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Sima Yan (236-290 AD), courtesy name Anshi, was a native of Wen County, Henei Prefecture (now Wen County, Henan Province).
The grandson of Emperor Xuan of Jin Sima Yi, the son of Emperor Wen of Jin Sima Zhao, and the founding emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty, known in history as Emperor Wu of Jin.

Sima Yan initially entered the officialdom with the help of his father Sima Zhao, a powerful official of Cao Wei. Later, in the fifth year of Ganlu in Cao Wei (260 AD), he participated in the enthronement of Cao Huan, Duke of Changdao Township, and was granted the title of Zhongfujun and Xinchang Township Marquis.

In the first year of Xianxi in Cao Wei (264 AD), Sima Zhao was granted the title of Duke of Jin and Sima Yan was made the Crown Prince of Jin.

Sima Zhao died in the same year, and Sima Yan inherited his title and power, taking control of the Wei government. In the second year of Xianxi (265 AD), he accepted Cao Huan's abdication, proclaimed himself emperor on February 266, 2, and established the Jin Dynasty.

"Sima Yan then worked hard to govern the country and put down the rebellion of ethnic minorities. In March of the first year of the Taikang reign of the Jin Dynasty (280 AD), he destroyed the Wu Kingdom in the south of the Yangtze River and reunified China."

"In terms of governance, Sima Yan advocated frugality and actively recruited talents. In terms of economy, he reformed agriculture and implemented land restrictions to curb land annexation,"

"At the same time, he personally participated in the compilation of laws, so under Sima Yan's rule, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and eventually the prosperous scene of the 'Taikang Reign' emerged."

"In the later period of his reign, Sima Yan gradually began to neglect his duties, favored villains, and insisted on making his eldest son Sima Zhong, who lacked ability, the crown prince, which laid the hidden danger for the civil strife in the Jin Dynasty."

"On the 290th day of the fourth month of the first year of the Jin Dynasty (May 5, 16 AD), Sima Yan died and was buried in Junyang Mausoleum (located in Yanshi District, Luoyang City, Henan Province today) at the age of . His posthumous title was Wu and his temple name was Shizu."

"Sima Yan was born in the fourth year of Qinglong in the Cao Wei Dynasty (236 AD), with the courtesy name Anshi. He was the son of Sima Zhao, a powerful official of the Cao Wei Dynasty, and the grandson of Sima Yi. During the Jiaping period of the Cao Wei Dynasty, he was appointed as the Marquis of Beiping Pavilion by Emperor Cao Fang, and later gradually promoted to the position of Central Guard General and Acting General."

"In the fifth year of the Ganlu reign of Cao Wei (260 AD), the ministers welcomed Cao Huan, Duke of Changdao, as emperor. Sima Yan welcomed him in Dongwuyang (near Liaocheng, Shandong Province today), and later promoted him to Zhongfujun and was granted the title of Xinchangxianghou."

"In the first year of Xianxi in the Cao Wei Dynasty (264 AD), Cao Huan appointed Prime Minister Sima Zhao as Duke of Jin. At that time, Sima Yan was not the first choice for the crown prince of Jin."

"Sima Zhao originally wanted to make his adopted son Sima You the crown prince, but Sima Yan's talent and reputation were not as good as Sima You's,"

"But at this time, Situ He Zeng tried his best to dissuade Sima Zhao on the grounds that Sima Yan was extremely capable and had an extraordinary appearance. As a result, Sima Yan was made the crown prince of Jin State, and was appointed as the general of the army and the chief minister."

"In May of the second year of the Xianxi reign (265 AD), Cao Huan awarded Sima Zhao the imperial guard of honor, and Sima Yan was promoted to the crown prince of Jin."

"In August of the same year, King Sima Zhao of Jin fell ill and died. Sima Yan inherited his title and official position and took control of the government of Wei."

"When Sima Yan inherited Sima Zhao's title and official position, the Sima family had already been run by his grandfather Sima Yi, his uncle Sima Shi, and his father Sima Zhao,"

"He gained control of the Wei government at the central level, and suppressed three local uprisings by forces loyal to the Cao Wei clan against the Sima family."

