The poster shows Cao Pi (R) in the TV series The Advisors' Alliance. Cao Pi, first emperor of Cao Wei Kingdom, established an official system of recommending candidates for officials by appointed gentlemen, which was later used by the aristocracy to monopolize government positions.

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The recent TV series The Advisors’ Alliance portrays the history of the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) by placing Sima Yi (179-251) in the spotlight and focusing on his role as the founder of the Jin Dynasty, which replaced Cao Wei (220-266).

Sima Yi, a military advisor of Cao Cao (155-220), the actual founder of Cao Wei Kingdom, helped Cao Pi ascend to the throne by supporting noble families against the imperial family. In later years, he ultimately defeated his political rivals and laid the foundations for ending the chaos and uniting the three kingdoms.

The TV series provides a glimpse of this history from the perspective of the rise and fall of the aristocracy.

The lords of the late Han Dynasty and early Cao Wei Kingdom were warlords, nobles or relatives of the emperors. For example, Yuan Shao (?-202), the most powerful rival in the early years of Cao Cao, was recorded as coming from a family in which “three members in four generations served as imperial chancellors.” However, Cao Cao, according to an official denunciation of the army by Chen Lin, was the son of the man adopted by a eunuch. Nevertheless, they both asked themselves the same question—how to bring peace to the chaotic political situation.   

 
The struggle between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao was actually a conflict between the aristocracy and commoners. The fact that Yuan was elected as the leader of the crusade campaign against Dong Zhuo meant support from the big families. Yuan Shao’s approach to appointing officials was not by their abilities, rather, it was based on their family backgrounds. He also promoted Confucianism.

According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao, when serving as mayor of the capital Luoyang, executed law-breakers from powerful families as well. His legalist ideals were demonstrated in the early years of his political life.

Some of the advisors later left Yuan Shao and pledged allegiance to Cao Cao. They criticized Yuan for not knowing how to make full use of talented people. In contrast, Cao Cao outlined a specific approach to appointing officials: weicai shiju, which means promoting a person based solely on their capabilities. This principle placed a higher emphasis on a person’s pragmatic problem-solving ability and talent rather than moral virtues or family background.

A key goal of Cao Cao’s political ideals was suppressing the monopoly over power held by the aristocracy. His weicai shiju approach to appointing officials was a key aspect of this. Cao Cao believed that unusual policies had to be adopted in that chaotic era. Cao Cao still trusted subordinates who morally misbehaved.

After the Guandu Campaign, in which Cao Cao emerged victorious over Yuan Shao with a force inferior in number, northern China was ultimately unified. However, the growth in the political and economic strength of the aristocracy was not a trend that Cao Cao could change. He altered the political strategy of the Cao Wei Kingdom in its middle period.

In his last order regarding recruiting talented people released in 211, Cao Cao emphasized seeking both people with virtue and with practical capabilities. To some extent, this could be seen as a footnote to the situation, in which the North gradually transformed from chaos to a peaceful society and the changing of a policy from suppression of the aristocracy to cooperation.

This was when Sima Yi, from an aristocratic family, began to seize power as the righthand of the first Emperor of Wei, Cao Pi. During the rule of Cao Pi, a system of recommending candidates for officials of nine grades by appointed gentlemen was established. The system was initiated by Cao Pi as a way of seeking support from aristocratic families. However, it was later used by the aristocracy to monopolize government positions.

During the rule of Cao Fang, the third emperor of the Wei Kingdom, Cao Shuang assisted the young emperor in governance. As a member of the royal family, Cao presided over reforms that aimed to suppress the aristocracy again. This reform was the last attempt by the royal family to dominate the political life of Wei.

However, the aristocracy fiercely resisted this reform. Led by Sima Yi, they launched a coup when Cao Shuang was travelling with Cao Fang to the Gaoping Tombs and took control of the capital. Cao Shuang and his supporters were executed. The Wei Kingdom, established by a low-class family, was gradually replaced by the notable Sima family.

After the Gaoping Tombs Incident, the aristocracy dominated the political life, paving the way for the dominance of powerful political families in the Jin Dynasty.