Throughout the ages, whoever has accomplished great things will be able to choose the best of his ability to assist him. In the Chu-Han war, Liu Bang started with a disadvantage, but he was able to catch up later, relying on his outstanding military advisers.
During the Three Kingdoms period, the struggle between the heroes and the followers of the celebrities was also the weight of victory. Although there are many talents in the Cao Wei camp, Xun Yu can definitely stand out in it. Cao Cao was able to unify the north without Xun Yu's advice, and he also praised Xun Yu as "my son's room". Why is it that such a heavy minister ended up depressed?
Xun Yu was born in the Yingchuan Xun clan, and was a famous local family after Xunzi. At that time, there was a saying of "Ruying Duoqishi", and Xun Yu was indeed worthy of this sentence. Xun Yu had a talented name when he was a teenager, and was once considered to be the talent of Wang Zuo by the famous Nanyang scholar He Yuan. He was elected as a filial piety, but when Xun Yu entered the dynasty as an official, it coincided with Dong Zhuo's control of the government and his dictatorship.
Xun Yu was dissatisfied with this, so he abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown, and later defected to Cao Cao. After Xun Yu surrendered to Cao Cao, he accompanied him in the southern expedition to the northern war, which can be said to have achieved outstanding merits. Xun Yu helped Cao Cao to repel Lü Bu, and later helped him form the heavenly son to gain the advantage of the princes, and even the victory at the Battle of Guandu was thanks to Xun Yu's advice to Cao Cao to do it.
In addition, Xun Yu also recommended a large number of talents to Cao Cao. Xun Yu is so outstanding, but the end is tragic, and the reasons behind it are worth pondering.
Xun Yu opposed Cao Cao's entry into the Duke of Guo, which became the biggest difference between the two. After Cao Cao captured Jingzhou, it became more and more like the sun in the sky. Dong Zhao and others rushed to make Cao Cao the Duke of Wei and seal Jiu Xi. This is the highest courtesy of the minister, who can worship the nameless after being proclaimed, enter the court without tendency, and go to the temple with his sword. Cao Cao already had the heart of disobedience, and the advice of Dong Zhao and others can be said to be right in cao cao's heart.
Unexpectedly, Xun Yu did not agree, believing that Cao Cao's original intention of Xingbing was for the kuang dynasty and the ningguo, and should be loyal and sincere, and keep the truth of retreat. Xun Yu further said that it is not appropriate for a gentleman to love people with virtue. This is no longer a euphemism, but a strenuous objection. This worsened relations between Cao Cao and Xun Yu, who died of depression in the same year.
Regarding Xun Yu's death, historians have different opinions. There are two theories, one is that he died of illness. Cao Cao marched on Fusu, and Xun Yu, who was in Shouchun, was already ill and soon died of anxiety. The second is forced suicide. Legend has it that Cao Cao once brought food to Xun Yu, but when he opened the food box, it was empty. Xun Yu, who was well versed in Cao Cao's psychology, committed suicide by taking poison. Although the world has different opinions about Xun Yu's death, it is undeniable that Cao Cao was inextricably involved in this, and xun Yu's death actually had three reasons.
First, the big things in Xun Yu's heart were already difficult to achieve. In the Book of later Han, the Biography of Xun Yu mentions that Xun Yu saw the collapse of the Han Chamber, and every time he cherished kuangzuo's righteousness. At first, Yuan Shao held great power and treated Xun Yu with courtesy, and Xun Yu's brother Xun Chen had become Yuan Shao's subordinate, but Xun Yu was still reluctant to surrender. This was only because Xun Yu decided that Yuan Shao would not be able to achieve a major event, and this major event referred to the Kuang Fu Han Room. Later, Xun Yu suggested that Cao Cao welcome back Emperor Xian of Han, and although Cao Cao had Cao Hold the Son of Heaven hostage to order the princes, this also allowed Emperor Xian of Han to be saved, so that the Han Dynasty did not perish.
Xun Yu advised Cao Cao that "although it is difficult to save the country outside the imperial court, and the heart is always tied to the royal family, this is the general's consistent ambition to help the world." It can be seen that Xun Yu was driven by Cao Cao, and it is more likely that he believed that Cao Cao had the heart of Kuang Fu Han Room, after all, Cao Cao had previously committed a righteous act against Dong Zhuo. However, the matter of claiming the title of duke completely exposed Cao Cao's ambitions, and Xun Yu was already difficult to support the Han Room, and could only end up depressed.
Second, he was worried that Cao Cao would hold a grudge against him and settle accounts with him in the future. After opposing Cao Cao's claim to the throne, Xun Yu had clearly failed Cao Cao to please him.
In the same year, when Cao Cao was conquest of Sun Quan, he sent Xun Yu to the labor army in Tan County. All he did was to take the opportunity to leave Xun Yu in the rear and no longer let him accompany the army. At this time, Cao Cao's alienation from Xun Yu was already very obvious, and Xun Yu could not be unaware. Cao Cao was suspicious, and his jealous fate was foreseeable. For example, Yang Xiu, his talent Cao Cao lamented that he was inferior, but once he was disliked, he was in a different place. It can be seen that Cao Cao's heart is fierce, and Xun Yu's worries are not unfounded.
Third, Xun Yu followed Cao Cao for half his life, half a hundred years old, but he was treated like this, and it was inevitable that he would be depressed. Xun Yu was a man of great talent, and he had made great achievements in conspiracy, planning, and raising people, and Cao Cao trusted him very much. Most of Cao Cao's men disagreed with his suggestions and offered them to the emperor, but after Xun Yu's persuasion, Cao Cao was willing to try to exclude public opinion. Regarding the restoration of Kyushu, Cao Cao was about to give the order to deal with it, but finally gave up because of Xun Yu's opposition. Xun Yu was highly valued in the early days, but now he is being snubbed, and his heart is inevitably depressed. Xun Yu understood that he was now an outcast, and if he died now, he might be able to let Cao Cao take care of his old feelings for future generations. Otherwise, the final death is not counted, and the family may be implicated.
For Xun Yu, later generations have always had a high evaluation, and Xun Yu is indeed a well-deserved first-class strategist. He was born into a warrior clan, deeply protected by the Han Dynasty, and always had feelings for the Han Dynasty in his heart, although he later attached himself to Cao Cao, but this inner contradiction had already doomed him to his final fate.