“That is the ‘Three Rebellions in Huainan’. By this time, the Sima family had gained control of the country, and it was inevitable that the Sima family would replace Cao Wei.”

"So in December of the second year of the Xianxi reign, Cao Huan formally issued an edict hoping to abdicate the throne to Sima Yan. Sima Yan declined to accept it, but at this time the ministers insisted on asking Sima Yan to accept the throne."

"So Sima Yan had no choice but to obey the opinions of his ministers, accept the abdication and ascend the throne to be emperor, establish the Jin Dynasty with the name of the fiefdom Jin as the country, and change the reign title to Taishi."

"Sima Yan then issued a general amnesty, changed the title of Cao Huan, the former Cao Wei emperor, to the Prince of Chenliu, and demoted the titles of the princes of the Cao Wei clan to county marquises. At the same time, he posthumously conferred the titles of emperor on Sima Yi, Sima Shi, and Sima Zhao."

"In the third year of Taishi (267 AD), Sima Yan also appointed his son Sima Zhong as the crown prince."

Li Bai: Sima Yan was very diligent in governing the country in the early days of his reign. He formulated and improved laws and sent capable people such as Yang Hu and Du Yu to guard the local areas.

At the same time, he encouraged agricultural production, actively provided relief when natural disasters occurred in various places, and issued many edicts to educate the people. Under his governance, the State of Jin gradually prospered and its national strength was enhanced.

At this time, Sun Hao, the emperor of the Wu State in the south of the Yangtze River, was addicted to wine and sex, and was licentious and murderous. The national strength of the Wu State was greatly weakened. Border generals often surrendered to the Jin State, and Sima Yan gave them preferential treatment. As a result, the people of Wu gradually turned to the Jin State.

In the fifth year of the Jin Dynasty (279 AD), Sima Yan ordered a massive attack on the State of Wu, sending soldiers to attack the State of Wu in six directions.
The Jin army won victory after victory and occupied large tracts of Wu territory. Finally, in March of the first year of the Jin Taikang reign (280 AD),

General Longxiang Wang Jun led the Jin army to attack Shitoucheng (a military fortress located at the confluence of the Qinhuai River and the Yangtze River, in today's Gulou District, Nanjing) northwest of the Wu capital Jianye (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province).

Sun Hao surrendered to the Jin army, and the Wu State was destroyed. After that, the Jin State abolished the local harsh policies and provided relief to the elderly, the weak and the poor. As a result, the people of Wu were happy to accept the rule of the Jin Dynasty.

Sima Yan, through the war against Wu, annexed four states under Wu's jurisdiction and gained a population of 2.2 million.

At this point, the Jin Dynasty under the leadership of Sima Yan temporarily ended the war situation since the end of the Han Dynasty and unified China again.

Sima Zhong, the crown prince appointed by Sima Yan, had intellectual disabilities, and his other sons were either young or mediocre.

At this time, Sima You, who was already the King of Qi, had a high reputation and also had the legal right to inherit the throne, so the prince's position was not stable.

As early as the first year of Xianning (275 AD), a plague broke out in Luoyang, and Sima Yan was infected and unable to accept the court. At this time, the ministers in the court hoped that after Sima Yan's death, the throne would be passed to Sima You.

Among them, Henan Yin Xiahou and Xiang, an important official in the court, Jia Chong, suggested to welcome a more capable person as the successor. Jia Chong hesitated and did not express his opinion. Sima Yan was very unhappy when he learned about it, and then took away the real power of the two.

Shangshu Zhang Hua even bluntly stated that the successor should be Sima You, so Sima Yan exiled him from the central government after hearing this.

Later, Xun Xu, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and Feng Xun, the Palace Attendant, who were close to Sima Yan, had a bad relationship with Sima You, so they told Sima Yan that all the officials in the court were on Sima You's side and that the prince would not be able to succeed to the throne smoothly in the future.

