Preface
In the history of the Three Kingdoms, Xu Chu is a high-profile heroic figure, especially remembered for his bravery and loyalty. However, after Cao Cao's death, he chose an unthinkable act and disappeared, as if the trace had disappeared.
What is the end of this hero, who was once known as the "tiger idiot", and does his mysterious disappearance hide a deeper secret? Today, let us walk into this twisted and bizarre story.
1. Extraordinary force
In 190 AD, the Eastern Han Dynasty was already in turmoil. The government is corrupt, bandits are rampant, and the people are struggling to make a living. In this dark land, a young man named Xu Chu wrote a legend with his extraordinary martial arts and courage.
That year, tens of thousands of bandits flocked to Xu Chu's hometown of Yuxian. In the face of such a fierce enemy, the people spontaneously organized themselves to resist, and Xu Chu, who was only in his early twenties, was the leader of this militia. Although thousands of families were called on to join, they were ultimately weak and had to send their herds to sue for peace.
While the people were angry, a cow escaped. Xu Chu stepped forward and grabbed the tail of the ox and dragged it nearly a hundred steps away. This amazing power made those murderous bandits frightened, and they took the initiative to give up all the ransom and escape.
This scene is undoubtedly jaw-dropping. At that time, bandits were rampant in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the government was powerless to curb them, so the people could only organize themselves to protect their homes. And Xu Chu easily suppressed tens of thousands of thieves with his own strength, which shows the strength of his force.
This astonishing power naturally aroused the reverence of the local people and also attracted the attention of Cao Cao. Cao Cao is recruiting troops in Hebei to expand his strength. He admired this young man's martial arts and courage very much, so he immediately extended an olive branch to Xu Chu. Xu Chu also joined Cao Cao's army without hesitation and began his military career.
Second, extraordinary skills
After Xu Chu joined Cao Cao's troops, he immediately showed his outstanding skills. In 211 AD, Cao Cao sent troops to attack Ma Chao and personally led elite troops across the river. However, Ma Chao's cavalry suddenly arrived, and Cao Ying fell into chaos. At the critical moment, Xu Chu did not hesitate, helped Cao Cao onto the boat, and personally steered the steer and sailed away from the battlefield.
Ma Chao's army fired arrows one after another on the shore, and the arrows rained down, and the boatman was killed by arrows. Xu Chu held the saddle high in his left hand to block Cao Cao's arrows, and with his right hand, he struggled to open the canopy, and he sailed out of the way thousands of meters away before finally getting out of danger. It's breathtaking.
This battle can be described as the highest display of Xu Chu's martial arts. Cao Cao, as the commander of the army, was naturally the primary object of protection. At the critical juncture, Xu Chu disregarded his own safety, decisively sent Cao Cao onto the ship, and drove it himself, and broke through in the rain of arrows. This kind of skill and courage undoubtedly impressed Cao Cao.
After that, Cao Cao had high hopes for Xu Chu and almost completely entrusted his safety to him. Xu Chu has since become Cao Cao's closest bodyguard, protecting his safety at all times. This deep trust also makes Xu Chu's position more and more important.
3. The insight is amazing
By Cao Cao's side, Xu Chu was not only an excellent escort, but also a very perceptive strategist. It is this extraordinary insight that has helped Cao Cao solve crises many times.
During the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao had a guard named Xu by his side who plotted to assassinate Cao Cao. Xu knew that Xu Chu was strong in martial arts, and he had been waiting for the opportunity for Xu Chu to leave. Finally, one day Xu Chu left the camp to rest, and Xu and his accomplices took advantage of the situation to enter and prepare to commit murder.
Who knows, as soon as they entered the tent, they saw Xu Chu. It turned out that Xu Chu suddenly became uneasy on the road, and immediately turned back to the camp, just in time to bump into this group of assassins. Seeing this, Xu He and the others changed their faces greatly, and before they could say anything, they were slashed to the ground by Xu Chu.
After this incident, Cao Cao trusted Xu Chu even more. Since then, Xu Chu has been inseparable from Cao Cao almost all the time. Xu Chu's insight can be described as outstanding. During the Battle of Guandu, he was keenly aware of the danger around him and decisively returned to the camp, just in time to bump into the Assassin Xu He. This kind of premonition and ability to respond to the crisis undoubtedly impressed Cao Cao.
