This episode recounts the power struggle within the Cao Wei regime. With Shu forces confined to Qishan Mountain, Cao Wei's frontiers remained tranquil. Sima Yi commanded the troops and quelled the rebellion in Liaodong, earning him immense prestige. Emperor Cao Rui of Wei passed away, and his young son Cao Fang ascended the throne. Grand General Cao Shuang administered state affairs, while Sima Yi held military authority. Cao Shuang, a dissolute young noble, heeded the counsel of his retainers and stripped Sima Yi of his military authority. Seizing the moment when Cao Shuang left the city for a hunting expedition, Sima Yi invoked the Empress Dowager's name to reclaim his command. He executed the indecisive Cao Shuang and assumed sole control over both military and political power in Cao Wei. Xiahou Ba, a relative of Cao Shuang, defected to Shu and led Jiang Wei's forces to attack Wei. At the Battle of Niutou Mountain, they were defeated by the Wei general Guo Huai and retreated back to Hanzhong. After Sima Yi's death, the brothers Sima Shi and Sima Yi jointly administered state affairs.
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