Sima Yan was determined to reduce Sima You's reputation, and later adopted Feng Xun's suggestion. In the third year of Taikang (282 AD), Sima You was promoted to Grand Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Qingzhou.

This move seemingly promoted Sima You's official position, but in fact transferred him to a fiefdom away from the central government, thus weakening his power.

In the fourth year of Taikang (283 AD), Sima Yan continued to issue edicts to urge Sima You to go to his fiefdom. Sima You knew that he was framed, so he became sick with worry and anger and begged to stay in the capital to guard the imperial mausoleum, but Sima Yan refused.

Afterwards, Sima Yan sent the imperial physician to treat Sima You. The imperial physician catered to Sima Yan's wishes and said that Sima You was not ill. So Sima Yan continued to urge Sima You, whose condition worsened, to set off. Sima You reluctantly said goodbye and set off despite his illness. He died two days later.
"At this point, Sima You himself died, and the ministers who did not support the crown prince were also attacked by Sima Yan. The position of the crown prince Sima Zhong was consolidated, which led to a smooth transition of power in the Jin Dynasty after Sima Yan's death."

"In the ten years since the fall of Wu in the first year of Taikang, there have been no major rebellions or military conflicts within or outside the Jin State."

"The domestic economy was fully restored, Sima Yan also carried out agricultural reforms and took a series of measures to restore agriculture, which led to a prosperous domestic production."

"During this period, the population of Jin State also grew rapidly. In the third year of Taikang (282 AD), the number of households in Jin State increased from million when the country was unified to million households."

"After Sima Yan's reforms, taxes during the Taikang period were relatively evenly distributed, and not many major events occurred in the country."

"As a result, everyone can live and work in peace and contentment, and a well-off society is created. The society is so prosperous that there are cattle and horses everywhere and no doors are closed."

"There was even a proverb that there were countless people under heaven, and this period of rapid social and economic growth and prosperity was later called the 'Taikang Reign'."

"In addition, hundreds of ethnic minority tribes in all corners of the Jin State also expressed their allegiance to Sima Yan over the years, and Sima Yan continued to send troops to defeat the Xianbei people who disobeyed the Jin Dynasty."

"Finally, in the tenth year of Taikang (289 AD), Murong Wei, the leader of the Xianbei tribe of Murong in Liaodong, was forced to surrender."

"In the late period of Sima Yan's reign, domestic contradictions gradually emerged. After he pacified the State of Wu, he began to become lazy and paid more attention to pleasure than in the early days of his reign. While expanding his harem, he also indulged in banquets and entertainment."

"In terms of government affairs, Sima Yan favored people like Yang Jun, the father of the queen, and the phenomenon of aristocrats and relatives of the emperor's wife monopolizing power began to appear in the Jin Dynasty."

"In terms of political system, Sima Yan inherited the policies of Cao Wei and adopted the Nine-Rank System, which allowed aristocratic families to monopolize senior official positions for a long time."

"Social class mobility declined significantly, and the aristocratic landlords were given great political and economic privileges, which led to serious corruption and extravagance in Jin society in the late Taikang period."

"To the point where the ministers Shi Chong and Wang Kai competed with each other in wealth, and the Grand Tutor He Zeng spent up to ten thousand coins on food every day."

"The extravagant behavior of the aristocratic families wasted a lot of resources, and also made the well-off situation during the Taikang period short-lived."

"Sima Yan's series of actions towards the crown prince also planted hidden dangers for the Jin State. Considering that Sima Zhong's eldest son was not born to his queen Jia,

"So he adopted the advice of his counsellor Wang You, greatly enhancing the status and power of the princes of the royal family, granting them great military power and ordering them to guard key positions for defense. However, this also laid the hidden danger for the princes to start a war."

"In the first year of Jin Taixi (290 AD), Sima Yan was seriously ill. Most of the founding heroes had died at this time, but Yang Jun, the minister of state, did not allow other ministers to see Sima Yan. He stayed by his side alone and took the opportunity to replace the ministers in the court and install his own confidants."