Cao Cao, as the most powerful military commander at that time, was naturally the target of many careerists. But under the protection of Xu Chu, he commanded the army almost carefree. This kind of trust also makes Xu Chu's position more and more important. Since then, he has been inseparable from Cao Cao almost all the time, and has become Cao Cao's closest bodyguard.
Fourth, decisive and heroic
By Cao Cao's side, Xu Chu not only had to protect Cao Cao's safety at all times, but also had to complete some things that were inconvenient for Cao Cao to come forward in person. In this regard, Xu Chu also showed extraordinary decisiveness and bravery.
After Cao's army captured Jizhou, Xu You made a lot of nonsense in front of everyone, calling Cao Cao's nickname, and boasting about Haikou that if he hadn't led the way, Cao Cao would have been unable to capture Jizhou. After Cao Cao heard this, not only was he not annoyed, but he smiled and admitted Xu You's credit.
However, Xu Chu doesn't have such a big measure. He immediately walked around the camp, and soon returned with Xu You's head. Xu You's relationship with Cao Cao was extraordinary, and Cao Cao was overjoyed when he learned that he had defected, and personally greeted him outside the tent.
But Xu Chu obviously didn't see it that way, he thought that Xu You had insulted the lord and deserved death, so he dealt with him mercilessly. Xu Chu's decisiveness and bravery are vividly demonstrated in this matter. As Cao Cao's closest bodyguard, he naturally knew the relationship between Xu Yu and Cao Cao.
But when Xu Yu insulted Cao Cao in public, Xu Chu did not hesitate to take action in person and dealt with him decisively. This kind of behavior of not fearing the powerful and maintaining the dignity of the lord undoubtedly made Cao Cao trust him even more.
From then on, Xu Chu was not only Cao Cao's personal bodyguard, but also one of his most trusted advisors. Anything that is inconvenient for Cao Cao to come forward in person will be handed over to him to deal with. Xu Chu's decisiveness and bravery also made his position next to Cao Cao even more important.
Fifth, the distinction between public and private is clear
Xu Chu's loyalty to Cao Cao can be described as famous. However, for people other than Cao Cao, he did not deliberately greet them, and even had some arrogance in his eyes. It was this clear distinction between public and private that eventually led to the regret behind him.
Back then, Cao Ren returned to Luoyang to see Cao Cao, and when he was waiting outside the palace, he met Xu Chu. Cao Ren greeted Xu Chu very warmly and wanted to talk to him. Unexpectedly, Xu Chu didn't even look back and said, "King Wei is coming out" and walked away.
As a member of the clan, Cao Ren had always been ridiculed by others, where had he ever eaten such a closed-door soup? He was extremely angry at Xu Chu's behavior, thinking that Xu Chu was looking down on him, so he kept this incident firmly in his heart.
Xu Chu's clear distinction between public and private is incisive in this matter. As Cao Cao's closest bodyguard, he naturally knew Cao Ren's status and status. But he did not deliberately welcome him because of this, but showed a kind of arrogance that was empty-eyed. This behavior naturally aroused Cao Ren's dissatisfaction, and he thought that Xu Chu was looking down on himself as a clan noble.
This kind of character with a clear distinction between public and private also made Xu Chu's situation in the Cao Wei regime not easy. Although Cao Cao trusted him very much, he did not please other powerful people. This arrogance eventually became an important reason for his regrets.
epilogue
After Cao Cao's death, Xu Chu continued to serve as a guard until Cao Pi and Cao Zhi died one after another. However, on the sacrificial list of Cao Wei Taimiao, there is never Xu Chu's name.
A person who has saved Cao Cao's life several times, in the end, he can't even enter the Taimiao, which is really suffocating. Xu Chu followed Cao Cao all his life and went to the soup for it several times, but in the end he failed to gain the respect he deserved.
But his loyalty to Cao Cao is immortal, as the so-called "loyalty is far the same as that of the Emperor". This kind of loyalty is undoubtedly worth remembering forever for future generations.