Everything about Xun Yu totally explained
Xun Yu (
163 -
212), styled Wenruo (文若), was a strategist and statesman who served as a key advisor to
Cao Cao during the
Three Kingdoms era of
China.
Life
Origins and Youth
Xun Yu was a native of
Yingchuan (modern day
Xuchang,
Henan), and was born to a renowned family. His grandfather, Xun Shu, served as a local governor and his eight sons were called the "Eight Dragons"; an uncle, Xun Shuang, served as one of the
Three Excellencies, while his own father Xun Fan was the chancellor of the feudal principality of Ji Bei.
Xun Yu proved to be a talented youth, and was evaluated by the scholar
He Yong as "someone capable of assisting kings" (王佐之才). In
189 he was nominated as
Xiaolian (literally "Fillial and Incorrupt"), beginning his career as an official in the
Eastern Han Dynasty, but
Dong Zhuo entered the capital of
Luoyang soon after, and fearing for his safety Xun Yu fled to Ji Province (modern-day
Hebei), resigning his post.
In the subsequent years local warlords quickly rose in each region; Xun Yu first served
Yuan Shao, whose power base was in Ji Province, but later left him and went over to
Cao Cao in
191; Cao Cao recognised his talent, calling him "my Zi Fang" (Zi Fang being the
courtesy name of
Zhang Liang, a key advisor to
Han Gaozu) and appointing him as an army commandant.
Service under Cao Cao
Xun Yu's contributions to Cao Cao's army and administration are immense. On one hand he recommended many other men of calibre to Cao, including
Xun You (who was his nephew),
Chen Qun,
Zhong Yao,
Guo Jia and
Sima Yi, creating a formidable body of advisors around Cao; at the same time he participated in several battles and major events of the era, often giving timely advice to his master. Cao Cao, in turn, respected Xun Yu greatly and placed great store in his advice.
In
194, as Cao Cao led a campaign against
Tao Qian in the area of
Xuzhou, his home base at
Yanzhou was suddenly attacked by
Lu Bu's armies, and two of Cao Cao's officials,
Chen Gong and
Zhang Miao, chose to defect to Lu Bu. At that time Xun Yu was in charge of the defences of Juancheng (鄄城), and his firm actions saved the city from capture, allowing Cao's armies to return and beat off Lu Bu. Subsequently, on the death of Tao Qian, Cao Cao was tempted to turn around and move on Xuzhou before returning to deal with Lu Bu; it was Xun Yu who dissuaded him from this, reminding him that Yanzhou was his heartland and power base and should be secured first before launching campaigns abroad.
It was also at Xun Yu's suggestion that Cao Cao chose to escort
Emperor Xian, who was then living in the ruins of
Luoyang, to his own base at
Xuchang in
196, taking on the role of protecting the Emperor's safety. Xun Yu's plan was to "control the rebellious in the name of the Emperor" (奉天子以令不臣); the
Romance of the Three Kingdoms subtly distorts this to "hold the Emperor hostage to control the warlords" (挟天子以令诸侯). In the long run this strategem would give Cao Cao a considerable political advantage over his rivals, allowing him to legitimise his actions by taking them in the name of the Emperor.
In
200, Cao Cao faced off at
Guandu against Yuan Shao for months, eventually exhausting his food supply; while contemplating retreat he sent a letter to Xun Yu (who was then guarding Xuchang) for advice. Again Xun Yu dissuaded his master with a letter, highlighting several advantages that his army held over the Yuan forces and urging him to stand fast; the eventual result was the
Battle of Guandu, a decisive victory for Cao and crucial to his domination of northern China.
Personal information
Further Information
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