"Afterwards, Sima Yan's condition improved slightly. Seeing that Yang Jun's personnel arrangement was unreasonable, he issued an edict ordering Sima Liang, the Prince of Runan, to assist in governing the country together with Yang Jun."

"At the same time, some young and prestigious ministers were appointed to assist the crown prince, but Yang Jun hid the imperial edict. Later, when Sima Yan became seriously ill, the queen requested that Yang Jun assist in governing the country, and Sima Yan agreed."

"Sima Yan then hoped to meet Sima Liang to entrust him with his final affairs, but Sima Liang failed to return to the capital in time."

Su Shi: Afterwards, the queen wrote another edict to reward Yang Jun greatly. Sima Yan was unable to speak after reading it due to his serious illness, but the edict was still executed in the end.

On the Jiyou day of April of the same year (May 290, 5 AD), Sima Yan died in Hanzhang Hall at the age of 16. He was buried in Junyang Mausoleum and his temple name was Shizu.

After Sima Yan's death, Crown Prince Sima Zhong ascended the throne and became Emperor Hui of Jin. However, his lack of ability led to a power struggle between Empress Jia Nanfeng and Yang Jun, which caused political turmoil in the Jin Dynasty.

At the same time, the power of local princes was too great, and they began to rise up to fight for control of the central power. The Jin Dynasty fell into chaos, and the national strength declined greatly. This period is known in history as the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings."

When Sima Yan ascended the throne, he began to promulgate a new legal system. He then issued edicts to officials many times, ordering them to actively handle cases and hear unjust cases. He also personally inspected the results of officials' case handling.

At the same time, the relevant officials of Sima Yan's period revised the new laws based on the laws of the Han Dynasty, taking the benefit of practical matters as the standard.
Harsh and cumbersome stripes were deleted, leaving only concise parts; the death penalty, collective punishment and other punishments were adjusted, deleted and abolished, and corporal punishment was abolished to reduce the use of these punishments.

Sima Yan also rewarded the officials who compiled the laws generously as a reward, and even taught the laws himself. Later, he agreed to let Zhang Fei, a Mingfa official, annotate and explain the new laws.

Sima Yan liked his ministers to speak frankly and he would accept their advice with an open mind. He issued many imperial edicts ordering officials from all over the country to recommend talented and well-behaved scholars.

When appointing talents, Sima Yan basically adhered to the standard of virtue and integrity, and did not allow the appointment of officials to be influenced by the crimes of their family members or personal grudges.

After the demise of the Wu Kingdom, Sima Yan did not suppress the scholars of the Wu Kingdom, but instead issued an edict to appoint prestigious people in the Wu Kingdom.

In the early days of his reign, Sima Yan strongly advocated frugality and set an example himself. He once burned precious clothes that were presented to him in public to show his frugality.

When some officials suggested building seven temples for ancestor worship at the beginning of his reign, Sima Yan refused on the grounds that the required corvee labor was heavy.

After pacifying the State of Wu, the Minister of the Chancellery Wei Guan wrote to Sima Yan, urging him to go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods, but Sima Yan refused because it would consume a lot of manpower and money.

But in Sima Yan's later years, as he gradually immersed himself in a corrupt and extravagant life, he no longer emphasized promoting frugality.

After Sima Yan ascended the throne, he adopted a policy of emphasizing agriculture. Initially, he continued the military farming system of Cao Wei and ordered the army to engage in military farming. To a certain extent, he achieved self-sufficiency in food for the army and achieved good results.

At the same time, Sima Yan also exempted the slaves from their status and transformed them into soldiers to participate in farming. This move was of great significance to the development of social production.

However, as society became more stable, the military farming system could no longer meet the needs of developing production. So in the first year of Taikang (280 AD), Sima Yan began to implement the land occupation and land tax system.

The original military farming system was changed from being managed by the military and having to hand over the harvested grain to the military to being self-cultivating farmers who could obtain all the grain after paying a certain amount of rent. This move increased the farmers' enthusiasm for production and social production became increasingly prosperous. (End of this chapter)