To be precise, Zhong Hui's reaction may be due to involuntary pressure from the general environment, which caused him to have no choice but to take risks and fight for a way out for himself.
(1) Zhong Hui’s talents
Zhong Hui was born in the Zhong family of Yingchuan, a famous noble family. His father was Zhong Yao, an important minister of Cao Wei. Zhong Hui was extremely intelligent since he was a child. When he grew up, he had talents and skills, and he was erudite and refined in theory. He could continue his day by night, thus gaining a reputation. Although Zhong Hui was not very young at that time, he was as famous as Wang Bi. When he was in his twenties, Zhong Hui became Sima Shi's staff. Sima Shi said that he had the talent of a king. Zhong Hui advised Sima Shi and Sima Zhao to put down the rebellion in Huainan, and was deeply trusted. ?
Because Zhong Hui had every plan, people praised him as the son of the emperor at that time (that is, Zhang Liang). In 261, Zhong Hui was awarded the title of Sili Xiaowei. Although he was an official in a foreign court, the gains and losses of current affairs, the gains and losses of the world, were all subject to comprehensive regulations. After Xiahou Ba defected to Shu Han, he once said: "Those who have Zhong Shiji, although they are few, will eventually be worried about Wu and Shu." Later, when Sima Zhao planned to conquer Shu, only Zhong Hui firmly supported him. He and Sima Zhao also planned the terrain and discussed the situation.
So, after destroying the Shu Han, why did Zhong choose to rebel at this time?
(2) Zhong Hui’s Rebellion
There have been many theories about the reasons for Zhong Hui’s rebellion, and they are all worthy of consideration.
Firstly, although Zhong Hui is Sima Zhao’s confidant, he is not tolerated by his ministers. As the saying goes, "A lot of words make gold, but accumulation destroys bones." Due to the isolation and exclusion from the ministers, even if Zhong You had the trust from Sima Zhao, it would inevitably be worn away day by day, and he would eventually lose his due status. The reason why Zhong Hui was rejected may be related to his own personality and behavior. Such records are often seen in history books: Fu Gu once said, "A son's ambition is great, but his achievements are difficult to accomplish." Wang Yuanji, Sima Zhao's wife, said that Zhong Hui "sees profit and forgets justice, likes to cause trouble, and if he is pampered, he will be in trouble, and he should not be responsible for it." , Xin Xianying, Pei Kai, Xun Xu and others also believed that Zhong Hui was arrogant and arrogant and must be guarded against. ?
The second point is that it is not groundless to say that Zhong Hui still cares about the Wei family. After all, when Zhong Hui rebelled, the banner he raised was exactly the order of Empress Dowager Guo. The purpose may be to help Cao Wei get rid of the powerful minister Sima Zhao. However, this piece of evidence seems very weak, and may be more like an excuse, and Zhong Hui himself is rebellious. According to the records in "Three Kingdoms", Zhong Hui was proud of himself after destroying Shu. Especially after Deng Ai was arrested, he "uniquely unified the masses and shocked the western lands". Zhong Hui felt that his fame was unparalleled and he could no longer be subordinated to others, so he had all the strength and leadership in his own hands, so he conspired to rebel. In addition, Jiang Wei continued to instigate others, and Zhong Hui then raised his troops to rebel.
The third theory is that Zhong Hui himself had no intention of rebellion, but he was helplessly isolated by the ministers and was jealous of the monarch. So this was forced to a certain extent. Because he was extremely intelligent and good at planning, he aroused dissatisfaction among the people around Sima Zhao, and they continued to attack Zhong Hui, which finally triggered the rebellion. Specifically, Sima Zhao's cronies Jia Chong and Yang Hu expressed doubts about Zhong Hui.