The so-called strategists are those who give advice to the Lord, and those who solve problems are also!
The strategists of the Three Kingdoms period are like a galaxy shining. Among them, the most dazzling ones are Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Fazheng of the Shu Han Dynasty. Lu Su of Eastern Wu and Cao Cao's five major advisors: Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Jia Xu, and Xun You.
The question now is, who is the first strategist among the five great strategists under Cao Cao? It is estimated that the answer will come from Xun Yu and Guo Jia, the two most famous strategists--not only because these two are the most famous and have the greatest effect, but also because these two are the most legendary.
So Xun Yu and Guo Jia, who is better? This is to be compared from the following two aspects.
One: Cao Cao's own evaluation
Whether the strategist is good or not, we have been saying it for half a day for various reasons, but it is not as good as Cao Cao's evaluation. Just as Liu Bei commented on Zhuge Liang, the four words are "like a fish in the water." That is, it was Zhuge Liang who gave Liu Bei the ability to move or survive. Or the extreme saying is: Without Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei will die!
Therefore, on the side of Shu Han, it is estimated that no one will ask this question, even if Pang Tong is so bullish, but everyone understands that there is no way to compete with Zhuge Liang for this first place.
But the situation on Cao Cao's side was different. One is that Cao Cao has too many capable people and the competition is too fierce. The second is that Cao Cao himself is a "big mouth", often commenting on others, and when there is nothing to do, he will have a "left and right hand fight", that is, contradict each other.
For example, Cao Cao commented on Xiahou Yuan, first saying that "the tiger steps to the right, and the direction is invincible", but after Xiahou Yuan was killed by Huang Zhong, he came to the sentence "General of the White Land". To evaluate Liu Bei, first of all, "the hero of the world is only the king and the ear", and during the Battle of Hanzhong, he said that Liu Bei "sold his shoes", which do you believe?
Therefore, the evaluation of Cao Cao can only find the most classic and well-known one to compare.
Cao Cao's most classic evaluation of Xun Yu is: Fang Ye (Zhang Liang), the son of wu.
Cao Cao's most classic evaluation of Guo Jia is: Those who make loneliness a great cause must also be this person.
Comparing these two evaluations of Cao Cao, it is obvious that Xun Yu is more than Guo Jia. After all, the name "Zhang Liang" is too dazzling, it can be said: without Zhang Liang, there would be no "Four Hundred Years of the Great Han Dynasty". Therefore, Cao Cao's comment immediately positioned Xun Yu above the "First Counselor".
However, considering that Cao Cao was "too big mouth", it was necessary to compare the role played by Xun Yu and Guo Jia to be more convincing.
Second: the role played by Xun Yu and Guo Jia
Xun Yu's role in Cao Cao actually went beyond the scope of "strategists". In addition to "solving problems and giving advice" for Cao Cao, Xun Yu also shouldered two heavy responsibilities.
The first is that Xun Yu recommended talents to Cao Cao, such as Guo Jia, Zhong Xuan, Chen Qun, Sima Yi and other heavyweight talents, all of whom were recommended by Xun Yu, and not only created the "Yingchuan Talent Base" in one fell swoop, but also these people also influenced the development of the history of the Three Kingdoms and played a decisive role. For example, Chen Qun proposed the "Nine-Pin Zhongzheng System", not to mention Sima Yi.
The second is that Xun Yu served as a "bridge of communication" between Cao Cao and Emperor Xiandi of Han. For example, Cao Cao went out on a campaign and Xun Yu took care of the family, which became the "Cao Wei style", of course, it can also be understood that Xun Yu looked at Emperor Xian of Han on behalf of Cao Cao and dealt with the problems of both sides in a timely manner.
Looking at Guo Jia again, he is very single-minded, that is, he is responsible for Cao Cao's military operations. For example, the "Theory of Ten Victories and Ten Defeats" of the Battle of Guandu, as well as "The Legacy of The Strategy To Determine Liaodong" and so on. Therefore, in the military field, Guo Jia was definitely Cao Cao's first adviser.
Guo Jia is alive, and Cao Cao can be described as a hundred battles and victories. As soon as Guo Jia died, Cao Cao defeated Chibi first, and then was almost killed by Ma Chao in Weinan, and finally lost the Battle of Hanzhong to Liu Bei. This is the role of Guo Jia, after he dies, he can see more clearly and realize his importance!
Today, compared with the role played by Xun Yu and Guo Jia, it is still difficult to say who has a greater role. Because Xun Yu is like a heavy sword, pay attention to "heavy sword without edge".
Guo Jia is like a "fish intestine", paying attention to one blow will die! This is obviously a pair of complementary relationships that cannot be viewed separately. Therefore, it can only be considered a draw!
Therefore, now we can only rely on Cao Cao's evaluation, although helpless, but it is the most important and key evidence. The final result can only be that Xun Yu is the first conspirator under Cao Cao!