Kingdoms, Sima Yi was the greatest winner who relied on patience, political scheming, intelligence, and ruthlessness to achieve victory.

Although he was a winner, in history, Sima Yi ultimately gained a reputation as a treacherous minister. His mindset was indeed very good, but the purpose of maintaining such a mindset was to accomplish very bad political schemes, which made it hard for people to like him because he was too sinister. On the stages of later generations, Sima Yi ultimately could not escape the image of a treacherous minister with a fair face. Both historical assessments and public opinion eventually recorded him in the book of shame.

Even in later compilations of the history of the Jin dynasty, it was clearly stated: 'The ancients said: "Good deeds accumulated over three years are known to few; evil done in a single day is heard throughout the world," is this not true? Although one conceals past mistakes, they will ultimately be ridiculed by later generations. It is like trying to steal a bell while covering one's ears, thinking no one hears it; or robbing a golden treasure while covering one's eyes, believing no one sees it.' (Book of Jin, Volume 1, Chronicle of Emperor Xuan, Praise) Although Sima Yi concealed his faults and hid his ambitions in his time, he still could not escape history's severe judgment. It is like thinking you can deceive the common people and the elders of history with your hidden ambitions — Sima Yi's lifelong wolfish ambitions could not fool them.